Person
Every book Dean Koontz recommended on podcasts
Dean Koontz’s most recommended books
- A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
- Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
- Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
- Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
- The Blackboard Jungle by Evan Hunter
- Ash-Wednesday by T. S. Eliot
- Four Quartets by T. S. Eliot
- Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
- No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy
- The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Dean Koontz appeared on the podcast How I Write, where he discussed and recommended several notable works of literature and poetry. Koontz recommended Evan Hunter's novel The Blackboard Jungle, praising the author's facile writing style and excellent dialogue. He also shared his deep captivation with Charles Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities, which served as his introduction to Dickens's work and evoked strong emotions, while also referencing Oliver Twist during discussions with his publisher regarding child protagonists. Additionally, Koontz expressed high praise for Ray Bradbury's novel Something Wicked This Way Comes, highlighting its wonderful portrayal of fathers and sons and healthy father-son relationships, while also briefly mentioning Bradbury's darker work Fahrenheit 451. Beyond fiction, Koontz discussed his extensive reading of poetry, noting that he had read T. S. Eliot's Four Quartets and Ash-Wednesday hundreds of times, placing them at the top of his literary preferences. Through these podcast appearances, Koontz offered insights into the books that influenced his artistic sensibilities, focusing heavily on strong dialogue, emotional resonance, intricate character dynamics, and masterfully crafted prose.
Books recommended by Dean Koontz
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A Tale of Two Cities
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens is a classic historical novel set against the backdrop of the French Revolution, exploring themes of sacrifice, resurrection, and extreme societal upheaval.
Recommended“And I chose Tale of Two Cities. And I just became utterly captivated with it.”
Where to get it
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Fahrenheit 451
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury is a classic dystopian novel depicting a future American society where books are outlawed and firemen burn any that are discovered.
Discussed“Uh well, unless you read Fahrenheit 451, uh which is a dark dark piece.”
Where to get it
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Oliver Twist
Oliver Twist is a classic novel by Charles Dickens that follows the life of an orphan navigating the harsh criminal underworld and street life of nineteenth-century London.
Discussed“And I said what about Oliver Twist? uh whatever and I just started naming off all the novels where the characters are children.”
Where to get it
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Something Wicked This Way Comes
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury is a dark fantasy novel that explores the complex dynamics of father-son relationships against the backdrop of a sinister carnival arriving in a small town.
Recommended“But my favorite thing of his is something wicked this way comes which is just a wonderful wonderful book about fathers and sons and the right kind of father-sons relationships and things.”
Where to get it
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The Blackboard Jungle
The Blackboard Jungle by Evan Hunter is a gritty and influential novel about juvenile delinquency and the struggles of teaching in an inner-city vocational high school.
Recommended“there was a writer named Evan Hunter it wasn't his real name but he was famous he wrote the blackboard jungle and a number of famous novels under that name and he was very facile but he also was excellent dialogue”
Where to get it
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Ash-Wednesday
Discussed“well the number one with me was T.S. Eliot not the cat poetry so much it's the wonderful cat poetry and it's amazing that the four quartets or Ashland's Day are those probably read any of them hundreds of times”
Where to get it
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Four Quartets
Discussed“well the number one with me was T.S. Eliot not the cat poetry so much it's the wonderful cat poetry and it's amazing that the four quartets or Ashland's Day are those probably read any of them hundreds of times”
Where to get it
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Great Expectations
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens is a classic Victorian novel following the orphan Pip as he navigates social class, ambition, and personal growth.
Discussed“Oliver Twist Great Expectations Tale of Two Cities he wasn't afraid of emotion”
Where to get it
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No Country for Old Men
No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy is a bleak, violent western thriller about a drug deal gone wrong and the relentless hunter pursuing the survivor.
Discussed“Then he moved to things like No Country for Old Men and The Road which is stripped down and just the opposite of everything in his first career.”
Where to get it
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The Road
The Road by Cormac McCarthy is a bleak, post-apocalyptic novel that follows a father and his young son as they walk across a burned America, striving to survive while holding onto their morality.
Discussed“Then he moved to things like No Country for Old Men and The Road which is stripped down and just the opposite of everything in his first career.”
Where to get it
Books Dean Koontz wrote
Appearances
| Episode | Podcast | Date | Books |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dean Koontz: This Is What Mystical Writing Feels Like | How I Write | How I Write | 2026-10-21 | 3 |
| Dean Koontz: 120 Novels Published. 500M Copies Sold. | How I Write | 2025-05-07 | 11 |
Other mentions (10: passing, ad reads, own books)
“you have to fall in love with this book the friend of the family in this one the character is so immensely appealing the book is sent in the 30s and 40s”
“and there was a double challenge in the friend of the family because famous people keep coming into this story because the people who adopt this girl out of a freak show and give her a real life at the age of 19”
“and come up with something that never works and when you're at it while at least in my case you get the point is you have no idea what's going to sell or not sell”
“as a reader me as a writer that was an novel called intensity but I published quite a number you just got it's the clearest because I probably can give you the I have to ramble a little bit and tell story a little bit”
“The first time I worked this way was a book called Strangers, which was the first hardcover bestseller I ever had.”
“I'll go to a a novel of mine called Lightning. Uh I had Strangers was a hardcover bestseller, not at the top of the list, but then the next one, Watchers, went further up the list. And then I delivered a book of lightning.”
“I'll go to a a novel of mine called Lightning. Uh I had Strangers was a hardcover bestseller, not at the top of the list, but then the next one, Watchers, went further up the list.”
“So, I had to move but I the first thing I did was write a comic novel and it was a book called Hanging On. It was published very good reviewers, but it didn't sell particularly well.”
“And that line just it was like an arrow. I had I was in the car and within 15 minutes I had an idea for a novel called Life Expectancy. And I think it's one of the best things I've ever done.”
“I wrote a book called Breathless and some people love that book and some people say, "Boy, this is a little too out there for me."”