Odd Thomas: From reluctant hero to man of steel

books:


	• Forever Odd: A Novel Dean Koontz Bantam, 2005 - 352 pages average customer review:based on 229 reviews view larger image
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Koontz lets us down and Odd down

Koontz introduced the loveable and intriguing character of Odd Thomas in his first book. The follow up book "Forever Odd" seemed to step away from what was so well liked about "Odd Thomas." Other than Odd's psychic tracking ability, the rest of his paranormal gifts were ignored in this book. Instead it read more like a regular murder mystery than a true Koontz novel. But for those who haven't read it, hang in there because the third book, "Brother Odd," Koontz redeems himself.

Excellent book

The is one of the best books I have ever read ---- if you like the supernatural and action, adventure and drama -- then this is the book for you. It has everything you are looking for, including humor. You cry one page and then laugh the on the next one. Full of suspense and intrigue, it was tough to put the book down - until I finished it.

Get this book - you won't be sorry.

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Odd Thomas: From reluctant hero to man of steel

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 title, released in May 2008. "Forever Odd" is the second novel in the series, a sequel to "Odd Thomas".

The events of this novel occur a few months after the tragic events in Odd Thomas. With his girlfriend Stormy dead and with the angels, Odd has been keeping a low profile, currently on a leave of absence from his job as a short-order cook so he can clear his mind and regain his sanity. Then one night, Odd is alerted to the disappearance of one of his best friends Danny, a young adult who suffers from a physical condition that make his bones frail. Odd follows the tracks that lead to Danny's location and faces dangers that he, even with his special powers, will prove very difficult to tackle on his own.

This is a typical fast-paced Koontz suspense novel, as the events unfold within a 24-hour timeframe and the action starts pretty much right from the beginning and carries through until the end. When cracking open the first page of this sequel, I was afraid it was going to degenerate into a sobfest filled with musings from Odd about how he misses his lost love but thankfully Koontz spares us of much of this melodrama. Instead we are plunged head first into a fast-paced action/drama/mystery scenario. The female villain is one of the most memorable I've read of in quite some time, an adult industry goddess whose fascination with the occult is taken WAY too far. I liked how everything in this novel was rather believable, as long as you can buy into Odd's special powers of course.

My 3-star rating should not be mistaken for a bad review. Forever Odd is quite enjoyable, it just comes short of matching the brilliance of its successor. We also see little of the characters of the first novel, such as Elvis, Terri, Ozzie and though it is an entertaining and fast-paced yarn, it does come across as a by-the-numbers suspense novel rather than something that is truly memorable. But clearly, Odd's character is evolving and we can sense that Koontz is trying to take this series in adventurous new directions rather than settling and that's the reason I'll continue reading.

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Before Brother Odd

I have read the following novels by Dean Koontz: FOREVER ODD, BROTHER ODD, FEAR NOTHING, SEIZE THE NIGHT, FALSE MEMORY, ICEBOUND, DRAGON TEARS, BAD PLACE, INTENSITY, STRANGERS, MIDNIGHT, HIDEAWAY, STRANGE HIGHWAYS, SOLE SURVIVOR and FROM THE CORNER OF HIS EYE. I have also read LIFE IS GOOD: LESSONS IN JOYFUL LIVING by his dog, Trixie.

In my experience, I grow weary of reading the work of a single author. For example, the novels of Clive Cussler and Patricia Cornwell have become SO predictable, I've stopped reading them. I just completed a Cornwell novel and disliked it so much, I will not write a review of it nor will I read her again.* I have to say that Koontz's work does NOT fall into that category. As with Cornwell and Cussler, I have read many of Koontz's novels, but have noticed that his storylines progressively improve and remain unpredictable.

FOREVER ODD and BROTHER ODD share the grandest characteristic of excellent novel writing. Both skillfully portray the improbable as probable. In a very convincing manner, Koontz is able to lay out rules for the emergence of supernatural events. The actions of ghostly figures are limited by the functional equivalent of the laws of thermodynamics. As a result, confidence intervals can place both limits and variation on ghostly activities. Odd Thomas' interaction with the supernatural is like playing Black Jack.

The Odd Thomas series is Koontz at this best. I, of course, read them out of order. FOREVER ODD introduces BROTHER ODD. Thus, read them in that order. Based on reading FOREVER ODD, I believe a third ODD novel exists. I get the impression that another novel introduces FOREVER ODD. If you know of such a novel, please let me know by writing in the comment section.

Happy reading!

* This is not to say that Cussler and Cornwell are bad writers. For me, because I've read them so much, their writing has become monotonous.

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