Brother Odd
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4.3 • 56 Ratings
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- $7.99
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- $7.99
Publisher Description
With over 400 million copies of his books sold worldwide, Dean Koontz is one of the most popular writers of our time. Read this page-turning, heart-breaking thriller to find why Odd Thomas is the master storyteller’s most-loved creation.
He sees what no one else does. He does what no one else can.
Odd, a charismatic young man with a sense for the otherworldly and the downright strange, is in self-imposed exile. Tragic events have led him from his sun-bleached desert home of Pico Mundo to a monastery in the High Sierra, searching for peace. It’s December and the remote abbey is besieged by icy winds and snow. But even in the silence of the mountains, danger and desperation haunt him still…
As ever, where Odd Thomas goes, strangeness goes too. A white dog named Boo befriends him – as does the ghost of Elvis. And a world-famous physicist is conducting experiments in the catacombs of the abbey. Could this be why Odd can once again see bodachs, shadowy harbingers of violence? They prowl the halls, suggesting horror to come.
But what form will it take? And how will Odd defeat an enemy that eclipses any he has met before?
Reviews
‘Sensitively written, the plotting deft, the characters well thought out … fantastically readable’ SFX
‘A great read’ News of the World
Praise for the Odd Thomas series:
‘The result is a blend of humour, humanity and horror, the classic Koontz concoction’ The Times
‘Odd Thomas is a superb character’ Independent
Praise for Dean Koontz:
‘Dean Koontz is not just a master of our darkest dreams, but also a literary juggler’ The Times
About the author
Dean Koontz is the author of more than a dozen New York Times No.1 bestsellers. His books have sold over 400 million copies worldwide, a figure that increases by more than 17 million copies per year, and his work is published in 38 languages. He was born and raised in Pennsylvania and lives with his wife Gerda and their dog Anna in southern California.
Customer Reviews
THE DISAPPEARANCE OF BROTHER TIMOTHY!!!
The third volume of this world famous series of supernatural themed love tragedies is both a classically wonderful and traditional ghost story (set in a centuries old monastery), as well as an introduction to Metaphysics, taught at your leisure, by Professor D. Koontz. This book works on several levels. At times it is gloriously spooky, and at other times it is heartbreakingly sad. It can be laugh out loud funny, too, especially when the ghost of Elvis makes an appearance, in several successful attempts by the author to lighten the mood. At times it might be said that he goes too far with the light heartedness, but if you don’t find something funny, then no one is going to notice.
Having said that, this book can also be profound, uplifting and educational, too. The forty to fifty percent mark of the book is where it starts to get really interesting (and heavy) from that perspective, with just about every plot twist inserted by this prolific and much loved author underscored by recurring themes of redemption, eternal damnation and the ever lasting battle between the powers of good and evil. As for the quality of the writing itself, you may want to look at kindle locations (KL’s) 662, 1748, and 2059.
I have said before that the decision to kill off Odd’s girlfriend (Stormy Llewellyn) at the end of book one was a mistake, both in a story telling and marketing sense of the word. But given the nature of the series, it is relatively easy for the reader to imagine how she can be brought back into the series, and in BROTHER ODD, Mr Koontz has done this, but only to a minor extent.
Superficially, however, the book is about a disappearing monk. Brother Timothy has vanished, and its only thanks to the bravery of our hero, who was attempting to follow his gut instincts through a vicious snow storm, that the reader has any idea of what has happened to him.
Odd has some friends at the monastery that know him - and his background - completely. They can, however, be counted on one hand. Each of these people have their own colourful history; and speaking of this, another excellent feature of the writing is the depth of the characterisation. In fact, the people who populate this book are so well drawn that the reader is not completely sure of the degree of their integrity. And the character names are at times quite joyous to discover, too.
So then - BROTHER ODD is interesting on many levels. It is deep, it plays very well on the reader’s emotions. Some people love the author’s writing style in this set of books, but I find it needs patience to have maximum effect. But who doesn’t love a good mystery? Especially when it is set in the spooky surrounds of a centuries old monastery, complete with incredibly life like and colourful characters that have the potential to fill the mind of the reader with an overwhelming sense of wonder.
And fear. And horror.
But this *is* a Dean Koontz book. What else can we expect?
A solid and highly entertaining four stars from me.
Anything less would be sacrilegious.
BFN Greggorio!