Series Review - Odd Thomas (Part 2)

These are the alternate covers and are my preference over the originals

Odd Thomas

Dean Koontz

Part 2
*link to Part 1

BEWARE SPOILERS

Mystery/Suspense/Supernatural/Paranormal
7 books

Stars Overall

This series has been on my TBR list since 2007, a recommended read from my friend who is also huge King fan. I flew through the first 3 books relatively quickly -listening to all of these on audiobook, read by David Aaron Baker -  liking each novel more than the one before it. I took a bit of the break between the first novels and these ones.

Odd Hours
6 stars

Magic Beach, California. Home to an eccentric elderly actor, a mysterious girl, a happy monster, and villains in the least likely of places. A nightmare or a prophecy?

This book has equal negative and positive halves. On one side I have really gotten into these stories and the style of the writing. But this novel took a couple steps back for the series, while I loved the characters introduced they weren't as good as the previous ones. There was lots of action but nothing really happened in this novel, Anna-Maria is obviously a mystery to be solved in the next book or so can't wait to see what happens.

Odd Interlude
7.5 stars

Leaving Magic Beach, Odd and Anna-Maria stop in at The Corner, a family run motel/ restaurant/ gas station stop in the middle of no-where. Odd's sixth sense alerts him that all is not as it seems, what dark secret is hidden in this small town haven?

A companion novel within the series, this has been my favourite book so far. I finally found the creepy horror book I was looking for in the first place. With a refreshing change of narrator for part of the book. While the supernatural is again caused by impossible science, there is a healthy dose of government conspiracy, genetic alteration, advanced AI, aliens, and other dark taboo science. That makes up for the lack of truly supernatural.

Odd Apocalypse
7.5 stars

Noah Wolflaw is the owner of Roseland - a great estate with; a chef, maids, a grounds keeper, a ghostly maiden on horse back, and rules upon rules upon rules. Don't walk the grounds after or before dawn, do not venture anywhere but the first floor of the house, do not ask so many questions. These instructions veil the dark secrets lurking just beneath the veneer of the all american dream.

I can't believe how much these books have grown on me. I read this one twice over! Koontz has written these is a paradoxical manner where they are all at once polite and horrible. It seems like in the past few novels we have been getting hints to bigger things. I like how these are written almost like episodes each one self contained and yet equally part of the bigger story. The only thing I dislike is how the solutions keep getting more and more unbelievable and how much suspended disbelief is needed.

Deeply Odd
5 Stars

The ringing of the bell announces our next adventure is about to begin, meeting an insane an invisible? Trucker with plans to sacrifice children in the name of Satan, is just another morning for Odd. With help from a ride or die grandmother, the not-ghost ghost of Alfred Hitchcock, the ghost dog boo and other acquaintances. Odd races against time to find and rescue the children.

I don't dislike it but I do have to say there is a lot of repetition. Re-introducing characters, concepts, ideas in almost the same words in each novel. This has been my least favourite book in this half of the series. Odd's rambling is entertaining and keeps the book flowing wonderfully. But despite being action pack nothing is happening at the same time. My small summaries before the novels literally sum up all the major points and many minor ones. So much suspended disbelief is needed and there are plot holes everywhere filled by impossibilities. Personally I love these novels for what they are, but I recognize they are overall only OK books.