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
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