Tuesday, December 20, 2005

Odd Thomas Returns

When I got my iPod last Christmas, Dean Koontz's Life Expectancy was the first book I downloaded. I listened to that tale of killer clowns and clairvoyant experiences through vaccuming and exercise sessions for most of January.

I guess my year has come full circle because I'm finishing up with Forever Odd, the sequel to 2003's Odd Thomas.

Odd Thomas is a fry cook who sees dead people - ghosts who can't actually communicate with him but who appear nonethless with messages and hidden meanings. The ghost of Elvis lingers in his presence in this outing.

Odd talents
Odd's talents helped him thwart dark doings in the first novel yet couldn't protect him from some loss. They make him the target of a villaness just slightly less offbeat than the evil clown in Life Expectancy.

She is a classic Koontz character, though. She's well drawn and quirky with sinister motivations that drive her to manipulative action.

Most of the action takes place in a single setting interestingly. As I pedaled through a cardio workout last night, I joined Odd on an obstacle course of attempted escape.

Odd velocity
Forever Odd
is definitely one of Koontz's fast paced efforts, one of those like Intensity that seems to unfold in a single, energetic burst. It's brief by Koontz standards, only about eight hours on audio.

Is it as good as the original Odd adventure? Not quite, but it's not a bad audio experience and should be interesting on the page as well.

No comments: