virago reviewed on 9/17/2018 + 267 more book reviews

Let me preface my review by saying that I saw the movie a few years ago and enjoyed it very much, so I fully expected to enjoy the book. And I did. However, I couldn't stop picturing Anton Yelchin as Odd and it made me very sad. That being said, the movie was a pretty fair representation of the book. Minus the parts with Odd's insanely bad parents. OMG they were terrible, horrible people!

The story is told by the protagonist, Odd Thomas, who can see the dead...and other otherworldly things. He lives a life of simplicity as a fry cook in a small town and wants nothing more than to settle down with his soul mate, Stormy and maybe get a job selling tires...eventually. He does his best to help the dead settle whatever business they still have on this plane so that they can finally cross over to the next.

But that all changes the day the Fungus Man comes into the diner where Odd works. This man is the precursor to the tragedy about to hit Odd's town. Odd is then in a race to figure out what horrible thing is about to happen in his town, learn what the Fungus Man has to do with it all, and keep as many people safe as possible.

Having enjoyed the movie so much, I kind of expected the book to blow me out of the water. It did not. It was good, very good even, but not great. The story was very sad really. Learning the way Odd and Stormy grew up, the burden of his "gift", the ending. I'm a little hesitant to continue with the series, but really, I need to find out what happens to Odd next.

Even though it didn't knock my socks off, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who's into the supernatural.

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