Odd Thomas is a man who can see dead people. Because of this strange ability he feels compelled to do something about it all. So when a man comes across his path surrounded by bodachs, invisible creatures akin to evil spirits in Odd's opinion, the young man is determined to do something about it. What follows is a complex mystery steeped in the supernatural. The story is told from Odd's point of view, and I found his narrative voice to be great. I think Koontz did a great job of giving Odd a personality unlike any other. Although I have to say that I sometimes with he would take a conversation seriously instead of answering everything with a quip. In fact I can only recall a handful of times in the whole novel when he gave serious answers to situations. I love a quick wit as much as the next person, but sometimes I just need some seriousness.
This is my first Koontz novel, and let me say, I am definitely going to be coming back for more of his work after this entertaining review.
That all being said, I have already seen the movie, that was after all what drew me to buy the book. I am, however, rereading it now that I have reread the book. There are plenty of differences from book to movie. The more I take a closer look at adaptations I am coming to better understand reasons for cutting things out, changing details, tweaking scenes. So I get the reason Odd's mother was cut out of the movie, placed in a mental institute when he was younger rather than having her be someone he turned to in a rather lengthy, disturbing, unnecessary scene. Despite these minor differences, I think the movie does a good job of doing justice to the book.
So I will probably pick up the second in this series, since I happened to buy it with the first, and read it very soon. Suddenly I feel bad about not picking up any of Koontz's work sooner.
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