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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
I wanted to read the first book in the series. I had read it years ago. And, I got sucked into finishing the series. I’m not a big Dean Koontz fan at all but liked this series.
dark
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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:
Complicated
While my love for the character of Odd Thomas is not dimmed, this installment of his adventures was my least favorite. The main problem is Odd is left to himself for most of this book. Pages and pages of description and stream of consciousness from a lone character, even a character you love, gets dull after awhile. What makes most of these Odd Thomas books so wonderful is the interactions between Odd and a vibrant supporting cast. Dialogue is in short order here, which is a huge loss. The story seemed a bit padded as well, as though a short story might have sufficed. I'm hoping for better next time.
I like these books a little less now that characters like Annamaria have come in. I like her as a character, but she changes the tone of the books slightly and I don't think it's quite as good. Still love them though.
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is my second read and I'm still giving it three stars. It was readable and had some quirky facts about Tesla but there was a lot of irrelevant stuff thrown in that made for slow going, at least for the first 150 pages. Probably no more Odd Thomas in my future.
I have a love/hate relationship with Odd. Not him, in particular, just the books. Odd Hours, the predecessor, was good, if a little too wordy but the others I just didn't like as much. But, I'm nothing if not dedicated and loyal, so I bought the new Odd book.
It's been a few days since I finished it but I think I liked it. It strayed a bit from the formula, of Odd helping deceased spirits, and I wasn't sure I liked it because that was the one quality about Odd that I loved.
He still sees and helps a spirit (2, if you count the horse) but the rest of the novel is pure sci-fi/weirdness. Koontz has always had me believe his stories might be plausible. And this one is the same way....if a bit a of stretch.
I don't want to give too much away, but Odd and AnnaMaria (from Odd Hours) have found themselves drawn to Roseland, a little estate that is anything but ideal and rosy. It takes a bit to figure out HOW it's not right but once Odd does, well, it flies right into the weirdness and creepiness and doesn't stop until the end.
Oh yes, Odd gets in touch with a new famous spirit. It should lead to some great stories if the new spirit sticks around.
Final decision: this is a good Odd book. Not great, like the first one, but good and different.
It's been a few days since I finished it but I think I liked it. It strayed a bit from the formula, of Odd helping deceased spirits, and I wasn't sure I liked it because that was the one quality about Odd that I loved.
He still sees and helps a spirit (2, if you count the horse) but the rest of the novel is pure sci-fi/weirdness. Koontz has always had me believe his stories might be plausible. And this one is the same way....if a bit a of stretch.
I don't want to give too much away, but Odd and AnnaMaria (from Odd Hours) have found themselves drawn to Roseland, a little estate that is anything but ideal and rosy. It takes a bit to figure out HOW it's not right but once Odd does, well, it flies right into the weirdness and creepiness and doesn't stop until the end.
Oh yes, Odd gets in touch with a new famous spirit. It should lead to some great stories if the new spirit sticks around.
Final decision: this is a good Odd book. Not great, like the first one, but good and different.
This book is like an old first person video game. You are the main character, and you move around the defined game world, exploring different buildings and rooms. You meet up with certain enigmatic characters who will only give you a certain amount of information, before you are forced to move on. I get the sense that if Odd were to walk back and try talking to one of these characters again too soon, he'd get a message that says something like, "This character has nothing more to say to you right now."
Odd is the only real person in these books anymore. Everyone else feels like a two dimensional background piece. And there are always the same recurring character types; types found in virtually 100% of Koontz's books. I don't even feel like naming them. If you've read any of his other stories, you know which character types keep showing up.
The other thing that bothers me is how less than a year has apparently gone by in this world, since the activities in the first novel, but boy if the references to pop culture don't imply otherwise. The first book was created over ten years ago. So did it take place in the future? Because Lady Gaga (referenced in this book) was not yet a pop star in 2003-2004. If this series is supposed to be taking place within such a short time span, shouldn't the references to the popular world reflect that?
Odd is the only real person in these books anymore. Everyone else feels like a two dimensional background piece. And there are always the same recurring character types; types found in virtually 100% of Koontz's books. I don't even feel like naming them. If you've read any of his other stories, you know which character types keep showing up.
The other thing that bothers me is how less than a year has apparently gone by in this world, since the activities in the first novel, but boy if the references to pop culture don't imply otherwise. The first book was created over ten years ago. So did it take place in the future? Because Lady Gaga (referenced in this book) was not yet a pop star in 2003-2004. If this series is supposed to be taking place within such a short time span, shouldn't the references to the popular world reflect that?