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Thanks to amazon I now own most of dean koontz's books. I started collecting and reading them about 5 years ago and I love the edge and mysterious nature of his writing. great mind.
Havoc ensues.This is a breezy, easy read. Koontz, as you probably know, adored a particular Golden Retriever that had since passed over the rainbow bridge - that means, the doggie is "dead" - and pays homage to him in this and many other of his novels. This physicist, also a monk, has discovered a way to create things and even living beings out of nothing, utilizing a machine that amplifies his thoughts. The contents didn't disappoint me.Brother Odd is one in the "Odd Thomas" novel series, featuring a young man who has suffered untold loss and who is a sage at the tender age of 21, Odd Thomas.
That's because Koontz " sees the Church as English writer and Roman Catholic convert G.K. Koontz notes that spirituality has always been part of his books, as are grace and our struggle as fallen souls, but he `never get[s] on a soapbox'. Yes, the monk in the brown robe proved to be irresistible to me. The characters are simple and uncomplicated, but not shallow. I truly like how he paints dogs and captures their different moods and reactions.Elvis and Frank Sinatra also appear - literally.
Catholicism is in the background but you don't get a real sense that Odd Thomas is Catholic. But, in a plot element reminiscent of the 50's cult-classic SciFi movie, Forbidden Planet, the scientist wasn't counting on "the monsters of the id". You can read this in a rainy weekend. Koontz is no Dan Brown.There's another thing that makes me feel an affinity to Koontz and that's his birthplace in Everett, Pennsylvania.
I had never read a Dean Koontz novel - may be some thrillers way back, can't recall - but the attractive cover of this one got a hold of me and I bought it. The paranormal appears in right quantities without becoming occultic, or just for effect. In fact, I wonder if this kind of perceptions really exist and if actual people are endowed with them.Odd Thomas is not religious, but he's somehow "spiritual". Chesterton did. The monastic life is presented in very general terms - nothing of the "go deep" we find in, for example, Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose, where the monastic day establishes the pace of the plot, but more as a background for Odd's sleuthing and the scientist's deconstruction. That's very close to where I hang my hat in the Laurel Heights of the Alleghenies. In this installment of the series, Thomas' paranormal abilities - he can see dead people as well as a kind of "demon" that congregates in places that are about to witness death in a massive scale, not exactly a happy ability - take him to a Catholic monastery that is also home to an eccentric, world-famous physicist.
It's a personal connection of the geographical sort.I recommend the book. I do find Odd Thomas, however, a little "odd" in terms of his character and maturity, but maybe that's why he's named "Odd". The setup for the monastic characters is positive and respectful, but mostly impressionistic.Oh, and there's also a "holy dog". (Source) For us Catholic readers this is a great plus. Great read, instructive, exciting, and peaceful.
I can't get enough Odd Thomas as I have yet to read one that I could put down. Once I start one there is no putting it down until, sadly, I'm finished with it. Thank you Mr. Koontz for the marvelous stories.
He spends time ranting against the media and journalism (a favorite target of Koontz), warning us the failings and arrogance of the scientific community as he sees it and regales us with stories of liberal excesses. The increasing problem with Koontz is that every character, or at least the 'good' ones, seem to BE Koontz. If you share Koontz' world view, you're probably more likely to overlook this, but at the very least it may draw you out of the narrative when you realize that you're often just reading another Koontz opinion piece. I don't feel like they are distinct personalities - Koontz' view of the world is apparent in every one. Odd Thomas seemed pretty immune to this for awhile, but not anymore it seems. Also (a bit of a spoiler here), Koontz has now written multiple novels centered on the idea of scientific evidence for the existence of God, which I'm not buying and which comes across as a bit of a crusade to me. Nevertheless, Koontz knows how to construct a compelling story and Odd Thomas continues to be witty and charming much of the time.
At last, the third installment in the series of books about our friend "Odd Thomas" all written by Dean Koontz. The story progressed into the realm of the strange as several, ah ah, demons began to appear. I won't spoil it for you. When we completed the story of Forever Odd, Odd was living in a monastery with other monks. I can highly recommend all three books of the series and I am becoming a big fan of Dean Koontz. Brother Odd begins by introducing Odd's life in the monastery and introducing several monks and sisters in residence. I have previously blogged about the first two books: Odd Thomas and Forever Odd. So, no you believe this story is all about demons and monsters; well, that is what I thought until the story took a twist into the realm of Science-Fiction.
All seems well until Odd starts to see images of possible future disasters which could kill alot of the children in long-term care at the monastery hospital. Recall the first two books focused on Odd's ability to see into the future. Let's just say the story got really strange (in a good way). I do recommend you read the books in order as they do build on each other: 1) Odd Thomas, 2) Forever Odd and 3) Brother Odd.
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