Apart from finding out I had the same book twice and thus reducing the books to read count I have actually managed to finish another one.
#### SPOILER ALERT ####
The Beast with Five Fingers - W.F. Harvey
This is a compilation of short stories by W.F. Harvey and according to the back blurb they showcase "..the many facets of a writer who was a master of the uncanny.". I have to say I struggled with this one in the beginning. The stories did not strike me as that scary, that well written or that interesting but towards the end of the book it redeems itself somewhat.
If the blurb on the back of the book was anything to go by I should have been properly scared witless and thrilled to the max after reading this one. Alas, it did not deliver those emotions in all the stories for me but still a good read.
So, here goes with the good, the reasonable, the excellent and the not so excellent.
Midnight House
Man out for a walk spends the night at a remote in, gets nightmares and thinks something foul has entered into the world during a stormy night (really?? - what are the odds eh?). I did not quite get the point of this story. Was I supposed to be scared by the guy's dreams or by the strange late night goings on at the Inn he stays at. Not sure what the point was to this one.
The Dabblers
Some guys talking about a certain School where public school boys pretend to be ghosts and then (shock, horror!) one of the guys' sons ends up signed up to go there. Again.. so...no real mystery or tension in this one. Did not really get what the scare was supposed to be and the author already explains all the mystery there might have been to what and who these Dabblers are.
Unwinding
A story about a parlour game but not really.
A group of people get together and one of them has a story about meeting a murderer in an railway carriage and I think the suggestion is that one of the guests is actually the murderer. Well, the fact that I have to write this sentence should tell you enough of that story. Vague and a bit meandering and when the end comes you expect more to follow.. but it doesn't
Mrs Ormerod
As far as I can see a story about a housekeeper who does not seem to know her place according to the person who tells the story. Oh and she has a whistle to summon a little boy to her chores for her and makes her boss and his wife help her out. Nothing supernatural or ghostly to be found within 20 miles of this story.
[[By this time you might start to wonder why I bothered to read on, but I believe in the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow so I read on]]
Double Demon
Guy tries to play two women off each other by convincing each of them he is going to have the other one killed. Seems like the perfect way to make sure you get into heaps of trouble to me! Nice little twist at the end when two doctors come to see him to make sure he gets "a serious break from your life's routine".
The Tool
Man accidentally forgets a few days of the week and the fact that he has killed someone too.
Kind of nice as you do not know what has one on and neither does the narrator.
Too much intro but it moves along nicely after that.
The Heart of the Fire
Man violently parts a fool from his money and buries him under the hearth stone. Then proceeds to keep the fire burning always for fear of the memories of the past... or worse.
The Clock
Man is asked to go into a house and check if a lady's travel clock is still in her house. Turns out it is and it is still ticking after not having been touched for days.. wow, yeah that's very strange and scary. Next please!
Peter Levisham
Man runs into title character several times and what do you know, the guy turns out to be a bad apple.
Miss Cornelius
Miss C gets accused of causing poltergeist activities by a self appointed psychic investigator and his friend. His wife feels bad for Miss C and low and behold the phenomena transfer to his house.
The nice twist at the end is that he turns out to be the one causing trouble. Good set up of story, nice little distraction in throwing in the second set of phenomena at his house and no idea that the ending was going to work out that way. Excellent little tale.
The Man who hated Aspidistras
They say a dog looks like his owner... this one is along the same lines but then with plants.
Short and sweet little story which left me chuckling at the end (especially the last two lines).
Sambo
Doll that makes little girls do things she normally would not do... then gets stolen and ends up in exhibition. Wow.... nope, tried to get it but didn't.
The Star
Man looks at stars while wife goes to sermon by man who talk about the vices of looking at stars. Nothing mysterious to detect in this one.
Across the Moors
Servant gets sent out to fetch a doctor and who does she meet on the moors, in the dark... yep you guessed it a ghost. Nice tension build though and clue not revealed until the end so okay but not brilliant.
The Follower
Man thinks about writing a story whilst staring out the window at his insomniac neighbours. Turns out he is right about what they are up to. Name comes from one of the neighbours waking behind the other one. 1 point for effort on thinking up that title.
August Heat
Not scary but leaves you filled with anticipation when it ends.
Man (nr 1 guy) gets a feeling to do a drawing, not sure who he has drawn. He then goes for walk and bumps into the person he has drawn (nr 2 guy). Who happens to be a chiseling away at a nr 1 guy's grave stone. They talk it out and end up sitting in a small room together, waiting for whatever comes.. they never learn do they?
Last two lines: "But the heat is stifling. It's enough to send a man mad."
Excellent tension builder right there and then it ends... perfect.
Sarah Bennet's Possession
A ghost looking for atonement denied.
The ghost tries a few times to let the characters know he is sorry for what he has done but no one acknowledges this or cares. Neither do I.
The Ankardyne Pew
A covered over pew where all sorts of mischief was carried out and a reference to a bible text. Mmmm....
Miss Avenal
A mental health nurse is forced to have a dose of her own medicine.
The story is a bit sombre and slow but fits in with the scenery in the story.
The Beast with Five Fingers
I must say that he goes out with a bang and not a whimper.
Clever uncle Adrian (never married and blind), clever nephew Eustace (never married and likes beasties of all kinds). Uncle turns out to be good at automatic handwriting which pre-sages what will happen up to a point. Before uncle dies he tells his nephew to ignore any strange requests but the nephew is not there when he dies so.... A few days later a box gets delivered to Nephew Eustace and whatever is in the box escapes. The servants gossip and the butler goes on the hunt for it. It is eventually caught and locked up again but gets out again and again, it seems to have a mind of it's own. Drives nephew Eustace almost crazy in the end... though not completely. A really good story! Good structuring, good narrative flow and the tension is kept high throughout. It might make you look twice the next time you see something scuttling along the walls your house.
So overall, some not so good but some really good and thus the book is definitely worth the read.
I am pretty sure I have read Across the Moors before in a different collection of short stories but otherwise the author was unknown to me.
Title: The Beast with the Five Fingers & other midnight tales
Author: W.F. Harvey
200 pages
Aldine Paperbacks (JM Dent and Sons Limited)
No ISBN nr
Books bought: 0
Books to be read: 70
Now reading a book about something completely different. It's about the "games" people play. It deals with the different ways that people interact with each other (Transactional Analysis) and how people assign certain roles to themselves in certain situations and how it hampers or benefits them in their interactions. Have read some of this before and thought it really interesting.
Wednesday, 19 May 2010
Steep Decline
The number of books I still have to read has gone down quicker than I thought over the past few days.
The main reason being that I seem to have 2 versions of the same book. A while back I had read a book written by Agatha Christie - Ten Little Niggers and I had another one from her on the shelf to read called And Then there were None. I felt like reading a detective story so I decided to go and read this second one. As I opened the book and looked at the first few lines it came across as very, very familiar. After reading two more sentences and skipping a few pages ahead I realised that it was actually the same book than I had already read!
The ever clever and all knowing Wikipedia told me that in many countries the title of the book was changed in later publications and this is why there are editions with differing titles about.
So..... that was that one then.
Books to read: 71
The main reason being that I seem to have 2 versions of the same book. A while back I had read a book written by Agatha Christie - Ten Little Niggers and I had another one from her on the shelf to read called And Then there were None. I felt like reading a detective story so I decided to go and read this second one. As I opened the book and looked at the first few lines it came across as very, very familiar. After reading two more sentences and skipping a few pages ahead I realised that it was actually the same book than I had already read!
The ever clever and all knowing Wikipedia told me that in many countries the title of the book was changed in later publications and this is why there are editions with differing titles about.
So..... that was that one then.
Books to read: 71
Sunday, 9 May 2010
The End
I made it to the end of the Odd series....... woop woop for me!! Kind of feel sad as well now as the roller coaster is over for now. I am sure mr Koontz knows he is on to a good thing with this Odd character and will have another book or two up his sleeve.
#### SPOILER ALERT ####
Odd Hours - Dean Koontz
Basic plot: Odd knows something bad is happening and has to stop it (I know, it sounds vaguely familiar doesn't it but don't judge the story by the simplicity of the premise!).
Odd is there with his sarcastic, black, surreal humor from the start - which is always a joy. The way he interacts with good as well as evil is at times hilarious (conversations with Hutch and the Sheriff). As Odd himself has said sometimes the situation can be dire but at least the people in it give him a chuckle or two or his imagination will fill in the blanks or come up with scenarios that are ludicrous and thus "lighten the mood".
This time it is a dream that has lead Odd to a coastal town Magic Beach. His dream tells him that something bad is about to happen but has no clear idea why or when (no bodachs around this time!). He is working as a cook for a recluse actor/writer called Hutch. Hutch is a real laugh. He is so involved with himself (not in an arrogant way though) that he seems to forget about the world outside him and hardly ever goes outside. Life is passing him by but he does not seem to mind to much. He has his old movies to watch and the memories to go with them. The conversations he has with Odd are wonderfully written and Hutch never appears arrogant but human and just scared of the world and reclusive. Although it is a bit weird that he does not even seem to notice that Odd is hurt at one point.
Odd goes out to talk to the girl that appears in his dreams. He finds her on the pier and that is where things get a bit mysterious. He meets the girl, who seems to know more that she should about him and his gifts. Then three suspicious guys show up. When Odd touches one of them something inexplicable happens that freaks them both out and leads the bad guy to think that Odd knows more that he really does and the scramble to stay alive starts. This "chance" meeting is what gets Odd and the girl, Annamaria into more trouble than they really need as Annamaria is heavily pregnant and Odd has no idea what he is up against yet. It's a good thing that Odd has his ghost dog Boo to guide him along at times and Frank Sinatra is there as well to help him get out of a spot of bother (remind me never to piss off a spirit! - and just for the record, Rod Stewart does not do Frank better than Frank).
It is not easy for Odd to figure out who the good guys are in this place as even the police seem to be involved in what is about to happen in Magic Beach. The sheriff is a real piece of work - he manages to get hold of Odd eventually and tries to turn him to his side but Odd manages to get away only to run into him again at the least opportune moment later on. There are some people who help Odd and Annamaria in their attempts to stay safe. Odd manages to find a friend to keep Annamaria safe and a mysterious lady drawn to help others in ways she does not always understand is there when Odd needs her. I guess the fact that Odd has only been in Magic Beach for a short while and is not well know in the community stops the bad guys from finding him or anyone who knows him quickly - see, there is something to be said for being a loner!
Odd does have to dispose of the odd bad guy or two.. or four. Yet Odd does not consider himself a murderer, a killer yes but not a murderer. I guess he is right in that as in takes people's lives as not doing so would bring about a tragedy so he is taking them out for a reason. However, he takes them out none the less and taking a life can never be easy. At one point Odd does mention that a door has been opened by the actions he has had to take (p 296): Real violence had come. More was pending. The door to ruthlessness that I had opened in my mind had not been closed. I think that having to use the same force and brutality than the bad guys scares Odd but he also realises that he has no choice and that if he is to save all that he loves (life, his future, every one's future) he has to let this ruthlessness in, if only for a while. He might have to sacrifice more than he realises to get out of this one alive. Just before he is off the face the bad guys and see how he can thwart their plans Odd senses that he is part of something big (p262): This place was the still point of the turning world, and this night was the still point between the past and the future. It seems he is not only fighting to survive himself but maybe fighting for something bigger as well.
After a lot of highs, laughs, amnesiac conversations, unexpected and expected killings, meetings with wild coyotes, scares and other chance meetings Odd manages to prevent the disaster he has seen in his dream and the world is once more safe. Then he heads out to pick up Annamaria and be on their way. Not sure where he goes or where he will end up.... and not sure it matters. He has survived to fight another day and I am pretty sure that fight again he will.
When in the last book in the monastery a few innocents end up this dead this time Odd manages to prevent any innocents from dying (I am still unsure about how innocent Flashlight Guy was?) but the cost to Odd himself might be higher this time in what he has to do to keep safe.
One thing that struck me as well in this book is that once more Nature is giving us some strange weather while all this is playing out. In the last one it was a snow storm and now it is a dense fog that shades the town in early darkness and provides cover for both good and evil players in this story. It is a theme in more of his books.. freak weather that hides something bad and/or clouds the world from our view.
If I can I would also like to book my place in Odd's Heaven (p67): ... a cozy kitchen, where delicious treats appeared in the oven and in the refrigerator whenever you wanted them, and where the cupboards were full of good books. If this is what it is like then sign me up!!
Title: Odd Hours
Author: Dean Koontz
pages 404
Harper Collins
ISBN: 978-0-00-726755-2
Books bought: 1 (I forgot to declare one I bought on my holiday. I mentioned it in my previous post just did not add it to the total... not sure what happened there?)
Books to be read: 72
#### SPOILER ALERT ####
Odd Hours - Dean Koontz
Basic plot: Odd knows something bad is happening and has to stop it (I know, it sounds vaguely familiar doesn't it but don't judge the story by the simplicity of the premise!).
Odd is there with his sarcastic, black, surreal humor from the start - which is always a joy. The way he interacts with good as well as evil is at times hilarious (conversations with Hutch and the Sheriff). As Odd himself has said sometimes the situation can be dire but at least the people in it give him a chuckle or two or his imagination will fill in the blanks or come up with scenarios that are ludicrous and thus "lighten the mood".
This time it is a dream that has lead Odd to a coastal town Magic Beach. His dream tells him that something bad is about to happen but has no clear idea why or when (no bodachs around this time!). He is working as a cook for a recluse actor/writer called Hutch. Hutch is a real laugh. He is so involved with himself (not in an arrogant way though) that he seems to forget about the world outside him and hardly ever goes outside. Life is passing him by but he does not seem to mind to much. He has his old movies to watch and the memories to go with them. The conversations he has with Odd are wonderfully written and Hutch never appears arrogant but human and just scared of the world and reclusive. Although it is a bit weird that he does not even seem to notice that Odd is hurt at one point.
Odd goes out to talk to the girl that appears in his dreams. He finds her on the pier and that is where things get a bit mysterious. He meets the girl, who seems to know more that she should about him and his gifts. Then three suspicious guys show up. When Odd touches one of them something inexplicable happens that freaks them both out and leads the bad guy to think that Odd knows more that he really does and the scramble to stay alive starts. This "chance" meeting is what gets Odd and the girl, Annamaria into more trouble than they really need as Annamaria is heavily pregnant and Odd has no idea what he is up against yet. It's a good thing that Odd has his ghost dog Boo to guide him along at times and Frank Sinatra is there as well to help him get out of a spot of bother (remind me never to piss off a spirit! - and just for the record, Rod Stewart does not do Frank better than Frank).
It is not easy for Odd to figure out who the good guys are in this place as even the police seem to be involved in what is about to happen in Magic Beach. The sheriff is a real piece of work - he manages to get hold of Odd eventually and tries to turn him to his side but Odd manages to get away only to run into him again at the least opportune moment later on. There are some people who help Odd and Annamaria in their attempts to stay safe. Odd manages to find a friend to keep Annamaria safe and a mysterious lady drawn to help others in ways she does not always understand is there when Odd needs her. I guess the fact that Odd has only been in Magic Beach for a short while and is not well know in the community stops the bad guys from finding him or anyone who knows him quickly - see, there is something to be said for being a loner!
Odd does have to dispose of the odd bad guy or two.. or four. Yet Odd does not consider himself a murderer, a killer yes but not a murderer. I guess he is right in that as in takes people's lives as not doing so would bring about a tragedy so he is taking them out for a reason. However, he takes them out none the less and taking a life can never be easy. At one point Odd does mention that a door has been opened by the actions he has had to take (p 296): Real violence had come. More was pending. The door to ruthlessness that I had opened in my mind had not been closed. I think that having to use the same force and brutality than the bad guys scares Odd but he also realises that he has no choice and that if he is to save all that he loves (life, his future, every one's future) he has to let this ruthlessness in, if only for a while. He might have to sacrifice more than he realises to get out of this one alive. Just before he is off the face the bad guys and see how he can thwart their plans Odd senses that he is part of something big (p262): This place was the still point of the turning world, and this night was the still point between the past and the future. It seems he is not only fighting to survive himself but maybe fighting for something bigger as well.
After a lot of highs, laughs, amnesiac conversations, unexpected and expected killings, meetings with wild coyotes, scares and other chance meetings Odd manages to prevent the disaster he has seen in his dream and the world is once more safe. Then he heads out to pick up Annamaria and be on their way. Not sure where he goes or where he will end up.... and not sure it matters. He has survived to fight another day and I am pretty sure that fight again he will.
When in the last book in the monastery a few innocents end up this dead this time Odd manages to prevent any innocents from dying (I am still unsure about how innocent Flashlight Guy was?) but the cost to Odd himself might be higher this time in what he has to do to keep safe.
One thing that struck me as well in this book is that once more Nature is giving us some strange weather while all this is playing out. In the last one it was a snow storm and now it is a dense fog that shades the town in early darkness and provides cover for both good and evil players in this story. It is a theme in more of his books.. freak weather that hides something bad and/or clouds the world from our view.
If I can I would also like to book my place in Odd's Heaven (p67): ... a cozy kitchen, where delicious treats appeared in the oven and in the refrigerator whenever you wanted them, and where the cupboards were full of good books. If this is what it is like then sign me up!!
Title: Odd Hours
Author: Dean Koontz
pages 404
Harper Collins
ISBN: 978-0-00-726755-2
Books bought: 1 (I forgot to declare one I bought on my holiday. I mentioned it in my previous post just did not add it to the total... not sure what happened there?)
Books to be read: 72
Friday, 7 May 2010
Oh Brother
Before you say anything... ("I thought you said you were going to be quick in reading these Dean K ones!?") I did not spend the last two weeks doing nothing. I was on holiday and did not finish my book in time before I left. I left it a a perfect point: "... ,and then of course someone screamed."
Apart from 2 pairs of trousers and two new tops I also came back from my holidays 3 books richer. One was a "have to buy" - a new book acquired as I had read all the magazines Mum and I took on our holiday and we had no telly or radio to amuse us after we had finished playing Rummy for ages. The other two were birthday presents from Sis (Dutch dialects, most interesting!). Add to that the fact that I also discovered another book in a birthday birthday present from one of my best friends given to me before I went on holiday (the same friend that tells me I buy to many books mind you!). I don't really need that much help in accumulating books but I do really appreciate the effort made by all to increase my book count!
This does mean I have to add a line in the stats this time round:
Books given: 3
Books bought: 0
Books to be read: 73
Since getting back from my holidays and settling back into my routines I can report that after only a day and a bit of medium furious reading I have now completed the third one in the Odd Thomas series.
### SPOILER ALERT ####
Brother Odd - Dean Koontz
Another simple plot: there is trouble at the monastery and Odd has to find out what is threatening them and eliminate the threat.
This one sees Odd living in a monastery/convent as a guest not as a Brother. What I liked about this one from the start is that Odd has got back his snark and humor! I missed that a bit in the last one as it seemed to turn up late but in this one he is snarky from the start and it seems that he has sort of found a way to be at peace. Even though him being Odd you realise that this peace cannot last it is nice to see him more relaxed and at ease in the routine filled and orderly world of the monks.
It does not take long for strange things to start happening. Not only in the people he meets but also in the things that happen around him. As if a ghost monk ringing church bells is not enough another brother goes missing, Odd thinks he has seen him and his body mysteriously disappears. The monastery is up in the mountains and this means that Odd sees snow for the first time. He is amazed by it but it turns out that the snow hides an evil that will need to be conquered and there is no time to marvel at the beauty of nature for long. There are things that are out to get them and Odd has to try and find out what is going on before people he loves get hurt (sound familiar??!). The powers that he deals with this time come from an unexpected source. For the longest time you have no idea what is manifesting or why it haunts the monastery or its inhabitants. All you know is that whatever haunts them seems to be able to shift shapes and disassemble into nothing or into the snow storm that is raging outside the monastery. You are guessing with him on why these things appear, where they come from and why they want to hurt the innocent. It's fun to be taken on that ride and the reveal is worth the wait.
Odd builds up the story of what is out to get them with the help of his own wits and the people that he talks to in the monastery. Some of them are children that are being cared for there. Some of the kids have severe disabilities and some might be on the way back to a normal life. Most of them have suffered some form of abuse or trauma and their stories are heartbreaking. The way that Odd manages to connect with them is sweet and it is nice to see that side of Odd (the conversations between him and Jacob, and Justine are very well written). He is a young man with a great heart and the last thing he wants to do is hurt the children or put them in danger and he manages to keep them all safe in the end. To be honest, the body count in this book is surprisingly low. One monk dies at the start and two more at the end but apart from that everyone survives.
He gets some of the monks and sisters to help him as well. Some of them know about his gift others do not. The monks are like rocks and beacons of light - they give Odd the security he needs, they seem to have grounded him and in the end they help him keep the innocent safe. The monks are a strange mixture of people from all walks of life who have all found their way to the monastery. The life that is described for them seems full of prayer, peace and routine and perhaps some of this appeals to Odd as well but I think he knows that he is not cut out to be a Brother. The sisters are some plucky ladies. As Odd says they seem to spend their time "rescuing" innocent children from filth, danger and neglect and do this again and again with unwavering faith and humility about their work. Odd sees them as inspirational people. They see him as a guy with a master key to all the buildings on the grounds and they are not sure why but yet they trust him.
I think that one thing that Odd learns while he is there is that the monastery is not a place to hide from God, the world or your place in it and Odd will have to go an find his own path and purpose in life. I have a feeling his time in the monastery helps him realise that more that he did before.
An interesting character in the book is the Russian. Odd distrusts him while there seems to be no reason to. He is convinced the Russian is not who he says he is and that he is somehow involved in what goes on at the monastery - of course he is, but not in the way that Odd originally assumes he is. the conversations between the two of them are some of the best in the book. Odd tries to provoke and needle the Russian and the Russian in turn knows that Odd is doing this and pays him back in kind. The Russian has an unscrutable face and seems to want to find out more about Odd and I think this is what unnerves Odd most of all. They do manage to get past all this and learn to work together.
Another interesting character is Brother John. He is a scientist who has turned to God and now works in his specially created lab underground... nobody is really sure what he does but the abbot has faith in him so he is left to experiment as he wants. Brother John and Odd have a very strange conversation at the start of the book about a possible threat to the monastery and it's inhabitants. Brother John is vague and obtuse and seems to be disconnected from the world above ground. He gets a pass on that one as his money has funded the build of a new part of the monastery/convent and still funds a lot of the work they do. He was a very rich man who has now dedicated his life to the monastery. Still, you do feel something is up with this guy and it will not surprise to anyone that he does end up playing an important part in the story.
Sometimes in the story Odd pulls you back out and makes you realise that he is actually telling you this story - he seems to step out of the story, reflect back on the time that he experienced what you are now reading and comments on the situation Odd has done this before in previous books - he steps away for a moment, comments on something and gives you the idea that worse is to come or more will happen before we get to the conclusion or resolution of whatever he faces now. Most times you feel you are in the middle of the story with Odd and take it as a story written in the "present" but then Odd reminds you that what you read is him looking back on what has happened. He even mentions that the account of his life will not be published until he is dead... so is he already?
In the end all's well that ends well. Evil is destroyed, the monastery goes back to it's peaceful life, all the children are safe again and Elvis finally moves on. Odd is off to roam some more and this time he has a ghost dog Boo and Frank Sinatra to keep him company. I could think of worse travel companions.
Title: Brother Odd
Author: Dean Koontz
Pages 438
Harper Collins
ISBN 978-0-00-722658-0
Books to be read: 72
On to the last one in the series!
Apart from 2 pairs of trousers and two new tops I also came back from my holidays 3 books richer. One was a "have to buy" - a new book acquired as I had read all the magazines Mum and I took on our holiday and we had no telly or radio to amuse us after we had finished playing Rummy for ages. The other two were birthday presents from Sis (Dutch dialects, most interesting!). Add to that the fact that I also discovered another book in a birthday birthday present from one of my best friends given to me before I went on holiday (the same friend that tells me I buy to many books mind you!). I don't really need that much help in accumulating books but I do really appreciate the effort made by all to increase my book count!
This does mean I have to add a line in the stats this time round:
Books given: 3
Books bought: 0
Books to be read: 73
Since getting back from my holidays and settling back into my routines I can report that after only a day and a bit of medium furious reading I have now completed the third one in the Odd Thomas series.
### SPOILER ALERT ####
Brother Odd - Dean Koontz
Another simple plot: there is trouble at the monastery and Odd has to find out what is threatening them and eliminate the threat.
This one sees Odd living in a monastery/convent as a guest not as a Brother. What I liked about this one from the start is that Odd has got back his snark and humor! I missed that a bit in the last one as it seemed to turn up late but in this one he is snarky from the start and it seems that he has sort of found a way to be at peace. Even though him being Odd you realise that this peace cannot last it is nice to see him more relaxed and at ease in the routine filled and orderly world of the monks.
It does not take long for strange things to start happening. Not only in the people he meets but also in the things that happen around him. As if a ghost monk ringing church bells is not enough another brother goes missing, Odd thinks he has seen him and his body mysteriously disappears. The monastery is up in the mountains and this means that Odd sees snow for the first time. He is amazed by it but it turns out that the snow hides an evil that will need to be conquered and there is no time to marvel at the beauty of nature for long. There are things that are out to get them and Odd has to try and find out what is going on before people he loves get hurt (sound familiar??!). The powers that he deals with this time come from an unexpected source. For the longest time you have no idea what is manifesting or why it haunts the monastery or its inhabitants. All you know is that whatever haunts them seems to be able to shift shapes and disassemble into nothing or into the snow storm that is raging outside the monastery. You are guessing with him on why these things appear, where they come from and why they want to hurt the innocent. It's fun to be taken on that ride and the reveal is worth the wait.
Odd builds up the story of what is out to get them with the help of his own wits and the people that he talks to in the monastery. Some of them are children that are being cared for there. Some of the kids have severe disabilities and some might be on the way back to a normal life. Most of them have suffered some form of abuse or trauma and their stories are heartbreaking. The way that Odd manages to connect with them is sweet and it is nice to see that side of Odd (the conversations between him and Jacob, and Justine are very well written). He is a young man with a great heart and the last thing he wants to do is hurt the children or put them in danger and he manages to keep them all safe in the end. To be honest, the body count in this book is surprisingly low. One monk dies at the start and two more at the end but apart from that everyone survives.
He gets some of the monks and sisters to help him as well. Some of them know about his gift others do not. The monks are like rocks and beacons of light - they give Odd the security he needs, they seem to have grounded him and in the end they help him keep the innocent safe. The monks are a strange mixture of people from all walks of life who have all found their way to the monastery. The life that is described for them seems full of prayer, peace and routine and perhaps some of this appeals to Odd as well but I think he knows that he is not cut out to be a Brother. The sisters are some plucky ladies. As Odd says they seem to spend their time "rescuing" innocent children from filth, danger and neglect and do this again and again with unwavering faith and humility about their work. Odd sees them as inspirational people. They see him as a guy with a master key to all the buildings on the grounds and they are not sure why but yet they trust him.
I think that one thing that Odd learns while he is there is that the monastery is not a place to hide from God, the world or your place in it and Odd will have to go an find his own path and purpose in life. I have a feeling his time in the monastery helps him realise that more that he did before.
An interesting character in the book is the Russian. Odd distrusts him while there seems to be no reason to. He is convinced the Russian is not who he says he is and that he is somehow involved in what goes on at the monastery - of course he is, but not in the way that Odd originally assumes he is. the conversations between the two of them are some of the best in the book. Odd tries to provoke and needle the Russian and the Russian in turn knows that Odd is doing this and pays him back in kind. The Russian has an unscrutable face and seems to want to find out more about Odd and I think this is what unnerves Odd most of all. They do manage to get past all this and learn to work together.
Another interesting character is Brother John. He is a scientist who has turned to God and now works in his specially created lab underground... nobody is really sure what he does but the abbot has faith in him so he is left to experiment as he wants. Brother John and Odd have a very strange conversation at the start of the book about a possible threat to the monastery and it's inhabitants. Brother John is vague and obtuse and seems to be disconnected from the world above ground. He gets a pass on that one as his money has funded the build of a new part of the monastery/convent and still funds a lot of the work they do. He was a very rich man who has now dedicated his life to the monastery. Still, you do feel something is up with this guy and it will not surprise to anyone that he does end up playing an important part in the story.
Sometimes in the story Odd pulls you back out and makes you realise that he is actually telling you this story - he seems to step out of the story, reflect back on the time that he experienced what you are now reading and comments on the situation Odd has done this before in previous books - he steps away for a moment, comments on something and gives you the idea that worse is to come or more will happen before we get to the conclusion or resolution of whatever he faces now. Most times you feel you are in the middle of the story with Odd and take it as a story written in the "present" but then Odd reminds you that what you read is him looking back on what has happened. He even mentions that the account of his life will not be published until he is dead... so is he already?
In the end all's well that ends well. Evil is destroyed, the monastery goes back to it's peaceful life, all the children are safe again and Elvis finally moves on. Odd is off to roam some more and this time he has a ghost dog Boo and Frank Sinatra to keep him company. I could think of worse travel companions.
Title: Brother Odd
Author: Dean Koontz
Pages 438
Harper Collins
ISBN 978-0-00-722658-0
Books to be read: 72
On to the last one in the series!
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