Odd Hours
by Dean Koontz
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Book Reviews of Odd Hours
Book Review: Tugboat Frankie Meets Wily Coyotes
Summary: 3 Stars
The title of this review relates to key elements in Dean Koontz's novel: a tugboat, the ghost/poltergeist of Frank Sinatra, and a pack of supernatural coyotes.
I had just finished reading Koontz's The Darkest Evening of the Year when I picked up Odd Hours. Odd Hours is a much weaker book. I haven't read any of the other Odd books, so maybe I'm missing something. But this work has too much fog. Too many ghosts. Too much rushing through the night. This struck me as a write-as-you-go book, with very little planning.
It seems to me that Koontz was trying to capture the spirit of a (bad) screenplay from the 1940-1960 era, years which he often references in Odd Hours. There's semi-mindless comic banter. Melodramatic heroes and villains. Bursts of violence that are hard to take seriously. Maybe a young Mickey Rooney as Odd Thomas.
Koontz is a master wordsmith, and his command of the language is obvious throughout Odd Hours. Some of his characters have Dickensian qualities, notably Hutch Hutchison, an octogenerian retired movie star, and Hoss Shackett, a malevolent police chief.
I most enjoy Koontz's work when it is anchored in reality. A little of the supernatural is okay. After all, Koontz is famous for his ability to mix the real and the unreal. But this book was just too goofy for me.
Book Review: Very Disappointed Loyal Fan
Summary: 1 Stars
I'd rate the first Odd book a 9/10, the second a 6/10, the third an 8/10, and this one a 1/10. This book was a page turner until the final few chapters and it's as if Koontz looked at his watch and said, "I've to to wrap this one up...and fast!"
The ending made absolutely no sense to me. Does anyone know what he meant? As another reviewer pointed out, he never explains what's going on with the coyotes, the significance of the bell and sea glass, what was about to happen with the sewer grate, etc. The female characters seemed superfluous to the story.
From the first chapter, it appeared that the entire plot might wrap around Annamaria, but Koontz basically stuck her in someone's house while the story unfolded and never explained her role. If it continues in the next book, some hint of that should have been given.
Unlike the prior three books, he leaves too many questions unanswered. I'm wondering now if this particular story continues in the next book or if he just fell asleep near the end and sent the manuscript off anyway.
I spent years following Stephen King's "Dark Tower" series which was the best serial novel I had ever read...until the very predictable and disappointing ending in book 7. I hope this series doesn't end the same way and I'm curious to know if this was a "to be continued" story.
Book Review: Odd Thomas in name only
Summary: 1 Stars
Sadly the main character in this book was Odd Thomas in name only. He had very little else in common with the wonderful character readers fell in love with in the first book. He's more like the pod-person of Odd: doesn't see many dead people, and runs around being action-heroy and shooting people. (Shooting. People. is so not Odd Thomas! He hates guns, hates even touching them, and hates killing people even more. This should not happen. It's not who he is.)
The plot was ridiculous and there were far too many "ooo, spooky, mysterious!" moments that were irrelevant to the story and never got explained. Having one particularly cryptic character turn out to be totally left as a cliffhanger was a particularly cheap and dirty trick, I thought. A cheap trick designed to leave you waiting impatiently for the next book - were the "cliffhanger" character not so completely annoying that you'd actually CARE what happens to her!
I'm sad to say this book was a waste of the paper it was printed on and the time I took reading it, because I truly love Odd Thomas and his earlier stories. Odd Hours is a blight on the formerly good name of Odd Thomas. I can hope there will be a 5th book that returns the series to its former enjoyable quality, but I won't hold my breath.
Book Review: Another Odd Hit
Summary: 5 Stars
Odd is one of those truly good, unassuming characters that the world hasn't yet spoiled, even though he has suffered great personal loss. He's someone everyone just wished they knew. Ever polite and humble (all he ever wanted to be was a fry cook,tire or shoe salesman), yet willing to do whatever it took to save those he has to despite personal danger. The action takes off almost immediately and doesn't stop until the very end. It's a story of our times, albeit a little belief has to be suspended on how it is handled. The dialog is one of the things I love the most with Odd, and it is replete in this book. There are a few threads in the book that aren't as well developed as I would have liked. There was a lot of Elvis/Odd interaction in the first three books, but not so much Sinatra in this book. But to be fair, Sinatra did take an amusing role at one point to save Odd. Finally the mysterious Annamaria who somehow knows all about Odd, answers questions with questions, and has a knowing peace within that hints at so much more. Odd willingly trusts her without a thought, and she him as if she knows some secret. Since this is not really explored, I am hoping Mr. Koontz will write a 5th Odd book as so many questions are left unanswered. A book I highly recommend.Book Review: Great Odd Book
Summary: 5 Stars
I adore Odd Thomas. It is quite possibly one of the most memorable characters for me out of all the books I read. Everyone else has explained why you need to read this book to satisfy your Odd tooth, and so eloquently I might add.
The only thing that really started to get on my nerves was the girl Odd hooked up with. Her vague hippy-ish answers were grating. I can't stand characters that embody the type of person whom I hate in real life. When asked a question, she often replies "What will be, will be" or something along those lines. Argh!!
The story is fantastic. It really draws you in to the point that you don't even want to set the book down to take a bathroom break or eat lunch. I sat down and read this book in a day. It was really that good. It's nice to visit with Odd Thomas.
If you're new to the Odd series, start with book one, Odd Thomas, and work your way to this one. Things will make sense and you'll have a deeper appreciation of the characters involved; particularly the weird things that always happen to Odd.
5 out of 5 for this one, even with the annoying girl character I wanted to choke. =)