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Summary: Koontz's latest masterpiece...
Review: The story revolves around a 20 year old man named Odd Thomas who is a short order cook living in a small California town. Odd has the ability to see and communicate with dead people. He has kept this a secret from nearly everyone in town with the acception of his girlfriend and the chief of police who Odd helps with solving crimes every now and then. Odd also sees evil spirits which he refers to as "Bodachs" which are attracted to pain and suffering. Their presence usually signifies up coming violence. One day at work, Odd notices a man who he refers to as the "Fungus Man" that is attracting a lot of Bodachs. Wanting to find out more about the man, Odd breaks into his house, and discovers that the Fungus Man has an obsession with serial killers. This leads Odd to believe that the man will commit an unspeakable act of violence soon, and now it is up to Odd to discover what that might be, and to stop the Fungus Man before it is too late.Odd Thomas is Koontz's latest novel. It is also one of the best he has ever written. I was literally blown away at how great this book turned out to be. The book is extremely suspenseful because of the fact that the inevitable is coming, and only Odd can stop the man. However, since Odd has no idea what the man will do, he also has to figure out where and when the Fungus Man will strike. The ending to the story is completely unpredictable and extremely satisfying. I also love books that are told in a first person narrative because it gives the book more of a personal feel, and the story is narrated by Odd himself. Koontz does an amazing job at transforming himself into Odd Thomas. Koontz's character development is so good, that you feel like you are reading a first hand account of an actual event, and not just some character that Koontz made up. Odd Thomas is probably the best character Koontz has created since Chris Snow. Odd posseses fierce determination and it is extremely entertaining watching Odd interact with dead people. Now due to the premise of this book, people are probably going to assume that it is a rip off the film "Sixth Sense". However, even though Odd can communicate with the dead, it is by no means a rip off, and the story is actually a lot more suspenseful. Koontz has been delivering outstanding books for a while now, and people begin to worry that an author may run out of ideas or lose their overall touch. After reading Koontz's two latest books "The Face" and "Odd Thomas" Koontz seems to be getting better. Overall, Odd Thomas is a great book and one of Koontz's best. The story is filled with suspense, great characters, a wonderful first hand narrative, and an outstanding ending. If you are a fan of Dean Koontz, or if you are looking for a scary and suspenseful book, I highly recommend you give Odd Thomas a shot.
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Summary: Ghosts and Bodachs Abound in Pico Mundo
Review: Short order cook Odd Thomas possesses a strange gift, or the gift possess him, depending on your point of view. He can see spirits and foresee crimes. He uses this gift he for the common good. Only a few people in the small desert town of Pico Mundo know about his ability. One is his girlfriend, Bronwen "Stormy" Llewellyn. Another is the police chief, who sometimes works with Odd to solve crimes. Odd is also troubled by visions of dark, ill-defined figures he calls bodachs, who flock in packs to scenes of extreme violence, murder and human suffering. One day a mysterious man named Bob Robertson enters the grill where Odd works. Perversion pours from him like sweat oozing off a thirsty man in the desert, drawing a swarm of bodachs who surround him, slipping and sliding around him as he leaves the diner. Odd dubs him the "Fungus Man." Odd senses a horribe evil about Robertson and through recurring dreams, foresees a series of killings. Something very bad is brewing in Pico Mundo and it's up to Odd to stop it, despite the forces working against him. It's hard for me to believe that Mr. Koontz can keep churning out books that captivate me so. A thrill a minute, that's what's in store for you in a Dean Koontz story and this one is no exception. You'll find yourself speeding though this book, but beware, put your seatbelt on, because you don't want to be thrown out of the car when you come to the twist at the end.
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Summary: Good Book
Review: The book is a good read despite its paranormal background.
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Summary: He Sees Dead People!
Review: Odd Thomas--and that's his actual name, not a description of him--is a lot like what you would imagine the Haley Joel Osment character from "The Sixth Sense" might be like fully grown--if he had grown up in an obscure fictional California town with a psychopathic mother instead of one of the biggest cities in the country and a loving mother. Odd not only sees ghosts, he interacts with them and tries to help them if he can. He also sees evil spirits he calls "bodachs", who seem to feast psychically on injury and death. And he must literally race against time to prevent a disastrous event that will end up costing him almost more than he can bear. This was a good book, but also a depressing one. In one chapter Odd describes a childhood incident with his mother that would leave most people (me included) emotionally scarred, or even insane, for life. Of course, Odd himself realizes that he could in fact BE insane, and THAT could be the reason he does what he does. OF course, the book does include some of the wry humor and the numerous eccentric characters that pepper Koontz's books, and it is well-written and fast paced as usual. It also has a very jarring and depressing ending, so if you're one of those people who likes to read the last page of a book before you get to the end (you know who you are), DON'T DO IT! You'll ruin the book!
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Summary: What a great book!
Review: I loved reading this book and did not want it to end. Oddie is a wonderful character and I hope Mr. Koontz writes more books based on him. Reading this book was a very uplifting experience, which might seem odd to say about a "thriller," but that is the only term I can ascribe to this tome. Odd is so richly drawn, he seems like an actual person, not a work of fiction. You would definitely want him as a friend!
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Summary: A darn good book
Review: This is the first book by Koontz I have read, and I am now on a mission to read the others. I hate scary/psychotic psychological thrillers in general, but this book was really well written. The violence present was minimal, necessary, and not in the least gratuitous. It was full of plot twists, a reluctant hero, and a pleasant narrative. Odd was such a sweet character, it made the book fun to read, like listening to a story from a friend. I'm impressed!
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Summary: more of a warning than a review
Review: This was the first book in quite a while that I was able to return back to the library on time. I usually take my time with books and end up paying the hefty overdue fine. My average hours of sleep diminished slightly during the two weeks I had this book as I found myself reading later into the night.
As for my warning, there is a review from a reader in Cleveland that gave this book one star. The reader disliked this book so much that he/she basically ruins it for anyone who hasn't read the book by giving away the identity of the "villain." So, if you haven't read the book, DO NOT read the review from that particular reader as it will ruin everything for you.
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Summary: Simply Terrific
Review: As an avid Dean Koontz reader, I found this book to be outstanding. Granted, one needs to be intrigued with the concept of an "after life" or the "other side" to truly enjoy this book. Nonetheless, Koontz quickly captures your curiosity with his usual descriptive verse and witty dialogue. I would say, as others have, this is one of Koontz' finest books.
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Summary: BEST DEAN KOONTZ YET!!!
Review: I HAVE OVER 15 DEAN KOONTZ BOOKS--THIS BY ALL MEANS IS THE BEST EVER. IT KEEPS YOUR INTEREST RIGHT UP UNTIL THE END. THERE IS A DEFINITE TWIST AT THE END. MAKES YOU STOP AND THINK ABOUT THE AFTER LIFE. BEST WORK SO FAR. HE KEEPS GETTING BETTER AND BETTER. ONE REASON HE IS MY FAVORITE AUTHOR. LISA CLARK
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Summary: worst book ever
Review: Worst written book ever structuraly and plot wise. The author has the worst writing technique ever. He talks about something them moves on then goes back and you easily get lost. Action in the book doesn't make sense. As if the writing structure wasn't enough torture to go through, the plot also wreaks. The killers turn out to be police officers, people you barely were introduced to in the book. That isn't a twist!!! A twist is where you are introduced to someone in a book in depth and you least suspect them of being murderers. In this book, the killers are "Suddenly" police officers which we bareley know. Total waste of time and money. Worst book ever. It deserves a negative rating. People who gave it 5's obviously are easily amused or the badly written structure of the book forced them to day dream while reading and they thought their day dream was the book. They need to wake up.
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