Odd Thomas
by Dean Koontz
|
List Price: Our Price: $6.92 You Save: $8.08 (54%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $0.01 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of Odd Thomas
Book Review: I don't get the high ratings...
Summary: 1 Stars
This is my 2nd Koontz book and although the first one that I read (The Husband) wasn't my favorite book of all time it definitely had some gripping moments and good twists. This book was boring, horribly paced and the detail was so overwrought it was painful at times where I'm to the point of me mentally screaming "JUST GET ON WITH THE STORY!!" I don't mind details and painting a picture, but this was just unnecessarily descriptive to say the least. Did he really have to plot a way to get away from the coyotes for 2 or 3 chapters?
I can easily say that this was one of the worst books that I've read and I continued to read it in some hope that the 4 and 5 star reviewers knew of some revelation toward the end of the book that would represent a payoff. My payoff is to write this review and possibly warn someone to not read this book unless you have time to kill and nothing better to read.
This felt like a 75 page short story stretched out to an excruciatingly boring novel. I definitely will read more Koontz, but certainly not another Odd book. Odd Thomas a dull mix of Forrest Gump and Rain Man with the Sixth Sense thrown in for kicks. What a bore...
Book Review: WoWzer!
Summary: 5 Stars
Ok, for starters I've never been interested in reading anything written by Dean Koontz. Then a friend, whose book interests are 180 degrees from mine, said, "you gotta' read this Series!" So, after much deliberation, I bought Odd Thomas, and "he" sat on my ever-growing pile of books, getting buried deeper and deeper as I added more books to that pile!
Long story short ~ you're welcome ~ I read it, couldn't put it down!! Then I bought the other two books in the series: Forever Odd, and Brother Odd, and read those. I recently ordered Odd Hours and while I'm waiting for that to arrive, I picked up 5 other books by Dean Koontz at the used book store.
One drawback to Odd Thomas: Mr. Koontz' writing style; he was way too wordy, and had Odd going off topic more times than I liked, and I found myself jumping paragraphs. But then having to go back and reread those very paragraphs when I missed something pertinent.
BUT, during the reading of Forever Odd, and by then, knowing The Odd One's personality a lot better, I understand the reason/s for the wordiness.
Hopefully the Odd Thomas Series will continue to grow.
Book Review: good book, memorable character
Summary: 4 Stars
Odd Thomas is a twenty year-old fry cook with a unique gift - the ability to see the dead (although they cannot speak, they do communicate with him in other ways). One day, Oddie starts to notice an increase of malevolent spirits hovering around a strange newcomer in town, known as the Fungus Man. This kick-starts a paranormal adventure which veers at times into thriller territory. Overall, the book is not as fast-paced as some of the other Koontz novels I've read (i.e. "The Husband" or "Relentless"), but the storyline is more complex, and therefore more interesting. The true highlight, however, is the character himself. Odd Thomas has a refreshing voice which is incredibly enjoyable to read; as the book progresses, you really feel attached to him. The novel is not perfect, and there are a couple groan-worthy moments (for example, the whole "psychic magnetism" thing seemed like a cheap cop-out on the part of the author to help move the plot). These minor flaws do not diminish the impact of the book as a whole. The finale is especially moving, with more emotion than I've ever read in a Dean Koontz book. I recommend this for anyone into supernatural novels.Book Review: Formulaic and Disturbing
Summary: 2 Stars
To be up front, I usually don't like writing such as Koontz's. I don't enjoy scary movies or scary books. I find no pleasure in reading about gore -- severed heads are not my cup of tea. However, the premise of this book and the reviews led me to believe that this was not a scary or gory book, and it was an incredibly interesting one with an unpredictable story.
Wrong.
Its not the scariest book I've read, but don't buy the book not expecting Koontz's usual fanfare. Severed body parts are just the start. Twists and turns? Well, there was one I didn't expect. However, everything else was formulaic and fell into place in a predictable manner.
I never expected great writing from Koontz -- I assumed that his writing was along the lines of Chrichton, Grisham, etc. I was right. Nothing special. That didn't stop me from buying the book (or reading those other authors) because I find them fun, quick reads that are interesting. Odd Thomas was not particularly fun, too gory for my taste, and the ending left me wishing I hadn't read it. It was quick, though, and thus it got 2 stars.
Book Review: I wish I had never picked this book up in the first place.
Summary: 2 Stars
I cannot, in good conscience, rate this book at the minimum one star rating as I would like to; it is too well written, too powerful not to give it some credit. The fact that it has affected me as strongly as it has proves that. So if you enjoy, or even don't mind, being horribly depressed and traumatized by your recreational reading, by all means, this is the book for you.
I feel that any author who has the ability to write well enough to so powerfully affect his readers emotions has a responsibility not to savage those emotions wantonly, and in fact to not employ a cheap literary trick to intensify the effect of the trauma more than it would already have been. The fact that Koonz goes so far out of his way to cause his readers gratuitous anguish suggests that he is, in his own way, as sadistic as his cardboard, one-dimensional villains. I stongly advise anyone who doesn't ENJOY a "good" tear-jerker to give this book a very wide margin. This book was loaned to me by a friend; had it been my own book, or even a library book, I would have opened the window and thrown it out into the snow when I was finished.