Saint Odd

by Dean Koontz
Hennepin County Library audiobook 8 CDs
read by David Aaron Baker
genre: paranormal mystery

* This includes spoilers! I highly recommend you read / listen to the books in order!*

Baker's vocal work is simply perfect for Odd Thomas. I was in tears by the end of the book. Part of me didn't really believe that Odd would die. I don't often cry for the death of a fictional character.

celadon - what color is that? I guessed blue, but had to look it up.
(From www.beautycolorcode.com :)


What was book 7? Have I read it? List from Wikipedia . . . yes, I read Deeply Odd. The Satanic cult was a bit too dark and creepy for me. Probably why I wasn't in a hurry to read Saint Odd, though it was published two years ago.

• Odd Thomas
• Forever Odd
• Brother Odd
• Odd Hours
• Odd Apocalypse
• Deeply Odd
• Saint Odd

 Amaranth - again, my curiosity was piqued. It seemed so mystical in the story, but it's an ancient grain (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amaranth).

Contumax / Potestas . . . . more weird cult stuff. I'm not so curious anymore.

I like Odd Thomas, Chief Porter, Ozzie Boone, . . . and am sad to say goodbye to this series. Though a part of me wonders if Koontz is leaving the door open to a series about Stormy and Odd and whatever they're dealing with in the next life.

Innocence

by Dean Koontz
Hennepin County Library audiobook 10 discs
read by MacLeod Andrews
genre: suspense, supernatural thriller

Addison Goodheart - fearsome creature, cast out at age 8, mother committed suicide, "father" also a fearsome beast, took Addison in when he showed up in the city, father was murdered when Addison was 20, story opens when he is 26

Gwenyth - recluse, can't stand to be touched
Ryan Tellford - attempted rapist, museum curator, murderer, thief
Teague Hanlon - guardian for Gwyneth, benefactor

Not sure how to blog about this without spoiling the story. I'll start with likes and dislikes:

Liked:

• narrator's voice - fantastic vocal work!
• mystery - drew me along, I wanted to know the answers
• Addison and Gwenyth were wonderful characters, complex and good at heart

Disliked:

• some of the creepy stuff was too creepy - the pedophile pornographer, some of the murders and evil . . . too much nasty
• some of the pseudo-religious themes. Really? It was almost as bad as that moment in the Star Wars movie when we learn that Anakin is . . . whatever. Holy. Didn't work for me.
• ending was way too pat

It took until disc 9 out of 10 for us to learn why Addison's appearance was so repugnant to anyone who saw him. The title became clear here, too. We never really learned the full mystery of the clears and the fogs, but it was classic Koontz storytelling. I still like Odd Thomas the best of all his stuff that I've read so far.

A Big Little Life: A Memoir of a Joyful Dog

by Dean Koontz
Hennepin County Library hardcover 271 pages
genre: non-fiction, pet memoir

Koontz' writing style draws me in. I love his love of language, and while I'm not a fan of golden retrievers, I understand perfectly how one can adore the pet "child" of the household. I'm tempted to buy a copy (or two) of this book . . . for myself to re-read, to give as a gift when others' pets die, . . . and just because I love his way with language. Some of this felt over-the-top (Trixie as otherworldly, almost holy) but he put his prose into context. And it's personal. He tells about the transformation Trixie caused in his own life and in his wife's life. Beautiful book!

Deeply Odd

by Dean Koontz
Hennepin County Library audiobook 8 discs
read by David Aaron Baker
genre: paranormal adventure, mystery

This one actually had me wondering what would happen to Odd. It was so very dark in places . . . I still like the very first Odd Thomas book the best. This one was hard to listen to in places with the demons and the evil. I liked Edie Fischer, though thought her unusual addition to Odd's life to be a bit too coincidental. I liked the interactions with Alfred Hitchcock's ghost, though I still prefer Elvis Presley - again, the first story is best! This is a new release, but I'm already anticipating the next installment. I haven't ever read any other Koontz books, but I love this character. As always, Baker does an excellent job voicing it.

Bugged me: repetitions. I understand Koontz including info from other stories to "catch" readers up if they haven't read the other Odd Thomas books, but he repeated within this book. For example, Odd explaining Stormy's interpretation of the afterlife to Mrs. Fisher and then again to Alfred Hitchcock. It gets old! It was fun to read some of the reviews on Amazon. I should pay more attention to my writing! But as always, this blog is just my spot to record my reactions. I liked this book a lot.

Odd Interlude

by Dean Koontz
Hennepin County Library paperback 253 pages
genre: paranormal mystery

This shorter novel takes place between Odd Hours and Odd Apocalypse (Magic Beach & Roseland). Odd and Annamaria have just left Magic Beach and are driving along the California coast when they are drawn to Harmony Corner. There is "something" in this place that demands their presence . . . and off we go into mystery and mayhem as only Odd can do it. Wonderful little story. I'm hooked on this character! Can hardly wait until Deeply Odd is available! (I'm #232 on Hennepin County's waiting list for it; it's "on order" in their system.)

Odd Apocalypse

by Dean R. Koontz
Hennepin County Library hardcover 355 pages
genre: paranormal mystery

I was on the waiting list for this for a looooong time so it was gratifying to get it and have time to read it (on the bus to TIES and waiting for a tire rotation). Odd and Annamaria have ended up at Roseland, an impressive estate with something very wrong. As Odd lets his psychic magnetism guide him, the dangers mount on all sides. I love the role Nikola Tesla played in this story. I find it amusing that Alfred Hitchcock is manifesting to Odd in this tale. Koontz has woven many current pop culture references in this story (including Justin Bieber). Delightful story, though I'll probably take a listen to it again when it comes out on audio. I simply adore the vocal work that David Aaron Baker does!

House of Odd

written by Landry Q Walker and Dean Koontz
illustrated by Queenie Chan
Hennepin County Library paperback unpaged
genre: graphic novel paranormal mystery

I didn't enjoy this one as much as the others. Ozzie's friend from Hollywood, Nedra, has bought a mansion near Pico Mundo. It seems to be haunted, so Ozzie sends Odd (and Stormy) to check it out. Nedra has called in a group of "ghostbusters" who do a tv show on hauntings. The three-person team (plus a cat) have interesting personality dynamics. Odd doesn't get his usual psychic magnetism "vibes" and Elvis can't seem to approach the house. Turns out there's a portal to hell and the demons are playing. Weird, but not one I'll re-read. (I usually kind of like weird stories.)

Odd Is On Our Side

by Dean Koontz
Hennepin County Library paperback 186 pages
genre: graphic novel, supernatural mystery

Odd Thomas is such a wonderful character! I love how the graphic novels are prequels to the first Odd book. In this one, the ghost of a small trick-or-treater is trying to get Odd's help during the annual Halloween celebration. Little Ozzie's editor is in town and along with Stormy, Elvis, and the rest of the Pico Mundo crew, they solve a mystery and save the town. Great stuff!

Odd Hours

by Dean Koontz
read by David Aaron Baker
Hennepin County Library audioCDs 7 discs
genre: paranormal mystery

Another wonderful Odd Thomas story! Odd is drawn to a coastal town, but he isn't sure why. Now that Elvis has moved on, Frank Sinatra is showing up regularly in Odd's life (as is Boo, one of the rare dog ghosts). Odd thwarts a nuclear terror plot, but encounters many interesting characters along the way. And he uses a gun! Anna Maria is strange, but since she leaves the town with Odd at the end of the story, I'm sure we'll get to know more about her in the next story.

Brother Odd

by Dean Koontz
Hennepin County Library audioCDs 8 discs
read by David Aaron Baker
genre: supernatural mystery

The third Odd Thomas book, this one has Odd staying at a monastery as a guest so he can get a break from the ghosts of Pico Mundo. Then a new danger and mystery arises. I definitely liked this one better than the second one, though I missed Little Ozzie (only in this at the end) and some of the other characters of Pico Mundo. I'm really enjoying this quirky series. Part of the appeal is Odd's personal qualities. He's very unassuming. I especially like how he calls himself innocuous and the Russian stridently disagrees. Nice!

Forever Odd

by Dean Koontz
Hennepin County Library audioCDs 7 discs
read by David Aaron Baker

This one was much creepier than the first Odd Thomas book I read. Doctor Jessup's ghost leads Odd into a new situation, one that feels "wrong." Danny (Jessup's stepson & Odd's friend) has disappeared and Odd knows that he alone must find him. The evil people in this story are truly disturbing and scary.

Liked: Odd's communication with Elvis and the ghosts in the casino
Disliked: too much repetitive info (for those who haven't read Odd Thomas, I assume)

Overall, enjoyed it, but not as much as the first book.

In Odd We Trust

by Dean Koontz
illustrated by Queenie Chan
Hennepin County Library paperback
genre: YA graphic novel, paranormal mystery

Interesting little graphic novel - the psycho killer is targeting Stormy's friend, but brutally murders a little boy who's in her care. Nicely done both storywise & artwise.

Odd Thomas

by Dean Koontz
Hennepin County Library audioCDs 9 discs
read by David Aaron Baker
genre: paranormal mystery

I'm surprised I haven't already blogged about this book. I listened to it a year or so ago and was impressed. Odd Thomas can see the dead, but few people know about his "gift." The love of his life, Stormy Llewellen(?), and he are unusual people and perfectly compatible.

Interesting story. I re-listened so that I can continue with the other Odd Thomas books (one in my car already and one on hold at the library). Baker voices Odd Thomas well.

 

<Above published 2.2.12. Below added 1.1.24.>

 

I listened to this story again. I don't love the author's / main characters' perception of life after death (with Stormy's description of this life being "boot camp" . . . ) but this is a very creative work of fiction. The "bodocks" (sp?) as evil spirits is very realistic from a Christian perspective! The theological issues I have with the story don't really detract from all the things I like about it.

 

Little Ozzie, Chester his cat, Odd's own sweet strange self . . . I stopped to write down (pausing, going back, etc.) one quotation that jumped out at me.

 

"Guilt and shame have until now kept me silent on this issue. I am old enough even if just twenty to know that I have no logical reason to feel either guilt or shame, that I was the victim, not the victimizer. Yet I've been so long marinated in both emotions that they will forever flavor me."

 

The language here really struck me. Being marinated in guilt and shame . . . made me think of the household I grew up in. I'm not sure my parents even realized how much these tools were used. Of course, Odd's mother was really mentally ill. My parents were just raising us the way they had been raised.

 

I don't plan on continuing with the Odd Thomas series this time. In fact, I may weed out the Odd Thomas books I own (at the lake). There are so very many other books I want to read!