Odd Thomas (2003)

Did not finish. ( )

This book was a great diversion to my crazy life. I love Odd Thomas. He seems so normal but he has extranormal powers. Will definitely keep reading this series. ( )

I was very disappointed in this book. I had heard a lot of good things about it from friends and family and the idea of the book sounded intriguing. Unfortunately, things just did not come together in a way that held my interest.

I liked Odd and Stormy and really the entire cast of characters. I loved that they were all a little (or a lot) quirky and had distinct personalities. I liked the paranormal aspect of the book as well.

What I did not like was the pacing. This book has some short scenes of action or at least plot progress followed by some very looooong scenes of nothing happening. I was so bored in some parts that I had to really force myself to keep going. If I did not need this book for a challenge I would have abandoned it. ( )

I haven't read Dean Koontz in years, and remembered him simply as "That dude whose books I read while I was waiting for something new from Stephen King," a comparison which left Koontz in an unfavorable position.

What? I like King, sue me. Say what you will about him, the man writes, like, a billion words a day and has more money than you or I ever will. The modern attitude that popular = crap is stupid, get over yourselves, you pretentious hipsters.

Anyway, Koontz was always that wannabe, that second stringer who occupied my time between new, better novels. He appealed to my teenage girl tastes in fiction, that is to say, overwrought and dramatic and, yes, scary.

Odd Thomas, though, isn't... well, it's not perfect, Odd gets a bit overwrought and pretentious and dramatic himself at times, but his story is good and Koontz writes him writing himself well. I've seen some reviews complaining that Odd sounds like an old man trying to write like a young man and no 20 year old would talk like that. I say to those reviewers, "Do you actually know many 20 year olds?" Raised on a diet of Joss Whedon and internet memes, actually, 20 year olds do talk a lot like that. Odd's actual dialogue in the book was much less overblown and allusory than his after-the-fact narration. The story was good, and would have been better if I hadn't been inadvertently spoiled by a jerkwad Goodreads reviewer who didn't warn for spoilers and put the identity of the villains in the top of his/her review.

Regarding the audiobook: Baker did a fantastic job. No ridiculous breathy drag queen voices for the female characters, just a slightly lighter inflection to let us know the character had changed. When he changed character voices, it felt like a new character had begun speaking, not like an embarrassing vaudeville act had taken over the studio. He did a good job of making Odd sound young, and tired, and resigned.

I'm torn over the stars, which means it should get 3.5 but of course Goodreads doesn't have half-stars, what on EARTH were they thinking? ( )

I haven't read Dean Koontz in years, and remembered him simply as "That dude whose books I read while I was waiting for something new from Stephen King," a comparison which left Koontz in an unfavorable position.

What? I like King, sue me. Say what you will about him, the man writes, like, a billion words a day and has more money than you or I ever will. The modern attitude that popular = crap is stupid, get over yourselves, you pretentious hipsters.

Anyway, Koontz was always that wannabe, that second stringer who occupied my time between new, better novels. He appealed to my teenage girl tastes in fiction, that is to say, overwrought and dramatic and, yes, scary.

Odd Thomas, though, isn't... well, it's not perfect, Odd gets a bit overwrought and pretentious and dramatic himself at times, but his story is good and Koontz writes him writing himself well. I've seen some reviews complaining that Odd sounds like an old man trying to write like a young man and no 20 year old would talk like that. I say to those reviewers, "Do you actually know many 20 year olds?" Raised on a diet of Joss Whedon and internet memes, actually, 20 year olds do talk a lot like that. Odd's actual dialogue in the book was much less overblown and allusory than his after-the-fact narration. The story was good, and would have been better if I hadn't been inadvertently spoiled by a jerkwad Goodreads reviewer who didn't warn for spoilers and put the identity of the villains in the top of his/her review.

Regarding the audiobook: Baker did a fantastic job. No ridiculous breathy drag queen voices for the female characters, just a slightly lighter inflection to let us know the character had changed. When he changed character voices, it felt like a new character had begun speaking, not like an embarrassing vaudeville act had taken over the studio. He did a good job of making Odd sound young, and tired, and resigned.

I'm torn over the stars, which means it should get 3.5 but of course Goodreads doesn't have half-stars, what on EARTH were they thinking? ( )