By: Dean Koontz Publisher: Bantam Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: Bantam Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 400 Publication Date: August 29, 2006 Release Date: August 29, 2006
Product Description: “The dead don't talk. I don't know why.” But they do try to communicate, with a short-order cook in a small desert town serving as their reluctant confidant. Odd Thomas thinks of himself as an ordinary guy, if possessed of a certain measure of talent at the Pico Mundo Grill and rapturously in love with the most beautiful girl in the world, Stormy Llewellyn. Maybe he has a gift, maybe it’s a curse, Odd has never been sure, but he tries to do his best by the silent souls who seek him out. Sometimes they want justice, and Odd’s otherworldly tips to Pico Mundo's sympathetic police chief, Wyatt Porter, can solve a crime. Occasionally they can prevent one. But this time it's different.
A mysterious man comes to town with a voracious appetite, a filing cabinet stuffed with information on the world's worst killers, and a pack of hyena-like shades following him wherever he goes. Who the man is and what he wants, not even Odd’s deceased informants can tell him. His most ominous clue is a page ripped from a day-by-day calendar for August 15.
Today is August 14.
In less than twenty-four hours, Pico Mundo will awaken to a day of catastrophe. As evil coils under the searing desert sun, Odd travels through the shifting prisms of his world, struggling to avert a looming cataclysm with the aid of his soul mate and an unlikely community of allies that includes the King of Rock 'n' Roll. His account of two shattering days when past and present, fate and destiny converge is the stuff of our worst nightmares—and a testament by which to live: sanely if not safely, with courage, humor, and a full heart that even in the darkness must persevere.
Koontz's most succesful series begins It's hard to know where to start when trying to get acclimated with Dean Koontz's novels, given that there's over 50 titles. Classics such as "Watchers", "Phantoms", "Intensity" to me would be the ideal way to get familiar with him. If you like Koontz's style, then moving on to the "Odd" series I believe would be the next logical step. There are 4 books in the series "Odd Hours" being the most recent entry that was released in May 2008. This first book, entitled simply "Odd Thomas" after the name of the protagonist, sets the tone for the entire series and has proved to be one of Koontz's most endearing characters ever.
Odd Thomas (real name, as "odd" as it may sound) lives in the small desert town of Pico Mundo. On the surface, this 20-year old has a rather routine life; lives in an apartment, works as a short-order cook in a restaurant and is in love with his high school sweetheart. But something is very different with Odd Tomas, as he has the "gift" of knowing ahead of time when disaster strikes, specifically when someone is about to get murdered. He also sees dead people and is able to communicate with them. Odd's sensors have been going into overdrive lately, as murder on a mass scale is about to strike the town of Pico Mundo. Will Odd, an unlikely hero at best, be able to put a stop to this impending disaster?
Where Koontz succeeds most of all in this novel is with the setting. The imaginary Pico Mundo could be any small desert town in America but the author injects a life of its own into it. The premise of a man with Odd Thomas's special powers would be otherwise too ludicrous to believe but somehow Koontz makes you believe it's possible. His relationships with others can be both pitiful and joyous. He loves his girlfriend Stormy unconditionally, knows he has found his lifelong sweetheart and cherishes her to no end. In that sense, Odd is a lucky man. However he has an absolutely horrendous relationship with his parents. That almost made want to cry because of how sad the story is.
What makes this novel so engaging is the sense that Odd Thomas is your everyday person (albeit with a special gift) thrown into extraordinary circumstances and that we have all known someone like him before. This novel is not particularly fast-paced unlike most Koontz novels however it's the characters and their intertwining relationships that make this such an enjoyable read. I wouldn't say a Koontz top-5 but probably one of his best 10. I can't wait to continue reading this series!
Odd Thomas is not odd at all, he's great. ODD THOMAS is the best book DK has ever written - bar none. The love story that supports the horror is so deep, so poignant, and so important to the development of ODD himself that it inspires readers long after the book's read. Take time with this book - don't rush it - find a quiet place and dig in, it's frickin' amazing.
Extracurricular Thoughts, Description, Internal Monologue.... Although I did enjoy the humor and found the plot of Odd Thomas interesting, I found this book difficult to read because of the many extraneous conversations, background history of places and towns, and other irrelevant descriptions and explanations that slowed the forward movement of the novel. I feel that description is mainly necessary to set the atmosphere, illustrate a pause in conversation, or maybe a pause in thought as a person notices what's around him or her.
I even skipped around through the action scene with the Fungus Man when he first came after Odd in the church belfry because there was too much internal monologue going on within Odd. Thoughts of what Odd could do, where Fungus Man was hiding, what his girlfriend, Stormy might be feeling....more description....I just found it all mentally exhausting. I'm not against description, and Dean Koontz does paint amazing illustrations within the minds eye, but he gets a little too busy with that brush, which frustrated me and left me wanting to just get on with the action.
This Series is Addictive! I'm a big fan of the Harry Potter books, and this novel contains some of the same elements. Like the Potter series, the Odd Thomas series by Dean Koontz defies categorization, containing elements of fantasy, horror, contemporary fiction, humor, and mystery. In Odd Thomas, you'll find well-developed characters and a suspenseful plot combined with humor and a touch of the supernatural. Odd is a 20 year old fry cook from Pico Mundo, CA who is able to chat with the deceased who have not yet "moved on," and often is able to help them do so. His sixth sense also enables him to see shadowy figures, called bodachs, who congregate before catastrophic events. Another interesting twist is provided by Odd's occasional companion, the ghost of Elvis. I've read all of the books in the Odd Thomas series thus far, and look forward to reading more of his adventures.
Cheerfully Creepy Sad Odd Thomas, the first a a series, is a cheerfully creepy book that is quite fun to read. Odd, the protagonist, has few normal days and strives to balance supernatural needs plus the normal insanity of our world. All while being the best person he can be. Done with great good humor.
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