Odd Thomas by Koontz - worth the bother?

[whatkungfuthat]

I read Odd Hours on holiday last week and quite enjoyed it apart from a bit of frustration at the ending, so I wondered whether I should bother with the next one(s)? I won't go back and read previous ones as they were more or less explained in this book. I am not sure I'm its target audience

Do you mind if Zombie marks her place on this one, kungfu? She has read most of Dean Koontz's books but somehow missed the Odd ones and has been wondering whether to load a few on the kindle for holiday reading.

Dean Koontz is generally a pretty bad writer imho but Odd Thomas is one of his slightly better ones.

The two of his that I really enjoyed were called something about (I think) one door next to Heaven, and something about a blind boy (Maybe called something along the lines of In The Corner Of His Eye.)

Other than that, I think that he is a v v pale King imitation, with annoyingly repetitive writing and too many worthy-Christian overtones for my liking.

I found the premise intriguing but I've read a couple and feel no burning desire to read the rest.

I think Odd Thomas is the only book by Koontz that is worth reading. I really liked it. hated the 4 or 5 others of his that I read.

Mark away Zombie. I did notice that the one I read had religious overtones, it was quite an interesting story though. I have read quite a few Koontz books over the years (I used to have a long commute and would read most things) but I much prefer King. I vaguely remember book about a little doll that gradually gets bigger and chases a guy all over the place, was that Koontz?

Yes! That's the one I read on holiday last week, having found it in the apartments. I liked the two main characters and it was fun in that he was clearly writing it to play, rather than to take himself seriously, but the ending was really stupid.

Odd Thomas TV.

There's info on the books and excerpts.

The early Koontz stuff was excellent - think 20-25 years ago. Then it seemed Stephen King + Dean Koontz were getting paid to crank one out every xmas and they both went downhill rapidly and there certainly didn't used to be the Christian lean.

I wouldn't mind reading the doll book (Tick Tock?) again, there was a barmy bit in the middle IIRC

Tick Tock is about a rag doll, kungfu.

'Tick Tock' is completely bonkers all the way through - he said in an intro that he'd set out to write a farce iirc.

More barmy bit I should have said! When they go to meet the girl's mother

I only like early Koontz, from before he went all fundie Christian Tea Party Nutjob. I have no time for him at all now.

At least Stephen King is still capable of turning out good new stuff every so often - such as Duma Key, Under the Dome and 11.23.63. All recent Koontz without exception is shite.

I've read most, possibly all of the odd Thomas books.

While they aren't brilliant I find them good for reading when I don't want to Get too sucked in iyswim.

I found the first one very sad and probably my favorite.

I loved Odd Thomas and was so disappointed when I finished them. I found them by accident on a knocky off Kindle CD and am hoping he'll write some more sometime.

There is a new one due soon iirc pom

I quite enjoyed it after abandoning some other later Koontz books. I don't know why they went so rubbish. One of his early books is one of my favourite books of all time - Watchers. I have reread it lots of times but always cry 'fiddle broke'

I only liked the first book in the Odd series, the others were repetitive and by the end I really didn't care what happened to him. It seemed like stretching the same story as far as the cash cow would allow. I was disappointed because I used to love him years ago.

One of my favourite books is Lightening, I still love it now.

Oh god, remember 'Intensity'? That was horrific.

I like Dean Koontz and went through a period when I preferred him to Stephen King (after Kings accident when I think he went off the boil a bit). The Christopher Snow stories are great and I wish he'd hurry up and complete the trilogy.

I don't mind the Odd Thomas stories, but I think his earlier work is much better. I put his latest on the Kindle (something to do with a block of apartments) but couldn't get past the first few chapters.

What was the one where there were chapters written from a dogs POV? (and possibly a dragon?). I loved that one.

LtEve Yes, his mother had done military experiments and the dog was a result of these - physically a dog but with the mental capacity of a human. I still feel sad about that and now talk to my dogs as though they're people.

The first one I ever read and which remains with me now (decades on) is the one with the little girl Regina who is taken in to the bowels of the fairground. The bloke who rescues her had been resuciated when "drowning" into an icy river.

I read his latest (it's called 77 Shadow Street). I still don't know why I didn't give up about five chapters in, it was formulaic predictable tripe like all his later stuff. Perhaps I felt the need for a hair shirt.

I loved Lightning, and Watchers too.

I've just finished reading the second Odd Thomas book. I have five plus three Odd Thomas interlude books on my kindle. I think i'm going to read something different before i get into the third one. The first was very sad, i was quite surprised by the ending because i wasn't expecting it

Lee I had read a later book before the first so I kind of knew it was coming but I still found it so sad.