Odd Hours
by Dean Koontz
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Book Reviews of Odd Hours
Book Review: Oddly disappointing
Summary: 3 Stars
When I saw that the fourth installment in the Odd series was out, I was very excited to read it. I thought the first two books were incredible and that the third book was...good...so I was primed to read this one, which I hoped would come back up to the "incredible" mark. Unfortunately, that didn't happen.
**POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD**
First off, it seemed like it took forever to actually get into the story. Annamaria is one of the most exasperating characters Dean Koontz has ever given us. And when you consider that he gave us Stormy in the first Odd book, and Geneva, Leilani and Micky from "One Door Away from Heaven," Sasha from "Fear Nothing" and "Seize the Night" plus so many other good female characters, this is really a bummer. And it's even more of a bummer because Annamaria reminds me so much of Our Lady of Guadalupe and I don't think I should be bummed out about a character who may possibly be based somewhat upon the Blessed Virgin.
Second of all, there are so many of the same things going on -- corrupt police, trusted clergymen who aren't what the seem to be....it isn't even a surprise when civil and spiritual authorities turn out to be the bad guys.Then there's the fog. Dean writes a LOT of stories involving fog and the dark (although the third Odd book had a snowstorm.) I'm sure it's metaphorical, but still.....
Lastly, the story just drug on and on. We didn't get to see enough of Blossom and not nearly enough of Birdie and the plot didn't progress with Dean's usual snap-sparkle-rip of action. And I was sad that Frank spent so little time with us. I miss Elvis, too.
I wanted to love it but I didn't, but Dean can do very little wrong when it comes to writing, after all. I might not have enjoyed this book as much as others, but my loyalty is unswerving.
Book Review: special supernatural thriller
Summary: 5 Stars
Odd sees the dead, has prophetic visions and dreams, and has saved many lives because he chose to do good deeds with his gift. After leaving the monastery, his plan was to go home to Pico Mundo to return to his former job as a short order cook. His plan is put on hold when he has visions of turbulent events and a woman floating over a red ocean. Odd somehow knows something dangerous is happening near the seaside town of Magic Beach where he goes.
He gets a job as a cook for a noted retired actor and children's book author. He meets Annamarie who was the woman in his vision who talks in cryptic words, but has no information to give to him. When the local sheriff picks him up assuming Odd is an indigent, they shake hands and in both their minds they see the Red Tide. The sheriff thinks Odd knows more than he is telling. If he passes a lie detector test he will free him and pay him to keep quiet about what he supposedly knows. Odd escapes and learns what his visions mean; he will do anything to prevent this calamity from happening; failure or inaction means America will cease to exist.
Dean Koontz has created a character who wins the hearts of mostly everyone including readers who adore his innocence and courage. His innocence combined with his ability to challenge evil make him a special and aptly named person. In this tale he knows he cannot go to the authorities with his knowledge as a small cabal inside the sheriff's office and the harbor patrol are part of what is coming. ODD HOURS is a special supernatural thriller because besides the save America plot, the hero who travels and lives off the land his way has a ghost dog named Boo for a pet and the shade of Frank Sinatra who appears to Odd. The hero wants to help him move on.
Harriet Klausner
Book Review: Wait for the next book
Summary: 1 Stars
The book started off maddingly slow. The new female character was incredibly obtuse, but I was willing to overlook that because I expected a payoff in the end.
Soon afterwards, we learn the true nature of the conspiracy that Odd Thomas needs to thwart. From that point on, I'll admit, it's a real page turner.
And then... nothing.
Sure, the immediate conspiracy is stopped. But there are too many unanswered questions. It's obvious that Odd Thomas has changed, since he has done things in this story, things that needed doing, but were completely out of character for him. He's suffered. But there is no resolution or redemption. And the new female character (whos name escapes me at the moment) is still a mystery, and quit frankly, annoying.
Essentially what we have here is the first half of a long novel. Hopefully, all of the loose ends in this story will be tied up in the next novel. But I wish that Dean had just waited and published one long novel rather than this infuriatingly short and incomplete story. I hope this was his publishers decision. I hope Dean didn't seriously think it was a good idea to present this story in this manner.
In short, I feel ripped off.
I've found myself increasingly annoyed by Dean's moralizing and social commentary over the past several years. And, what's with the dogs? I know he likes dogs, but I wish he wouldn't use them as angels or vehicles for supernatural entities in EVERY FRIGGIN NOVEL!
So this latest quasi-ripoff is just adding another straw of annoyance to the camel's back.
The next one better be good, or I'm not buying any more until they hit the bargain bin, if ever.
Book Review: Odd Hours was oddly disappointing.
Summary: 4 Stars
I really struggled with what rating to give this book, because on one hand, Odd Thomas is my favorite Dean Koontz character (and the first book is one of my favorite books of all time).
On the other hand, this book really felt rushed and just not as good to me as the others.
Since I loved the other Odd Thomas novels so much, I was really looking forward to this one and it really didn't live up to my expectations. The writing was great, as usual, Odd Thomas himself was the same as ever (though a little more morbid than previously... which is understandable). But I feel like overall, it could have been better. There was a lot of dialogue between Odd and Annamaria that seemed like a waste of pages (going in circles, saying the same thing over and over). And in this novel, finally, Dean Koontz brought in one of his favorite props: the all-knowing Golden Retriever. I think one amazing dog (the ghost dog Boo) is more than enough for any one novel. Not to mention how the novel just abruptly ended.
I will definitely be reading the next novel in the Odd series, mostly because this one left so much undone. All of the other novels started a section of Odd's life, and finished it- this one introduced what seems like a key character who stirs up a lot of mystery, and then immediately proceeds to throw her into the background until the very end of the book, and you finish knowing little more about her than what you learned upon first meeting her on the pier. There was a lot of useless stuff that was only in the book to set up the next book. That's bothersome and pointless in my opinion.
Basically, I still love Odd Thomas (always will), but I think Dean Koontz could have done better.
Book Review: Another hit for Koontz....not at all odd.
Summary: 5 Stars
It should go without saying that at this point in his career Dean Koontz is an absolute master at devising and then executing a story. Throughout his career, Koontz has continued to develop as an author with each new story better than the previous one. In his Odd Thomas series this is certainly true.
It began with Odd Thomas, a strange young fellow living in a small California town of Pico Mundo and working as a fry cook. Then came Forever Odd, Brother Odd and now Odd Hours. Odd Thomas, the fry cook, has remained a steadfast character from the first book to the fourth even though life has not been kind to him. But while Odd has remained the same humble, innocent, and generally good guy he has always been, he has continued to develop as a character with new facets added in each story. Odd has had two companions, a ghost dog name Boo and his long time friend Elvis Presley. In Odd Hours, Elvis is seemingly replaced with Frank Sinatra.
In Odd Hours, Odd is faced with perhaps his most profound challenge yet. A dream and all encompassing red tide haunts Odd. At the close of Brother Odd, Odd wants nothing more than to return to Pico Mundo and resume his quiet life as a fry cook. However, fate steps in and he lands in a small coastal town of Magic Beach working for a former movie actor and author of childrens books. With terrific characters such as Annamarie and Brush Cut, Koontz has written another terrific page turner. Packed with suspense, a dark eerieness, fast action, and tight plot, Odd Hours will not disappoint. You'll have to suspend plausibility, but you'll enjoy this fourth Odd Thomas installment.
I highly recommend.
Peace always