Not My Favorite Of His, But Has A Great Ending
342828
This one turned out to be much better than I thought it was going to be. The twist at the end certainly took me by surprise! I honestly didn't see it coming and I think it saved the book as a whole, since it seemed a bit more crass than the other Laymon books that I have read. Still, all of his books are fast reads and definitely entertaining page-turners.
1839665
This is kind of the "The Emperor Strikes Back" for the series. Important things happen, there's a lot of character development, and that ending really gets ya, but it's still not my favorite. Ok, so I didn't love this as much as I love Red Rising, but the ending pretty much made up for any of the points that I thought dragged through the story at all. I can't wait for the finale!
2180660
I thought this was a good Odd Thomas book. But it was not the best of the series by Dean Koontz I felt. Probably the first Odd Thomas and Odd Apocalypse are my favorites. I am glad Odd Thomas returns to his hometown of Pico Mundo and see's all his familiar friends there while still thinking about his love lost Stormy. This book did re-unite the lovers in a satisfying way. You will have to read it to find out what I am talking about. I did like this book and would recommend it for Odd Thomas fans. But it just was not my favorite. But I think you should give it a try if your an Odd Thomas fan like I  am since this book concludes the series..
3633512
Ok, so FTR I do like this author's style; this was an enjoyable read, for the most part. Good concept, intriguing and believable characters -- a good story well told, right up til just before the end. I got lost a bit in the last 15% of the story, though, in which twists and turns seem to be inserted for their own sake... there was a perfect ending point, in which (won't do spoilers) justice would be served and there would have been the disharmonic but real-feeling symmetry of the main character getting what he agreed to, but not what he thought it would be -- and always the outsider. I'm a bit frustrated that the author shot past this point, but it won't keep me from reading more of his work. I enjoyed reading it, overall; just wish the ending didn't veer so much towards the busy.
210712
I would give it 4 stars but i did not like the ending.  At least I was relieved that he is back on trap after his last book Missing You which was just awful.
3682294
A little disappointed in the ending, I could have used a little more closure, but then I never want his books to end.
3336263
Some of the best fictional American nature writing put out in years, maybe ever.  I agree with those who had problems with the ending.  I think his major themes would have benefitted from at least a more ambiguous ending.  There are a few other plot turns in the book that seemed forced, and at times I felt I was watching the plot happen rather than living in it. Having said that, this is a master writer - just not yet a master storyteller.  His National Book Award was exceedingly well deserved.
4195995
this one was a tough rating for me.  I eventually gave it a four for the fact that it kept me reading for 500 plus pages and for its ending,  which left me extremely moved and saddened.  But I was close to dropping it to a three for its many flaws (one of which being that it was 500 plus pages).  So fair warning, I think you'll be more than happy if you finish it and reach the powerful ending, but don't be surprised if you don't finish it, or get there a bit annoyed.
  The plot basically a love story between normal Clare, whom we see from ages six to eighty and her husband the main character, who is unstuck in time and moves freely back and forth between his present, his past (mostly) and his future (rarely), arriving sometimes in familiar places and sometimes not and always arriving naked.  The structure, as one might expect, is complex, with constant shifts in time and also many conversations which do the same, as Henry speaks with people who know sometimes more of his present/future than he does.  Beside shifting in time, the book also shifts perspective, moving from Clare to Henry and back.  While the structure is complex, however, it is seldom confusing, as the book moves inexorably forward in the reader's mind, despite the many "sidetrips".  Don't mistake "not confusing", though, with "easy".  This is not a book to pay secondary attention to while watching television and is probably best digested in as few sittings as possible so as to retain the many plot references to past and present.  Overall, it is a stimulating, smooth ride.
  Clare is a strong character and one whom we get to see develop from a young child to a mature woman. Her voice is consistent and likable despite the time changes and her parts were often my favorites.  Henry is a more complex character, and the reader may find some shifting attitudes toward him.  The author is unafraid to make him unlikable in places and he is at times strangely removed for being the focus of several hundred pages.  He isn't as sharply defined as Clare and sometimes when he is, it is too much through broad statements rather than revealing action.  By the end, though, he has grown enough on you so that what happens has a strong impact.
  Side characters are unfortunately all too quickly sketched and sometimes seem to be more plot devices than full characters.  This is true of almost all of them I found and while a few have some rich potential, their lack of development of it is all the more annoying.  the book seemed overly long to me, with the author crossing the line here and there between reinforcement of theme/character and repetition.  I  think it would have been a more compelling read 100-150 pages shorter, or if some of those 500 pages had been rebalanced a bit to fill in some of the other characters beside Clare and Henry.  I could also have done without the graphic sex/discussions, not from any prudish point of view but because they just seemed utterly out of place and at times out of character.  In other words, they pulled me out of the book rather than along with it.
  Even with some problems with character and plot and some triteness, by the last quarter, the book picked up and became compelling both in terms of plot and emotions, and the last few sections are, as I've said,truly moving and well-worth the journey to get there.
  In the end, I'd recommend the book pretty highly and tell people not to feel bad about skimming here and there (I know, I know, but you all know you've done it yourselves :)
4003026
The reason I gave it four stars instead of five is because of the ending. After this long involved story, I felt short changed on the ending. The epilogue wasn't enough closure for me.
1207080
Too bogged down with details that don't matter.  Not his best work.  But..... It it's a good story, with a great ending.
3931942
Another ending that sort of leaves you hanging.
997743
Started slow, but picked up and then had a great ending
3368899
The ending makes the entire middle of the book worth it. I felt there was too much time spent on Elend struggling with who he was and it felt at times like he was whining. I guess the biggest difficulty was not having a replacement for a character like Kelsier. Enjoyable and thrilling story with more politics than I would have cared for but a incredible ending. Looking forward to "The Hero of Ages"
3651639
the ending just left me angry its not the happy ending i wanted.. But i still would read any of his books
3188385
A little disappointing considering how much of a fan I am of the author's other works! It seemed a little raqmbling at times and the ending just felt like he ran out of steam. But, I did finish it!
4748683
Not one of his best works, however I did like it.  I seem to recall reading that this one is his last, other than Travels With Charlie, his dog.
110164
Without giving away any spoilers, the ending worked really well and made up for the slow start. This wouldn't be a top recommendation, but it might be worth it if you like the first fifty pages or so because there's a lot more of that before the real story kicks in. I might have liked it better if expectations weren't so high, but it's hard to tell.