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rlisaacs's review against another edition
4.0
I still love Odd Thomas.
Don't let the downgrade to 4 stars fool you. I still do love him. He makes me laugh with some of his thoughts. He makes my heart hurt for some of his pain and the pain he feels for others that he doesn't even know. He is the same kind, sweet soul that he always is.
There was just... too many descriptions in this book. You basically spend the whole of the book in Odd's head. Meaning he's explaining, as he always does, what he's doing, what's happening around him, where he's going, etc. That's always been a fact of the books. But I think I liked it better in the earlier books when there were more good people surrounding him. Yes, the bad ones were there too that he needed to help do something about, but in the first three books, Odd still had friends and family around him that helped create gaps in the otherwise never-ending stream of Odd's explanations of what's taking place. In this book, that is severely lacking, and the majority of the book is us remaining in Odd's head. We're with him on his journey and he's filling us in on what's going on, and I still love that. But... we needed more gaps than we were given, and that's because Odd is so far separated right now from the people he trusts most.
In fact, if I think on it, I think book 4 might've also been the start of this problem as well, and maybe I just blinded myself to it. The novella between book 4 and this book does a better job with the gaps, so maybe that's why I'm not really noticing it until now.
In any case, that's my only real complaint here, and the only reason we're at 4 stars instead of 5. There were still some gaps where we were part of a conversation that Odd was having, but they were too few and in between to give us enough of a break from the otherwise endless stream of Odd's own inner thoughts. (He has wonderful inner thoughts, I don't deny that, but we still needed something to break it up a bit.)
Still love this series. Will swiftly be moving on to the next one.
Don't let the downgrade to 4 stars fool you. I still do love him. He makes me laugh with some of his thoughts. He makes my heart hurt for some of his pain and the pain he feels for others that he doesn't even know. He is the same kind, sweet soul that he always is.
There was just... too many descriptions in this book. You basically spend the whole of the book in Odd's head. Meaning he's explaining, as he always does, what he's doing, what's happening around him, where he's going, etc. That's always been a fact of the books. But I think I liked it better in the earlier books when there were more good people surrounding him. Yes, the bad ones were there too that he needed to help do something about, but in the first three books, Odd still had friends and family around him that helped create gaps in the otherwise never-ending stream of Odd's explanations of what's taking place. In this book, that is severely lacking, and the majority of the book is us remaining in Odd's head. We're with him on his journey and he's filling us in on what's going on, and I still love that. But... we needed more gaps than we were given, and that's because Odd is so far separated right now from the people he trusts most.
In fact, if I think on it, I think book 4 might've also been the start of this problem as well, and maybe I just blinded myself to it. The novella between book 4 and this book does a better job with the gaps, so maybe that's why I'm not really noticing it until now.
In any case, that's my only real complaint here, and the only reason we're at 4 stars instead of 5. There were still some gaps where we were part of a conversation that Odd was having, but they were too few and in between to give us enough of a break from the otherwise endless stream of Odd's own inner thoughts. (He has wonderful inner thoughts, I don't deny that, but we still needed something to break it up a bit.)
Still love this series. Will swiftly be moving on to the next one.
desidevabookworm's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I CANNOT fathom the EXTENT of Dean Koontz's imagination! Odd's odd journey has taken him to an incredible mansion, along with his new, fascinating friend Annamaria, his ghost dog, and his new golden retriever and only Odd's gifts can save the soul of a little boy (or is he?).
This is a roller coaster of a story and once again there's no way I could have guessed the twists and turns this story had. Absolutely loved it and highly recommend this series!!
This is a roller coaster of a story and once again there's no way I could have guessed the twists and turns this story had. Absolutely loved it and highly recommend this series!!
roseleaf24's review against another edition
5.0
Creepy and hilarious. Koontz and Odd do not disappoint.
nbonz4's review against another edition
5.0
I waited with great anticipation knowing my old friend Odd Thomas would be visiting again. Once I got my hands on this book I couldn't put it down. Such a unique guy, Odd's adventures are never predictable and this story has its share of weird details that leave you pondering. Other old friends are also still around bringing back memories of incredibly Odd adventures of the past. Already I'm in anticipation of the next installment!
sharonsueg's review against another edition
3.0
Slow and confusing in the beginning. Second half is good, but I preferred earlier books in the series.
fae713's review against another edition
4.0
My biggest problem was that the events that happened in the interludes were not only forgotten, but apparently didn't happen based on what Odd thinks about in the middle of his internal monologue. The interludes were good reads and were worth at least alluding to, if no other reason than to get people to buy them.
Beyond that though, it was another Odd Thomas book. A good mix of mystery and humor. The dialogue made me laugh and the ridiculous things that Odd manages to wriggle out of just by confusing the people he's talking to as well as get himself in even more trouble are fun.
I have to admit that the use a turn of the century scientific invention startled me and managed to pull me out of the story a bit. I know it was a plot device, and a rather pretty one at that, but having lived with an electrical engineer I've picked up on some of his skepticism when it comes to how such things could possibly ever work. Once I dismissed that and went back to enjoying the story, I was more intrigued by observing the entire thing destroy itself. I won't say it was the best of the Odd Thomas stories, but it was a good one.
woody1881's review against another edition
4.0
Odd Thomas takes a turn into another realm. Still a good story!
alexandrabree's review against another edition
3.0
I read this one other time and then reread it October 2016
I am loving these stories, we have murder, mystery, ghosts, creatures, alternate realities, amazing characters, taboo subjects, deities... I have really learned to love Odd, he has grown so much throughout the novels (although I think part of it is just getting into the style and rhythm of the writing)
I dislike how so much of it is science based or concluded in ways that are so unbelievable. The ghost of Tesla would have been a way better fit instead of some projected image through time.
I am loving these stories, we have murder, mystery, ghosts, creatures, alternate realities, amazing characters, taboo subjects, deities... I have really learned to love Odd, he has grown so much throughout the novels (although I think part of it is just getting into the style and rhythm of the writing)
I dislike how so much of it is science based or concluded in ways that are so unbelievable. The ghost of Tesla would have been a way better fit instead of some projected image through time.
kimlynn77's review against another edition
4.0
Another odd adventure with Odd. What keeps drawing him into these strange circumstances? And now I REALLY want to know who/what Annamarie is! Although she's not in the book much, she says some things that make me itch to know her story (and I wasn't very fond of her in the previous book). I will be really sad when the series ends!
zennyg23's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0