"Odd Thomas" by Dean Koontz

 Koontz in his element -- 4 stars

Now that I’m in review writing mode again, it was time for another of my favorite authors, Dean R. Koontz!  This time I chose “Odd Thomas,” and I’m glad I did.

Odd Thomas is a short order cook who has a unique ability:  He can see dead people.  But not only that, he can also see dark, shadow like creatures that stalk people, either to cause death or be near when they die.  He calls them “bodachs,” and he tries not to let them know that he can see them.

At age 20, Odd handles things a little better than the little boy from “The Sixth Sense.”  By the time we meet him, he’s already reached the stage of wanting to help these poor ghosts, and to thwart the bodachs when he can.  Odd tries to keep things simple, but when he encounters someone he calls “Fungus Man,” who is surrounded by these bodachs, he worries something very bad is going to happen.

The story is told from Odd’s point of view, which allows the reader to really experience his thoughts and feelings about these “lingering dead” and the disastrous bodachs.  Once the action builds to its climax, the book turns into a true page turner, Koontz at his best!  And even though the story goes on into multiple sequels, I was pleased that this book itself had a concrete ending.  The reader does not HAVE to go on to the sequels, as “Odd Thomas” stands alone on its own.

The only reason I’m not giving this book 5 stars, which was the feeling I had at the end, is that there are stretches of the novel that tend to drag.  I never lost interest, mind you, but there were whole chapters that didn’t actually contribute much.  It felt as though Koontz was “padding the run time” or something, like he was worried that the book was going to be too short (my copy was almost 450 pages, so I’m not sure why it would be a concern).

But even with that fact, I still highly recommend “Odd Thomas” for any fan of Dean R. Koontz.  And I’ll be checking out more Odd Thomas stories in the future!