I recieved "Brother..." last Christmas along with a B&N gift card. I spent the card after long and fruitless hem-hawing over exactly what to buy. But I still hadn't cracked the book open. WHY?! Well, I was hesitant to touch the book for a simple reason. I didn't want to be disappointed. After reading Odd Thomas and being absolutely spellbound, I swooned (yes, Odd help me, I actually swooned) when Forever Odd appeared on the shelves. There may have even been some dancing going on with worried customers giving the swooning fellow a wide berth. I was on another plane of existance.
I purchased it without question and devoured it in a manner of a week or so. At the completion I felt a bit disheartened by the experience. I got the feeling that Mr. Koontz was being forced to write a sequel to one of the most perfect books I've ever salivated over. I have no doubt that he wanted to peer even more into Odd's life and give us more of it but the end seemed cheap...very well writen and memorable but somehow cheap like a warped super-bounce ball that you purchase for 25 cents and the first bounce sends it over the neighbor's fence. So I was hesitant to crack open "Brother..." because the scenery seemed forced and well, it was like popping in another quarter to the ravenous supermarket machine.
Finally, I read it.
Rivaling the first volume with no questions asked and no punches pulled, "Brother Odd" is simply amazing. It felt like the old Odd Thomas was back with all of his wonderous wit and heart that we had come to love. So touching a read it was in fact, that there must have been some dust in the air as my eyes were watering near the end a couple of times. Definately a "must read."
Odd Hours is in hand now...with no hesitation.