Odd Apocalypse

An Odd Thomas Novel, Book 5

By: Dean Koontz

Narrated by: David Aaron Baker

Length: 10 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's Summary

Audie Award Nominee, Best Thriller/Suspense Category, 2013

Once presided over by a flamboyant Hollywood mogul during the Roaring ’20s, the magnificent West Coast property known as Roseland is now home to a reclusive billionaire financier and his faithful servants. And, for the moment, it’s also a port in the storm for Odd Thomas and his traveling companion, the inscrutably charming Annamaria.

In the wake of Odd’s most recent clash with lethal adversaries, the opulent manor’s comforts should be welcome. But there’s far more to Roseland than meets even the extraordinary eye of Odd, who soon suspects it may be more hell than haven.

A harrowing taste of Roseland’s terrors convinces Odd that it’s time to hit the road again. Still, the prescient Annamaria insists that they’ve been led there for a reason. Just how deep and dreadful are the mysteries Roseland and her masters have kept for nearly a century? And what consequences await whoever is brave, or mad, enough to confront the most profound breed of evil? Odd only knows. Like his acclaimed creator, the irresistible Odd Thomas is in top-notch form - as he takes on what may well be the most terrifying challenge yet in his curious career.

©2012 Dean Koontz (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved

Odd Apocalypse; Oddly Great

The Odd series, (pun intended) is a departure from writer, Dean Koontz, normal suspense thrillers and shows off more of his humor and wit, while exploring the dark side of humanity, in these supernatural horror stories.
Odd Apocalypse is book five in a seven part series but I believe can be read and enjoyed without having read the previous books. For those who have read the other books, Odd Thomas, the familiar humble fry cook with his strange ability to see the dead, is back.
I thought this latest rendition in the series, which goes a little darker than the previous books, is better than ???Odd Hours,??? which reached number one on the New York Times best sellers list.
The narrator, David Aaron Baker, gives another stellar performance.
I am definitely an Odd fan, (no pun intended).

Like hearing from and old friend.

I love Odd Thomas, have read the first 4 books, and was concerned when I read the reviews, good and bad. Not knowing what to expect, I was pleasantly surprised. I heard the same old Odd (namely, David Aaron Baker) with all his quirkiness and zenlike philosophy. Dean Koontz presented a darker story this time and I think there was some confusion in the plot, but I found I could fast forward through the dark parts and still not miss too much of the story. It was hard to understand the story at first, but it wasn't too long before I was hooked again. Most Koontz books are a little too much for me, but this "horror-lite" is about as much suspense I can take. As I wait for the next book, I know I will reread some of the old ones.

Odd Humor and Odder Story

I really like the Odd series and Odd Apocalypse is no exception. It seems some reviewers miss the old Odd, but I find the transformation of Odd interesting and enjoyable. Yes, I too would like a living love interest (and a dog (living or dead) actually involved in the story). I was also surprised that there was no Apocalypse in the book. Koontz can do apocalypse, but this was no apocalypse. Nevertheless I enjoyed the characters and the story which kept me interested, if not at the Intensity level. There was a lot of Odd humor and some enjoyable twists, turns, and bit-part characters. This is not the best nor the worst of Odd, but it is definitely better than much else in the genre. The narration was just about flawless, with really nice characterization of Odd.

Give Us More!

I will miss these stories if he does not write more. I will listen to these over while I wait

Well worth the wait!

I love Odd Thomas and have enjoyed every single book in this series. Odd Apocalypse had me on the edge of my seat so many times, I couldn't stop listening to it!
What a great concept for this Odd Thomas adventure and I can't wait until the next story..especially with the new ghost that Odd will have tagging along with him!

Glad To See Odd Again

I just really like the Odd Thomas series. I listened to the first four books in the series back to back to back to back, and finished them about three months ago. It was cool to see Koontz release a new one.

If you liked the previous books in the series, you will probably like this one as well. It was very similar to the others in the fact that you have the same unassuming Odd Thomas, with his wit and humility and determination, facing up against evil people and preternatural circumstances. (Bonus points for using one of Koontz's pet words.) You'll hear Odd in near-death situations that he somehow manages to escape in the last moment--a familiar theme in the series.

You know, it's just a good book within a good series. I didn't give it five stars just because I reserve that for books that rise to another level of awesomeness. However, I thoroughly enjoyed Odd Apocalypse, and would definitely recommend it to anyone who liked the other Odd books.

The only negative I can think of is that I got tired of Odd explaining so many things from the previous books. (Things about Stormy Llewellyn, his grandmother, his psychic magnetism, the fortune-telling machine that spit out a card that said, "You are destined to be together forever," just to name a few. I understand that it needed to be done, especially for readers who may have read the other Odd books a long time ago, and needed to be refreshed, but it was a bit tedious to me when it occurred in the book so many times.

One of the best things about this audio book was the narrator. I can't imagine anyone doing a better job of capturing every essence of Odd Thomas than David Aaron Baker. His performance definitely deserves five stars. Outstanding.

Koontz strikes again!

Would you consider the audio edition of Odd Apocalypse to be better than the print version?

I'm not sure if I would say it's better or worse. It's certainly an easier method for my busy life. I like being able to keep up on my reading even when I find time is scarce. This allows me to do that.

Who was your favorite character and why?

In this book..............Probably Odd. He is such a mixture of dark and light. Of doom and hope. I love how this character is protrayed.

Have you listened to any of David Aaron Baker’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, and I must say I am looking forward to hearing more from him.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It did make me laugh. This book is Odd Thomas growing up for me. All of the books are full of contradictions of one thing or another and this one is no different. However the tone of it is more in depth. I loved the way pop culture was used throughout the book. So many of these were the flavor that added depth of feel to it. For anyone who feels like Dean Koontz can't right a book to keep you on the edge of your seat trying to figure things out. You need to read this one. I can't wait for the next Odd Thomas book!

I would love to meet Odd in person.

What an interesting person with an interesting life and outlook, David Aaron Baker did an Excellent job of narration. He IS Odd and brings him to life. I waited anxiously for this and bought it the day it came out. I agree that the story is a lot like 77 Shadow Street. However, Odd adds a whole new dimension. The book didn't keep me on the edge of my seat but an easy and interesting read, If you;ve never read an "Odd" book you should read earlier versions first for this story and Odd's character to make sense.Mixing in the real life characters like Telsa was genius.

That's Odd

Where does Odd Apocalypse rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

The Odd Thomas character has to be one of my all time favorites. Odd Apocalypse doesn't disappoint. Dean takes us to new levels of wierd happenings in the life of a fry cook. As with the previous entries, I am amazed by the Odd/Dean's take on the world and his way of distilling it down into clever, often funny, phrases of truth.

Never enough Odd Thomas

What made the experience of listening to Odd Apocalypse the most enjoyable?

I don't fully understand the attraction of a fry cook and his special ability to see the lingering dead. Odd just gives you hope that even though the mysteries of the universe are unfathomable, things will work out.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Odd Apocalypse?

any mentions would be a spoiler

What about David Aaron Baker’s performance did you like?

It wouldn't be Odd Thomas without his voice.

Odd bliss

So another odd Tomas book

And another great story.

The thing I love about odd Thomas books is you don't have to try to hard.

It's all so well written without over complicating the plot or adding loads of unimportant characters, who's name I can never remember.

Don't get me wrong I do love the game of thrones books and other books that want to describe every inch of a room.

But sometimes you want to just chill out and relax in to a book.

And all the odd Thomas books do this with ease. Some may say the plot doesn't really explain all that happens but life isn't always explained, and as the books are from odd Thomas's veiw, he can't explained everything.

The book is full of odds wit and you can't help chuckle to your self ( even though people look at you as off your nuts, while your on the train)

I Totaly recommend this book of your looking for a couple of days off, after a 20hr epic book.

But for me now im back to concentrating on another epic, but will be looking out for the next odd Thomas (relax) book

ramblings

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

back to the good old days of Deans work

Would you ever listen to anything by Dean Koontz again?

yes I'm a fan of his earlier work

What about David Aaron Baker’s performance did you like?

yes he did the best he could with the material involved.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Odd Apocalypse?

I would have scrapped the entire book!

Boring

Lots of words, but no real story. This. Book became areal bore to listen to. Returned.

Odd apocalypse

Really well read, story was good, seemed a little padded out in places. Not quite as good as the other Odd books but still worth a listen

Excellent!!

Very enjoyable book. Even better than I expected, David Aaron Baker is superb with his narration. I'll be looking for more read by him.

Lacks the Koontz magic

An abrupt start, bland storytelling - is this even by the same man that brought us Odd Thomas, Lightning, False Memory, or By The Light Of The Moon? I'm having a hard time getting into this story, I keep listening knowing what the author is capable of, but I'm already at chapter 12 and...



Come on, Mr Koontz, I know you can do so much better.

Argh. So tedious.

Having read all of the other Odd books, I was so looking forward to this book. Unfortunately, it was bad. Bad!! The entire first hour seemed to be a long, meandering, pointless over-description of the stupid house, grounds, and sky. Too much internal monologue and boring, abstract conversation, there really wasn't much to recommend about it.