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coradagger's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
geniusscientist's review against another edition
4.0
I actually ended up liking this a lot! The writing itself is a little annoying in the beginning (paragraphs are only two sentences long, unless they are one; over-dramatic analogies) which is not to say that it got BETTER but just that I got used to it. And I think that the writing style perfectly suited the protagonist, who is also the first-person narrator.
And I didn't know what was going to happen! I had a bunch of theories but they never were right. Ultimately it's just mystery/thriller fluff (which I do not tend to seek out) but I thought it was well done. Hooray for Koontz!
And I didn't know what was going to happen! I had a bunch of theories but they never were right. Ultimately it's just mystery/thriller fluff (which I do not tend to seek out) but I thought it was well done. Hooray for Koontz!
troutgirl's review against another edition
Quirk on demand, but it's hard not to be charmed by short-order cook Odd Thomas and his devoted friends (including the ghost of Elvis!). Koontz works hard to imagine the details of a life with the ghosts of the uneasily dead, and to maintain a fluid narrative voice that bridges horror and humor.
lblanke724's review against another edition
2.0
OK, ok, I didn't really finish this! I read about 200 pages. I liked it a lot as I got started, then I lost interest and there are too many others waiting on me to read them!
altmanhome's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed this book. I loved the characters and the cheekiness.
aurynsharay's review against another edition
5.0
I had been meaning to read this book for the last decade, but just never found the time to get around to it. It was only after watching the movie adaptation with Anton Yelchin a couple of years ago, that I finally decided to read the book. Just to see if the movie did the book justice.
I was pleasantly surprised. The book was fantastic, and the more I read, the more I fell in love with Odd. I've been reading Dean Koontz's book since I was a pre-teen, and have found many of his books to be interesting, but the Odd Thomas books have me hooked. I've since read most of them, and am working on getting the rest of them to read as well.
I was pleasantly surprised. The book was fantastic, and the more I read, the more I fell in love with Odd. I've been reading Dean Koontz's book since I was a pre-teen, and have found many of his books to be interesting, but the Odd Thomas books have me hooked. I've since read most of them, and am working on getting the rest of them to read as well.
dwibble92's review against another edition
4.0
Odd Thomas definitely lives up to his name. I love a supernatural thriller and this hits all the right buttons. Odd is very likeable, he hasn’t got high ambitions and he just wants to live his life. It’s written as if Odd is writing the story with an audience in mind so it feels like he is speaking to you. Some of it was fairly predictable but not in a boring way so I didn’t mind too much. I will definitely be reading the whole series if the other books are as good as this.
carolineinthelibrary's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
I love the movie "Odd Thomas" so I wanted to give the book a try. I really, desperately wanted to love the book as much as I love the movie but I didn't.
First, the book really doesn't pick up until about Chapter 19. It's a lot of explanation and sidetrack stories in the beginning that I just couldn't get into. It took me a long time to push past all of that and get to the good stuff. It might not help that I've seen the movie, so I was waiting for the action, but I feel like I wouldn't have enjoyed the beginning regardless.
A major issue I had with it is the amount of similes and metaphors Koontz uses. For example, this is one sentence..." Self-effacing, somewhat shy, Harlo had not labored on the car with the hope either that it would be a babe magnet or that those who had thought of him as tepid would suddenly think he was cool enough to freeze the mercury in a thermometer." WE GET IT. But it doesn't end there. Extended similes and metaphors happen every other paragraph, like when you're in high school and you need to make a word count so you BS your way there. I found myself continually thinking "Okay, we get it, move on."
Finally, Koontz elaborates on some things unnecessarily while not elaborating enough on others. At one point, he details what Purell is...ya know, hand sanitizer? He spends a paragraph on it. Meanwhile, about a page later, Odd finds a "pyx." What is a pyx? I didn't know until three paragraphs later when Koontz kind of explains that it's a little box a priest puts the Eucharist in. I couldn't for the life of me understand why a pretty common household cleaner was explained but I almost had to throw in the towel and Google a pyx.
All in all, I'm glad I read the book as it solidified for me what a great movie it was. Anton Yelchin, in my opinion, is the perfect Odd and Addison Timlin is exactly who I would have chosen for Stormy. But I don't plan to continue the series.
First, the book really doesn't pick up until about Chapter 19. It's a lot of explanation and sidetrack stories in the beginning that I just couldn't get into. It took me a long time to push past all of that and get to the good stuff. It might not help that I've seen the movie, so I was waiting for the action, but I feel like I wouldn't have enjoyed the beginning regardless.
A major issue I had with it is the amount of similes and metaphors Koontz uses. For example, this is one sentence..." Self-effacing, somewhat shy, Harlo had not labored on the car with the hope either that it would be a babe magnet or that those who had thought of him as tepid would suddenly think he was cool enough to freeze the mercury in a thermometer." WE GET IT. But it doesn't end there. Extended similes and metaphors happen every other paragraph, like when you're in high school and you need to make a word count so you BS your way there. I found myself continually thinking "Okay, we get it, move on."
Finally, Koontz elaborates on some things unnecessarily while not elaborating enough on others. At one point, he details what Purell is...ya know, hand sanitizer? He spends a paragraph on it. Meanwhile, about a page later, Odd finds a "pyx." What is a pyx? I didn't know until three paragraphs later when Koontz kind of explains that it's a little box a priest puts the Eucharist in. I couldn't for the life of me understand why a pretty common household cleaner was explained but I almost had to throw in the towel and Google a pyx.
All in all, I'm glad I read the book as it solidified for me what a great movie it was. Anton Yelchin, in my opinion, is the perfect Odd and Addison Timlin is exactly who I would have chosen for Stormy. But I don't plan to continue the series.