Book Review - Brother Odd by Dean Koontz
Category Book Reviews
The Odd Thomas series by Dean Koontz has become one of my favorite series, and he didn't disappointment me in his latest installment, Brother Odd. This is just plain fun to read...
Odd Thomas has left society and gone to a monastery to try and regroup. His particular trait of seeing the ghosts of dead people who haven't gone over to the "other side" is still there, but he's not looking to help solve any murders. His attempt at mental relaxation starts to go south when he sees his first bodach, or evil ghost-like creature, arrive at the children's hospital. As they continue to gather in ever-larger numbers, Thomas knows that an unspeakable disaster is looming over the monastery. A select few members of the monastery know of Odd's gift, and he has to interpret his feelings and try to anticipate what is about to transpire. The difficult issue is that there's no lead as to what or who might be behind it, so any move Thomas makes to save the group might be playing into the hands of the killers (who/whatever it might be). The key appears to be a select few children in the hospital who have clinically died and are able to see beyond the immediate reality.
This series is rare in that I love both the writing style *and* the plot line. Koontz has the character writing in first person, and the story is a conversation with the reader. If it were just a narrative of what happened, it'd be OK but nothing special. But it's so much more than that. It's as if Odd Thomas is a real person, with real emotions and failings, and they all show through as he tells the reader the story. Koontz continues to work magic with phrasing and word pictures, and I don't think I've had this much fun reading any author's work on a regular basis.
If Koontz never wrote another character except for Odd Thomas, I'd still be a happy camper. He's created an extremely likable person, and I can hardly wait for the next installment...
The Odd Thomas series by Dean Koontz has become one of my favorite series, and he didn't disappointment me in his latest installment, Brother Odd. This is just plain fun to read...
Odd Thomas has left society and gone to a monastery to try and regroup. His particular trait of seeing the ghosts of dead people who haven't gone over to the "other side" is still there, but he's not looking to help solve any murders. His attempt at mental relaxation starts to go south when he sees his first bodach, or evil ghost-like creature, arrive at the children's hospital. As they continue to gather in ever-larger numbers, Thomas knows that an unspeakable disaster is looming over the monastery. A select few members of the monastery know of Odd's gift, and he has to interpret his feelings and try to anticipate what is about to transpire. The difficult issue is that there's no lead as to what or who might be behind it, so any move Thomas makes to save the group might be playing into the hands of the killers (who/whatever it might be). The key appears to be a select few children in the hospital who have clinically died and are able to see beyond the immediate reality.
This series is rare in that I love both the writing style *and* the plot line. Koontz has the character writing in first person, and the story is a conversation with the reader. If it were just a narrative of what happened, it'd be OK but nothing special. But it's so much more than that. It's as if Odd Thomas is a real person, with real emotions and failings, and they all show through as he tells the reader the story. Koontz continues to work magic with phrasing and word pictures, and I don't think I've had this much fun reading any author's work on a regular basis.
If Koontz never wrote another character except for Odd Thomas, I'd still be a happy camper. He's created an extremely likable person, and I can hardly wait for the next installment...
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Posted by Chris Miller At 08:47:50 On 29/01/2007 | - Website - |