Saint Odd

Odd Thomas is a character created by author Dean Koontz that has left an impact on me. Through six full-length novels and two novellas, I have followed Odd as he gives of himself with honor, humility, and humor. Odd has the ability to see the lingering dead, those who do not move on to the next life after they die, either due to fear, or because they seek venegence, or because they have some unfinished business. In several stories in this series, Odd has used his psychic powers to thwart the plans of a group of satanists. A group that has been around for centuries and is powerful and well funded. In the latest release in this series, Saint Odd, Odd has received a prophetic dream about the destruction of his hometown Pico Mundo. Odd left home after a group of these satanists attached the local mall killing 19 people, including his beloved, Stormy Llewellyn. To escape his pain, he had to get away. He planned, ultimately, to come back on his own terms, but the dream overrode his timeline.

No sooner than Odd had arrived back in town, he was in the gunsights of the satanists. A web of maniacal killers had spread out all over the town laying the groundwork for their plan of absolute destruction. Sometimes Odd's dreams about the future are more easily interpreted than at other times. Odd's nightvision showed him his hometown wiped out by a flood of epic proportions and he feared the town dam would be targeted. However, as he approached what he had received from different angles, he slowly came to realize that his warning was more symbolic than literal. With a selfless heart and approach, Odd boldly strives to end the grip of the cultists before they can carry out their sophisticated operation. Yet he has precious little time and the battle has brought him nearly to his knees.

This story was the end of the Odd Thomas series and I will miss him and miss the opportunity to read another of his adventures, but as he said, "The promise that mattered has been kept, and I have found work that, believe it or not, I enjoy even a great deal more than being a fry cook at the Pico Mundo Grille. I will miss you terribly until I see you."