Odd Hours

Just love it

As I trudged through the first 60 or 70 pages of the 4th and latest of the Odd Thomas series, I started to wonder if the magic was gone (in more ways than one). By the 352nd and last page, I had a giant grin on my face and was eagerly anticipating the next installment, more certainly guaranteed to be forthcoming than in any of the previous 3 entries in the series. Odd is truly a unique hero. His enormous charm and charisma obtain from his unfailing politeness, loyalty and respect for others, his quick wit, seemingly inexhaustible and encyclopedic knowledge of just about everything (not too shabby for a 21 year old fry cook) as much as it does from his unique ability to see (and unintentionally attract) ghosts. these were Elvis in the first 3 books, and in this one Frank Sinatra. As with the previous entries and even more so in this one, Odd is at the center of everything that is happening and almost all of the novel is told in the first person. Odd's dialogue is truly a treat to read, and Koontz has become an absolute master at writing witty Odd's repartee (complete with puns galore) with just the right amount of insouciance, humility and sarcasm so that it evokes (at least in me) smiles and outright laughter at unexpected moments. Many have tried this - I can think of no one else who pulls it off so smoothly and successfully. As I mentioned earlier, things start off rather slowly in this one (even though the first 60 pages or so are in actuality a single tense chase/escape scene) but rapidly pick up after that and accelerate through the last sentence. The end of the book makes clear that this is quite definitely only Part I of a multipart story, yet Odd Hours nevertheless stands on its own and can be read (with only a slight reduction in enjoyment) even if one has not read one or any of the 3 preceding books. There are only the briefest mentions of any of the Pico Mundo characters. Annmaria, a young, single and pregnant woman with many secrets of her own is introduced. Although she gets very few lines, it is clear that she is tremendously enigmatic, somehow knows a lot about Odd and the "bigger picture", and plays as a central role in this novel and, it seems clear, will become even more important in the next installment where more about her and her relationship to Odd will be revealed. Over the past several years Dean Koontz has become one of my favorite authors and Odd Thomas one of my most beloved fictional characters. I recommend Odd Hours with great enthusiasm.

First off, I am biased... I really like Odd, the character that Koontz has developed in these books. This installment is a continuation of the series and was a very engaging read. I finished it in one sitting (and here I am at the computer at two in the morning!). Koontz' style was very strong on scene description. I could actually imagine the sensations of a heavy salt water fog he described in one of his scenes. Of course, I am a sucker for self effacing hero types, dogs, and good friends. There are as much of these in this book as any of the previous. And of course there are ghosts (alas, no Elvis - he left the building in the last book!). I would say that some of the witty repartee between Odd and others was reminiscent of Koontz' character in 'The Good Guy'. If you liked the other books, I think that you will definitely like this one - I highly recommend. All the best, Jay

Just as big dogs need big bones, a hero of Odd Thomas's caliber requires bigger and bigger challenges. Odd Hours (the fourth in a planned series of seven) answers the call, thrusting our increasingly formidable young hero into a plot worthy of a Bond flick. Odd has taken up residence in the small seaside town of Magic Beach, serving as personal chef to octogenarian Hutch, a once-famous movie star whose eccentricity is a good match for Odd's oddness. But when Odd begins having nightmares in which the sea turns red, he suspects he's been drawn to this town to interdict another horrible threat. Odd's fears are soon confirmed, when he and Annamaria, a mysteriously charismatic pregnant woman he has recently befriended, are accosted by a trio of thugs whom Odd's clairvoyant powers reveal to be associated with the red-tide threat. Promising, quite impulsively, to serve as Annamaria's protector and even to die for her if necessary, Odd roams the fog enshrouded beach town in a desperate attempt to thwart the pending bloodshed, discovering that our entire nation's future hangs in the balance. (The lack of hard evidence and Odd's realization that the harbor police are implicated in the plot provide a just-good-enough rationale for Odd to fly solo.) Based on Annamaria's enigmatic ramblings and a series of happenings that are undefined even in Odd's supernatural playbook, it appears that an even more epic struggle between good and evil is also afoot, a set-up for the remaining three installments in the series. Lest this all seem too heavy and humorless for an Odd Thomas book, I assure you that there are still plenty of lighthearted moments. Frank Sinatra's spirit plays a prominent role, and Koontz is able to work in his love of canines, Shakespeare and philosophy along the way. While some readers may feel shortchanged by Koontz's sequestration of Annamaria during most of the story and by the multitude of unanswered questions, these hooks will keep readers coming back for more. I'm looking forward to seeing where Koontz goes next in the series, crossing my fingers that someone in Hollywood is savvy enough to turn this into a movie or television franchise.

Dean Koontz is one of my favorite genre writers, and the original ODD THOMAS novel is my second favorite of his books, right after his 1987 novel WATCHERS. Given the enormously favorable response to ODD THOMAS, Koontz decided to turn the book into a series, and now plans to write six or seven novels featuring the character. ODD HOURS is the fourth book in the sequence, and is probably the best of the sequels so far. If you've read ODD THOMAS (and you MUST read the four novels in order to properly enjoy them) you know that these books are a unique combination of suspense, dark comedy, and spiritual uplift. Odd is a character with a very unique voice, one that I very much enjoy listening to. The pleasure of the Odd Thomas novels is not really the plots, which are often thin and unrealistic. Instead, the pleasure is in watching how Odd wryly reacts to all the insanity taking place around him. The results are often hilariously funny, yet at the same time emotionally moving. There are no other books quite like them. In ODD HOURS, the story involves a terrorist plot to smuggle nuclear weapons into a small California coastal town. This plot is in no way believable. But again, Koontz simply uses this rather silly storyline as an excuse to allow Odd to have another wild adventure, encounter another cast of eccentric characters, and pontificate about the absurd yet wonderful nature of life. After a slightly slow start, this novel works wonderfully well at this level. The end result is the best Koontz book I've read for quite some time. Admittedly, ODD HOURS isn't for everyone. Some readers I know have lamented Koontz's new style of writing, often proclaiming that his books aren't as well written as his horror novels of the 1980s and early 1990s. I respectfully disagree. Koontz, like any other good writer, has evolved with age, and has become more philosophical and spiritual in his storytelling. Still, if you dislike Koontz's newer books, there is an excellent chance you won't like this one either. But if you're new to Koontz, I hope you give his ODD THOMAS novels a try. Koontz is the exact opposite of a nihilistic writer: he believes there is a moral purpose to life, and that people must understand that purpose and act consistently with it. In our cynical age, I find that perspective refreshing, and I enjoy the Odd Thomas novels for that reason. I look forward to the fifth installment in this great series.

It should go without saying that at this point in his career Dean Koontz is an absolute master at devising and then executing a story. Throughout his career, Koontz has continued to develop as an author with each new story better than the previous one. In his Odd Thomas series this is certainly true. It began with Odd Thomas, a strange young fellow living in a small California town of Pico Mundo and working as a fry cook. Then came Forever Odd, Brother Odd and now Odd Hours. Odd Thomas, the fry cook, has remained a steadfast character from the first book to the fourth even though life has not been kind to him. But while Odd has remained the same humble, innocent, and generally good guy he has always been, he has continued to develop as a character with new facets added in each story. Odd has had two companions, a ghost dog name Boo and his long time friend Elvis Presley. In Odd Hours, Elvis is seemingly replaced with Frank Sinatra. In Odd Hours, Odd is faced with perhaps his most profound challenge yet. A dream and all encompassing red tide haunts Odd. At the close of Brother Odd, Odd wants nothing more than to return to Pico Mundo and resume his quiet life as a fry cook. However, fate steps in and he lands in a small coastal town of Magic Beach working for a former movie actor and author of childrens books. With terrific characters such as Annamarie and Brush Cut, Koontz has written another terrific page turner. Packed with suspense, a dark eerieness, fast action, and tight plot, Odd Hours will not disappoint. You'll have to suspend plausibility, but you'll enjoy this fourth Odd Thomas installment. I highly recommend. Peace always