Odd Thomas

Dean Koontz doesn’t need an introduction, nor does he need a shout-out, but this book stuck out to me in my younger days. While it may not fall into the same classifications as my previous recommendations, it may have been the first book I read about an average, not entirely special, person with a unique ability he doesn’t understand.

I read this book 20 years ago and still think about it often. The concept of seeing death and knowing when someone is about to die is just an intriguing—and terrifying—prospect. How do you deal with that? Especially knowing there’s nothing… show more.

I have always loved Dean Koontz novels. They are typically a delightful combination of scary, funny, intelligent, and thought-provoking.

Odd Thomas is a perfect example of this. He lives up to his name, for sure. Additionally, Dean always has some sort of love story going on, even if the characters themselves seem too strange for words. I like a hint of DARK in the novels I read, which is Dean’s specialty. I also love that he uses an expansive vocabulary in his work. Some people find it annoying. I love it. It is guaranteed to hold your attention.

I have… show more.

I adore this character and everything about him. His psychic abilities are portrayed in such an interesting voice. To be able to see the dead but not hear them is a unique concept and one that I feel carries the character to another level of communication.

Odd is generous, kind, giving, and also the outcast in many ways. But he perseveres and does what must be done to keep the dead moving forward and protect the living. His simplistic view to life is something I really wish I had more of. 

He is a character that I think we can… show more.

In this debut novel Odd Thomas, the title character is an engaging 20-year-old fry cook living in the small town of Pico Mundo, CA. 
Odd Thomas is an ordinary guy, except that he sees dead people. They seek him out. They do not speak, but they communicate with Odd telepathically, frequently leading him to their killers. He is a reluctant hero determined to do the right thing in a world full of wrongs. He’s a character that you wish good things for. Guided by love for his soul-mate girlfriend and dead souls, he fights evil, against all odds.

This… show more.

I was recommended this book by someone who compared it to my writing style. “Koontz’s writing in Odd Thomas has a similar tone to your writing,” said the book recommender. To be even slightly compared to a novelist great like Dean Koontz, clearly I ordered the book and devoured it immediately. An easy, exciting, and fun read, Odd Thomas merges dry humor with a loveable, ordinary protagonist who speaks with the dead. It’s insanely cryptic—aka a page-turner—as well as brings abstract elements together in a simple manner, something I’d like to think that I do in my writing. This book… show more.

I've always been a fan of Dean Koontz novels, but the story Odd Thomas took it to a whole new level. I've read thousands of books, but I think Odd Thomas is still the most quirky and likable character I've ever come across. Who knew a short-order fry cook in a small town in the USA could get into so much trouble? The story itself is compelling and Koontz has such a way with words that I was captivated with Odd from the very first page of this thriller. I didn't see the end of the story coming, and I… show more.

Dean Koontz creates a hugely likeable hero in Odd Thomas. Assisted by the silent souls of the dead, that only he can see, Odd Thomas races against time to fight evil, where past and present converge. This book and the ones that follow it are hugely engaging because of the sweetness of Odd Thomas, Dean Koontz's humor, and because of its good versus evil race against catastrophe. Buckle your seatbelt and dive into the world of Odd Thomas. You won’t be disappointed.

I stumbled across the movie version of Odd Thomas a few years after I wrote Restless Spirits, and while I was in the middle of writing the follow-up books in that series, and I was immediately struck by the similarities. So much so that I tracked down the book and quickly devoured it. Like my protagonist Chris Wilson, Odd Thomas has the unfortunate ability to see ghosts, and is frequently haunted by those in need of his assistance, which tends to interfere in his personal life in ways that live up to his unusual first name. Besides being packed… show more.

“The dead don’t talk … I don’t know why.” So begins the wonderful tale of a boy named Odd, who is a master fry cook, his soul mate, Stormy Llewellyn, dead Elvis, and a gathering, otherworldly evil that is about to invade California. I adore Koontz and I’ve read the first installment of the Odd series several times. Now that I know the crazy twist at the end, you’d think I would get bored or not cry … that is not the case.