Brother Odd | by: Dean Koontz

Brother Odd is the third book telling the story of Odd Thomas, a man with strong intuition and can see the dead who have not crossed over. But there are also more sinister things he can see that others cannot.

After months at St. Bartholomew's, the monastery Odd Thomas has been staying at in order to find refuge from the hectic supernatural life he leads, Odd Thomas sees such sinister things that may be a sign of impending death. More specifically, he sees them lingering around the disabled children at the school at St. Bartholomew's. Meanwhile, there are a couple of brothers at the monastery that Odd Thomas does not believe he can trust, for he suspects that there is much more than meets the eye.

There is something odd happening at St. Bartholomew's, and if there's anyone who can figure it all out, it's Odd Thomas.

When I began to read Brother Odd, I felt as though I would never finish this book. In other words, the start was slow. Of course, Koontz needed to give readers a good understanding of the setting, St. Bartholomew's Abbey, as many readers may not be accostomed to such a setting. This was done in a way that was a bit babbly, kind of like when historical fiction writers ramble about all the information they know about a time period and the plot suffers. Thankfully, Brother Odd did not continue to go on like this. When Koontz made the enviornment well-known, he no longer persisted and the plot was in motion.

And from then on, I rarely ever felt like putting the book down.

Dean Koontz's writing is descriptive and humorous as Odd Thomas narrates, but there are definitely some heartfelt moments in the midst. For one thing, Odd Thomas is an interesting and sympathetic character. Each time he spoke of losing Stormy, my heart sank a little. He seems like such a nice guy with good intentions, and it sucks when bad things happen to kind-spirited people - even if they are fictional.

Speaking of which, while Odd Thomas is at the monastery, he talks to a couple of the disabled children there as the plot progresses. Being an overly sympathetic person, some of the backstories of these kids really felt like a knife in the chest. Especially Jacob and Florrie (aka Christmas). Those two contribute to why this novel is as good as it was; they gave this story so much more meaning to it. Honestly, without Stormy, Florrie, and Jacob, I probably wouldn't have seen quite as much in this novel.

Still, there are even more standout characters involved. All the characters are carefully crafted and likeable, and each of them had a backstory (which could be a bit tedious at times, but I think it's generally a positive factor). Brother Knuckles was a favorite of mine because of his troubled past and toughness, while Brother Romanovich stood out more and more as the story progressed. Readers will definitely be amused that Elvis Presley is a character, and an enjoyable one at that.

Despite all of the lightness previously mentioned, this is a suspenseful novel where creepiness was always a factor. Though it was indeed a bit eerie, there's nothing particularly frightening about this book. I couldn't really feel the suspense as much as I would have liked to. In the end, the who/what/when/where/why was surprising to a degree, but I must say the way to finally stop the antagonist was very predictable.

Though Brother Odd hit some good notes, I do feel it could have been better if the suspense factor was more potent. But overall, it wasn't bad at all and was indeed more than entertaining.

3.5/5 Stars


Koontz, Dean. Brother Odd
New York: Bantam Dell
2006

'Salem's Lot | by: Stephen King

This is for my participation in the 2011 Stephen King Reading Challenge, hosted by Book Chick City!

Jerusalem's Lot, or 'salem's Lot, is a very small town, and it already has secrets. Ben Mears has come back to face the demons of his past in the Lot once and for all, thinking that he can chase them away. Perhaps he could have, but the Lot has a couple of new strange visitors. Ben came at the worst possible time, for these new inhabitants are about to release something that could change the lives of the town's entire population with the evil they brought.

The story of Ben Mears is not the only story told in 'Salem's Lot, a classic tale of vampires, they way they've originally been told.

Well, before I even cracked this one open I knew I was in for some very good, descriptive writing; It is Stephen King, after all. At times it felt a little ramblesome, making it tedious, but it was generally impeccable. Another thing he knows well is character development, which is just as evident in 'Salem's Lot as it is in any other book that he's written, and that's saying something, considering that he writes about so many different characters in this novel alone. Not all of them were likeable, but that's life. He gives us background information on each person, so we really know them on just about every level. However, I didn't always see the point in in getting to know some characters, like Reggie and his family, as well as Sandy's family. But most of all, Dud. What was his purpose? Just sharing a bit of his story? It's like they barely mattered in the end, if they did at all.

As far as characters that I believed did matter, Mark was definately my favorite from this novel. He's a smart, strong kid, and I felt bad for him. Why did he have to be in this situation, defending his life, attempting to save others, and figuring out how to handle the town vampires? Just because he's smart?

The beginning was very difficult for me to digest, but I guess it's meant to be that way so the ending isn't spoiled. I just wish it was more understandable in its mystery. Other than that, Stephen King's descriptions always succeeded in letting me know what occurred in this plot, which could be a bit boring, but as I read, it became much more fascinating.

With that being said, most of the action is saved till the end, but it can be a long haul until then. This book was created merely for entertainment, and lives to that standard with suspenseful climatic points that increases until the final page. I think the ending is quite interesting, leaving room for imagination, but it's not like it's a cliffhanger.

'Salem's Lot had a very classic vampire feel to it, since the vampires were depicted as they were in classics such as Dracula. They were not glorified in any way, they were evil beings that manipulated people into letting them enter their house and deserved to have a stake through their hearts. I found this interesting. Perhaps this is because I did not read all of Dracula or other famous vampire classics (I mean the ones that aren't Twilight), but I was surprised to see that vampires were handled much like demons. They feared crucifixes and seemed to be quite satanic.

It didn't do too much for me, well, it was okay (that's why it's kind of hard to explain how I feel about it), but 'Salem's Lot will at least interest fans of early vampire depictions as well as fans of Stephen King like myself. It was an enjoyable, entertaining read overall; I liked it.

3/5 Stars