What is it about Dean Koontz? I won’t make value judgments on him as an author, but I will say that there seem to be an inordinate number of readers who stick with him and will read nothing else, which seems… unhealthy? shall we say. Non-nutritious? Kind of like people who eat only Domino’s pizza – I get the appeal, but trust me – there’s other kinds of pizza out there that are really goooood. Sometimes this wierd brand loyalty of Koontz fans kind of gets me down.

To which end, maybe it is best not to go jumping to filet mignon, but just to start with some other really good non-Dominos pizza.

For instance: John Farris – just in general – Phantom Nights, Solar Eclipse, Soon She Will Be Gone, You Don’t Scare Me… Farris is a great read for Koontz fans – very similar appeal.

Another horror writer who might appeal is Bentley Little – a really good atmospheric writer whose stories have a wonderfully nightmarish feel – I especially like his The Ignored, about a man who seems to be almost invisible at his job, which drives him kind of crazy. And T.M. Wright’s Laughing Man – really really freaking terrifying and weird. And finally John Saul, who is also on the suspenseful end of the horror spectrum – try The God Project or Creature.

Moving a bit farther afield, how about Greg Bear – something like Blood Music or Dead Lines, both of which are very gripping and thrillerish in a way Koontz fans will appreciate, with the added bonus of being a great way to tiptoe into the more thought-provoking reaches of speculative fiction – and into the Science Fiction section of the library / bookstore. In a similar vein, perhaps Blue Light by Walter Mosley – a Koontzish fable that may tempt him on to Mosley’s other - frankly better - work in a variety of genres.

Then there's Bad Men, by John Connolly. Here is a supernatural thriller in the best tradition of Koontz (it is set in Maine, so I can’t help thinking of Stephen King as well), written by a really gifted Irish-born writer who has done some good mysteries and literary fiction.

They’re Watching, by Gregg Hurwitz. HIGH octane suspense – creepy, mysterious, supernatural? Very well done. Similarly, Blackout by Guy Smith – a good horror thriller.

And finally, The Lost Girls, by Andrew Pyper. Here is a terrifically creepy, uncanny suspense novel by a Canadian author – and I think a very good read for Koontz fans.