Brother Odd by Dean Koontz (Book Review)

Brother Odd

An Odd Thomas Novel, #3

by Dean Koontz

430 pages

Bantam Books, 2012

thriller / mystery

Finished in 10 days

Rating: ★★★★★

Amazon | BN

"Embraced by stone, steeped in silence, I sat at the high window as the third day of the week surrendered to the fourth."

Review: Took me longer than I had anticipated to read this third book in the Odd Thomas Series, but it was well worth the extra time. At 430 pages Dean Koontz does NOT disappoint. If you've followed my other two reviews for the first two books at all? Or you're just joining me now for the first time and deciding on whether or not this is a series worth picking up? Allow me to do a quick overview on who exactly Odd Thomas is...

He's just an average former fry cook who makes a mean stack of pancakes and he can also see/communicate with dead people. He's definitely not someone you meet every day and if he were, with a name like his, you'd remember it. I don't want to spoil too much about who he is because it would be telling you cliff hangers and surprise endings to this last two books, but one thing I love about him is how Elvis Presley is one of the ghosts that stays with him and his desire to help Elvis cross over at some point. I fear I've said too much already! Moving on...

In this third book Odd moves to a monostary because after Forever Odd he needed some alone time and what better place than with Monks and Nuns. But aside from them, there are also children with various levels of severe mental and physical challenges. And of course you know, wherever Odd is, danger and oddities are sure to follow him. He becomes aware of this when he sees the first few Bodachs arrive at St. Bartholemew's church. Bodach's are a name he created for these formless, Godless, black creatures that he sees in large numbers just before something really bad is about to happen to a lot of people, namely death, in the most horrific of ways.

It's a genuinely good series because it's not just about scaring the pants off of you. It's about much more than that. Getting to know Odd Thomas and see his into his heart and how much he really does care about those around him, dead or alive, and just wants to help them all by using the abilities he was given. Like most of us, he didn't have an easy growing up but he's not using that as an excuse to not be great at whatever he can do. It's a story of hope and he's a character anyone could and probably should admire.

Summary: Loop me in, odd one. The words, spoken in the deep of night by a sleeping child, chill the young man watching over her. For this was a favorite phrase of Stormy Llewellyn, his lost love. In the haunted halls of the isolated monastery where he had sought peace, Odd Thomas is stalking spirits of an infinitely darker nature.

As he steadfastly journeys toward his mysterious destiny, Odd Thomas has established himself as one of the most beloved and unique fictional heroes of our time. Now, wielding all the power and magic of a master storyteller at the pinnacle of his craft, Dean Koontz follows Odd into a singular new world where he hopes to make a fresh beginning—but where he will meet an adversary as old and inexorable as time itself.

To learn more about Dean Koontz visit his site here.

Forever Odd by Dean Koontz (Book Review)

Forever Odd

An Odd Thomas Novel #2

by Dean Koontz

364 pages

Bantam Books, 2005

fiction/suspense/thriller/mystery

Read in 5 days

My Rating: ★★★★★

Amazon.com | BN.com

"Waking I heard a warm wind strumming the loose screen at the open window, and I thought Stormy, but it was not."

Review: I know I'm gay and all, but can I still harbor a secret crush on Odd Thomas? I think he wouldn't mind since he's hopelessly devoted to Stormy, his fiancé. There's more to her story but I won't ruin it for you. I just hope you've read Odd Thomas before daring to read this book. Of course you don't have to. The mark of an excellent author seeking to carry a character through many books, is that he can move the new story forward, all the while reminding you of little nuances from the previous book(s). Dean Koontz is a master of that. He's also a master of suspense and throwing curves you don't realize until you've read the words and your face starts to scrunch up in disgust at what you JUST read! Yeah, that's happened to me once or twice while reading this book for sure.

The difference here is the mystery starts almost immediately. No need in laying the ground work here on who Odd is or what his ability is or any of that back story. By the end of the first chapter you are well aware of the danger and that Odd will most assuredly be headed in its very direction. Aside from his ability to see the dead who are lingering in this world, not able to move on, he is also able to assist some of them to make that move to the other side. Elvis Presley is his most talked about ghost that visits him often. In the case of this book though, Odd has to rescue a very dear friend of his who he considers like a brother. He has this brittle bone disease that reminds me of the movie Unbreakable. I think the character in this book and the one Samuel L. Jackson plays in that M. Knight movie have the same, or similar, bone disease. Anyway, some psycho woman preys on Danny (Odd's friend) and his vulnerability when he seeks her out through a "phone sex" hotline. Long story short, this insane woman thinks Odd is some magical, mystical, wizard, communicator and conjurer of the dead. Of course he is NONE of those things. But in her warped mind he's supposed to help her see, communicate, and manipulate ghosts.

Like I said, it's a great read. Quick read too. I almost want to jump right into the third book, Brother Odd, if I didn't have SO many other books on my TBR list that must not be left waiting any longer. I will say though, after finishing this book I now know why the third book is called Brother Odd. But I'll let you read this one and figure that out on your own.

Summary: I see dead people. But then, by God, I do something about it. Odd Thomas never asked for his special ability. He’s just an ordinary guy trying to live a quiet life in the small desert town of Pico Mundo. Yet he feels an obligation to do right by his otherworldly confidants, and that’s why he’s won hearts on both sides of the divide between life and death. But when a childhood friend disappears, Odd discovers something worse than a dead body and embarks on a heart-stopping battle of will and wits with an enemy of exceptional cunning. In the hours to come there can be no innocent bystanders, and every sacrifice can tip the balance between despair and hope.

You’re invited on an unforgettable journey through a world of terror and transcendence to wonders beyond imagining. And you can have no better guide than Odd Thomas.

To learn more about Dean Koontz, visit his site here.

Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz (Book Review)

Odd Thomas

by Dean Koontz

446 pages

Bantam Books, 2012

fiction/suspense/thriller/mystery

Read in 5 days

My Rating: ★★★★★

Amazon.com | BN.com

"My name is Odd Thomas, though in this age when fame is the altar at which most people worship, I am not sure why you should care who I am or that I exist."

Review: I don't think I've ever read a book that made me need a soundtrack playing in the background in order to feel more at ease with the story. This book definitely requires a soundtrack and with that said I should start with who that soundtrack needs to be!

That's right, none other than the King of Rock and Roll himself, Elvis Presley. When you start reading the book you will see what I mean. Anyway, I quickly found myself listening to all his music, even his moody blues and his gospel music as well. I listen to him regardless of the book because he is one of my all time favorite singers and actors (I've seen all his movies) but listening to him while reading about Odd Thomas just seemed right.

But listen to me, I haven't even said anything about the actual story yet! It was gripping and page turning and heart pounding all at once. There was a great pace too. It wasn't like Dean wanted to pack all the suspense in a few pages and that was that. No, instead he gave us about 4 or 5 different climactic points throughout the story. The gist of it all is obviously about a young man by the name of Odd Thomas. This is one instance where you should totally let the name fool you because Odd Thomas is definitely odd to say the least. What is his oddity? He can see dead people. And not in the Sixth Sense kind of Hollywood antics either. This is definitely no M. Knight kind of movie or book whatsoever. 

Odd is a normal kid with a seemingly normal life. He has an amazing girlfriend, a job he enjoys, even if it is just a fry cook, and friends who understand him as well as accept him. His gift, while not usual for most people, is one that he does not take lightly. If he is called upon to assist someone who comes to him for help then he does it, so what if that person needing help happens to be dead. Odd Thomas is a do-gooder. Possibly because he had quite a terrible childhood that no child should ever have to face. 

In this first installment of a series of Odd Thomas novel we are introduced to those who know of his gift at different levels and we are also introduced to him and how exactly it works. Along the way of solving a mystery where many could possibly die we get to peel back some layers to the mysterious life of Odd Thomas and how he got to be where he is today.

I find it interesting that he is visited by Elvis Presley (quite frequently actually) who finds joy and pain in his own music whenever he hears it. Don't believe me? Well read the book and see if I'm lying. I dare you!

Summary: "The dead don't talk. I don't know why." But they do try to communicate, with a short order cook in a small desert town serving as their reluctant confidant. Odd Thomas thinks of himself as an ordinary guy, if possessed of a certain measure of talent at the Pico Mundo Grill and rapturously in love with the most beautiful girl in the world, Stormy Llewellyn." "Maybe he has a gift, maybe it's a curse, Odd has never been sure, but he tries to do his best by the silent souls who seek him out. Sometimes they want justice, and Odd's otherworldly tips to Pico Mundo's sympathetic police chief, Wyatt Porter, can solve a crime. Occasionally they can prevent one. But this time it's different." "A mysterious man comes to town with a voracious appetite, a filing cabinet stuffed with information on the world's worst killers, and a pack of hyena-like shades following him wherever he goes. Who the man is and what he wants, not even Odd's deceased informants can tell him. His most ominous clue is a page ripped from a day-by-day calendar for August 15." "Today is August 15." In less than twenty-four hours, Pico Mundo will awaken to a day of catastrophe. As evil coils under the searing desert sun, Odd travels through the shifting prisms of his world, struggling to avert a looming cataclysm with the aid of his soul mate and an unlikely community of allies that includes the King of Rock 'n' Roll. His account of two shattering days when past and present, fate and destiny converge is the stuff of our worst nightmares - and a testament by which to live sanely if not safely, with courage, humor, and a full heart that even in the darkness must persevere.

To learn more about Dean Koontz visit his site here.