Odd Thomas

Odd Thomas is the first novel in the Odd Thomas Series. It serves as the foundation for the following six books by introducing key elements that shape Odd’s journey throughout the series. The reader is introduced to the titular character, a young fry cook with a unique ability to see and communicate with the dead. Odd is initially portrayed as an unassuming and modest individual, even with his extraordinary gift. Although he begins the series as relatively innocent, he is forced to kill one of the antagonists by the book’s conclusion. This sets the tone for the rest of the series, as Odd grapples with darker requirements on his mission to help both the living and the dead.

The book also establishes Odd’s goal to be reunited with Stormy in the afterlife. He closes this novel by saying that doing so will require perseverance and proof of his dedication to helping people. The story also introduces the Satanic cult. While a few members serve as the book’s primary antagonists, they are an overarching antagonistic presence in the series, particularly in the last few books. Finally, while many of the characters in the novel do not follow Odd through his adventures in the following book, Elvis’s ghost is with him for the first three novels. After he finally passes on, the spirit of Frank Sinatra fills his narrative role. Koontz is a practicing Catholic, and Catholicism, albeit indirectly, informs many of the elements of this series. Odd attempts to overcome evil and, by doing so, reunite with Stormy in the afterlife. There are a total of seven novels proper in the Odd Thomas Series, and all loosely contain these Christian elements.