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will love Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book.  melydia | Oct 28, 2009 |  Odd, And Then Some Brother Odd begins well, the unusual setting contributing effectively to the mood as the hero, Odd Thomas, sits in the window of a dark monastery, watching the night, waiting to catch his first sight of snow. And Mr. Koontz doesn't disappoint the reader by allowing the Odd one to linger in peace for too long, robbing the story of conflict. As it should, the trouble starts right away. For me, however, as the book eased into the middle, the story became somewhat diluted, not enough for me to lose interest, but enough for me to wonder if Koontz had not lost his rhythm for a moment. He began to delve into the humor side of his writing style, something he typically does with a near genius touch, but here he tips the balance too far. I began to suspect he wasn't sure where he was going with the story at this point. Near the ending, the story again begins to build up steam, but the final action scene is rendered somewhat ineffective when the writer decides to do things a little differently. Throughout the book a mysterious character keeps both the reader and the hero on edge, wondering just what his true nature is. During the climactic scene, however, this character takes charge, overshadowing the hero. I'm surprised the editors did not catch this. Whether the day is saved, ruined or rendered indifferent, it should be the hero who effects this change. For me, after the climactic scene, my interest was revived as we are once again solidly with Odd Thomas as the story segues nicely into the next Odd adventure. - Bob Avey, author of Beneath a Buried House (  ) BobAvey | Oct 26, 2009 | I love Dean Koontz. I love Odd Thomas. In fact, I love that Dean Koontz loves Odd Thomas enough to write a third (and I'm guessing, soon a fourth) book about him. So I may be a little biased in saying that BROTHER ODD is one of my favorite books of the year. Odd has left Pico Mundo to join the nuns and brothers in a monastery. Although he's not taking his vows, he's been enjoying the peace and quiet--and relative safety--that being with these brothers and sisters of Christ has brought. He's also enjoyed the numerous children who live there, those who are physically or mentally handicapped, abandoned by their parents, sometimes even suffering at their hands. Then, as always seems to be the case with Odd, the bodachs show up, and he knows that something bad has come to the monastery. But does it come from the novices, the brooding Russian, the brother who was once muscle for the Mob, the brother who is also a brilliant scientist, or from someone else entirely? With his faithful dead sidekick, Elvis, and his faithful friends, and the sometimes strange memory and even stranger "spirit" of Stormy, Odd must work to keep the entire population of his new home safe from whatever danger lurks ever nearer. This is another winner from Mr. Koontz, and the ending, of course, leaves it open for another book about the wonderful, amazing, flawed, and utterly lovable Odd Thomas. Well worth picking up, BROTHER ODD will have you reading long into the night. (  ) GeniusJen | Oct 13, 2009 | It had been a long while since I'd last picked up a Koontz novel. This book was a fun afternoon quick read. It was another Koontz's formulaic monster stories with the unknown-for-most-of-the-book-entity stalking the main character until the resolution. The main character, Odd Thomas, seems to be a apart of a larger story arc that spans a few books. I've only read this one but I am glad I didn't pick up the first book in the series because the Odd's backstory sounds completely boring and predictable. The fact that the author has to mention that Odd cooks pancakes REALLY well and that he is a fry cook several dozen times gets a bit tedious. The basic plot line has the hero, Odd, using his psychic intuition to stumble around in a complete white-out snowstorm and miraculously not getting flayed by the evil "It" that is stalking him to solve the mystery. Unsurprisingly he does solve the mystery and he saves a school full of handicapped children. I think that a fitting end to the Odd series would be a grisly ending for Odd because he annoys me so much. It was fun, but predictable. All-in-all a very entertaining, though pulpy, novel. (  ) hazysaffron | Aug 22, 2009 | What is threatening the monks and children? Odd uses his gift along with the help of the brothers and a mysterious guest to solve the mystery. An fast easy read. ( ) RonCon62 | Jun 23, 2009 |  no reviews | add a review
Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0553804804, Hardcover)Loop me in, odd one. The words, spoken in the deep of night by a sleeping child, chillthe young man watching over her. For this was a favorite phrase of Stormy Llewellyn, his lost love, and Stormy is dead, gone forever from this world. In the haunted halls of the isolated monastery where he had sought peace, Odd Thomas is stalking spirits of an infinitely darker nature Through two New York Times bestselling novels 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. St. Bartholomew’s Abbey sits in majestic solitude amid the wild peaks of California’s high Sierra, a haven for children otherwise abandoned, and a sanctuary for those seeking insight. Odd Thomas has come here to learn to live fully again, and among the eccentric monks, their other guests, and the nuns and young students of the attached convent school, he has begun to find his way. The silent spirits of the dead who visited him in his earlier life are mercifully absent, save for the bell-ringing Brother Constantine and Odd’s steady companion, the King of Rock 'n' Roll. But trouble has a way of finding Odd Thomas, and it slinks back onto his path in the form of the sinister bodachs he has met previously, the black shades who herald death and disaster, and who come late one December night to hover above the abbey’s most precious charges. For Odd is about to face an enemy who eclipses any he has yet encountered, as he embarks on a journey of mystery, wonder, and sheer suspense that surpasses all that has come before. (retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:58:22 -0400) The first test round has been closed. Visit the Open Shelves Classification group for details. |
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Wikipedia in English (1)
I know I shouldn't get irritated with an author for using quack science to further the plot of a novel that already starts with a pretty outrageous premise, but it still annoys me because so many people think it's true. Say it with me now: human will does not alter reality, even on a subatomic scale. Sure, it makes for an easy out in fiction, but I'd much rather people gave it up entirely.
All in all, I think I'll skip any further Odd Thomas books, as there are sure to be more, unless someone recommends it highly. I'm tired of being disappointed. (