BEHOLD THE MAN By Michael Moorcock

Published : 1969
Pages : 124
Overall Mark : 8/10

Karl Glogauer, having lived a meaningless existence, decides to travel back in time to witness the death of Jesus Christ so he can at least say he's done one big thing, but when he gets there he discovers that Jesus couldn't possibly have done the things the Bible said he did, so he takes it upon himself to take his place.

This is such a tongue in cheek idea, yet Moorcock approaches it in a deadly serious manner. I'm surprised the Church didn't get ahold of this and ban it, but I guess the innocuous title kept it below the radar, unlike the Satanic Verses. The very idea that Jesus was a jibbering idiot might offend some, but this novella, which can easily be read in one sitting, is a must read that proves that even a nobody can do something wonderful with their lives.

STAR MAKER By Olaf Stapledon

Published : 1937
Pages : 254
Overall Mark : 7/10

An ordinary man finds himself whisked into the depths of space, where he travels to various distant worlds to experience how the alien beings that inhabit thos worlds live. As he continues through space, continually making new friends and having new experiences, he finds himself being drawn closer and closer to the mythical godlike creature, The Starmaker.

This is an imaginative novel, something of an expansion of Last And First Men that moves on from the planet Earth and ventures into the realms of space. Stapledon manages to use his mind to envisage whole new species of beings, yet only looks at them for a couple of pages before moving into to more of the same. This has plenty of wonderful imagination and enough thought provoking ideas to keep even the most doubtful SF fan intrigued.

ODD HOURS By Dean Koontz

Published : 2008
Pages : 404
Overall Mark : 6/10

Odd Thomas has travelled to Magic Beach in California to help a woman named Annamaria who has been in his dreams, as well as scenes of death and destruction. As Odd joins forces with the mysterious woman, he discovers that his visions were of a nuclear explosion, and the there are people in the area planning on stealing some nuclear weaponry and using it to their own evil ends.

This is very similar to Koontz's other recent novel, The Good Guy, and doesn't really progress well with The Odd Thomas series. I enjoy these novels, but this was the least interesting and least memorable so far, and if there are any more I hope Koontz has some sparkling ideas up his sleeve.