“Our culture sentimentalizes children, and we forget one of the things that we should most remember from that time of our lives: Children know that this world can be hard on them, harder than it is on adults. They are physically weaker than adults, financially dependent, and in times of danger, nothing clarifies our thinking more than an awareness of our extreme vulnerability.”

American author

Dean Ray Koontz is an American author, known for suspense thrillers and, more broadly, for fiction that often blends horror, fantasy, science fiction, mystery, and satire. He has published more than 105 novels and many novellas and short story collections. Many of his books have reached The New York Times Best Seller list, including fourteen hardcovers and sixteen paperbacks that rose to number one. Earlier in his career, he also wrote under several pen names, and his work has sold more than 500 million copies. Rolling Stone described him as “America's most popular suspense novelist.”