Forever Odd (Odd Thomas, No 2)

by Dean Koontz

2006

Status

Available

Publication

Bantam (2006), 400 pages

Description

Fantasy. Fiction. Horror. Thriller. HTML:NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER   I see dead people. But then, by God, I do something about it. Odd Thomas never asked for his special ability. Heâ??s just an ordinary guy trying to live a quiet life in the small desert town of Pico Mundo. Yet he feels an obligation to do right by his otherworldly confidants, and thatâ??s why heâ??s won hearts on both sides of the divide between life and death. But when a childhood friend disappears, Odd discovers something worse than a dead body and embarks on a heart-stopping battle of will and wits with an enemy of exceptional cunning. In the hours to come there can be no innocent bystanders, and every sacrifice can tip the balance between despair and hope.   Youâ??re invited on an unforgettable journey through a world of terror and transcendence to wonders beyond imagining. And you can have no better guide than… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member TechiMi
Still recovering from the disastrous events that led him to write his first manuscript, Odd wakes one night to find Dr. Wilbur Jessup in his bedroom staring at him. He has a sinking feeling.

He heads out the door and sets off on foot towards the Doctor's house, hoping to find an accident rather than
Show More
a death, but upon arrival, the Doctor shows him a glimpse of what he will find inside, and he knows his hope is lost. What he doesn't know is what's become of Danny--the Doctor's son, and a good friend.

After some exploration he decides Danny has been taken, and calls in the Police Chief--one of the few people in town to know of his abilities. Once the scene is under control, the Chief and Odd set off together in hopes that Psychic Magnetism will draw Odd to Danny. It doesn't work.

Sitting in the dark, where the Chief left him off, Odd is paid a brief visit by Elvis, which is cut off when he realizes that his gift didn't fail him after all--up the road is coming a van driven by the man who attacked him as he was trying to leave the Jessup house. He takes off on foot after it. And is led to another dead end.

Eventually the magnetism kicks in full force, and Odd finds himself below the city, in a network of Flood tunnels, pondering their immensity and the breadth of their existence. He is lead to an old abandoned and damaged Casino. Here he must spend the rest of the day trying to free Danny of his captors without further injury (Danny suffers from Brittle Bone Disease), trying not to get himself killed, and trying not to be too haunted by the ghosts still hanging on after their tragic demise at the Casino.

There is definitely, or so it seemed to me, a lot more tension in this story than the other. Maybe in part because the other exists, and this seems too much on top of it. But Odd finds his way through, bringing peace to some along the way, rescuing Danny, and making some decisions for himself that may well change his life.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Edward.Lorn
Oh my, but how the mighty have fallen. I really, really, really wanted to like this one. I read Odd Thomas some time ago and I was floored by how much I enjoyed it. With that being said, other than the sarcastic humor that made me fall in love with Odd in Koontz in the first place, I found nothing
Show More
enjoyable about this second in the series. Without spoilers, let me explain why.

Odd walks... a lot. Then, he walks some more. There is, quite literally, one-hundred-twenty paperback pages of Odd simply walking. Odd finds this, Odd finds that, going into great detail about pieces of garbage that litter the floor of Pico Mundo's sewer system. I'm a slow reader, I like to digest every line an author has written because, after all, they took the time to write it and I feel that every word deserves my attention. In other words, I don't skim or skip about. Because of this, I felt like I was mostly reading a text book on the workings of public waterways and casino architecture. Then, when Koontz does bring the action to Odd, it's very anti-climactic. Odd drones on and on during the pivotal scenes, ad nauseam, about how this is like that and so on. I've seen Koontz do tense, tight action sequences, but this book is completely, and I mean completely devoid of any of that. When the lead baddie bites the dust, Koontz just skips over the action. Skips it. That persons gone. Nothing more to see here. I figure Koontz was trying to let the reader fill in the blanks, but instead he just left me feeling blank.

The one saving grace this book has are the final pages. As with Odd Thomas, the first book in the series, Odd reflects on the human condition at the end and pretty much nails it. Even though the rest of the book stunk and dragged on forever (hey! maybe that's why the author called it Forever Odd) the ending had me in tears. The writing is good, as well, but you come to expect that with an author of Koontz's caliber.

I read this because I plan on reading the entire series. My next review will be for Brother Odd. I can only hope it's better than the second book.
Show Less
LibraryThing member pat1eiu
I used to be a big fan of Dean Koontz. Lately I have strayed away from his books because I have been reading so many series books. I picked up the first Odd Thomas book about a year ago and remembered enjoying it alot. I was at the library and couldn't think of anything to get so I picked up
Show More
Forever Odd, the second in the series.
When I first started reading, I couldn't remember why I like the first one so much, and I was starting to doubt that I had ever even liked Koontz. That only lasted about 25 pages. After that, I couldn't put it down. It was a great read that kept me enthralled until the last page.
Show Less
LibraryThing member tloeffler
Second in the Odd Thomas series. One of Odd's friends is kidnapped by a psychotic wannabe psychic, in the hopes of getting Odd to follow them. He does, all the way to a deserted casino that had been destroyed in an earthquake/fire some years ago.
What I had liked the most in [Odd Thomas] was the
Show More
interaction between Odd and the other characters. There was very little of that in this book; the bulk of it was Odd's internal conversations. So I found this second book less compelling than the first. But it wasn't bad enough that I'll quit the series.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Marlene-NL
on Saturday, December 02, 2006 I wrote....

Very quick read. I think it took me 2 days.
It wasn't as good as the first book though.(Odd Thomas)

I like his horror books better. I am re reading The Prodigal Son, because I thought that was one was such a great read.

Forever Odd is all about a chase. I
Show More
guess that genre is more suspence?

I recommend his Frankenstein books over these but it is just a matter what kind of genre you like.
Show Less
LibraryThing member hoosgracie
Decent sequel to Odd Thomas. Odd (his first name) lives in the California desert and he can see dead people, which leads him to adventure. When his good friend’s father shows up dead, he finds that the friend has been kidnapped. Odd’s sixth sense leads him to follow the kidnappers.
LibraryThing member Bookmarque
My overall impression of this second one though is that it was a “going through the motions” book. His publishers no doubt clamoring for a sequel, Koontz put finger to keyboard in a hurry and this is what we got.

Not to say that it’s not well written; it is. Some of the sentences and turns of
Show More
phrase were positively lyrical and I had to read some of the over to myself to soak in the beauty. He is some writer when the mood takes him.

But the story itself was uninvolving. From the minute Danny was snatched I knew why; to get to Odd, to make Odd manifest his power and summon a spirit or spirits.

At the end, Odd goes off to ensconce himself as a lay person in a monastery. To get some peace because no doubt it is hard having no job (being a fry cook is so stressful that he had to get out). Oy vey.
Show Less
LibraryThing member BMVCOE
Odd is such a great character, and he talks like the self-proclaimed geek he is. He also happens to have paranormal powers: he can see ghosts, and has what he calls "psychic magnetism," which is basically the ability to find things that he wants to find. In this case, he uses them both to find his
Show More
friend Danny, who has been kidnapped. This isn't hard-core horror like most of Koontz's books, and it's written in a sparse, witty style that really suits Odd. I think these books would be great to keep around for my students, because the paragraphs and chapters are fairly short and non-intimidating. Plus it's just a great story.
Show Less
LibraryThing member cmbohn
Coming after the amazing first book, Odd Thomas, I couldn't wait to read this one. It is not quite up to the first, but it is still a great book. The first one wrung my emotions and left me breathless in several parts. This one is not quite so heartbreaking, but still so well done that I could
Show More
hardly read fast enough. It left me hopeful that Odd will somehow find a bit of peace in his unusual life.

CMB
Show Less
LibraryThing member wyvernfriend
Odd Thomas sees ghosts. They draw him towards things, they haunt most of his waking days. He can interact with them to a degree but it's not reliable or predictable. When his friend Danny is kidnapped Odd goes in search of him. What he finds is a woman who believes that his power is greater than it
Show More
is. Who wants power of her own, who is very scary.
As the story unfolds it's interesting to see how unquestioning belief in all that is said to be possible with the paranormal can cause problems. It causes serious problems with her but where the borderline is, is left up to the reader.
Show Less
LibraryThing member camaria
Unfortunately this book is not as interesting as "Odd Thomas". The story is rambling and rather disjointed. I read this because I did not want to miss anything when I read "Brother Odd". I think I could have skipped it.
LibraryThing member cabs715
couln not get into it. only read about 60 pages then gave it to my sister in law to read
LibraryThing member KevinJoseph
Somewhere in Dean Koontz's maturation as a writer, he has evolved from a writer of suspenseful horror fiction to something far greater. The literary elite may disagree, but this reader would confidently lay a page of this book side-by-side with a page from any of today's critically-acclaimed
Show More
literary fiction and argue that the precision of word choice, and poetry of expression, would more than hold its own. So too would the thematic content of the book, particularly the case he makes for envy as man's original sin, as well as the redemptive power of stoicism and unwavering honesty that Odd displays in the face of intense emotional suffering.

The downside of Koontz's maturation is that fans of his older stuff may feel that the greater emphasis on character and theme in "Forever Odd" comes at the expense of plot, complexity and, well, overall creepiness. While this novel's plot could have been more developed, the horror octane is of an unquestionably high grade. Indeed the earthquake-and-fire-ravaged Indian casino that serves as the setting for much of the book generates a fright level that rivals the hotel in "The Shining." And the spooks (live, dead, and undead) who haunt it would hold their own against Mr. King's Overlook Hotel denizens.

So if you're looking to be scared, but without fear of being guilty of literary slumming, "Forever Odd" (and its predecessor "Odd Thomas") will serve you as well as anything since Edgar Allan Poe.

-Kevin Joseph, author of "The Champion Maker"
Show Less
LibraryThing member Heptonj
A good follow-on to Odd Thomas, thoroughly enjoyable. Contains all the familiar characters which I hope Mr. Koontz will continue to write about.
LibraryThing member TW_Spencer
This is a very good book but slow to start but when it heats you might get burned.
LibraryThing member youthfulzombie
For a few years I fell off the Koontz bandwagon. I am now again a passenger.
Koontz has stopped the over-the-top, totally dated, supernatural “horror” stuff and grown up.
As with its precursor, Odd Thomas, Forever Odd has a strong voice written in the first person. Odd is a likeable, strange and
Show More
witty person and following him on his adventures is a pleasure. Though this second book lacked strength of plot, I will not hesitate to pick up the 3rd book, Brother Odd, (once it’s in paperback that is).
Now, if he would just get back and write a 3rd in the previous series (Christopher Snow, dude who is allergic to sun/light) he started a view years ago....
Show Less
LibraryThing member madamemeow
This was an awesome book! Definitely a different feel from the first one--which I'm finding to be a common theme even within this series for Koontz--but still just as great as the first! A fantastic read, a job well done!
LibraryThing member reannon
Second in the series about Odd Thomas, who sees the dead and has a few other supernatural powers. In this one, he has to use all his powers to save his dear friend.

Odd Thomas is one of the most interesting and original narrative voices. It really feels like some one you'd want to know... he is
Show More
sweet, intelligent, and a darn good fry cook. Highly recommended.
Show Less
LibraryThing member TheBentley
Not as good as the first book in the Odd Thomas series, but still a fast and enjoyable read. The Odd Thomas books remain the only Dean Koontz books I've encountered in which I don't find the author's voice intrusive and awkward.
LibraryThing member Fantasma
The sequel to Odd Thomas, didn't find this one as enjoyable as the other.
A little bit slow, lacks some real action, and even though Odd continues to be funny and a great caracter, sometimes we just wish he'd grow up a bit...
And the ending, it didn't convince me and it didn't have any of the
Show More
emotional impact we had in the 1st book.

Hated Datura! Hated!!
Show Less
LibraryThing member nm.spring08.j.martin
Forever Odd is a book that delves into the world of ghosts and detective work, which it justifies both poorly. Follow the main character, Odd, in solving a murder. Now no one said he would solve this murder by the books, no, he communes with the deceased, including a dead Elvis. Odd talks with the
Show More
cool skepticism of most Koontz's novels heroes, as if they are all just cookie cutter protagonists from Dean's bakery of novels. If you like good books, don't read this.
Show Less
LibraryThing member jbdavis
The second Dean Koontz book to feature Odd Thomas, Forever Odd, perhaps should have been called MacGyver Odd. Odd tracks down a strange group of villains who are obsessed with the supernatural and have kidnapped a friend of his in order to make Odd show them ghosts. Although Odd can see ghosts he
Show More
can't make them manifest to others so this is something of a problem. Practically the entire book takes place in an isolated, burned out casino and Odd spends the entire book figuring out ways to outwit them and rescue his friend. This was distinctly different from the first book but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
Show Less
LibraryThing member kayceel
Odd must rescue his friend Danny Jessup from an evil, crazy woman who is "testing" Odd's talents. This one is *much* freakier and darker than the first in the series.

***Felt a lot like _Intensity_...
LibraryThing member drneutron
The second in the Odd Thomas series, Forever Odd, continues the story of a young man who lives up to his name (and yes, Odd is his first name). Odd sees ghosts, and occasionally spirit-like creatures that feed off the hate and violence surrounding particularly evil acts. In Forever Odd, he's led to
Show More
rescue a friend from kidnappers who've murdered the friend's father. I don't want to say too much so I don't spoil some surprises. But suffice it to say that there's more than meets the eye going on here, and Odd is asked to give all of himself to see things through.

Koontz is one of those big names that sells a lot of books. Some of his stuff can be pretty good beach reads without a lot of depth. But the Odd Thomas series is different - there's considerable exploration of spiritual themes, and an interesting mix of characters that feel real as opposed to the cast of stereotyped characters some authors might have used in what could have been a vanilla Good vs Evil story.

Recommended, but start with the first for best effect.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Baker_ia
This series is rather sad yet I have to keep reading just to find out what happens next. There is a lot of death in these books and some rather weird characters to find out about. So the Odd part of the title does fit the books.

Language

Original language

English

Physical description

400 p.; 4.2 inches

ISBN

000779665X / 9780007796656

Barcode

1600698
Page: 0.8592 seconds