Odd Thomas

I hadn't read Dean Koontz before, simply because he's been marketed as a Stephen King type writer and the genre doesn't interest me. A few weeks ago I read a review of Koontz's latest novel by a writer I respect, and it included an overview of his work and ideas. Ideas? So I read three books with the character "Odd Thomas" as the protagonist. It was extremely well written, funny, satirical, showed respect for faith and people of faith. The story lines were closer to what Ray Bradbury, Rod Serling or H P Lovecraft would write. There's a bridge between what we experience and the supernatural. There's much love expressed here. Here are a couple of short passages; and a longer passage, from the first novel of the series, "Odd Thomas". So if you're looking for a good read...

From "Brother Odd": Odd Thomas and a character are in a monastery, and above a door they are about to enter is written, "Lumin de Lumine". The other character translates, "Light from light". Odd Thomas says, "Waste and void, waste and void. Darkness on the face of the deep. Then God commanded light. The light of the world descends from the Everlasting Light that is God." The other character responds, "That is surely one thing it means. But it may also mean that the visible can be born from the invisible, that matter can arise from energy, that thought is a form of energy and that thought itself can be concretized into a the very object that is imagined." Odd Thomas says, "Well, sir, that's a mouthful to get out of three words. "

Also from "Brother Odd" another character says of the law: "These days law think it's about nothin' but laws. Law don't remember it was once handed down from somewhere, that it once meant not just no, but was a way to live and a reason to live that way. Law now thinks nobody but politicians made it or remake it, so maybe it ain't a surprise some people don't care anymore about law, and even some lawmen don't understand the real reason for law."
Now for the long passage, from "Odd Thomas", reflecting on a relationship with God: "Pearl Sugars was my mother's mother. If she had been my father's mother, my name would be Odd Sugars, further complicating my life. Granny Sugars believed in bargaining with God. She called Him 'that old rug merchant'. Before every poker game, she promised God to spread His holy word or to share her good fortune with orphans in return for a few unbeatable hands. Throughout her life, winning from card games remained a significant source of income. Being a hard-drinking woman with numerous interests in addition to poker, Granny Sugars didn't always spend as much time spreading God's word as she promised Him that she would. She believed that God expected to be conned more often than not and that He would be a good sport about it. You con God and get away with it, Granny said, if you do so with charm and wit. If you live your life with imagination and verve, God will play along just to see what outrageously entertaining thing you'll do next. He'll also cut you some slack if you're astonishingly stupid in an amusing fashion. Granny claimed that this explains why uncountable millions of breathtakingly stupid people get along just fine in life. Of course, in the process, you must never do harm to others in any serious way or you'll cease to amuse Him. Then payment comes due for the promises you didn't keep."

These books are filled with wit, charm, love, faith, respect, humor, satire, good writing and storytelling.