Odd Thomas

Odd Thomas

Dean Koontz

416 pages

Rating: 4/5

 Odd Thomas is a novel written about Odd (his actual name), a short-order fry cook at Pico Mundo Grill.  He possesses the special talent of seeing the dead.  They do not speak to him, though they do communicate.  Often times, they bid him to revenge their murder or make wrongs right.  Sometimes, they simply accompany him along his day.  However, on the day the novel begins, Odd sees a man he dubs "Fungus Man" who gives him a "funny feeling" (another one of his special talents).  He decides to take a closer look and discovers a mystery.  This first novel of the series Odd Thomas involves murder, mystery, and thrill as Odd tells his story of the next 24 hours after he meets Fungus Man and investigates this off-feeling, seemingly evil man.  Odd is accompanied by the fabulous characters of Pico Mundo, including the love of his life, Stormy, the 400-lb friend, Little Ozzie, the chief of police, the sometimes-unpredictable Elvis, his boss, landlord, father, mother, and friends.

My Thoughts:

I was disappointed by the summery I found online because I thought it told most of the story.  So I attempted to write my own.  I have found that I am not great at this, mostly through friends and family telling me that I often tell too much.  But I tried.

Anyway, this book was the first novel I read by Dean Koontz.  I was surprised to find it different than what I expected.  I guess I was expecting something more along the lines of James Patterson, in the fast paced mystery type thing.  Instead, I found Odd Thomas to be a well-written, suspenseful mystery.  I found it more slower paced, but with an awesome background.  I loved the writing of Odd Thomas himself.  The book is written in first person, with the story told from Odd's perspective.  I came to love Odd, as he was funny and interesting.  But I believe what makes the book is the surroundings Odd is placed in.  Everyone he is friends with has some type of interesting quirk and individuality.    I could picture each character in vivid detail so much so that I did not get lost in the number of characters.  There are many more supporting characters than most novels I read, but I enjoyed it immensely.

However, the writing at times got a little much for me.  The book was a bit of a slower read than I was used to.  I took time to read it, but I would set it down, be halfway through, and still not be completely sure where the plot was and where it was going.  At times, the details got on my nerves, especially when something important was happening because I wanted to find out what happened.  But I only recall one or two instances when that happened.  It really was the only complaint I had about the novel.

Ultimately, I gave Odd Thomas a 4/5 because I loved it.  It was a great story, took a little while to get into, but I enjoyed it very much.  I got to know each character and the town of Pico Mundo well, and I can't wait to read the next installment.  I recommend it to anyone who loves mysteries and is not afraid of some suspense.  It got a little dark at times, so I won't recommend my grandmother read it.  But for those who love NCIS, Criminal Minds, Bones, and CSI, it is a great alternative to watching tv.  It's like having an odd Mentalist come alive within the pages of a book.