The Book of Counted Sorrows

Koontz has since released a book under the same title, collecting the various epigraphs and adding additional material.

Koontz has, for many years, used epigraphs — short quotes at the start of books or chapters — as a literary device in his writings.

[1]: ¶4  [2]: 0:03–0:13  Koontz also occasionally cites The Book of Counted Joys, such as the epigraph at the start of Odd Thomas.

[2]: 0:25–0:34 Koontz eventually disclosed that Sorrows was a fictional book; he had created both the title and the verses himself, to suit the story he was writing.

[1]: ¶6  That "history" asserts that those who read the full volume purportedly die in unusual and unpleasant ways, most often from their heads exploding.