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Odd Thomas

Odd Thomas

List Price: $44.95
Your Price: $30.57
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 1 stars
Summary: One of his worst books ever
Review: I was at first excited to see that the book was told from the perspective of a 20-year-old, with me being 21 myself. I thought it would be a fresh and new approach to the familiar Koontz novel, told in the third person.

But Koontz can't seem to find a youthful voice to carry this off with. He's determined to portray Odd Thomas as an ordinary guy with an unusual life - and succeeds at that, making him the most ordinary and boring character ever. Not only does he sound like a much older man, but he has no sense of humor - which is what always made Koontz books so enjoyable.

He talks like a character out of a Danielle Steel novel, constantly reminding us (just in case we forgot) how much he loves his girlfriend. It gets to the point where it almost seems false, or forced, as if Koontz was trying too hard to illustrate what a bond they have just to set you up for a tragic ending - that's what it felt like to me as I was reading it.

And his girlfriend was not one who portrayed females in a very positive light - she was a sexist prude, with Odd wrapped around her fingers. We are supposed to favor her though, and excuse her behavior because of her past, but since I share a past similar to her I couldn't feel much sympathy.

The book overall just seems very empty to me, with no real point. It's not that original, and not that entertaining either.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Odd Thomas
Review: What if Cole ("I see dead people") Sear from the film The Sixth Sense had grown up and wanted to use his special gift for the benefit of others while keeping this talent hidden from all but his closest friends? He would be Odd Thomas. A 20-year-old short-order cook, Odd Thomas seeks to avoid attention and keep his life simple, at the same time dealing with spirits (including that of Elvis) that have not yet let go of their ties to the real world. In addition, Odd Thomas is able to see other spiritual entities that swarm near people and places where future violence will occur. He narrates a story that is ripe with suspenseful possibilities and filled with an eclectic troupe of friends and acquaintances who aid him in his quest to rid his hometown of brutality and evil. Koontz has once again set in motion a compelling combination of character and circumstance, tempered with his special brand of dark humor. For most popular fiction collections.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Impressive
Review: One of the best books I have read in some time. Great characters, humor, anticipation. I wish it had been longer because I was so involved with the story line and characters. Unexpected ending - I should have seen coming - but I didn't which is why I found it unsettling. GREAT READ! I hope Koontz's next book is as good.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT
Review: That's it, two words.....absolutely brilliant. Too bad more peolpe can't write like Koontz.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Too bad
Review: Started out with lots of promise (best story line and writing he's done sense Fear Nothing and Seize the Night barring the excessive surf lingo etc.) but died around page 190. Koontz makes Odd and his girlfriend Stormy (dumb name) into two perfect little angels -- when playing cards Odd can feel, 9 times outta 10, when his hand is stronger than those of other players and when it is not, so he wouldn't DARE go to Vegas and gamble to make money (what Odd calls "harvesting cash"), "it'd be the same as stealing" , "I don't need money", "I don't ever want to go anywhere" "I just want to be a fry cook or a tire salesman for the rest of my life" GET REAL!

After that the story, the characters and writing dies. Becomes juvenile. Too much padding with Odd's endless ruminations.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Surreal is the Rule
Review: The plot, though not original, was captivating and straightforward. Re-inventing an old tale, the author impresses the story with his special touch and fascinates the reader into wanting to know more - needing to know more. Now let me warn you, if you are one those readers who likes a neat and happy ending, do not read this book. The ending is both shocking and traumatic, delivering a climax that no one can see coming. The pace in the book is tense, amplifying the danger and suspense. You speed through this book knowing that a race is on and hold out in the hope that Odd will be declared the winner.

The atmosphere is weighed down with anxiety and comfort. Here is where Koontz struggled and lost. Trying to create an air of pressure while maintaining an almost Norman Rockwell picturesque town, I found it difficult - if not downright distracting - to integrate myself into the setting. Also, I understand the temperature can escalate to an ungodly height in California; there was no need to report the weather in every chapter.

Koontz's style of writing is bold and vivid. Narrating the booking in the first person, you begin to understand and bond with the main character. With an even blend of description and dialogue, he pulls you into his strange but enticing world where anything is possible.The characters are colorful, intelligent and realistic. Breathing air into his characters, Koontz grants his players a sense of humor, a well of emotions and most importantly, vitality. Here, he delivers us a cast with a past, with flaws, with weaknesses. They become memorable and will remain close friends even after the book is closed.


My rating? I give it a 5 . Koontz releases us into a world where the surreal is the rule, frailty is all to common and evil hovers just around the corner.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Review from Jamian Snow, author of SHROUDED INSANITY
Review: Odd Thomas is classic Koontz. The story chills , thrills, scares, and even grabs at your heart-strings. The story is definitely odd, but the writing and concept is undenyably Dean Koontz's. His unique style has been a great influence on my own writing style. This novel is a real treat for all.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A MASTER RETURNS
Review: Dean Koontz has certainly been one of our most prolific "horror" writers. When he's at his best, he's awesome; when he's not, he's sadly mundane. ODD THOMAS is perhaps the best book Koontz has written since "Dragon Tears" and "Hideaway." In fact, it may be his best yet.
In his past half dozen books or so, Koontz has tended to become metaphorical, bombastic, preachy and mundane. However, in ODD THOMAS, the narrative voice that has chilled his fans for years (and I'm one of them) returns with superior focus. Dean has learned how to add humor to his works, and the humor in this one is right on target. The relationship between Odd and Stormy is so richly realized, so simple in its true evocation of love, that you want the best for them no matter what. The inclusion of Elvis' presence could have been a cheap ploy in some author's hands, but the way Koontz integrates the king of rock and roll into the story is sublimely touching. There is so much "heart" in this book, it's hard to remember you're reading a novel about a demonic serial killer, and Odd works hard to save those souls he can.
This book has moments of chilling suspense; touching humanity; crisp and believable dialogue; and an ending that will surprise many. Koontz is in his finest form in this novel; I highly recommend it to those who have felt cheated by Koontz's latest novels, and to those who have yet to discover the voice of a man who is an artist, and who has regained his pictorial genius.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Odd Thomas
Review: Odd Thomas is the first book I have read by Dean Koontz and I really did enjoy it. Odd himself was an absolute wonderful character. He is a simple guy with simple dreams, but a 6th sense that gets him into all sorts of trouble. This story keeps you on your toes and in the end has a twist that I never would have suspected. I would definitely recommend this book and will be checking out some of Koontz's other books as well.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: What Sixth Sense Should Have Been
Review: Sometimes I come across a book I CANNOT put down. The kind of book that I read within one day only stopping for bathroom breaks and to replenish my drink. The kind of book I can't stop talking about that I fall in love with. That I dream about casting a movie and directing the adaptation.

Odd Thomas by Koontz is that kind of book. Odd Thomas is everything The Sixth Sense promised but unlike Sixth Sense, Odd Thomas delivers! Actually when I got done with it I realized even more how unfullfilling and horrid Sixth Sense plot wise was.

Odd Thomas is about a 20 year old boy named in the title. He sees dead people and tries to help them move on in their journey. He helps not out of attention or glory but out of decency. Koontz skillfully makes the reader get to know Odd and what makes him tick.

Odd doesn't see himself as special. Actually he thinks he is rather ordinary with ordinary dreams (never wanting to leave his town, wanting to marry his highschool sweetheart and maybe if he is lucky become a tire salesman) and that he just happens to have one gift.

He is surrounded by a great cast of secondary characters that Koontz may only describe in a few words but in those few words the reader gets to know them as well as Odd does.

I won't go into the plot much because I'm afraid to ruin the joy of discovering it yourself. As for the ending it is bittersweet, so be forewarned. If you like 100% good endings you may want to pass on it.

Odd Thomas is the best horror novel I've read so far this year and I read a ton of books.


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