Very poor
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I've read and enjoyed many Dean Koontz books; in particular I've enjoyed the Odd Thomas series and was looking forward to reading this book.
I was very disappointed with what I read.
The main issue is that the storyline is just very one-dimensional. None of the characters are well developed: you find out nothing new about Odd, while you're introduced to several new characters but find out very little about any of them. During the book several questions are raised that feel key to the story but none of them are ever answered.
Overall the book just plods along with the main storyline, creating secondary storylines that are instantly forgotten about, until the main story reaches it's predictable conclusion and the book ends leaving the reader wondering whatever happened to all the loose ends.
My advice: don't waste your money.
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Terrible!!!
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I have enjoyed many of Dean Koontz books, none more so than the first in the Odd Thomas series, what a gem. The second book wasn't bad but nowhere near as good, the third was slightly boring and to be honest would have been the end of my Odd adventures had it not been for my wife buying me this book for my birthday. So having not really enjoyed Brother Odd, I started on Odd Hours.
To be honest I don't really know where to begin. Things seemed to start off well for the first chapter but then just went totally off the rails!! I've just managed to force myself to finish it (being as it was a present) and I haven't really got a clue as to what half of the book was rambling on about. What's with the coyotes, the bell, the grid incident and the ramblings of Annmarie? Most of the key incidents aren't explained, just forgot about.
The key plot seems rushed and silly and if I have to read another one of Odds now annoying conversations with his interigators, I'll scream!! All in all I have to say that this is a very difficult book to read and the end result is not worth it....don't waste your time and money....I'm done with the Odd Thomas books.
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Boring
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I really liked Odd Thomas, and eventhough book three may have been slightly entertaining, I'm more or less disappointed with the series, including this fourth installment. Put Odd out of his misery now, please.
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Be Odd for a day!
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I loved this book, which has reached the heights of "Odd Thomas" in a way that that the second and third books in the series, although enjoyable, did not quite manage. Again we have a conflict between the humble and wryly self-deprecating goodness of Odd's character and enemies which personify arrogant evil. Odd's character has become more mature and willing to accept the need for desperate measures; his new enemies have reached a new level of depravity that, while it beggars belief in its detail, may be taken to represent the greatest evils that exist on this planet in their abuse of trust and power and their utter lack of conscience.
I felt entirely immersed in the storyline, despite reading this over more than a week. The atmosphere and the descriptions of the many scenes with varied and rich atmosphere are in some way more important than the almost cartoon-like, but satisfyingly crisp action. The more minor characters including Hutch and Birdie, not to mention Sinatra's ghost, provide some wry smiles. The villains never cause any confused feelings by exposing a vestige of humanity. If you require sympathetic villains, don't buy this book!
The role of the intriguing character of Annamaria was one of the strong points of this book, and a factor which gave it form and a satisfying framework. As in previous Odd Thomas books, some things are not entirely explained, but enough is made clear to reveal the bigger picture.
This is a book I was sorry to have to come to the end of, and felt my life had been a little enriched by having read.
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Odd The Fourth
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Unusually for Dean Koontz he has created a series of books with the same character. "Odd Hours" is the fourth in the "Odd Thomas" series. It possibly the weakest but still a great read nevertheless. "Odd Thomas", the first in the series, is one of Koontz's greatest works and all the followups have been strong but haven't quite matched it.
This time Odd is in a coastal town and after a encounter with a heavily pregnant girl Annamaria he gets thrown into a deadly pursuit of nuclear weapons. The story takes place over one evening.
There's no Elvis in this book. However, Frank Sinatra is onboard to add an element of humour. There are no evil Bodachs anymore and in a way their presence is missed. The character of Annamaria was nowhere near developed enough. At first she was intriguing but her character wasn't expanded upon.
You could quite happily read "Odd Hours" as a standalone book. However, if you're new to Dean Koontz start off with "Odd Thomas" instead.
Odd Thomas is a brilliant character and hopefully there'll be more in the series.
7/10
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