The Taking

Well, I promised a review of the Dean Koontz book, The Taking, when I was done. I finished it a few days ago. I must say, it was a VERY suspenseful book. I swear, I spent the whole time thinking "what the hell does that mean, and what does it have to do with the story!?" Basically, I was guessing, incorrectly, for the entire book. Which believe me, is not a bad thing!

The story centers on a couple, and their struggle to survive in what is turning out to be a new world. It's hard to really say much about it without giving things away. One of the first scenes in the book involved a mysterious downpour and some very strange behaviour in the local fauna. Of course, this leads to an incredibly eerie encounter on the main characters front porch. Koontz is good at completely sucking you into a scene. I almost felt like I was there.

The unexpected ending did well to tie up the loose ends too. I'm sure not everyone will like what he did with it, but if you can get past the "theme" he used and just take it as fiction, you'll be just fine.

I also like how this book was setup. It had normal chapters, but it was also broken up into seven sections (I think it was 7). Each section proved to be just about perfect for an evenings reading. I hate it when chapters are so long that you have to read for an extra half hour just to get to a good stopping point. Yes, I always stop on the chapters. I know some people who don't, and I just couldn't stand that.

Anyway, I would definitely recommend this book. It's an interesting blend of drama, mystery, horror, with some sci-fi mixed in for good measure. All in all, a good read that kept me wondering what would happen next!

How very Odd

I read quite a bit. Just about every day actually. I recently finished reading the Odd Thomas series, written by Dean Koontz. It's a series starting with Odd Thomas, then Forever Odd, and finally Brother Odd. These were some of the best books I have read in a very long time. They are funny, intense, exciting and dark all at the same time.

Basically, it's the story of Odd Thomas. A seemingly normal guy living in a small town. However, he has a unique gift. He is able to see the lingering dead. He takes it upon himself to try and help these spirits move on, or to help them get justice. I must say, the books were not what I was expecting when they were loaned to me by a friend. Odd is such a human character that it's hard not to connect with him in some way. I must say, the ending of the first book hit me like a ton of bricks. Yes, I'll admit, I cried a little. I like to get into my books, so sometimes it happens. In any case, I would highly recommend this series to anyone.

I just discovered that the fourth book in the series, Odd Hours, is out. I really need to get it or borrow it. From what I see, Koontz plans on writing at least six or seven books in the series. That's awesome. If the rest of the books are half as good as the first three, I'll be very happy. I also see that the website for these books has a series of webisodes that make up another Odd Thomas story. Believe me, I'll be checking them out as soon as I have some free time.

I'm currently reading another Dean Koontz book called The Taken. I'll probably finish tonight, so look for a review of it in the next few days. Later!