My unsolicited opinion...

Dean Koontz - Lightweight, lots of action, easy to read, but too simplistic for me overall.
Stephen King - Solid writer, great descriptions, poor adult dialog, convoluted plots, but an excellent read. His short stories are better than his novels in the past 10 years.
Anne Rice - Complex, waaaaay too descriptive, mediocre plots, easy to get lost in, but tiring to read, though not nearly as hard as someone like Faulkner.


>For example, Steven King is a good writer, but his books are too long. He generally send a good one to two hundred pages just following the characters around (And they went, and they went,...), and doing nothing to contribute to the actual story.
>
>Now, Dean Koontz, on the hand, write complete stories. He doesn't bore me with mind numbing lack of action. His characters are natural, and the stories are almost beleivable.