The novel I read for this quarters reading assignment was Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz. Odd Thomas is published by Bantam Dell and it is 383 pages. This book was recommended to me by my mother and stepfather. They both agreed that it was a very good book.
Odd Thomas is a very interesting book to say the least. A young man named Odd Thomas is a typical man. He is a short-order cook at a small restaurant but there is just one thing different about him than anybody else, he can see the dead. Odd is a fairly happy man, he has his soul mate Stormy Llywellyn and he tries his best to help people. The dead can not speak to Odd which at points challenges his job to help them. Sometimes the dead that Odd see's give him tips to help him prevent crime, and others are victims of crimes that demand justice. This book has everything from creepy creatures of death to the dead Elvis Presley.
This novel is for the readers who ranging from young adults to adults. Odd Thomas is a quick read with some mature situations that may not be appropriate for some young readers. Dean Koontz' has a wonderful writing style. His writing is very descriptive and in-depth. Koontz has a way of writing about very deep thought about human existence while also adding a comical twist to it. "I am an optimist about our species. I assume God is, too, for otherwise He would have scrubbed us off the plane a long time ago and would have started over." (150.)
A passage that struck me in some way was Odd's perspective on life on page 150. "I am an optimist about ur pecies. I assume God is, too, for otherwise He would have scrubbed us off the planet a long time ago and would have started over." This passage really struck me because it is a very interesting perspective on human existence.
Another passage I enjoyed was the conversation between Odd and Stormy in chapter 21. In time she said, "I love you, Oddie. "My voice was thick when I repied. "I love you more than Life." (150) This conversation between Odd and Stormy struck me because it showed me how much love they have for each other. It shows how powerful the power of love really is.
Another passage that I liked was "Although her eyes are neither golden nor heavenly blue, Terri Stambaugh has the vision of an angel for she sees through you and knows your truest heart, but loves you anyway, in spite of all the ways that you are fallen from a state of grace." (43.) I loved this passage because it told me that nobody in life is perfect. Everybody has flaws but it is good to see people for there good qualities and not the bad.
I really enjoyed reading this book. Odd Thomas honestly gave me a different perspective about life and the human race. It taught me that love is a very powerful emotion and that it isn't always as happy as it is brought up to be. I also learned by reading Odd Thomas, that evil, does indeed exist.
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This book seems very intresting. I don't usually like creepy books about the dead, but I might have to consider reading this book. I really like the first quote you picked. I think it is a very powerful quote, and it shows the personality of the character. I think you did an excellent job explaining the pick and you chose some really powerful quotes that encouraged me to want to read the book.
ReplyDelete-Madeline Dowd
I feel as though this would be a novel that I would enjoy reading. This book seems it would intrigue me because crime is involved and crime is a very interesting subject. Also, the book includes "creepy creatures" which could also make the novel more exciting to read. Novels that give me a different perspective on things are the type that I like to read.
ReplyDeleteThis book that you wrote a report on, Odd Thomas, although very odd indeed it does sound like a pretty good book. I also think that the first quote was very prominent and deffinitly gave a good example of the character. Next time I go to choose a book I'll deffinitly keep this in mind.
ReplyDeleteI will certainly keep an eye out for this book. I have read a couple of other books by Koontz, and I liked them a lot. This one sounds like a very unique read. The quotes were striking and memorable, and the story seems engrossing. The concept isn't completely original, but it seems like the content is, and very much so.
ReplyDeleteFrom what i have read this book seems to be a very original read. It seems like the conflict in the story seems to be something Odd cannot solve easily so it would be intresting. I also enjoyed your first passage about Odd's view on life. I think it shows that he is a likeable character and I will definently look into this book sometime.
ReplyDeleteThis book seemed to have a realtion to the book that i read. Both of our books deal with death, but yours sounds like it goes more into depth. I liked the quote from pg.43 the best becacuse i felt like that really shows the authors descriptive writing style. It also is talking about the realitly in which everyone is not perfect, so overall i feel that i would consider reading this book in the future.
ReplyDeleteJessica Mercier
ReplyDeleteMy sister told me I should really read this book because she loved it. From reading your summary I think I would too. The book I read, The Beloved, dealt with the seeing of people that have passed away and I really loved the book. Maybe these two are similar.