ODD HOURS

DEAN KOONTZ

The fourth book in the Odd Thomas series, ODD HOURS is (much like its protagonist) an unusual and unorthodox creation that promises action, wit and drama, but never delivers it in quite the way you’d expect or hope. This has been an endearing quality implemented in previous Odd Thomas adventures, with varying degrees of success:

The first Odd novel was a near-faultless mix of supernatural horror, corrupt human nature, and emotional personal drama. Forever Odd continued these themes but on a smaller scale, and as such had a disappointing climax. Brother Odd changed location from the desert to snow-capped mountains and involved a sinister force that threatened an entire abbey of children, and proved to be an excellent return to form. And now, Odd Thomas has found himself in the small coastal town of Magic Beach, accompanied by the ghosts of an alsatian called Boo, and Frank Sinatra.

"So much death was coming that it would be the end of death, such absolute destruction that nothing would escape to be destroyed hence."

Odd Thomas, as a character and a book, is always at his and its best when dealing with some huge disaster. In this respect, ODD HOURS doesn’t disappoint as it features the possibility of a truly apocalyptic event. Haunted by a premontion involving a pregnant woman hovering over the sea as it boils red, Odd finds himself involved with everything from corrupt local officials to mysterious packs of coyotes.

Ah yes, here's where we discuss the buzz word for this story: mysterious. Almost everything and everyone Odd encounters in Magic Beach is mysterious, if not in description than in execution. The biggest culprit is Annamaria, the pregnant young lady from Odd's vision. She speaks in riddles and is so vague that both we and Odd start to become frustrated with her deliberate aversion to the truth. This curious strangeness also informs the supporting characters, to such an extent that you start to wonder if there are any normal people in Magic Beach.

Another disappointing aspect of ODD HOURS is that Boo and Sinatra go from story characters to plot devices, only appearing when they're of use rather than to add extra flavour (as Elvis did in previous Odd books). It's a small niggle, but it's compounded by the lack of true supernatural activity - this time around, Odd Thomas goes out of his way to avoid the possibility of running into the lingering dead. There are other ghosts involved, but on a much smaller scale than previous entries into the series. Odd also takes on a more violent persona this time around, and whilst he regretfully accepts that such a thing had to happen eventually, it gives the impression that Koontz is trying to steer the character down a different path to his past adventures.

Despite it's slightly frustrating dips in tone, ODD HOURS is an enjoyable and fast-paced tale. Odd Thomas remains an affable and humourous guide, whilst Koontz continues to create truly sinister characters and wring emotion out of situations you wouldn't normally expect to care about. With more questions asked than answers given, Koontz is clearly setting up a new journey (and style?) for Odd Thomas, so it'll be interesting to see where he takes him.