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Go read "Odd Thomas", the first in the series and a wonderful, emotional rollercoaster of a novel. I suggest, if you have read the other three Odd novels, then you MAY want to struggle through this one as I did (yes, it was in fact a struggle -- a rare event with a Koontz novel for me) in order to continue following the series as there will undoubtedly be other Odd Thomas books. If you have NOT read the other novels, please don't start with this one. The Odd Thomas series was off to a great start with the first three novels but this last one, "Odd Hours" was a horrible follow-up. It is a million times better. The character development with a series of unique individuals -- usually the wonderful part of these novels -- was frustratingly lacking. The plot line overall is shamefully weak. The ending seemed so out of character for Odd that I was shocked.
Hint for Dean Koontz to get busy on another Odd novel. Can't wait for the next one. Fantastic. Love all the Odd novels.
I, too, have heard that this is to be a series of six or seven, but if the next one doesn't improve GREATLY, and go back to the original warmth and quaintness of the first Odd Thomas book, I will stop reading the series altogether. It felt so cold and so mechanical, so unbelievable.I would NOT recommend this book. It seems to me as if this book was written by someone else or by someone lookin' to make a buck rather than someone continuing his precious character's adventures.
The second, Forever Odd, was very good, just not quite as good at the first. I felt none of the urgency to continue reading the adventure as I did with the first two books. I really loved Odd Thomas, the first Odd book in the series, it was absolutely wonderful.
The ending was totally unsatisfying. And that would be a truly sad day for me. The third, Brother Odd, had its moments, but the reason for the 'odd' happenings was so off the wall, well, it strained credulity.
NOW, this book, Odd Hours, takes that strain and snaps it.I could not believe that Odd, a character I love, would do the things Koontz has him do in this book.
The third book (Brother Odd) made me remember what I liked about the original, was suspenseful, full of rich characters and Odd's abilities played a large role in the plot. This feels to me like Koontz wanted to toss another Odd book out this year and didn't really spend too much time worrying about what was in it. I LOVED Odd Thomas, the first book because of all the characters in Pico Mundo, all the detail Koontz put in about Odd's abilities, etc.
Why ISN'T there the character development in this one that exists in 1 and 3. I still love almost everything Koontz writes.including all his recent stuff.so I'm willing to cut him some slack on this one. Why are Odd's abilities almost irrelevant in this book.
This has to be one of the most uneven series of books about the same character I've read. First of all, why does every Odd Thomas book have to be set in a different place. I just hope he doesn't turn into another James Patterson, churning out books and putting his name on worthless crap.
The second book, Forever Odd was far less appealing, mainly NOT set in the town we grew to love in book #1, and just plain wasn't as good. This fourth one is just plain bad.
For instance, every few pages has a large blank spot, so you don't get a lot of reading for the amount of pages, but on the other hand, it makes for perfect reading on a plane trip or for break-room reading.Koontz isn't a gritty mystery writer like LeHane, but he writes in a way that you can feel comfortable sharing with anyone, but more to the point, he writes about supernatural suspense, without making you feel dirty or evil, and frankly for my part, he is just a much better writer than say Stephen King, and he always helps me reach a personal goal of finding a memorable quote for each book I read. The protagonist Odd Thomas, is somewhere between the Ghost Whisperer and the old western Paladin.Koontz has some quirks that on the one hand I don't like. It isn't all gems but there are certainly great gems to be found.3 ¾ * Great fun for what it is. I have liked Koontz in the past, I got away from reading his work and this week I was given Odd Hours, and gobbled it down in a few hours. Odd Hours the first Koontz I have read since The Corner of His Eye, and I am glad I broke my rules of not starting the middle of a series, as this read made me want the rest.
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