Odd Apocalypse by Dean Koontz

I finished Odd Apocalypse the other day. I was glad to see that it kept my favourite thing about the Odd series, which is Odd's sense of humour. I find his sarcastic jokes and his casual approach to the weird events around him hilarious.

I wasn't to sure about this book at first. I was disappointed that the women ghost didn't show up more. She kinda of appeared at the beginning asked for Odd's help then disappeared except for a few moments.

Another thing about this series is that the stories are getting really crazy. I've read lots of Dean Koontz books and I like his science fiction, with scary monsters, and futuristic machines and events, its why I keep reading him. But I always found the Odd series different. Besides the fact that he can see ghosts, the enemies that he faced were always real people and plausible events. In this book and the last one, Odd Interlude, the enemies that Odd faces have been more supernatural. There's nothing wrong with this, it just feels like the rules were changed on me.

Besides that one complaint of mine, I liked the book. It wasn't as much a page turner as his other Odd books, but it still had my attention. I like the Annamarie character, she was introduced in Odd Hours, and she has traveled with him sense. She is so mysterious and is always speaking in riddles, I think if I was Odd I would be annoyed by now and start insisting she answer directly or don't bother. I'm hoping we find out more about her soon. She seems to know everything and made a comment this time about being pregnant for a long time. It makes me wonder if she is an guardian angel, the way everyone listens to her whether they want to or not.

The next Odd Thomas novel, Deeply Odd, is coming out at the beginning of April.

77 Shadow Street by Dean Kootnz

I just finished my latest read 77 Shadow Street. It took me longer then usual to finish this book for two reasons. 1. My e-reader decided it did not want to cooperate and refused to download the book. The only way I had left to read it was on my cell phone. The tiny screen didn't make reading enjoyable so  I only read on the subway when I had nothing else to do anyways.
2. Anyone who knows me knows my favourite author is Dean Koontz, so I was very disappointed when I didn't love this book. I wasn't excited by it, and didn't jump to read it every chance I got.

When I first read the synopsis I was excited to start reading, but was quickly disappointed. The first reason was the number of characters in it. The book takes place in a mansion converted to apartments so there were lots of people to get to know all. The fact that you keep jumping around between them didn't make it any easier.

The characters that stood out to me the most were to two single mothers, one with a boy and one with a girl. They each had very unique stories and memorable kids. n my experience the story was told around them and the other characters had just supporting roles.If the book centred only around them I think it would have been better.

There were several single men in the story, and I got them confused often in the beginning of the story. Only once characters started to die off, did recognizing the different characters become easier. There was a group of characters (Padmini, Tom, and Baily) who didn't play any important role in the book at all. I think it would have been better if they were never in it.

The other reason I didn't enjoy the book was, as a Dean Koontz book set in a haunted house, I expected it to be scarier. I've read books of his before where I was so creeped out I had to turn on the lights. This time, although the creatures were creepy and very weird, I wasn't scared, I was more disturbed by what he had imagined.

The last thing was his reasoning behind the existence of the house.  I understood the "science" behind what happened, but he didn't go enough into how it happened, or even why. I think the reason he gave had lots of holes and left many unanswered questions; I really hate unanswered questions.

So this isn't a completely negative review I will add what I did like about the book, and that was the atmosphere. Dean did give great descriptions of the run down post-apocalyptic house; I could picture it perfectly. He also gave good descriptions of his creatures. I thought they were creepy and disturbing, but that was because he described them so well. I assume creepy was what he was hoping for anyways, and it worked. Even though I didn't like the book I think it would translate well into a movie. Being in and seeing the house would make it a lot scarier. And being able to see the characters would make it easier to tell them apart quickly. What it lacked was fear and the screen could create that.

Overall I am sad to give this book a negative review. There are so many good Dean Koontz books out there. Please read one of those instead of this one.

1Q84 by Haruki Murakami

Here it is. I finally finished the book. I am not relieved because it was a bad book; I actually enjoyed it a lot. Usually when I read books this long I get bored of the story and find myself wondering how much more is left. In 1Q84 I noticed that the book was long when reading it, but I was not in a rush to finish it. The story stays interesting throughout the entire novel and I never bored of the characters.The storyline flowed easily, each character had a purpose, and their story felt important. While I was reading I kept sensing that there was some deep meaning behind everything that was happening. It makes you think, what am I missing here and what does all this mean?

I noticed that there were some sexual themes in this book. I don't know why they popped out at me, they are not inappropriately sexual or misplaced in the storyline. I would describe them as honest. All adults think and experience sex, and this book is not afraid of it and chooses to include it in the thoughts and actions of its characters. Maybe I noticed it because it was not the same as  the romance books we are used to where the scenes are designed to be romantic, these scenes are just a natural part of the story. I think the author uses them well to get her point across, although it can be a little unsettling at times. Only because they are so unashamed by it. Sometimes I find talking about sex has become a little foe paux in our society. Of course we joke about it all the time, I am referring to serious discussions, everyone is a little uncomfortable giving their kids that talk.

I would classify this as a science fiction novel as well as a drama and a mystery. In order to enjoy this book you have to appreciate the unexplained and unusual. Keep an open mind, some of the ideas are hard to understand and I was often confused with what exactly was happening. The book starts with a simple question of what happened to Aomame when she climbed down from the highway. Instead of having this question answered each chapter opens up new questions. I was constantly hoping for answers, and each time something was revealed it seemed that several more questions took its place. Tengo's story started a little slow but since the books layout has you switching from Aomame to Tengo every chapter, I got threw his chapters quick because I was trying to get to the next chapter to see what was happening to Aomame.Tengo's story does pick up later. The constant cliffhangers at the end of each chapter, kept me wanting to read on. For example, if I was left hanging at the end of a chapter involving Tengo, I would have to read through a chapter with Aomame (or perhaps another character) before I could find out what happened. This was a good strategy to keeping the reader always looking towards the future of the book. It disguises its length a little.

There is also small romantic part to the book, between the two characters Tengo and Aomame. It is not the main theme but it is an important part of the decisions and actions of the two characters. The characters are both very interesting and I kept wanting the learn more about their lives. The author made them both very believable by slowly giving information about their past. In each of Tengo's flashbacks, you learn a little more about him, which explains his actions and who he has become in the present day. Each dip into the past made me more curious about what weird event was happening to them both, and if their experiences were in any way related.

I would recommend this book, to anyone who is not afraid of a long novel. The author has created a very unique world, that asks questions about cults, religion, and our perception of the world around us. It is a very smart book that made me think about fate and if our paths are pre-chosen.