Today, I felt like talking a little about books, comparing (From both a Christian perspective, and a pop- culture nerd perspective) an author who used to be my favorite with one who is currently one of my favorites, and who have been kind of rivals in the same genre.
WARNING: Both of these authors have made content that isn’t suitable for kids. Exercise caution and discernment before reading their works if you're under 16 or so or if you're squeamish.
From about my 8th grade year, to shortly after
graduating high school, I was a devoted fan of the works of Stephen King. I read a lot of his classic books like 'It,' 'Carrie,' 'Salem's Lot,' 'Christine,' 'Firestarter,' the anthology 'Different Seasons,' and many others. I loved them all. In fact, 'Salem's Lot' almost inspired me to write a book of my own once, but nothing really came of it.
However, Stephen King largely jumped the shark in the early- mid 90's, shortly after writing 'Desperation' and 'The Regulators.' The last good things he did were an episode of 'The X- Files' he directed in 1998 called "Chinga" and the TV miniseries 'Rose Red' in the early 2000s, and even those can't compare to his earlier works. Much of his work since then has been simply awful. Even his 'Dark Tower' comic book limited series he came out with some years ago was so bad and so dull that it literally put me to sleep. When not even a comic book can at least keep my interest, you know something's really wrong.
Part of the problem, which many have noted in critiquing King's works, is that there tends to be a very formulaic style to a lot of his works, especially in terms of his always including certain tropes and cliches in his works. For instance, nearly all of his works take place in Maine (Or occasionally in another dimension), nearly all of his works have a writer of some sort as a major character (I get that part of it is him incorporating his own inner struggles into his works, and it was novel the first few times it was done, but it's gotten old really quick), most of them have a stereotypical "Bully" character who is completely unsympathetic, many of his books feature children and babies dying, they often end on a quite bittersweet note, and so on. It's so obvious and so repetitive, that one of my favorite Internet personalities, the Nostalgia Critic, has created a "Stephen King Drinking Game," based around taking a shot every time you see one of those tropes in one of his books or the movies based off them. It's actually gotten even worse in King's more current works, with these tropes becoming much more pronounced and predictable.
There is one more major cliché that’s a regular in King’s works, which is a big
part of the reason why I’m not really a fan of his anymore: In many of his
works, especially nowadays, there will be a token “Christian” character who
will inevitably be portrayed as either an ultra- stereotypical ignorant moron, an ultra-
stereotypical narrow- minded jerk/ bigot, or (King seems to particularly favor this
one) an ultra- stereotypical raving psychopath who spouts Bible verses while
killing or otherwise mistreating people for no good reason.
As those who know me personally
or have read this blog in the past would probably know, I tend to be very
permissive in terms of what I watch and read (Probably too much so: I partially attribute it to the fact that before I found Jesus, I was into even grislier fare, which largely desensitized me). There is very little that will
bother me so much that I would flat- out avoid it. However, the one exception
to this is I have VERY little patience for movies, shows, books, etc., that
portray Christians in a blatantly insulting and stereotypical manner, and many
of King’s works do exactly that with Christian characters. It’s a big part of
the reason why I haven’t seen the ‘Carrie’ remake from a couple years ago, even
though I’m a fan of the actress who plays Carrie in it, Chloe Grace Moretz, because I knew that Carrie's psycho religious- nut mother in the story would undoubtedly be made even more over- the- top and offensive in the remake. I’d imagine my reaction to these kinds of portrayals isn’t much different from how an African- American might react to seeing the old movie ‘The Birth of a Nation.’
It wouldn't be as much of an issue with me if they at least made it a little more balanced by featuring other Christian characters portrayed in a more positive light (Sort of like what Disney did with 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame'; I've GOT to do a review of that for this blog some time), but King rarely does that, and on the few occasions he does, those characters tend to be relatively minor and rarely if ever even mention their faith. This is the sort of thing that we as Christians should expect. The Bible contains numerous verses pointing out that we will be insulted, slandered, and mistreated by the unbelieving world; It's why Jesus said in Matthew 5:11-12, "Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on My account. Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in Heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." Because the unbelieving world doesn't understand us and doesn't know Jesus, it's understandable that many of them would openly insult and slander Christians as a whole. Still, that doesn't mean I have to keep giving my reading time or my money to support an author whose works deliberately promote hatred and intolerance of everything I believe in.
So, between his blatantly insulting and stereotyping my religion time and again, and also just the quality of his work in general declining so rapidly, I can say that while I still like Stephen King's older works, he definitely no longer occupies the position he once held as my favorite author.It wouldn't be as much of an issue with me if they at least made it a little more balanced by featuring other Christian characters portrayed in a more positive light (Sort of like what Disney did with 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame'; I've GOT to do a review of that for this blog some time), but King rarely does that, and on the few occasions he does, those characters tend to be relatively minor and rarely if ever even mention their faith. This is the sort of thing that we as Christians should expect. The Bible contains numerous verses pointing out that we will be insulted, slandered, and mistreated by the unbelieving world; It's why Jesus said in Matthew 5:11-12, "Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on My account. Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in Heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." Because the unbelieving world doesn't understand us and doesn't know Jesus, it's understandable that many of them would openly insult and slander Christians as a whole. Still, that doesn't mean I have to keep giving my reading time or my money to support an author whose works deliberately promote hatred and intolerance of everything I believe in.
Now that I've talked about King, I'll move on to talk about another author, seen as a sort- of rival to his (Though not quite as successful as King), who over the last few years has become one of my current favorite authors: I am referring to Dean Koontz. The first of his books I read was 'Watchers,' around the time when my love of Stephen King was starting to wane, and I did really enjoy that book. Then, in the summer of 2010, I began getting interested in his books again, sort of by accident; My mother and I were beginning the long drive up to our family's vacation cabin in Canada. Since driving that steadily over that long of a period ensures we'll never be able to enjoy a radio station for very long, the drive can get boring and tedious for everyone involved. On this occasion, my mom was driving, and she started feeling a little dozy from the silence and boredom, so she in an exasperated tone told me to get a book from her tote bag she brought and read it aloud to her, to help break the tedium. The book I selected from her bag was Koontz's novel 'Relentless.' As I read it aloud, not only did it put Mom in a better mood and help her stay alert, it also proved to be quite an enjoyable read for myself! After 'Relentless,' I got into his 'Frankenstein' series,' and soon afterwards, his 'Odd Thomas' series as well (btw, the first 'Odd Thomas' book has been made into a VERY good movie a year or so ago, starring Anton Yelchin as the title character). I've finished the 'Frankenstein' series, borrowed a one- shot book of his called 'What the Night Knows' from a friend and will start reading it soon, and I have the third Odd Thomas book, 'Brother Odd,' set aside as part of my summer reading.
Koontz's writing quality cycle appears to be the exact opposite of King's: As King's writing began steadily declining over time, Koontz's work, in turn, began steadily improving over time. His characters became more developed, his stories more complex and unique, and his work just generally more enjoyable to crack open and spend some time with
One benefit that Koontz has over King imo is better protagonists. Many of King's protagonists, especially in more recent years, tend to be incredibly bland and uninteresting. He's made some good heroes in his day, to be sure (i.e. the Losers' Club from 'It,' Dennis and Leigh from 'Christine,'), but most of them are quite forgettable. Koontz's heroes, in contrast, are all insanely fun and likable. From the trio of Travis, Nora, and Einstein in 'Watchers,' to Cubby Greenwich and his family in 'Relentless,' to all the various protagonists in the 'Frankenstein' books (i.e. Carson and Michael, the original creature Deucalion, and many others), to of course the great Odd Thomas, they are all great, well- developed heroes that are easy to root for.
Another benefit Koontz has over King, something that developed over time and became more apparent in each book, is his humor. While King's books have occasional funny moments, they are relatively rare. Koontz's books, in contrast, have loads of witty humor, which can come in a variety of different forms, to help relieve some of the tension. For one example, there is a scene in his third 'Frankenstein' book, 'Dead and Alive,' in which the main characters, the tough policewoman Carson and her wisecracking yet effective partner/ love interest Michael, are chasing down two of Victor Frankenstein's replicants that have gone mad and are attempting to kill a dog, and manage to gun down one of the two replicants. Obviously, this is a very intense chase scene, with the replicants chasing after the dog and Carson and Michael chasing after them through a city park, pouring bullets at them and taking out one. In the middle of all this, out of nowhere, Michael's cell phone rings, and his ringtone happens to be of Curly's distinctive laugh from the Three Stooges ("Nyuk nyuk nyuk... nyuk nyuk nyuk..."). Just the picture of that in my imagination made me burst out laughing!
What's more, while Koontz does often feature Christian characters in his work, he tends to portray them in a MUCH more balanced way than King does. For instance, one group of characters featured in the last two books in the Dean Koontz ‘Frankenstein’ series are the members of a Montana- based church called the “Riders in theSky
Church
Dean Koontz's books don't try to sugarcoat things (He wouldn't be much of a thriller/ suspense writer if they did): They make it clear that real evil does exist in the world, be it through evil, demented people or through dangerous ideals and worldviews. However, a common theme to Koontz's books is that even in the darkest times, clinging to faith, hope, humor, and love can help us on the side of good find our way and emerge victorious. Even when the victories at times come with a heavy price (i.e. The ending of the first 'Odd Thomas' book), it's one worth paying for us to stay true to what's important and see good triumph over evil in large or small ways.
This is very much a strong Christian theme as well. We can endure in the face of evil and suffering through trusting in the Lord and keeping hope alive. In Deuteronomy 31:8, it says that "Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord is the one who goes before you. He will be with you; He will never fail you nor forsake you." It also says in Psalm 56: 3-4, "When I am afraid, I will trust in You. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?" Lastly, in Psalm 33:18-22, it is said that "The eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him, on whose hope is in His unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. We wait in hope for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. In Him, our hearts rejoice, for we trust in His holy name. May Your unfailing love rest upon us, o Lord, even as we put our hope in You." By doing these things, trusting in God and keeping our faith and hope in HIm alive, we may similarly triumph over what the world and the Devil throw at us.
For all of those reasons and more, I can comfortably say that Dean Koontz has officially become one of my favorite authors. He may not hold the same position that Stephen King used to hold for me, but pretty darn close.
That's all for this edition of the Nightcrawler Experience, but a new entry should hopefully come soon, as I'll be going to Megacon next week. Until then, God bless you all!
Koontz's writing quality cycle appears to be the exact opposite of King's: As King's writing began steadily declining over time, Koontz's work, in turn, began steadily improving over time. His characters became more developed, his stories more complex and unique, and his work just generally more enjoyable to crack open and spend some time with
One benefit that Koontz has over King imo is better protagonists. Many of King's protagonists, especially in more recent years, tend to be incredibly bland and uninteresting. He's made some good heroes in his day, to be sure (i.e. the Losers' Club from 'It,' Dennis and Leigh from 'Christine,'), but most of them are quite forgettable. Koontz's heroes, in contrast, are all insanely fun and likable. From the trio of Travis, Nora, and Einstein in 'Watchers,' to Cubby Greenwich and his family in 'Relentless,' to all the various protagonists in the 'Frankenstein' books (i.e. Carson and Michael, the original creature Deucalion, and many others), to of course the great Odd Thomas, they are all great, well- developed heroes that are easy to root for.
Another benefit Koontz has over King, something that developed over time and became more apparent in each book, is his humor. While King's books have occasional funny moments, they are relatively rare. Koontz's books, in contrast, have loads of witty humor, which can come in a variety of different forms, to help relieve some of the tension. For one example, there is a scene in his third 'Frankenstein' book, 'Dead and Alive,' in which the main characters, the tough policewoman Carson and her wisecracking yet effective partner/ love interest Michael, are chasing down two of Victor Frankenstein's replicants that have gone mad and are attempting to kill a dog, and manage to gun down one of the two replicants. Obviously, this is a very intense chase scene, with the replicants chasing after the dog and Carson and Michael chasing after them through a city park, pouring bullets at them and taking out one. In the middle of all this, out of nowhere, Michael's cell phone rings, and his ringtone happens to be of Curly's distinctive laugh from the Three Stooges ("Nyuk nyuk nyuk... nyuk nyuk nyuk..."). Just the picture of that in my imagination made me burst out laughing!
What's more, while Koontz does often feature Christian characters in his work, he tends to portray them in a MUCH more balanced way than King does. For instance, one group of characters featured in the last two books in the Dean Koontz ‘Frankenstein’ series are the members of a Montana- based church called the “Riders in the
Dean Koontz's books don't try to sugarcoat things (He wouldn't be much of a thriller/ suspense writer if they did): They make it clear that real evil does exist in the world, be it through evil, demented people or through dangerous ideals and worldviews. However, a common theme to Koontz's books is that even in the darkest times, clinging to faith, hope, humor, and love can help us on the side of good find our way and emerge victorious. Even when the victories at times come with a heavy price (i.e. The ending of the first 'Odd Thomas' book), it's one worth paying for us to stay true to what's important and see good triumph over evil in large or small ways.
This is very much a strong Christian theme as well. We can endure in the face of evil and suffering through trusting in the Lord and keeping hope alive. In Deuteronomy 31:8, it says that "Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord is the one who goes before you. He will be with you; He will never fail you nor forsake you." It also says in Psalm 56: 3-4, "When I am afraid, I will trust in You. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?" Lastly, in Psalm 33:18-22, it is said that "The eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him, on whose hope is in His unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. We wait in hope for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. In Him, our hearts rejoice, for we trust in His holy name. May Your unfailing love rest upon us, o Lord, even as we put our hope in You." By doing these things, trusting in God and keeping our faith and hope in HIm alive, we may similarly triumph over what the world and the Devil throw at us.
For all of those reasons and more, I can comfortably say that Dean Koontz has officially become one of my favorite authors. He may not hold the same position that Stephen King used to hold for me, but pretty darn close.
That's all for this edition of the Nightcrawler Experience, but a new entry should hopefully come soon, as I'll be going to Megacon next week. Until then, God bless you all!
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