Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz (ISBN:0553384287)

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		Odd Thomas
	
				(840 reviews)			
(17971 Readers)

			Dean Koontz		
	
“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...more
 “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.From the Hardcover edition.   less

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
This book has one of the best characters I have had the pleasure to read about. It keeps you hooked through the whole book. The name is the best to describe the character he is indeed odd but very like-able. The other nice thing is that the books are very readable They move quickly and can be fit in during hectic times when reading a large book may not fit. If you are looking for a good...more
 This book has one of the best characters I have had the pleasure to read about. It keeps you hooked through the whole book. The name is the best to describe the character he is indeed odd but very like-able. The other nice thing is that the books are very readable They move quickly and can be fit in during hectic times when reading a large book may not fit. If you are looking for a good series to start and have a little spare time then take the time to start this one.   hide

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							Tech
						
							few weeks ago						
This is an incredible beginning for an extraordinary series! I absolutely love it!!

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
I listened to this as an audio book.  The narration was excellent.  I was given this book to read by my husband because I am such an Elvis fan.  It is a great book even if Elvis weren't in it.  It's my first Koontz book to read.  I was immediately drawn to Odd's character and completely believed his story.  He's an endearing character that you can't help but like and identify with.  His gift is...more
 I listened to this as an audio book.  The narration was excellent.  I was given this book to read by my husband because I am such an Elvis fan.  It is a great book even if Elvis weren't in it.  It's my first Koontz book to read.  I was immediately drawn to Odd's character and completely believed his story.  He's an endearing character that you can't help but like and identify with.  His gift is not one he asked for, but he feels he must make the best of it.  The book was an easy read, and kept my interest.  I had several late nights of listening and even in the car I'd listen.  The plot moved along in a very believable way with one exception having to do with time travel and other dimensions.  But other than that it was excellent.  I recommend it highly.   hide

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
One of Konntz's better series. I found Odd loveable and beleivable - the stories as gripping as Koontz can make them. A delightful surprise was that the ending wasn't his usual clean-it-all-up-in-one-chapter. There was a true climax and unexpected ending - I really couldn't wait to read all three Odd Thomas books.

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
I'm back-and-forth on Koontz most of the time. When he's on, he can craft a great novel, but when he's not he sticks to the same formulas time and again. This book, to his credit, avoids those formulas and gives us a story which, while not blisteringly original, is at least off the path he usually treads. 

Odd Thomas is a young man with a strange gift -- the ability to see the "lingering...more
 I'm back-and-forth on Koontz most of the time. When he's on, he can craft a great novel, but when he's not he sticks to the same formulas time and again. This book, to his credit, avoids those formulas and gives us a story which, while not blisteringly original, is at least off the path he usually treads. 

Odd Thomas is a young man with a strange gift -- the ability to see the "lingering dead," ghosts who often recruit him to help fix some unresolved trauma from their life. Odd has other gifts as well -- rare precognitive dreams, a sort of "psychic magnetism" which brings him to anyone he seeks and the ability to see dark spirits he calls Bodachs that swarm upon scenes of violence. In this book, Odd goes forth to track down a man the Bodachs have taken a particular interest in, a man with a penchant for scenes of horror and their perpetrators. 

The way this story is crafted is a bit offputting -- Odd's first-person narration is often handled in short, choppy paragraphs that feel as though they were written by a teenager that hasn't quite learned how to smooth out a transition yet. He frequently refers to previous adventures as well, and does it SO frequently that it felt like I was reading a book several installments into a series (in fact, it is the first -- a sequel is already available). The twist ending was choreographed quite early as well. Still, the characters are propelled by their sheer bizarre nature and the plot is fed by the same into a book that's ultimately entertaining, if not enthralling.   hide

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
First in the Odd Thomas series. 

Odd Thomas is a 20 year old fry cook who can see dead people. The dead come to him for comfort or to ask his help and he feels his gift (or curse) obligates him to help however he can. He keeps his abilities a secret from everyone except his girlfriend, Stormy, and the Chief of Police. 

Odd can also see evil creatures called bodachs. Bodachs appear...more
 First in the Odd Thomas series. 

Odd Thomas is a 20 year old fry cook who can see dead people. The dead come to him for comfort or to ask his help and he feels his gift (or curse) obligates him to help however he can. He keeps his abilities a secret from everyone except his girlfriend, Stormy, and the Chief of Police. 

Odd can also see evil creatures called bodachs. Bodachs appear in places where multiple deaths will soon happen. Odd can't believe it when he sees hordes of the creatures slinking around his town. He knows the date that a terrible event will happen, but he doesn't know exactly what will happen or where. Join Odd as he races against time to stop a horrifying tragedy.   hide

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							Jack
						
							few weeks ago						
Dean Koontz manages to weave horror,mystery and fantasy and thrills into one book.
Odd Thomas first-person narrates the story that takes place in Pico Mundo, a desert community in California. The characters are quirky,and endearing. Odd is able to see but not talk to the dead. But this short-order cook manages to communicate with them. There are also strange waif like apparitions labeled...more
 Dean Koontz manages to weave horror,mystery and fantasy and thrills into one book.
Odd Thomas first-person narrates the story that takes place in Pico Mundo, a desert community in California. The characters are quirky,and endearing. Odd is able to see but not talk to the dead. But this short-order cook manages to communicate with them. There are also strange waif like apparitions labeled bodachs by the English.They are attracted by evil. Odd has an abusive upbringing but has filled his life with the beautiful Stormy and a few mostly eccentric friends.I wasn't pleased with the ending, but it was a surprising. The book engages you with cliff hanging chapters and clever dialog.I would recommend it.   hide

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
First book in a 4 part series...I LOVED IT!
I would LOVE to know this Odd Thomas Character, he's apparently very good looking, altho a bit daft but FUNNY AS ANYTHING!!! and I LOVE that in people!!!
The fact that the dead Elvis Presley is one of his best companions (and how Dean Koontz portrays Elvis in this 'after life') is amazing!! I HIGHLY recommend this read. *note, there is a section in the...more
 First book in a 4 part series...I LOVED IT!
I would LOVE to know this Odd Thomas Character, he's apparently very good looking, altho a bit daft but FUNNY AS ANYTHING!!! and I LOVE that in people!!!
The fact that the dead Elvis Presley is one of his best companions (and how Dean Koontz portrays Elvis in this 'after life') is amazing!! I HIGHLY recommend this read. *note, there is a section in the beginning of the book (Odd's first told of encounter with helping a dead girl point out her actual killer) that gets over the top disturbing in detail (IMHO), but don't let that stop you from reading the rest of the book, because you won't encounter that again.   hide

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
One of Koontz's best works ever. The saga of Odd Thomas (yes, that IS his name!) will make you laugh and make you weep at the same time. I don't think I've ever been so touched by a literary character in my entire reading experience...you feel for Odd as he deals with his strange gift and what it means for him. "With great power comes great responsibility" applies...more
 One of Koontz's best works ever. The saga of Odd Thomas (yes, that IS his name!) will make you laugh and make you weep at the same time. I don't think I've ever been so touched by a literary character in my entire reading experience...you feel for Odd as he deals with his strange gift and what it means for him. "With great power comes great responsibility" applies just as easily to Odd as it does to Peter Parker. I will DEFINITELY be buying this one at some point.

P.S.THe whole book is good, but I think that that may be the best first chapter--considered on its own--that I have ever read.   hide

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
I'm not normally a fan of supernatural stories, I like my reads to be somewhat based in reality.  And after a bit of disappointment in the first Dean Koontz novel I read, I wasn't expecting to be engrossed in this one half as much as I was.  The writing style is great, with the descriptive text being vivid but flowing as quickly as the action.  The chapters are just the right length - short...more
 I'm not normally a fan of supernatural stories, I like my reads to be somewhat based in reality.  And after a bit of disappointment in the first Dean Koontz novel I read, I wasn't expecting to be engrossed in this one half as much as I was.  The writing style is great, with the descriptive text being vivid but flowing as quickly as the action.  The chapters are just the right length - short enough to be read one or two at a time in a sitting, but not irritatingly short like James Patterson.  There are lots of surprises in the story, but rather than relying on unexpected twists, there is a feeling of natural progression.  Overall, a book I felt I could pick up and read at any time.   hide

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