Odd Thomas: An Odd Thomas Novel (Odd Thomas, Book 1)

If one possesses an appreciation for dark, quirky, dry, creatively carved humor, an appreciation for odd literary & cultural references, stunningly well crafted complex thought & prose, is not dismissive of “more than one dimension of reality” or the possibility of a co-existing spiritual world with the potential - if not a penchant - to intersect with this one, Odd Thomas may well enchant. Dean Koontz books consistently tend be psychologically satisfying regardless the storyline…bgIf as a reader leans toward the above description, I strongly encourage that reader to consider delving into the “Odd Thomas” series - digital book &/or audiobook version - where Dean Koontz delivers an odd & entertaining good read! Little that passes for “graphic” or “spooky,” with much creativity, fun, twists, honorable & valiant humanity in character & storyline.Enjoyed every word! Looking forward to remaining episodes!

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!

This book arrived within the date and time promised, along with it securelywrapped (protected, that is a biggie for me). I've watched this in movie formand had to read the book. I find that Dean Koonz can write a good book, Itaction, funny points, and some sad drama. I would highly recommend this tofill up any book collection. I would purchase again from this seller.

The book was awesome. I buy books on here when my local library doesn't have it In it's collection. I read it and then donate it to the library for less fortunate, and future generations to enjoy .

This is a fantastic book. Odd is an exceptional character and Koontz is a wonderful writer. I had never read any of his books before now. This book had me on the edge of my seat, had my emotions all over the place and kept me from being able to set this book down. I literally sat in one spot for four hours just so I could read it all the way through. The non-stop action and mystery, and the puzzle that Odd had in front of him to solve was enough on its own to keep me entertained. But add in a bit of a metaphysical, psychological, paranormal twist and I was a goner for this book! Odd Thomas is sweet, complicated and altogether one of the most wholesome characters and he has to deal with some of the very worst things. Koontz did an absolutely amazing job with all of these characters and the storyline. I can’t wait to read more of his work.

Book came bran new is a 5/5

Me llego a tiempo y casi de inmediato me puse a leerlo, desde el principio hay acción y a la vez vemos lo que Odd Thomas vive y como lo maneja con su habilidad para ver muertos (fantasmas) que le quieren decir o mostrar algo a pesar de que ya sabia la historia porque vi varias veces la película aún así el libro muestra mucho más el trasfondo de porque un mucha hito vive solo que significa para el tener esta vida que de hecho el quiere una vida normal un empleo que bueno eso de soñarse como vendedor de llantas es.. Muy particular y si aunque hay muchas partes que siento que están demás igual son cosas que necesitaremos saber para los próximos libros, veran eso fue lo que no me gustó que es Una maldita serie y se quedó 😱, ahora a conseguir los otros libros 😰

My husband is a long time Dean Koontz can but this was my first of his books. I really enjoyed and was touched by it.I will now get the next in the series.

Perfecto.

Ho acquistato il libro dopo aver visto il film, la vicenda è appassionante e lo stile incalzante e scorrevole. Passerò senz'altro al secondo libro della serie.