BROTHER ODD by Dean Koontz *****

I love Dean Koontz . The writing is great, there aren't too many people introduced too early, the story is well balanced and I always like reading Odd Thomas stories.

This takes place at a monastery, which I find lame and Odd isn't actually a 'brother' he just has settled in there for whatever reason. Clueless on that one. I'm sick of ghost Elvis WTF??  Odd meets deformed, retarded yet miraculous children who each have some kind of art talent or something similar, one wants to work with dogs. Honestly the brain damaged kids TO ME is not really my thing-I don't care. That's the way God made them; that's the way he wants them so be it and keep it away from me. I didn't deform or retard them. There is enough in the world to be sorry for; police dying on the job, women beaten in their own home scared to leave; dogs dying in shelters, innocent babies being intentionally left in cars to die. I am limited in the amount of what I can possibly GAS about.

I don't believe in any religion and don't like formalized religion due to the overwhelming amounts of money the church collects (millions) while the 'brothers' and preachers are molesting the choir boys (hundreds). At least the Jewish religion ignores all that crap with choirs, and incense and molesting of choir boys, they don't have choirs or snake charmers. They don't even believe in heaven or hell. I prefer their way of thought over all other religions, that and Buddhism. People say to me that there is only one god and every religion is praying and talking about the same god, which is beyond ridiculous. Do Christians expect to get 1000 virgins if they jihad themselves? Or however that goes? I don't think so. Which thing is not like the other, which thing isn't the same: Easter Bunny, Santa Claus, the Stork or God?

I didn't appreciate the setting but since that's just me  I still gave it 5 stars. I did buy the book because I was flying and didn't want to spend 6 hours in the air biting my fingernails, they're already short enough. I don't like or enjoy or want to promote ANY religion in ANY book I read. I find out it's in a monastery and almost chucked it. To each their own. If you pay attention (I do) most books are good vs evil. I don't even believe that because good/evil are part of Christianity. There are good people and there are bad people and there are murderous people who are damaged in some way. They aren't necessarily evil, that's a religious concept. Bye for now.