Customer Reviews
Odd is Back! - By: Reeds, 04 Jan 2009 
I'm a big fan of Odd Thomas - he's a very likeable, charming & slightly odd (through no fault of his own) guy who just so happens to be able to see the dead. Odd has a high sense of morality, which often makes things hard for him: the evil that he keeps running into doesn't tend to share his fine upstanding morals. Odd has to deal with things the hard way to fitin with his principles, whereas evil can do as it pleases.
"Forever Odd" picks up a short time after the aftermath which so shook Odd's life at the end of "Odd Thomas". Odd is still coming to terms with his loss when he suffers another - his closest friend is kidnapped by a crazy psycho female who wants Odd to show her the dead.
The storyline follows Odd as he risks all to save his friend. However, where "Odd Thomas" was fast paced, action packed & full of twists & turns "Forever Odd" is somewhat lacking. The storyline could have taken up half a book & there is a lot of 'filler' material. Odd's encounters with the dead are few & far between & the characters which became so endearingin the first book (Chief Porter, Elvis, Little Ozzie etc) feature far too briefly.
Whilst I did enjoy "Forever Odd", I was a little disappointed that there was not more on offer. Maybe the next two instalmentsin the life & times of Pico Mundo's favourite son will make up for it...
Forever Odd - Never Great - By: O. Southwood, 10 Sep 2008 
You cannot fault Koontz with his writing style or his fantastic ideas.
Here, the 1st-person narrative continues to brilliantly define Odd Thomas as a character, & a variety of set pieces, including the opening scene, are compelling & cleverin the way they open questions & promise great mystery for the story ahead.
Whereas the original Odd Thomas managed to build mystery & deliver payoffs at a steady pace, Forever Odd never quite delivers on its promise. The problems with Forever Odd are entirely plot related. The villain doesnt get anywhere near enough space on the page. There are unanswered questions & loose ends aplenty by the end of the book. Too many loose ends can ruin the reader experience, even if the preceding story was enthralling.
The secondary characterin this story is a supposed childhood friend of Odd Thomas - named Danny - but the introduction of Danny feels a bit, well, odd, because I dont recall his existencein the 1st novel, & his presencein the Odd Thomas Universe feels rather forced. On the flip side, various established characters from the 1st novel get shoe-horned into the final act of Forever Odd, while others get major rolesin the opening but then dissappear for the rest of the story.
I wanted to know more about Odd's nemesisin this story, & more about Odd himself, but I feel I learned nothing new about him by the end of the book.
All that said, the narrative is typically snappy & well paced by Koontz, & the characters very likable. I had hoped for a bit more explanation of Odd Thomas & some discovery of the reasons behind his supernatural skills, as well as a bit more of the Bodachs - which were sadly absent from this tale.
Forever Odd - By: David Brookes, 10 Jun 2008 Koontz's novel "Odd Thomas" was clearly a bigger hit than anticipated, because his publishers have urged him to continue the story of the twenty-something fry cook who sees dead people. The result is "Forever Odd", which sees Odd left deflated & dispirited (not literally - he still communicates with ghosts) after the soul-shattering conclusion to his previous misadventure. Now that his desert town of Pico Mundo has returned to its state of relative calm, Odd wonders if he'll have time to rest & repair himself. Unfortunately, fate has something elsein store for him. A young & very twisted lady has taken interestin the man with the unwanted gift, & has abducted a young & vulnerable friend of Odd'sin order to get his attention.
Through his character, Koontz made it clearin the first novel that he intended to keep the tone light & the story swift-paced. He kept his promise for "Odd Thomas", & has done the same for the sequel. Every pagein this novel feels relevant & un-belaboured, making this every bit the page-turner that the cover says.
The light tone occasionally feels forced, however, with Odd spinning out weak jokes & sometimes excruciatingly unfunny extended similes. Odd's young friend Danny, who Odd claims has a rapier wit & unparalleled sense of self-deprecating humour, is even worse, making the reader wish that Koontz just hadn't bothered.
Aside from that, the story is solid & still often amusing, & very occasionally emotional & chilling when intended. The conclusion & its admittedly minor revelation about the villains of the piece manages to shed a whole new layer to the narrative the reader has just finished, making up for minor niggles with a suitably uneasy conclusion.
The third & fourth books are already out as I write this, & I'll definitely be getting the nextin the series at least; it looks like the overall story is strengthening significantly with each instalment.
6/10
Great sequel - By: Penny, 13 Jan 2008 
Personally I loved this one as much as the other twoin this series. Maybe some people might think it suffers from the loss of a main characterin book 1, but I think it dealt with that very well. The humour is there & the excitement. I've just finished Brother Odd, & would recommend the series to anyone.
Not as good as the first one - By: kimmy, 04 Dec 2007 I love the character Odd Thomas & the first book totally absored me,his love for his stormy was so beautiful (if not so unrealistic) this is a good read but it doesn't really take you to any new depths, its a little bit nuts infactin terms of plot line, It wont put me off getting the third installment though
