Kelly O. (astucity) - reviewed on 6/23/2009 + 18 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 2

Dean Koontzs Brother Odd is the third book in the Odd Thomas series. Like the first one, this book earns every bit of its praise but fair warning; this book like the first is a total tear jerker.

Odd has left his beloved home of Pico Mundo, California for a life of quiet and reflection at Saint Bartholomews Abbey in Sierra Nevada. His life can be a bit complicated seeing dead people and all. The Abbey houses a host of monks, nuns, and disabled children. Odd and one other man, a Russian Librarian by the name of Rodon Romanovich, are the only guests currently on the premises. The Abbey is where the entire story line starts and develops.

Odd sees what he calls bodachs. Shadowy figures that resemble humanoid wolves that usually foretell some sort of danger or catastrophic event. Within the first few pages of the book, Odd sees three skulking around one of the childrens rooms that house 2 disabled children. Annemarie and Justine. Odds first paranormal encounter after the bodachs lead him into their room is when little girl, Annemarie, seemed to be channeling the spirit in her sleep of Odds love, Stormy. This is the first part of the book I got a little emotional at, you relive the loss that Odd experienced in the first book when Stormy passed.

As the book progresses you meet a lot of interesting characters, most notably Brother John, a former physicist turned to the order after strange circumstances. When Brother John came to the Abbey, he came with 4 billion dollars behind him, and has continued some of his research there. The next fun character of note is Brother Salvatore (knuckles) that was an ex mob footman from Jersey. Koontz, as usual with the series, put a lot of thought into his interesting menagerie of components to weave Odds new adventure.

When the strange bone like structures (not humanoid at all) begin attacking shortly after Brother Timothy goes missing during a total whiteout of blizzard, the Abbey goes into barricade mode because Odd feels that the imminent danger revolves around the school and the children. The brothers and nuns band together armed with baseball bats and clever thinking to do anything necessary to save the small and innocent lives of those around them. When Jacob is introduced, a mid 20s man with autism and some (but not all) signs of Down Syndrome, the cause of these strange attackers become clear because of his clues through his drawings and short conversations he is having with Odd.

Through twists, turns, laughter, tears, and total disbelief that maybe one of their own is a mass murderer this book is yet another amazing read by Mr. Koontz and his unbelievable imagination and creativity whom I would recommend to anyone.

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