I've talked about my favorite authors here before, and why I'm defensive of them. Two of my favorites are Stephen King and Dean Koontz. I know I risk a reputation as a "non-serious" reader by publicizing this, and I don't care. While I'm the first to admit that popularity does not equal quality (witness FOX "News"), it does not disqualify something either. Most of both authors' books are enjoyable, can't-put-it-down reads. And both are so prolific, you can count on finding something of theirs you haven't read before, when you need a book to take on a trip.
Because of their voluminous work, there are a few clunkers from both. And there are also detours into different genres, different styles, and different presentations. King had a serialized, multi-book paperback series. He also had a weird (for this reader, impenetrable), dense series of Wild West/Outer Space hardbacks that were interwoven into his mainstream work. Koontz has deviated from the usual with a paperback series based on Frankenstein (unfinished as of yet, apparently because Koontz didn't like working with a collaborator), and with hardback sequels to previous works.
The longest series of sequels centers around Odd Thomas, a young man with limited psychic powers who finds himself in perilous predicaments, and is an extemporaneous and witty liar, when a gun is pointed at him. This time, in Odd Hours, Odd is faced with literally saving the world, and the read was never dull. The story moves swiftly, and the character of Odd is quite engaging.
Of course, the Koontzian elements are all here, if not as prominent as in some of his other works. A golden retriever makes a sporadic appearance, but his role is not central to the narrative. The story has an enigmatic heroine, but this one is not as seemingly perfect as is common in many of Koontz's stories. She is sidelined for almost all of the action and drama, stowed away with a happy/tragic woman we haven't met before. She is also not completely explained as a character, leading me to believe that her role (as well as the other woman) will be expanded--and the ending clarified--in yet another Odd Thomas book.
As enjoyable as it was, there were a few things that took me out of the story, interrupting my "willing suspension of disbelief." One was some of the dialogue, which just didn't seem to fit with either the character (a rotted-teeth meth-head, with perfect English), or the situation (easy familiarity with characters who have just met, usually with pointed guns). Also, the group of conspirators didn't seem like a crowd that would actually mix for such a scheme.
Despite these things, I've enjoyed the Odd Thomas series, except for a foray into anime, a prequel fifth book. In Odd We Trust, a recent paperback, was illustrated in the Japanese manga style, and didn't work for me. I didn't like the art, didn't like the story, apparently don't like manga, and didn't like Stormy Llewellan, Odd's doomed "soulmate." Which brings up the biggest flaw in the series for me.
A running thread in the series is Stormy, young Odd's girlfriend, who died during one of the early books. To Odd, her death was fairly recent (the books progress over a short span of time for the characters), but the way their relationship is portrayed, as eternal. . .well, it strikes me as rather silly. We're talking about a teen relationship that lasted at best a couple of years. Though the end of the relationship is tragic, a middle-aged reader like me is a little too jaded to buy into the eternal love thing. You learn as you age that no matter how much a person seems like "the one," there are other potential "the ones" out there. I guess Koontz may be taking us there in the next book, though it is possibly just reinforcement of Odd's/Stormy's "foreverness," I don't know.
Another thing I noticed was Koontz's politics. I learned--oddly enough, between two Koontz books--that the author is conservative, politically. I hadn't really noticed this in his writing before, but it sneaks through here and there. Fortunately, he doesn't hit you over the head with it, but it is there. Now, Stephen King is known to be more liberal, and that does come through in his more recent works. And I'm more on King's page than Koontz's here. But it's nice to know that I can enjoy both authors almost equally, while knowing that.
Which is a long way to go to say that, overall, I enjoyed Odd Hours, and look forward to the next installment. Unlike the previous Koontz book I read, I was not disappointed with the ending. It was a brisk read, and I wanted to read instead of doing something else (like blogging!). Also, it is not necessary to read any particular Odd Thomas book in order to enjoy the story. Pick it up for your next flight, or for a nice, lazy weekend.
Recommended
Because of their voluminous work, there are a few clunkers from both. And there are also detours into different genres, different styles, and different presentations. King had a serialized, multi-book paperback series. He also had a weird (for this reader, impenetrable), dense series of Wild West/Outer Space hardbacks that were interwoven into his mainstream work. Koontz has deviated from the usual with a paperback series based on Frankenstein (unfinished as of yet, apparently because Koontz didn't like working with a collaborator), and with hardback sequels to previous works.
The longest series of sequels centers around Odd Thomas, a young man with limited psychic powers who finds himself in perilous predicaments, and is an extemporaneous and witty liar, when a gun is pointed at him. This time, in Odd Hours, Odd is faced with literally saving the world, and the read was never dull. The story moves swiftly, and the character of Odd is quite engaging.
Of course, the Koontzian elements are all here, if not as prominent as in some of his other works. A golden retriever makes a sporadic appearance, but his role is not central to the narrative. The story has an enigmatic heroine, but this one is not as seemingly perfect as is common in many of Koontz's stories. She is sidelined for almost all of the action and drama, stowed away with a happy/tragic woman we haven't met before. She is also not completely explained as a character, leading me to believe that her role (as well as the other woman) will be expanded--and the ending clarified--in yet another Odd Thomas book.
As enjoyable as it was, there were a few things that took me out of the story, interrupting my "willing suspension of disbelief." One was some of the dialogue, which just didn't seem to fit with either the character (a rotted-teeth meth-head, with perfect English), or the situation (easy familiarity with characters who have just met, usually with pointed guns). Also, the group of conspirators didn't seem like a crowd that would actually mix for such a scheme.
Despite these things, I've enjoyed the Odd Thomas series, except for a foray into anime, a prequel fifth book. In Odd We Trust, a recent paperback, was illustrated in the Japanese manga style, and didn't work for me. I didn't like the art, didn't like the story, apparently don't like manga, and didn't like Stormy Llewellan, Odd's doomed "soulmate." Which brings up the biggest flaw in the series for me.
A running thread in the series is Stormy, young Odd's girlfriend, who died during one of the early books. To Odd, her death was fairly recent (the books progress over a short span of time for the characters), but the way their relationship is portrayed, as eternal. . .well, it strikes me as rather silly. We're talking about a teen relationship that lasted at best a couple of years. Though the end of the relationship is tragic, a middle-aged reader like me is a little too jaded to buy into the eternal love thing. You learn as you age that no matter how much a person seems like "the one," there are other potential "the ones" out there. I guess Koontz may be taking us there in the next book, though it is possibly just reinforcement of Odd's/Stormy's "foreverness," I don't know.
Another thing I noticed was Koontz's politics. I learned--oddly enough, between two Koontz books--that the author is conservative, politically. I hadn't really noticed this in his writing before, but it sneaks through here and there. Fortunately, he doesn't hit you over the head with it, but it is there. Now, Stephen King is known to be more liberal, and that does come through in his more recent works. And I'm more on King's page than Koontz's here. But it's nice to know that I can enjoy both authors almost equally, while knowing that.
Which is a long way to go to say that, overall, I enjoyed Odd Hours, and look forward to the next installment. Unlike the previous Koontz book I read, I was not disappointed with the ending. It was a brisk read, and I wanted to read instead of doing something else (like blogging!). Also, it is not necessary to read any particular Odd Thomas book in order to enjoy the story. Pick it up for your next flight, or for a nice, lazy weekend.
Recommended
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