Dean R. Koontz

Highest Rated: 20% Hideaway (1995)

Lowest Rated: 13% Phantoms (1998)

Birthday: Jul 9, 1945

Birthplace: Everett, Pennsylvania, USA

Author Dean Koontz redefined the suspense thriller genre by infusing elements of horror, science fiction, dark humor, and romance into his novels. A highly prolific writer, a steady string of his books landed on the New York Times bestsellers list, including Hideaway (1992), Intensity (1996), Odd Thomas (2003), and Velocity (2005). Koontz was a master at building suspense, blending the supernatural with the commonplace, and creating dialogue that sparkled with tongue-in-cheek wit. For these reasons, it was not surprising that many of his books were adapted for film and television, including the feature films "Watchers" (1988) and "Intensity" (1997) and the television miniseries "Sole Survivor" (Fox, 2000). While Koontz's stories terrified and brought to life the horrors inflicted by society's most heinous individuals, they also celebrated the power of good over evil, and strength of the human character. In spite of the dark themes and malevolent characters he explored, Koontz always tempered his stories with themes of redemption. Over the years, he demonstrated his command of spine-tingling mysteries, and proved that he was undoubtedly one of the world's most successful wordsmiths.