Forever Odd cover art

Forever Odd

An Odd Thomas Novel

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Forever Odd

Written by: Dean Koontz
Narrated by: David Aaron Baker
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About this listen

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.
Horror Psychological Suspense Scary Fiction Exciting Heartfelt
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What the critics say

"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

What listeners say about Forever Odd

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Way better then the first book!

It didn't have all the dragging parts from the first book, that was an amazing listen. Can't wait to start the 3rd book!!

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Not His Best

Overall it was OK but not one of Kuntz best....next will be better I hope

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

still enjoying Odd story

some of the action was a bit dry and long, but overall I enjoyed it.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A great sequel to the first Odd Thomas.

Very well narrated. I enjoyed this sequel to Odd Thomas

Dean Koontz has a beautiful narrative in his purple prose. Although not required, a recommended read to his first book Odd Thomas.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Somewhat Disappointing Follow-up

This book has the same basic ingredients that made Dean Koontz's 'Odd Thomas' so unusual and refreshing: The chief character is distinctly average (a short-order cook living in Anytown, USA), the underlying premise - a guy who can see and communicate with the dead - is imaginative (and naturally implies interesting plot threads/twists), even peripheral characters have genuinely weird attributes (six fingers, a rare disfiguring disease, or an overpowering Elvis obsession, for example), and Koontz has obvious fun with the scenarios (the text is largely lighthearted & quirky - he doesn't take himself all that seriously). This is unlike any other fiction out there - but the story still somehow works. The writing is of the highest quality, the occult-based theme (voodoo-fed this time) is intriguing to readers like me, the plot is well-conceived & well-executed, and the descriptions are mind's-eye vivid.
Unfortunately, 'Forever Odd' doesn't match the great pacing of the first book, the sardonic protagonist comes across as moderately disingenuous (he's not taking the situation seriously *at all*), and this installment lacks the pathos that made Book One emotionally effective.
(Aside: With that twist ending, one wonders if the first book wasn't intended as a one-off.)

David Aaron Baker's narration is likewise lacking in this effort. His reading remains far above average (diction, timbre, cadence, voice-acting, and reading rate are all spot-on), but Baker sounds moderately bored for some reason.

Don't get me wrong: this effort is still worth 8 stars out of 10 - and you should for sure give it a listen if you enjoyed 'Odd Thomas' - it's definitely a unique storytelling experience
..but it simply doesn't meet the standard set by the first book of the series.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Weaker overall than the first book

If you are like me, then comparing this to the first story will leave you disappointed. I was very happy with the first book in this series, and later seeing all the other books in the story left to read seemed like good news. However, there just wasn't much that I found enjoyable in this book.

The writing was fine, albeit less compelling. It was just a far less interesting story compared to the first one.The narration was not as good as the first one. While it is the same narrator, he just doesn't deliver the same quality of performance. There are odd places when, either the narration or the way some words are spoken, that are immersion breaking. One of several such examples was the name of some of the "villains". We are introduced to them as "chev all", and then given different details that maybe would make sense if we knew what the actual words were. The word the narrator was trying to say in this instance was "cheval", spoken more like shev (shev like chevrolet) AL, not chev (ch like in church) ALL. Alone they aren't big but the story starts to hinge on some of these things being known and everything starts falling apart when you realize the words you are hearing aren't actually words, and that you should have been hearing other words to associate to these people. While you are wondering what these made up words the narrator is spouting at you mean, you are left behind as the story continues without you.

Just overall, I found the narrator to be less enjoyable. The characters I grew to enjoy from the first book were also mostly removed from this one. The chief, his wife, little ozzy, odd's mom, his dad, three dog, the restaurant owner, etc. They were almost completely absent from the book. In their place was a weird location and even stranger characters that felt like they would be better suited for a Jim Butcher novel than an Odd Thomas adventure. But this is just my two cents.

I went from excited to read the next book in one of my favourite stories, to pretty much losing interest in the series as a whole. I may pick it up again at some point, but I wont recommend this one to you.

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