Rating: 
Summary: This form does not play to Koontz's strengths.
Review: Odd Thomas is a very jarring novel to read. Koontz has chosen to write in the first person, trying to give a voice to a 20 year old high school graduate with supernatural powers. The problem is that Koontz has no skill at approximating the speach of a 20 year old. At times the character sounds like he's 12, at times 40, at times like he is from another planet. Some of this can be defended by the weird experiences of the character, particularly those involving his psychic powers. But even so, he should sound at least somewhat like a real person. The dialogue of his girlfriend is just as bad. The awkwardness of was so great that I found the book hard to finish.The plot is also predictable. There was only one plot twist I did not see coming, and since it doesn't occur until two thirds of the way through the book, it was hard to stay interested. The evil of the villains is just assumed -- you hardly get to know them and so their motivation is described in a couple of paragraphs at the end of the book. Given the enormity of what they try to do, and their ability to plan so long to carry out their goals, you would expect to know more about them. But then Koontz may not have anything to say -- fleshing these characters out may have been too difficult. Finally, Odd Thomas's psychic powers seem arranged to avoid thinking of ways around plot difficulties. Whenever Thomas needs to know something, he has a power that allows him to do so. When it is important that he be in the dark, he finds his powers limited. Koontz does deserve some credit for trying something new. While I felt that the form of the book doesn't work, Koontz is trying to stretch himself and not write the same book over and over. Also, Thomas mostly gets by on his psychic powers; although he uses physical force on two occasions, he doesn't do anything that remarkable in either case and thus is believable. In other words, he is not, in addition to being psychic, an action hero. For those of you who agree with the generally favorable reviews of this book, it looks to me that this could be the start of a series. So if you like this sort of thing, you may see more of it.
Rating: 
Summary: dean, you make reading divine
Review: I never cease to be amazed at the humor I find in dean koontz's books. Inspite of the frightful encounters these characters get themselves into; I find myself laughing with delight at absolutely marvelous thoughts of elvis(failing to move on), morality opinions(regarding the phone booth), normally mundane shopping experiences(ice cream and tires), and such. Keep up the good work. I can hardly wait for another book.
Rating: 
Summary: Semi-spoiler alert (in review)
Review: First, I'm a huge fan and have read more books of his than I can even remember. And I loved this book until the end, but then I felt like I got a quick knee to the groin. I've always considered Dean Koontz to be the optimistic Stephen King. King often has dark and unhappy endings to his novels, but I've tended to count on Koontz as generally having the main characters come out okay in his book. This was not the case this time around and I sorta felt betrayed by that. He's an excellent writer, and it does not change my opinion of his books and I'll keep reading them. However, I was very disappointed in the ending this time around.
Rating: 
Summary: Wow...
Review: Great job, once again. Dean Koontz manages to open the book with a bang and grip his audience to the very end. I couldn't put the book down until I had turned the very last page. Koontz brings his cross-genre writing style out very well. With the subtle love-story plot tied in with horror, suspense, and a touch of what one might venture to call "sci-fi" with the introduction of the paranormal and otherworldly. Each character seems to speak to you and captivate you with each turn of the page. Great reading for the experienced Dean Koontz, especially if you enjoyed hits like Dark Rivers of the Heart, and the Chris Snow books. Awesome reading for the beginner who might be looking for something gripping and suspensful without gore and obscenities. Once again, AWESOME JOB!! I look forward to the next release in May!
Rating:
Summary: BACK WITH A BANG!!!
Review: Having been a Dean Koontz fan in the past, I've not read a book of his in years as they seemed to be moving into the realm of scifi, of which I am not a fan. This novel, however, is the Dean Koontz that I've loved from years past. Meet Odd Thomas. He is a likable young man, in his early twenties, who is considered somewhat an anomaly amongst the townfolk of Pico Mundo. Odd can see and communicate with the dead. Not everyone knows of his powers, though everyone sees him as being "different." The only folks privy to this information are those closest to Odd; one being Stormy Llewellyn, the love of his life, and another being the Chief of police of the small town, who is somewhat of a surrogate father to Odd. This special relationship forged between the Chief and Odd was born out of Odd's desire to use his powers for good; he is often able to stop acts of violence before they occur. Sometimes the deceased lead Odd to the offender, so that they may move on to the Other Side. Until now, Odd has been comfortable with his powers, and how he uses them; and then the stranger arrives. He blends into the crowds easily and nothing about him is remarkable in the physical sense--save for the large number of bodachs that seem to follow him everywhere in Pico Mundo. Of course, only Odd can see the bodachs--and he knows that they only appear when violence and death are imminent, and typically frolic around the perpetrator prior to the act. Odd has never seen so many bodachs around one person. Concerned, he contacts the Chief and tell him what he knows, and what he fears may come to pass. What follows are a series of events that will keep any reader on the edge of their seat....all the way to the shocking conclusion. This novel to me demonstrates a return of Koontz to his horror genre roots...showing all that he is still a master of the occult. DYB
Rating:
Summary: One of Koontz's Best
Review: I have read about a dozen of Koontz's book and Odd Thomas was my favoite. It is well written, and unlike some of the other reviews, I thought this had one of his best and well thought out endings. I always felt that one of Koontz's weaknesses was the poor endings of his books, but Odd Thomas is an all-around excellent book. If you like Koontz, you'll find Odd Thomas an excellent read.
Rating:
Summary: Good Book from a great writer
Review: I just love the way Dean Koontz writes. In my next life, I want to come back as a writer just like him.
This is not his best, but it's pretty good. If you like Koontz, you will like this book. If you are new to him, you may not think he's great. But trust me, he is!
Rating:
Summary: Great Book!
Review: Ok, this is my first Koontz book. But what a great start! Koontz takes you on a rollercoaster ride of emotions and lets you off wanting more. The book deals with a young man named Odd Thomas whose gift of seeing the dead gives him insight to a world never seen by normal eyes. The characters are colored vividly and by the end of the book you would swear you knew them personally. Again, great book!
Rating:
Summary: Good Read--Very entertaining, makes you care.
Review: I just finished this book last night, and I couldn't stop thinking about it, even as I slept. It was a very interesting story, I enjoyed imagining the world Koontz created, and he made me care about the characters. I think sometimes Koontz overuses description and creative flourish, and alliteration (it does seem like padding or experimentation), but if you can overlook that you will enjoy a great read. There were a couple of things in the plot that weren't developed/explained, but again, the book is worth reading even so. In my opinion, Koontz's best books are "Watchers", "Dark Rivers of the Heart", and "The Face". I also thoroughly enjoyed "Odd Thomas", "The Bad Place", "Tick Tock", "Demon Seed", and "Lightning". I'm probably leaving some other favorites out, but there's a good reading list for anyone interested.
Rating:
Summary: Great read
Review: I picked this up after not having read Koontz in ten or more years. This was a great book - good plot, keeps you guessing, very humorous, and you really care about the characters. If you are looking for an easy-reading page-turner for a flight, you won't be able to put this down. Koontz uses excellent description and character development. Odd Thomas is a peculiar young man who can see the dead, right at the start of the book you meet a young girl who steers him quickly to her killer. Odd also sees shadows, or what he calls bodachs, that hover around and foreshadow doom for the living. The book will grab you at the beginning right away.....I recommend it highly.
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