Rating: 
Summary: "The Good the Bad and the Uninspired"
Review: Because this book contains many short stories I obviously have mixed feelings about it. The first short story "Strange Highways, which is closer to being a novel, was excellent. It had everything: suspense, action, and twists. I think it is one of Koontz's greatest pieces. The last story "Chase", which was also almost novel length, was excellent as well. However, most of the stories between these two novels were horrible and downright embarrassing. Many of them where from when Koontz was just starting to write(and it shows). The story "The Black Pumpkin" reminds me of something I wrote in fifth grade for a Halloween project. "Bruno" is Koontz's attempt at writing comedy and it succeeds at being the corniest, most childish, waste of thirty-some pages. Most of the rest of the stories are very one dimensional and uninspired. I think this book proves that Koontz should stick to writing novels and steer clear of short stories. I do think that Koontz is a wonderful writer and I have read many of his excellent books, but this isn't one of them. I would definetely recommend reading the first and last stories of this book, just nothing in between.
Rating: 
Summary: I love this!
Review: I picked this one up at a yard sale years ago and read it until it was dog-eared. Unfortunately, I've lost my copy. I'm not really a fan of Koontz' novels. I just don't think he's as creative as Stephen King although he is a solid writer. Some of his horror leans towards sci-fi. But in "Strange Highways", Koontz goes all out. 14 haunting, poignant and well written stories that range from sheer horror ("Black Pumpkin") to melodrama ("Twilight of the Dawn") to humor ("Bruno"). The two novellas, "Strange Highways" and "Chase" are very well written indeed. Pick this one up if you can. It'll chill your bones. WooooooOoooooooOOOOOOOOooooh!
Rating: 
Summary: Great Book, and I don't read Koontz!
Review: I thought that this book was very original. My favorite story in the book is Kittens. I don't read Dean Koontz, but my uncle kept telling me about Strange Highways while he was reading it and I was so intrigued that I bought it. I really enjoyed it and I couldn't put it down. I would recommend it to any one who loves the stranger things in life.
Rating:
Summary: evil, murder, monsters, and a little romance
Review: Koontz has done it again. His stories are ablt to send you running for the streets if not send you into pschic shock from the stories becoming too real for you. He puts you on the edge of your seat and throws you back. Koontz is able to write to and for hi audiance and also for people who have never read him before. He knows what the people need and how to get every aspecxt of fiction into one story. He has the evil incarnate, monsters with pumkin heads, aliens from space, men from parallel universeses, and even romance. Koontz's stories and novels are by far more outstanding than 98% of all other authors. He gives stephen King a run for his money. If you like King you will love Koontz.
Rating: 
Summary: This guy needs a creative writing class
Review: Koontz is far better at developing novel-length stories than short fiction. (Stephen King, by contrast, is the exact opposite.) For the revised reprint of "Chase," alone, though, it's worth the price of the book. The title novel/novella in the book is uneven, suffering from an excess of unexplained fantasy elements, which has plagued several of the author's more recent pieces. It is, however, well-written and enjoyable. The rest are much more of a grab-bag. Most of Koontz's short stories aren't all that memorable. There are exceptions. His first sale, "Kittens," is among its pages, and is much better than the author gives it credit for. "Down in the Darkness" is eerily atmospheric and unsettling. "Miss Attilla the Hun" displays Koontz's ability to wed humor with suspense, and is quite enjoyable, and "Bruno" is simply a comic delight. Two of the pieces I would much have preferred to read as novels, and I'm sorry Koontz didn't develop them to that extent: "Hardshell" and "Trapped." The former is a most unusual cops-and-robbers story, the latter one of Koontz's monster-out-of-the-lab offerings.
Rating:
Summary: Longer Isn't Better, But...
Review: Koontz is far better at developing novel-length stories than short fiction. (Stephen King, by contrast, is the exact opposite.) For the revised reprint of "Chase," alone, though, it's worth the price of the book. The title novel/novella in the book is uneven, suffering from an excess of unexplained fantasy elements, which has plagued several of the author's more recent pieces. It is, however, well-written and enjoyable. The rest are much more of a grab-bag. Most of Koontz's short stories aren't all that memorable. There are exceptions. His first sale, "Kittens," is among its pages, and is much better than the author gives it credit for. "Down in the Darkness" is eerily atmospheric and unsettling. "Miss Attilla the Hun" displays Koontz's ability to wed humor with suspense, and is quite enjoyable, and "Bruno" is simply a comic delight. Two of the pieces I would much have preferred to read as novels, and I'm sorry Koontz didn't develop them to that extent: "Hardshell" and "Trapped." The former is a most unusual cops-and-robbers story, the latter one of Koontz's monster-out-of-the-lab offerings.
Rating:
Summary: Koontz enters the realm of horror...and we love it!
Review: Koontz isn't a horror novelist, even though he's been cast in that role. He's called the Master of SUSPENSE, and for a reason: his tales are downright suspenseful (the mold for other novelists) even if they usually don't use the element of horror. But in this collection, Dean Koontz delivers several short stories that contemplate and expertly acheive horror genre greatness. The title story (actually, it's a novel) is about a man who returns home...then is forced to face the demons of his past, who have come back to haunt him. "Kittens," Koontz's first published work of fiction, is about a little girl who decides to get revenge on her parents. "The Black Pumpkin," along similar lines, is about a little boy ostracized from his own family. "Miss Atilla the Hun," "We Three," and "The Night of the Storm" are brilliant sci-fi pieces (from Koontz's old days of writing science fiction), while "Trapped" follows a similar vein as Koontz's pinnacle novel "Watchers". "Bruno" is a flat-out hilarious sci-fi farse, while "Hardshell" (the first piece of fiction I read by Koontz) is about a cop hunting down a killer who is a little different. "Snatcher" is a journey into the macabre, while "Twilight of the Dawn" is a moving tale of a man's search for faith and guidance. "Strange Highways" is not so strange at all; it's great fiction by a masterful writer. Dean Koontz is without a doubt one of the best writers of all time. That statement may sound a little exaggerated, if you haven't read any of his work. If you read something by him, though, you'll know what I mean. Why not start here, with "Strange Highways"? It's diverse, and it shows you what this man can do--and do well.
Rating:
Summary: Koontz enters the realm of horror...and we love it!
Review: Koontz isn't a horror novelist, even though he's been cast in that role. He's called the Master of SUSPENSE, and for a reason: his tales are downright suspenseful (the mold for other novelists) even if they usually don't use the element of horror. But in this collection, Dean Koontz delivers several short stories that contemplate and expertly acheive horror genre greatness. The title story (actually, it's a novel) is about a man who returns home...then is forced to face the demons of his past, who have come back to haunt him. "Kittens," Koontz's first published work of fiction, is about a little girl who decides to get revenge on her parents. "The Black Pumpkin," along similar lines, is about a little boy ostracized from his own family. "Miss Atilla the Hun," "We Three," and "The Night of the Storm" are brilliant sci-fi pieces (from Koontz's old days of writing science fiction), while "Trapped" follows a similar vein as Koontz's pinnacle novel "Watchers". "Bruno" is a flat-out hilarious sci-fi farse, while "Hardshell" (the first piece of fiction I read by Koontz) is about a cop hunting down a killer who is a little different. "Snatcher" is a journey into the macabre, while "Twilight of the Dawn" is a moving tale of a man's search for faith and guidance. "Strange Highways" is not so strange at all; it's great fiction by a masterful writer. Dean Koontz is without a doubt one of the best writers of all time. That statement may sound a little exaggerated, if you haven't read any of his work. If you read something by him, though, you'll know what I mean. Why not start here, with "Strange Highways"? It's diverse, and it shows you what this man can do--and do well.
Rating:
Summary: So strange, it shouldn't have been written.
Review: Sadly, James Spader's voice couldn't save "Strange Highways." The story is a good idea that just went wrong and the writing isn't that good either. The similes are cliché-ish, and bits of vocabulary are dropped into the story which just don't fit. The protagonist is so slow on the up-take, when faced with repeated evidence of supernatural experiences, that he should've been killed just to end his rampant stupidity.
Rating:
Summary: Short Stories
Review: Strange Highways is an immense doorstopper sized collection of short stories by one of the greatest writers of all time. Some of these stories have appeared in other compilation thriller author short story novels so you may have read them before. Most of these were written at least thrity years ago. Like any collection of stories the quality varies across the range as well as the subject matter. Science fiction fans are catered for well here with aliens, genetic engineering gone wrong, an alternative dimensions. Twilight of the Dawn contrasts what the emptiness of life is like without anything to believe in. Fans of serial killers are catered for with Chase although you are likely to have already read this one as a stand alone novel either under the pseudonym K.R. Dwyer or Koontz's own name. The other lengthy story is the title track, Strange Highways. Not one of my favourites but you may like it. My favourites and ones I would rate five stars are The Black Pumpkin, Miss Attila the Hun, Trapped, Kittens (his first ever published work) and Twilight of the Dawn.
There is also a commentary by Koontz on how publishers do not encourage short story writing and how hard it is for them to be published which is quite interesting.
Whilst not the masterpieces that some of his novels like Mr Murder, Watchers, Intensity, Night Chills and some others are the stories in here are still a great and satisfying read.
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