Odd Hours
by Dean Koontz
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Book Reviews of Odd Hours
Book Review: not on par with the rest of the series...
Summary: 3 Stars
I was sorely disappointed after finishing up Odd Hours...disappointed throughout, in fact. Not that this is a bad book, but it falls so far short of the quality of the first 3 in the series, that I was tempted to give it a 1- or 2-star rating instead of 3. It reads like one action sequence taken out of a real novel. Very, very thin on details, and also very thin on the charming annecdotes, observations and interactions Odd has with the world and the folks he crosses paths with which is 90% or more of what makes reading these books enjoyable in the first place. It also reads like a hurry-up, need to get this little blob of plot down and published so I can get on to the next book sort of thing...very much like this should have been the first 3-4 chapters of the *real* Odd Thomas book yet to be published. And, after the build-up at the end of Brother Odd, I can't believe he just blew off the Frank Sinatra stuff like he did...I was expecting all sorts of cute stories and interactions with Sinatra's shade (and a trip to Vegas?) a la Elvis in the first 3 books, and all he was around for was to be used up as a cheap prop in one big scene. It was very, very weak on that score. The only part of this that read like a real Odd Thomas book were the scenes with Hutch. Reading those made me wonder where the rest of the book was...those read like the geniune article to me, but surely not the rest of the book. I still love the character and will buy the next book, but I hope Mr. Koontz is back on his game for that one, or else it might be the last one that I do buy...cheers, David in GeorgiaBook Review: See Odd Jump The Shark
Summary: 3 Stars
The Odd Thomas series has, like Fonzie when Happy Days found itself in its twilight and attempted to resurrect itself with a gimmicy episode, "jumped the shark". Sure, his cheerful voice is ever-present, but Koontz really stretches his audience's patience with this thrown-together effort.
Even though Odd still finds himself dealing with supernatural realms, this book's implausability factor is off the charts, especially for those characters grounded in "reality". Characters have deep, cryptic conversations, sometimes teetering on the verge of ludicrous, in the midst of running from bad guys trying to kill them. One such conversation occurs when Odd and our even odder heroine are crouched in the backseat of a car while the bad guy searches the garage. The ponderous nature of the dialogue had this reader's head cocked and slightly shaking. One can imagine Koontz sitting at his word processor chuckling as he comes up with witty comeback after witty wisecrack (all with proverbial bullets flying), thinking, "My, isn't THIS clever!"
Dean Koontz has famously stated he doesn't storyboard his books. Odd Hours meanders so much, it's overwhelmingly obvious that Koontz haddn't the foggiest idea what was going to happen next. A rushed ending (getting to be a Koontz staple) with an obvious sequel set-up leaves the reader unsatisfied. Combine that with his worst similies in a decade (and for Koontz, that's saying something) and austentatious allitteration make this book possibly one of Koontz's most phoned-in efforts to date.
Book Review: 2 1/2 STARS
Summary: 3 Stars
I really enjoyed the previous Odd Thomas books, especially the first one. I do not think this book stands alone. If you have not read the others I think you will be completely lost. Having read the others I have such mixed feelings!
I love the dialog and humor of Odd Thomas with Hutch, Utgard, and Chief Hoss Sackett. The downright profound observations made with Birdie on pages 218 and 219 were amazing! Yet the dialog with Annamaria drove me nuts.
The first scene at the pier seemed endless... had I not read his other books I would not have read beyond this point. What was with the coyotes??? The bell??? The sea glass??? The grate with the lightning bolt ring???
I love the character of Odd and thought Birdie could make a very interesting main character someday. Blossom was another very interesting character. I wanted so much to like this book. I think generally speaking Dean Koontz is a wonderful, thoughtful, and witty writer and yet this book disappointed me.
I hope he can make Annamaria a more interesting person in the next book... yes I will read the next one.
I really like Dean Koontz. Not every book can be the best one. When you've written as many books as he has there are bound to be some that are better than others. I hope he doesn't get discouraged by negative comments because we will all lose if he doesn't continue to share his observations, humor, and creative ideas - they are a gift.
Book Review: Enjoyable episode in Odd's life that left some stones unturned
Summary: 4 Stars
Odd Hours is a relatively brief, flashing episode of Odd's life. If Odd's story were a weekly television drama, this would have been an adequate episode that began assuming viewers were familiar with the character and story, and it ends with the assumption that more will be explained and continued next week.
Odd Hours begins with Odd in a new town, Magic Beach, working for an eccentric aged Hollywood actor. Odd follows his intuition and psychic magnetism where it leads him. He finds himself burdened with preventing a nuclear attack on US soil, but this is no Vince Flynn novel. Odd employs his usual tactics of relying on his gifts and humble ways to foil the plans. In the process, he meets some interesting friends who aid him in the rescue.
In his conflicts with the bad guys, Odd is courageous and witty while doing what needs to be done. His "dead" companions are Frank Sinatra and a dog named Boo. Sinatra fills the role in the novel previously played by Elvis.
Koontz once again shines a light on the evil and destructive natures and impulses present in humanity. He also shows his higher regard for the goodness and gifts of people to overcome evil.
I think this is a good and entertaining follow-up to "Brother Odd" that Koontz fans will definitely want to read and will appreciate it. It loses a star for not offering more background on a key character and her circumstances. Perhaps this is left for the next book.
Book Review: Odd That So Many People Like This Book
Summary: 2 Stars
I like Dean Koontz and have read most of his stuff. I like the character of Odd Thomas and I LOVED the first book in the series. The second two were a bit hard to get through but in the end enjoyable reads.
This one, however, is pretty bad. It should be a short story or novella. It has not so much a plot as the idea of a plot, something not fleshed out with drama but instead fluffed up with tedious purple prose. Everything Odd does is accompanied with a paragraph of metaphor. Characters are introduced to serve an initial purpose but then dropped off (literally). There's a bunch of cutesy 'I'm Dean Koontz - look how clever I am' dialog that to me doesn't really fit the character developed in the first 3 books. A variety of political stances are espoused by 'Odd Thomas' that also don't seem to fit. Ugh, and so many poorly developed plot devices.... like "wow, now Odd can share visions with others. Oh but only so the sheriff can become interested in him..." To me it feels like the publisher insisted or cajoled Mr. Koontz into writing a sequel.
I feel bad for him that he agreed and then had to work so hard to generate filler to create this brief work of wordsmithery.
I give this 2 stars instead of 1 because the cutesy dialog is amusing, even if it does take one completely out of the book. And also because I finished it. Somehow it pulled me through, even if it was with a false promise or expectation of a payoff at the end.