Forever Odd

An Odd Thomas Novel

By: Dean Koontz

Narrated by: David Aaron Baker

Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

Every so often a character so captures the hearts and imaginations of listeners that he seems to take on a life of his own long after the final chapter. For such a character, one book is not enough—listeners must know what happens next. Now Dean Koontz returns with the novel his fans have been demanding. With the emotional power and sheer storytelling artistry that are his trademarks, Koontz takes up once more the story of a unique young hero and an eccentric little town in a tale that is equal parts suspense and terror, adventure and mystery—and altogether irresistibly odd.

We’re all a little odd beneath the surface. He’s the most unlikely hero you’ll ever meet—an ordinary guy with a modest job you might never look at twice. But there’s so much more to any of us than meets the eye—and that goes triple for Odd Thomas. For Odd lives always between two worlds in the small desert town of Pico Mundo, where the heroic and the harrowing are everyday events. Odd never asked to communicate with the dead—it’s something that just happened. But as the unofficial goodwill ambassador between our world and theirs, he’s got a duty to do the right thing. That’s the way Odd sees it and that’s why he’s won hearts on both sides of the divide between life and death.

A childhood friend of Odd’s has disappeared. The worst is feared. But as Odd applies his unique talents to the task of finding the missing person, he discovers something worse than a dead body, encounters an enemy of exceptional cunning, and spirals into a vortex of terror. Once again Odd will stand against our worst fears. Around him will gather new allies and old, some living and some not. For in the battle to come, there can be no innocent bystanders, and every sacrifice can tip the balance between despair and hope. Whether you’re meeting Odd Thomas for the first time or he’s already an old friend, you’ll be led on an unforgettable journey through a world of terror, wonder and delight—to a revelation that can change your life. And you can have no better guide than Odd Thomas.

©2005 Dean Koontz (P)2005 Random House, Inc. Random House Audio, a division of Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Forever Odd is a fast and exciting read.... [the climactic scenes are] fraught with tension."—Rocky Mountain News

"The nice young fry cook with the occult powers is [Dean Koontz's] most likable creation. ... candid, upright, amusing and sometimes withering, especially when thinking about the state of contemporary popular culture."—The New York Times

"Inventive.... It's refreshing to come across a character as good-hearted as Odd.... [Dean Koontz is] an interesting writer with a voice all his own."—Washington Post

Another masterpiece!!!!

Another masterpiece!!!! Even though I have read these books before, it is so hard to not be on the edge of my seat....

how very odd

This series is quirky, full of heart and very verbose. It certainly is odd, but in a very good way.

love

the Odd Thomas series is great. it never fails me . i have one more to hear them i will listen to them in the proper order.

Awesome Listen

I really like the series. This one did not disappoint. It kept moving and the reader does not put you to sleep. I strongly recommend it.

On to the Next

love this writer. I've read all the books. but now I'm going to listen to them all.

way too slow for me

i guess i was expecting a little more action and mystery, but what i got was a whole lot of navel gazing. there is one scene where it took i think, three chapters for the main character to watch a bad guy walk across a small room while the author filled in as many digressions and ramblings as possible, presumably to fill out his weird count.
the book is an interesting premise but i can do the execution.

Fantastic

As always I enjoy the storytelling capabilities of Koontz. Having recently started the Odd series I am delighted there are so many to keep my speakers occupied. Odd Thomas is fast becoming a favored character amongst my reading.

ok story, narrator's woman voice was grating.

This one isn't as good as the rest of the Odd Thomas books, it could have been half as long and told the same story.
The narrator of the audio book did a horrible job of Dutura's voice, it was so annoying to hear that voice that I started skipping those parts. It was like listening to nails on a chalkboard. Just read the book dude, don't try and do women's voices, you're not good at it. My god I can't express how horrible & grating it was to listen to. The book describes her voice as smokey, sexy, & alluring but he made it sound like a whiny, bratty child that makes you want to gouge your ears out.

Love Odd Thomas

Sometimes you just come across a series that is a bit different, that gives some variation. This is one of those.

Good, but not as good as the first.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, Odd Thomas. The characters in the first book were interesting and refreshing. In this book you are reintroduced to a lot of the same characters and the plot of the first book, so you waste a little time in that regard. It seems he may have rushed this to market to capture the appeal of the first book, but it's still decent.

That aside the book is a good listen, and it keeps you interested like most of Koontz's books. The plot-line of this book revolves around black magic, and Koontz must have done a lot of research. This makes it interesting and lends a degree of "trueness" to it that makes you wonder if the black magic mentioned in the book is really out there.