Intensity (Novel)

I read this years ago and vaguely liked it. The idea of a horror story with no tension breaks is an interesting trope subversion. But I think there are points Koontz crosses the line here from female victim empowerment to actual exploitation

Oh, well, he wouldn't be the first horror writer that did that. I love Stephen King, and even I will acknowledge his stuff during his cocaine days crossed those lines multiple times.

Years later, as I've become a slightly (but only slightly) more sophisticated reader and absorber of pop culture, I'm able to recognize that Koontz's prose kind of stinks. If he told this exact story straight, it would be fine, but Koontz has this laughable tendency to try and write powerfully lyrical phrases and beautifully poetic text. And he's no good at it. And if you aren't good at that specific thing, and you try it, you look silly. I consider myself a pretty good writer. But I suck at poetry and profound prose. And NONE of my writing has been worse for its absence. Write what you know, Mr. Koontz. Trying to rise above your narrative station just makes you look foolish. Stay in your lane.

I get why this book sold a ton of copies, and why Koontz is as successful as he is. And it is pretty interesting as a page-turner, no doubt. But it also feels poorly written. Maybe if a story is decent it shouldn't matter how it's told. But maybe it actually does. And the story may be decent (if offensive on some level). But it's told poorly. **1/2.