Download Odd Thomas ePub

I read this after seeing the movie. Where the movie does do the book justice, this goes deeper into Odd's thoughts, and feelings (it's narrated by him) and his history. Odd Thomas can see "the lingering dead" and with this ability and others he discovers an impending disaster and does his very best to stop it. The climax of the story hits hard and fast and is quite the page turner. Though this book isn't for everyone, anyone could enjoy it. I'm happy the book has an ending, and the reader isn't forced to continue reading the series. However, there are some questions that come up that I hope are answered in the following books, and I look forward to reading them.

The titular character is Odd in name and odd in abilities. A twenty year old, short order fry cook with the gift or the curse to see the dead. He lives in the small California desert town of Pico Mundo, which translates into "peak of the world." I initially thought that our hero's name was Thomas and Odd was an apt description of him. He very quickly dispels this belief in the first few chapters. The name bestowed upon him is Odd, and despite his mundane occupation and humble domicile, our poor MC's life has been anything but. This story seems a mere snippet of what Odd has endured since birth, but his latest adventure may destroy everything he holds near and dear.

In most stories where the main character has some special power, he/she is rarely if ever believed. I like that Odd has a fantastic support system and numerous friends including even the chief of police. Police officers are usually the least likely people to buy into such madness, but Chief Porter does. He's like a father to Odd, something our young hero desperately needs. Odd doesn't have to bear the burden of his ability alone. It's not a completely secret power; it's just a power.

The people who know not only accept that he has it, they trust him with it, and his friends are all so eclectic: Viola and her daughters Nicolina and Levanna, Terry his boss with her Elvis obsession, his landlady Rosalia Sanchez, who asks him every day if she is visible, the fore mentioned Chief Porter and his wife Karla, Little Ozzie who is probably the largest man in the town, and of course, the love of his life Stormy Llewellyn. While all of them do not know what he's capable of, they all accept that he is Odd. He is an example of the "hiding power in simple places" trope where we often see the orphan or the foundling who was left or hidden to conceal and protect who they are and what they have. Odd is also extremely polite, another thing I enjoyed especially coming from one so young where they're often and tritely portrayed as rude. He calls everyone either "sir" or "ma'am" and there's no one he treats with disrespect.

Koontz pulls you in right away with Odd's powers manifesting themselves in a little girl named Penny Kalisto. The dead never talk to him, but they have a way of making themselves heard. The ones that still linger do so for a reason, and Odd feels it is his duty to divine. Seeing the dead is not his only power, but I won't spoil the surprise.

Even though I figured out the major twist long before the final chapter, I still give this tale high marks and have added the second novel, Forever Odd, to my reading list. There's also apparently a movie that I'll need to check out.

Odd Thomas wears its sadness like a pall. It lurks between each word and is the foundation of every sentence.

"Perseverance is impossible if we don't permit ourselves to hope."

First published back in 2004, Volume One of the Odd Thomas series has deservedly earned the title of Supernatural Classic. Describing the book’s plot to a friend who is not overly familiar with either Dean Koontz or the horror genre, she quickly surmised the book to be a mystery. And it is, sort of. But not really.

It all boils down to the fact that Odd Thomas can see dead people. But as Mr Koontz says in his own words, "... he [Odd] actually DOES something about it...”. It is a good thing, therefore, as an incredibly bold (or is that naive?) twenty one year old, that he has strong connections with the town Sheriff. And that in the context of this story, his girlfriend - Stormy Lleweyn - is the niece of the village Catholic Priest. As i approach the halfway mark, I am yet to meet the entire cast of characters, but those that have been introduced to the reader are full of depth, humour, intelligence and to summarise, are all beautifully and immaculately presented. My favourite is the amateur mystery novelist Ollie, who is so overweight that the term “obese” does not even fit his literary persona. But what an amazingly intellectual mind he has! And with such friendship and plutonic love he holds for Odd, he is almost like the Father Odd never knew. There is a plethora of supporting characters, too, which are a joy to meet, but I won’t ruin the surprise for any of those that have not completed this supernatural fantasy by mentioning them here. But brace yourself. *grins*

And speaking of the bad guys - which I wasn’t - but I am now - they too are as delightful and fun to read about as they were for Mr Koontz to write about. The main antagonist for Odd is a “gentleman” called the Fungus Man - who not only turns out to be a devoted follower of some of the most evil men in history but also possesses the rare (and unwanted) talent of attracting sentient voids of the universe (aka “bodachs”) just about anywhere he goes. And of course the Fungus Man has an almost supernatural ability to “be” just about anywhere he “needs” to be virtually at will.

For readers who are interested, there are a couple of phrases inserted into the body of the book that could almost be described as Mr Koontz being autobiographical. For example, taken from location 1504 of the kindle version: “Ozzie’s success doesn’t in the least surprise me. He likes people and he listens to them, and that love of humanity shines out of his pages.” The quintessential Koontzanism? I think so.

So what is the book really about? Is it a standalone novel? Or merely the prologue to arguably the first and greatest supernatural fantasy series of all time? Well in my opinion, it is both. Clearly the Fungus Man must be stopped. He is bad. Odd Thomas (and his small army of friends) represent the forces of good in the tiny town of Pico Mundo and they will (of course) do their darnedest to protect its integrity. So our role as readers, of course, is to sit on the sidelines, cheer on the good guys, and hope for the outcome we all want. Because if Mr Odd fails to overcome the invading evil and achieve his destiny, how on earth is Mr Koontz going to write eight more fantastic books to read?

I hereby award this book a very solid four stars, despite its status as the opening stanza to a legendary series. I cant wait to see how this story finishes, and of course i can’t wait to get my hands on the rest of the books and start devouring them like a vampire devouring virginal blood. But just don’t let Odd Thomas see me!

BFN Greggorio!