Bookworm: Odd Thomas

Books are magical.  It never ceases to amaze me how the written story of someone who does not exist can reach your heart more surely than the lifeless delivery of real news from the TV. 

I hadn't been reading much lately.  I had started a series that I’d been meaning to read for a long time and…well, I felt pretty disappointed about it.  So it got set aside, and instead of picking something else to read, I simply grabbed an old favorite to occupy me on my lunch breaks.

Then, as I previously mentioned, I started Dean Koontz’s Odd Thomas.  I restricted my reading to my breaks, not feeling a need to rush given that I knew the plot from watching the movie.  But it was a long week this week, so upon getting home Friday, I got cozy on the couch with a cup of tea and my book.

For a quick summary, Odd Thomas is about a young man who has special gifts.  He sees the dead, and is compelled to help them.  When an stranger comes to his work accompanied by malevolent beings, Odd finds himself drawn to find out what about this man would attract such darkness.  With the aid of his gifts, he ends up trying to unravel a potential disaster before time runs out.

Back to what I was saying.  Left to my own devices, I will submerse myself so thoroughly into a book I lose track of time, place, and even hunger status.  And so, I finally finished Odd Thomas.  While it had taken me a ridiculously long time to read the first half of the book, the second half went by in a blur of pages and time.

Despite knowing what would transpire, I felt the anxiety of what was to come, the fringes of horror of imagery and events, and got choked up once again at the ending. 

Now let’s get something straight.  I. Do. Not. Do. Sad. Endings.  If I find that I have accidentally found myself in such a predicament, I will immediately follow up with the perkiest (movie, story, etc) possible.  But Dean Koontz manages to leave you with hope despite it all, and so I still felt peaceably about the conclusion.

I know many people who are very fond of Dean Koontz’s work, but this is actually only the second of his books I've read.  The first, years ago, was Watchers.  It was a little dark, intense, and with just enough horror that I felt pretty sure my scaredy cat self should not be reading it.  And yet I couldn't return it to my friend unfinished. 

But while I enjoyed it, I didn't ready any more of his works.  Like I said, I was…and mostly still am, uncomfortable with horror.  I didn't want to risk another reason to be scared of the dark.  It wasn't until my brother started reading some of his work after I started college that he even became a blip on my radar again.

Now I think I’ll be reading his books with more interest.  I've already breezed through Forever Odd, and Brother Odd tempts me from the couch as I write this.  Koontz knows how to write with the perfect level of detail, and keeps an excellent balance of humor and intensity.  I highly recommend this particular series to anyone who enjoys stories of the supernatural suspense variety.

Now as I mentioned, the pages call.  Until next time!