Odd Hours
by Dean Koontz
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Book Reviews of Odd Hours
Book Review: 3 1/2 Stars...Enchants and Fizzles
Summary: 4 Stars
Five weeks have passed since Odd Thomas left the monks of St. Bartholomew, and he is seeking rest and solace on the shores of sleepy Magic Beach. He lives with an eccentric old actor named Hutch, and he has already run across some other intriguing characters as part of his ongoing gift with magnetism.
The book opens with Odd walking the boardwalk and connecting with a nebulous woman named Annamaria. Before we have a moment to relax and catch up with Odd's new locale, he is threatened by a menacing trio and finds himself on the run. The truths he discovers in this little town could endanger millions of lives, and he must rise again to the challenges of his gift, protecting lives and offering comfort to such wide-flung souls as Frank Sinatra.
"Odd Hours" has everything we have come to expect from our fictional fry cook hero. There's humor, philosophical musings, suspense, thrills, and a heavy dose of humility and grace. The writing is some of the strongest and most memorable from Koontz's already extraordinary literary abilities.
Koontz is known for writing his stories as they come to him, letting them lead him along, and that is nowhere more evident in "Odd Hours." At times, this meandering style of plot leads to unexpected places, and I like that element of unpredictability. At other times, this style can be frustrating, and in "Odd Hours" it led to my only complaint: The story itself is really the bare bones of a novel, and could've been encapsulated in half the pages by a less verbose author. And, in conclusion, there are a number of threads that seem to lead nowhere--particularly, Annamaria and her pregnancy.
I love the Odd Thomas character, and it's always fun to see what adventures he finds himself in, as well as what characters he might free from their wandering state between life and beyond. Koontz continues to enchant with his prodigious skills, and yet he also frustrates with his sometimes fizzled endings. I still can't help but highly recommending this book. In an era of paint-by-numbers bestsellers (I won't name names), Koontz refuses to fall into the mundane.
Book Review: Odd Thomas turns into Dirty Harry!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
Odd Hours is the fourth novel in the "Odd Thomas" series by horror/suspense writer Dean Koontz, and like the others (Odd Thomas, Forever Odd, and Brother Odd), this book doesn't waste time in taking the reader straight into the heart and soul of a young man who's both a fantastic short-order cook and a gifted psychic who's able to see the dead as well as horrendous events that are about to occur.
This time around, Odd Thomas is in Southern California's small coastal community of Magic Beach. To make ends meet, he's working as a cook and companion to retired movie actor Lawrence Hutchison. Everything is going good (except for his dreams of an impending disaster) until he meets a young, pregnant girl named Annamarie (one word), who seems to have unusual psychic abilities, too; but, even worse, is marked for death by a group of local thugs who are working for a terrorist network, bent on setting off nuclear devices in major cities around the country. After saving her life and evading the thugs, Odd soon finds out that his dreams are really premonitions and that it's going to be up to him and the compelling Annamarie to keep America safe...that's if the thugs or the police don't get to them first. You see, Odd has been framed for two murders that he didn't commit and the police are in on it. With only four hours to keep a catastrophe from happening, our young hero is going to have his hands full as he tries to stay out of jail and figure out what to do and more importantly, whom to trust.
In Odd Thomas, the author has created perhaps the best character of his career. Like me, millions of readers can't seem to get enough of this fantastic protagonist with his gentle soul and goodwill and who chooses to fight evil in order to save the innocent. This may be a fictional character, but Odd gives hope to all who read his stories. Let the reader beware, however, that in this particular novel, Odd has to take matters into his own hands, weighing the cost of a few lives against that of millions. A great read that is highly recommended!
Book Review: Odd Thomas is back in a comforting, moving and also dark thriller
Summary: 5 Stars
In Brother Odd, Dean Koontz's ghost seeing hero Odd Thomas saved the day at St. Bartholomew's Abbey. Now, in Odd Hours, Odd has moved on to the seaside tourist town of Magic Beach. He's taken a job as an aide to an eccentric, elderly movie star named Hutch. Odd is haunted by a reoccuring dream about a red sky and tide of blood. Also in the dream is a girl that sees one day sitting on the pier. She is younger than him and pregnant, and very mysterious. Her name is Anna Marie and she asks Odd if he is willing to die for her. He instantly says yes, though he has no idea what it may mean.
There is no way the fourth book in this series can capture the original magic found in Odd Thomas, the book that introduced us to Odd and his ability to see lingering spirits and the bodachs that are attracted to senseless murder and tragedy. Fans of the series like me will enjoy this new tale in the life of Odd. It's like comfort food. It is soothing and relaxing and also inspiring and hopeful. The plot is simple. The Magic Beach Harbor Department as well as the police, are up to something, and it is up to Odd to stop them.
The book is filled with magical characters, including Hutch, the movie star, and a joyful woman not slowed down by a tragic childhood injury. Anna Marie is mysterious and perhaps too much, because when the book finished, I felt like Koontz had not been as clear as he could have been about her purpose in the novel. Still, I'm glad to know Koontz plans a few more Odd Thomas books. I think Odd Thomas, as a character, changes a bit in this novel. He is willing to go further and into darker areas to save the people around him. This book had a lot of symbolism, some of it which remained unexplained (at least to me) by the end.
If you're considering reading this book, I recommend you start with the first book in the series. I think Koontz is great, but I'm not a big sci-fi fan. Therefore, I didn't read Odd Thomas until last summer. What a mistake. This is a great series and Thomas is a great character.
Book Review: worst odd thomas book yet dean koontz really stunk it up
Summary: 1 Stars
i am really surprised by some of the reviews i am reading on amazon and on the internet in general for "odd hours" because in my opinion this was the worst odd thomas book the first scene in the book took about 65 agonizing pages to get through (this is coming from a huge odd thomas/dean koontz fan i loved the first book, the second wasn't bad but not the best and the third was phenomenal) i was really surprised by that because in the first book the first scene was great and i couldn't wait the read the rest of the book because it was fast paced and full of action, it felt like this book wasn't really written by dean koontz but some sort of ghost writer impersonating him. the ending left a lot to be desired and left alot of unanswered questions, i understand that he wanted to leave it open for another book but seriously he needed to answer the important questions about the new female character that he added - does she have some sort of psychic power and if so what? as a reader i was left with the impression she had some sort of psychic talent but dean koontz never offically said she did, i don't like that i have to make am assumption on a vital part of who she is, i didn't like that the cover of the book made it seem like stormy was an integral part of the book **whether that was his fault or the fault of some publisher i don't know** but it was deceiving and it was a major let down when she was mentioned only a few times at the end and it was never explained why she was mentioned and how the new female knew about her and what she had to do with anything it was like she was mentioned to mention her and not real purpose...these are a few of the many things wrong with this book
i didn't like it and have talked with others who agree with me i feel like i wasted my money and should have just checked it out from a library **although after that i would have felt like i wasted my time** i hope this helps someone and that maybe there are a few people who agree with my rant =)
Book Review: Pick My Favorite Odd Thomas Book?
Summary: 5 Stars
After his not so normal stay at St. Bartholomew's Abbey, Odd Thomas hits the road and finds himself in Magic Beach, California. In tow are his trusty ghost dog, Boo, and the restless spirit of Frank Sinatra. He finds work as a live in chef for a former silent movie star, all the while enjoying a rare moment of normalcy in his chaotic life.
As Odd fully expects, the normalcy doesn't last and soon he is plagued by a nightmare of catastrophic proportions. His experience with the strange and unusual tells Odd that something big is about to go down, something more ominous than anything he has ever faced before. Using his psychic magnetism, Odd befriends a young girl named Annamaria who seems to be in the middle of whatever is about to happen. As Odd searches for the source of the impending doom, he uncovers a deadly plan that carries global implications. Once again, this lowly fry cook from Pico Mundo is the only one who can save the day. However, this time around the fate of the entire country rests on his shoulders.
Dean Koontz never fails to blow me away with his Odd Thomas novels. As always, the Odd One is clever and endearing with his engaging dialogue and unexpected moves throughout the story. As with the previous Odd novels, Koontz peels back more and more layers of Odd's intriguing life, never quite giving us clear answers but all but guaranteeing that we will come back for more. The mysterious Annamaria is a delightful addition to the mix and Frank Sinatra's performance in the police station is one of the best Odd Thomas scenes to date.
I've read many of Koontz's novels, but none capture my heart and imagination as much the Odd Thomas books. Asking me to pick a favorite Odd tale would be like asking me to pick my favorite episode of Lost. Why not have it all? It's simply that good. Oddie is back and just as enjoyable as ever.