I’ve read these books before, but because the Lance Brody series reminded me so much of this series I started a reread. I purely love this book ( )

Again Koontz has surprised me and sucked me in to a series. I had written him off in the 90s after getting very annoyed with the endings of a number of his books that I read. Having a highly compelling story, full of interesting characters and loaded with tnsion, peter out at the end made me feel robbed.

Now, having read and enjoyed every bit of The Prodical Son and Odd Thomas, I feel like I may have been wrong.

What an excellent story and the ending was nothing short of brilliant. ( )

Not one of my favorites by Koontz, but definitely a good one. ( )

Having heard great things of this series from one or two people, I snapped up the three books that I came across recently in a charity shop. But having read book 1, I'm glad I didn't pay much for them.

The story starts off promisingly with a weird scene in which the protagonist is led by a 12 year old neighbour girl who does not speak into the next street where a teenager is delivering newspapers in the classic car which he customised himself. The story then erupts into action with a horrifying realisation. But after that, things begin to go downhill.

The protagonist tells us he is an unreliable narrator who is writing down what has happened recently at the behest of a friend of his, who is a novelist with a scary cat. It probably wasn't a good idea to signal this so blatantly because it meant that halfway through the book I suddenly realised what was going to happen to the love of the character's life and I wasn't wrong despite the attempts at misdirection through verb tense changes. So I kept expecting that certain event to happen.

Another issue is that the voice of the character doesn't come across as a twenty-year-old. I don't know for sure how it would sound if it did, but although the character is 'odd' by name and by nature - he sees dead people and he can't face leaving his home town because he is so fragile due to having the dead constantly turn up wanting him to resolve their outstanding issues - there is no explanation for why a twenty year old would speak in an artificially elaborate style or be keen on the music of Elvis etc. He seems to have far too much life experience and knowledge for someone so young. And it is not quite believable that his girlfriend tolerates so much of this, especially the refusal to leave town at any time. She is, we are told, ambitious and wants to own her own shop one day which in the real world might entail having to move somewhere else. So I didn't find the main characters convincing.

As far as the main plot goes, I won't say too much other than it revolves around Odd's intuition that a strange looking man who comes into the diner where Odd works and is accompanied by the dark shadowy sineous things that Odd has come to call bodachs (which he has found congregate whenever violence is due to be perpetrated). Odd sets out to investigate the man and try to prevent whatever atrocity he is going to commit. During this investigation he discovers that the stranger's house seems to contain an interdimensional gateway to a dark realm from which the bodachs originate, yet this disappears and is never referenced again. Perhaps an explanation is forthcoming in a later volume.

Another oddity is that the type of violence which bodachs are drawn to seems rather too specific - the horrible death suffered by the young girl at the beginning of the story wasn't enough to trigger off bodach appearances around the murderer. This seemed too convenient, as logically bodachs should have hung around a certain character before the story began and enabled Odd to prevent a terrible crime rather than have to bring the perpertrator to justice. It is also a bit too convenient that certain people know his secret and cover for him when he does catch killers - especially the local police chief - so it is then necessary to get such a person out of the way, as otherwise the resolution would be too easy for Odd. This came across to me as plotting by numbers rather than being organic development from the characters and their interaction.

The main problem however is the issue alluded to above where I guessed the big denoument. I have probably read too many books where the big love of the character's life is killed off at the end - Casino Royale was written long enough ago to be permitted to do this, but it has become rather a trope. It would have been a nice change if the twist had been the opposite instead, and the story and sequels had to tackle the more difficult and interesting situation of how would it be to marry and live day to day with a character such as Odd. Possibly the marriage would not have lasted for long, but if a partner had to cope with his constant preoccupation with helping the dead to achieve their rest and to go onto the next life, that would have been a much more interesting read in my opinion..

Given the reservations after the promising premise I can only rate this as an OK 2 star read.
( )

Just reread this to start the series and the story is still riveting. ( )

This is a new twist to Ghost Whisperer. I enjoyed this story and loved the unique spins for being a clairvoyant. Odd Thomas is a lovable character and I can’t wait to read more. ( )

A good intro into a likable character. Soft-gore, my preferred taste. ( )

I liked this book even more than I thought I would. The narrator did a good job and my knowing how it would end didn't hurt my enjoyment. ( )

I figured with so many sequels it must be OK, and I was right. I also found out there's a movie coming out soon. I liked it quite a bit but it's a little dark for younger readers. About a young man who can see the dead. I believe I'll keep reading the series! ( )

A dull, overly contrived style drags down the pace, and overwrought universe building interferes with any real depth. There are no scares or chills but the climax approaches with decent urgency and the ending packs some emotional punch. ( )

Started off a little slow and I'm not sure I love how the narration is written but the storyline was good. I am willing to give the next book in the series a read. ( )

Enjoyable story for a long drive...happy I have the sequel which I started earlier today. ( )

I loved this book. Odd is such an interesting character. I am so enjoying getting to know him. I won't go into much details of the story so as to not ruin the story for other readers. I will start the next book tonight. I plan on sending all 3 to another bookcrosser that wants to read the series. ( )

I started off not liking this much and ended up liking it a lot, so the 3 star rating reflects that (I'd probably give the first 2/3s of the book 2 stars and the remainder 4).
Koontz is a really good plotter and throws some great ideas into the book, but I can't help finding his prose overly flowery at times. He's got a thesaurus and goddam is he going to use it. On top of that the lead character and narrator can be a bit annoying at times, he's just so GOOD in a way that a lot of Koontz's heroes are. The whole book is infected with a slightly preachy moralism that really grates.
But.... once you get over that it's a really decent dark fantasy thriller and there's a lot of fun to be had with it. ( )

Odd Thomas is an engaging character and the other characters were vividly drawn. I would have cried more at the end if I hadn't been driving and listening to the book. Well done. ( )

This is one of my favorite book series. Read the book. Seen the movie. Read the book again. You feel what Thomas feels. And I don't know why I would want to feel what he feels. Odd. ( )

***Who sucked me in***
Riddle Solved in her 'Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz | Book Opinion' video published on 25 September 2017.

SIDENOTE: I wasn't really ever going to read the stories by Dean Koontz. I thought he was someone who wrote cheesy stories. And maybe he does but Riddle Solved made it sound interesting at least.

And who am I kidding... I like cheesy stories.

About a year ago, a few friends got on the topic of Dean Koontz. I'd mentioned that I'd only read two of his books, [b:Demon Seed|228204|Demon Seed|Dean Koontz|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1287333548s/228204.jpg|1183044], which caught my attention because it had been made into a movie that I wanted to see, but had been too young to at the time. For a 13-year-old, I liked it. The other one? No idea. It left that little mark on me.

But then two of the friends both said essentially the same thing. "If you don't read anything else of his, read the first Odd Thomas book. Don't read the rest, diminishing returns, etc. But that first one is great."

I remained skeptical, but then ran across a cheapy version of the book, so I thought, enh, what the hell.

Glad I didn't spend much.

What is this novel? At first it reads like some weird YA/fairytale hybrid. Then it turns all dark and gritty toward the end. Odd's parents are barely sketched in for the first 80% of the story, then suddenly we have two scenes, one with dad, one with mom, that both feel bolted on. Neither has any true relevance to the story. The scenes with Odd and Stormy are almost diabetic-inducingly sweet...seriously, my teeth ached. These added to the fairy tale aspect.

And just overall, while it tried to present some lovably eccentric characters, I feel like Koontz got too caught up in that--while failing--and forgot there was a story to be told. When he finally got around to the story, it was too complicated and convoluted to hold any interest or viability.

And what's with Odd's narrative voice. It's overly mature and well-read for a 20-year-old, unless he happened to be raised in the town of Dawson's Creek where every teen talked like a philosophy major. But he was presented as overly chivalrous, overly honest, overly simple in want and need, without a fault to his name.

I couldn't reconcile someone being that educated--educated enough to know a lot of wide-ranging and obscure facts--as well as having two self-absorbed and certifiably psychotic parents as role-models--to be that sweet and innocent. It simply didn't work for me.

I'm not saying it was terrible. I'm not saying it was good. I'm saying it was nonsensical and far too saccharine for my tastes.

And it confirmed my decision to stay away from anything else Koontz has written, past, present, or future.

Big fat meh for this one. ( )

I remember that he talks to dead people. One of the first times I read that in a book. But I didn't love the story.

Movie not that great either but I heart Anton Yelchin RIP

( )

“I've since discovered that many human beings need no supernatural mentoring to commit acts of savagery; some people are devils in their own right, their telltale horns having grown inward to facilitate their disguise.”
― Dean Koontz, Odd Thomas

I try to express only my most honest opinion in a spoiler free way. If you feel anything in my review is a spoiler and is not already hidden in spoiler brackets please let me know. Thank you.
Odd Thomas can see and feel the dead, but he can't hear them, as the dead don't talk. After encountering a strange man who also caught the interest of Bodachs (strange shadow spirits, attracted to extreme violence) Odd follows him to see what he is up to and why his instincts are telling him that something is up. Soon Odd is in danger, but not just him, something big is going to happen. More bodachs then he has ever seen is gathering and he knows hes the only one who can stop. Meanwhile he's trying to protect and keep those he loves safe. Including his soulmate Stormy.

This book is a reread for me, and I love it still. I knew a lot of what was coming, but it had also been long enough that I forgot a lot and got to experience it all over again. This book is scary, I found myself looking over my shoulder and biting my nails. It keeps you on the edge of your seat. And boy did it make me cry. I knew what was coming cause it was one of the things I did remember, and yet still I cried, and HARD. I will be continuing this series. I only read the first 3 in this series and this was the only one I remember, so I know that the rest will be like a new experience for me and I'm excited to experience it. I loved Odd, he is so funny but doesn't mean to be, and while he's smart he's also surprisingly lost at times. It's sweet. I've watched the movie and I can say that while the movie is good. This book is still a must read.

How I choose my rating:
1* Did not finish, or hated it but forced myself to finish.
2** Didn't really like it. Didn't hate it but not sure why I finished it other then for some closure.
3*** I liked it. I had some issues with it, but as a whole it was good. I probably won't reread again ever, but there is a chance I might finish the series. (If part of one) But if not it's not a huge loss.
4**** I really liked this book. Maybe not a work of genius, but highly entertaining. I may or may not reread this again, and I will finish the series. (If part of one) I would recommend to those I know hold interest in this books content.
5***** I loved this book. I found little to no issues with it at all. I will definitely be rereading this and probably more than once. I will finish the series and reread it multiple times. (If part of one) I will recommend this book to EVERYONE!!!! ( )

It was a simple but fun read. It’s too bad they could not use Elvis in the movie! ( )

So I was right in my first estimation after all. Koontz is a good writer and deserves to make a living at it, but this book lacked the endearing charm of Life Expectancy. He is quite good at dialogue and characterizations, though, and that goes a long way with me. ( )

I loved Odd's wacky sense of almost-humor. I find it quite endearing. ( )

I really wanted to like this one. It was fine. I'm rounding up a half star to 3. I like the character of Odd. It started ok - then the story gets lost a bit in the weeds trying to build a backstory for his dysfunctional family. ( )

A great work by Koontz. Odd Thomas is odd indeed, but only few in the town know how odd he is. He can see dead people, but he does something about it... Definitely recommended reading.

April 2010... Just read the book for a second time after I purchased it.. An even better read the second time around... definitely recommended reading! ( )