Rating: 
Summary: Burn the Midnight Oil
Review: One of Koontzs better (if not best) books! From page one he plunges you right into the story. Once you start reading it you'll be up most of the night turning page after page.
Rating:
Summary: Couldn't put it down..
Review: I've read most of Dean Koontz, and some are better than others. Odd Thomas was fast pace and full of suspence. I don't alwats go through books quickly but I finished this in a matter of hours. Odd Thomas is a memorable character, much like Cole in the "Sixth Sense" but older and more in tune with his abilities. I would recommend this to any Dean Koontz fan and just hope there will be a Part 2...
Rating: 
Summary: Unsatisfying
Review: Since we are told that the book we are reading was written by Odd, perhaps he should get the blame for what to me was an unsatisfying read, especially since I have enjoyed many of Koontz's other works. The writing seems flat and lacking any real emotion. There are interesting characters, but there just isn't enough plot to stretch over so many pages. I found myself rapidly reading the second half of the book just to get to see what happens at the end, not out of any excitement or horror at what was being revealed.
Rating: 
Summary: hack job
Review: I have read every Dean Koontz book available and have loved every one. That is until this one. The writing was okay and being able to see dead people is a little spooky, but at least try and challenge the reader. The surprise ending, if you can call it that, was terrible. The author has you spend well over half the book following around one guy and then throws a conspiracy theory and a develish cult that just so happens to have occured under his nose, even though he has supernatural gifts to spot these thigns. I did think that the intro of the evil spirits called Bodachs was nice and Elvis was a great addition, but thses two plot lines went nowhere, especially the Elvis thing. His only purpose in the novle was to cry his eyes out evey two pages adn then dissapear for the rest of the book. With about 60 pages left Koontz introduces Odd's parents to us and expects some type of attachment to these scenes because of repetative and rather boring flashbacks. It seemed to me as if the author was just trying to fill up space. If you are going to reveal the main characters parents by showing flashbacks of Odds troubled past then at least have some type of resolution, which the book does not. It seems as a rather tired diversion from the shaky plot. I understand that Odd is supposed to be odd, but he never reacts to his environment or the situations, he merely tells the reader. Descriptions of events are pasted out of a book of overdone cliches and as a reader you never get a sense that something really terrible and scary is going to happen, becasue Odd acts so casualy. You could read this book by skipping 5 pages at a time and not miss a thing. If this novel did not have Koontz name attached to it, it would never haver been published.
Rating:
Summary: THIS IS A GOOD ONE
Review: This story about a short order cook who sees things that others do not is a smooth, suspenseful story. It has a likable main character, some very likable secondary characters, and a villain it is almost fun to fear and despise. Koontz handles the supernatural/horror angle of the story with a light hand. The story is driven by the characters, not weird stuff or strange beings, although the weird stuff and strange beings are definitely around. Placing this story in a small, rather isolated town in southern California was a masterstroke. It gives the story that old fashioned feel of a few lonely people facing tremendous mystery and danger, sort of like the book/movie "The Body Snatchers". If you have become wary of Koontz's books lately, relax and give this one a try. He doesn't preach at the reader in this one. He tells the story tightly and quickly. In short, it's the kind of book you know you should put down for the night and go to bed, but you don't. It's just too interesting, and besides, a quiet house in which everyone but you is asleep is the perfect setting for reading this story.
Rating:
Summary: Nothing "Odd" about this read
Review: For the first time in a long time Dean Koontz has written a book that delivers on any level you can name. Odd Thomas is a suspenseful, powerful, imaginative, and entertaining story. The characters are believable and seem to leap off the page at the reader. Of course, I like all of Koontz's works, the early stuff and his later, more spiritual works.Odd Thomas is a short order hash slinger in a small out of the way town of Pico Mundo. Besides being a talented writer, Odd sees and communicates with ghosts. Not just any ghosts mind you, but all types of ghosts. One type that is especially bad are the "bodachs" a particularly malevolent spirit that is attracted to and seem to feed off of violence. These spirits are in town and associated with a character Odd names "Fungus Man." As you read you realize that Fungus Man is much, much more than he appears on the surface to be. This is an unsettling read. Koontz manages to keep the reader slightly off balance. This causes a little disorientation and some readers may be critical on this aspect of the novel. However, when you reach the end of the book you'll be glad that you hung around to the end. Koontz is a talented writer. His books are meant for intelligent readers. Odd Thomas will not disappoint.
Rating: 
Summary: A good read in light of recent Koontz books
Review: Dean Koontz's new book "Odd Thomas" show that Koontz can still write an engaging tale after all of these years. Gone is the lightning-in-a-bottle that he had earlier in his career (I don't need to mention the books that built his following) but, to me, "Odd Thomas" brought Koontz back from the brink of irrelevance. Compared to recent clunkers like "By the Light of the Moon" and "Corner of His Eye", this book is a huge leap in the right direction, a movement that he started last year with "The Face". At least its nice to see that he has gone beyond his fascination with writing about cleaning up crap after your dog. The book contains a tale written by the title Character, Odd Thomas, after disturbing events have occurred in his home town. Odd Thomas is a loner who, unbeknownst to all but a close group of acquaintances, has the ability to see and communicate with the dead and other malevolent spirits. Sounds familiar, I know, but Koontz is able to put a very original spin on this tale. The character Odd Thomas was developed with a great deal more depth than most those of Koontz's recent books. Not since China in "Intensity" have we seen a character developed so well by the author. Odd Thomas has had this ability for most of his life, and while he is not full comfortable with the situation, he has come to terms with it. Through his skills, Odd becomes aware of a very bad situation that is developing in his town, which he feels he has the ability to avert if he takes immediate action. This storyline represents bulk of the novel, but more fascinating is the character Odd Thomas himself and how he deal with the situation that he is thrust into. One particularly interesting subplot involves his interactions with his family, which is even more unusual than Odd himself. The story is above average, but read this book for the characters themselves. Hopefully this upward trend in Dean Koontz's books will continue for at least a little longer.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic, fantastic, fantastic . . . and odd
Review: In my opinion, Koontz hasn't written a bad book. Of all of his, THE TAKING is my favorite, with ODD THOMAS coming in second. The others are up for grabs, and as I said, none of them are bad. But this is one truly "odd" book. Odd but great in that it's so different. Odd Thomas is a guy who does not live off his materialistic, narcissistic father's wealth. He is satisfied with a simple life as a fry cook (best in the county), aided by the complete acceptance and unconditional love of the prettiest girl in the county, who, like Odd, believes that copulation for people truly in love takes place only after marriage. Even when she gives in to her feelings, fearing he will die before they can consumate their love, he still holds out for marriage and promises to be there. Well, as you can see, Odd Thomas, even neglecting his unusual gift, indeed lives up to his name in view of present day morals. (Forgot to mention, he talks to dead people and saves folks). Hurrah for Odd Koontz! More writers should use their talents to present heros with good basic morals - maybe that is not such an Odd idea. A great read - pay attention and hang in there for the first 2/3 of the book, then hang onto your hat! I'm usually one for a bestseller like "Da Vinci Code" or "Bark of the Dogwood" but decided to try this one instead, and I'm glad I did!
Rating:
Summary: First Koontz! Worth It!
Review: This was the first time I had ever read a book by Dean Koontz. I had always heard about him, but never knew what type of books he wrote and never read one for myself. Until now. I was not disappointed. This was a great book. I had a hard time getting started, but once I did, it moved right along. There were some slow spots (hence the 4 stars) and some useless subplots to the story as well. But, overall, the book moved right along and had some good surprising twists to it. The ending was a surprise to me as I had never read a Koontz book before, or I just wasn't looking for it. 4 stars! Well worth the read and a good one to read again someday once you've had time to forget about it.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Book, Made Better By the Ending
Review: I really liked this book. It wasn't my favorite Dean Koontz book, but it was extremely entertaining and Koontz seem filled with great ideas. I was only going to give it 4 stars, but the ending has such a great & sad twist it made me increase the rating to 5 stars. It really was good. Odd Thomas is a 21 year old short order cook in the fictional town of Pico Mundo, California. He has a great job, his girlfriend, Stormy Llewellyn,
is not only in his oppinion the most beautiful girl in the world.
But they are also destined to be together, due to a card they recieved from a fortune telling machine and they (supposedly) have matching birthmarks. (How Lovely) Anyway, not only can Odd see ghosts, but bodachs as well. Bodachs are black creatures which hang around people and places which tragedy will befall or the people who will cause it to befall. They seem simalar to those things in "Ghost". Anyway, one day in the grille he works in, Odd spots a man, who has a 20-bodach entourage. Naturally, he's suspicious of this and investigates. There is an appearance by Elvis, which I thought was quite funny. Koontz has given us a terrific character, who seems easily likable. The narrative flows well and it doesn't feel that Koontz struggled while writing this. It's a relatively quick read, about 399 pages. So,
enjoy. A-
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