- Odd Thomas (character)
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Odd Thomas Odd Thomas books character Created by Dean Koontz Portrayed by Anthony Marks (webisodes)
Anton Yelchin (movies- recently anounced)Information Gender male Odd Thomas is a fictional character who first appeared in Dean Koontz's 2003 novel of the same name, Odd Thomas. He is a twenty-year-old man who lives in the fictional desert town of Pico Mundo, California, and is able to see the spirits of the dead. He is able to make himself heard to them but they cannot speak to him, although they may make signs or mouth words. This fact complicates much of the books.
The ghost of Elvis Presley was once a constant companion to him, until the end of Brother Odd, at which time Elvis moved on and the ghost of Frank Sinatra became Odd's new companion. Sinatra similarly left at the end of Odd Hours, shortly after an impressive display of poltergeist activity.
Contents
Fictional character biography
Odd's name was originally intended to be "Todd",(or possibly "Dodd", after his European uncle whom he has never met and may not exist) and his actual name stems from an error on his birth certificate that eventually became permanent. Odd lived at home until he was 16. His mother is a neurotic who refuses responsibility and has a psychotic fixation with handguns. Odd's father divorced her when Odd was one year old. He never remarried but has become a serial dater of girls that are barely/questionably legal. Odd was severely neglected and emotionally abused by his mother after his father left. If his mother couldn't hide from him, she would threaten to kill herself or Odd if he created 'stressful' events, i.e. he was very sick as a child and wanted her to comfort him when she told him if he didn't stop crying she was going to shoot herself. During this same incident she also made him (Odd) to look down the barrel of her gun.
Odd's unique ability to see the dead (among other paranormal gifts) complicates his life and forms the basis of the novels. When the first novel begins he is a 20 year-old fry cook, with a particular proficiency for pancakes, living in the fictional California town of Pico Mundo. He uses his abilities to aid the lingering spirits who seek him out. The plot of the first novel centers on Odd and his girlfriend Stormy Llewellyn's attempt to prevent a mass murder in his hometown. Odd successfully minimizes the casualties of the scheme but Stormy is killed, changing the course of Odd's life.
The second novel, Forever Odd focuses on a battle of wits between Odd and an occult-obsessed seductress who has kidnapped Odd's childhood friend, hoping to attract Odd and learn about his gift. In Brother Odd, Odd has retreated to a quiet life in St. Bartholomew's Abbey, where children are being stalked by paranormal creatures outside of Odd's experience. In the fourth and most recent novel, Odd Hours Odd is drawn to Magic Beach where he experiences an apocalyptic dream and investigates a plot of cataclysmic proportions. During this novel he meets Annamaria, a mysterious woman who dubs Odd during their first conversation as her protector. At the end of the novel Annamaria accompanies Odd as the two depart Magic Beach, and Annamaria comforts Odd by mimicking a favorite pastime of Odd's and Stormy's.
Odd's primary power is sight of ghosts and other departed spirits, primarily humans and dogs, though Odd has made allusions to others. The spirits never speak, though Odd does not know if this is due to inability or by choice until Odd Hours, when the spirit of a recently killed criminal attempts to speak to Odd and is surprised to find that it cannot be heard. Odd's second frequent ability is a form of psychic magnetism, an ability to be drawn to places of import by allowing his instincts to take over. Another, less beneficial aspect of this ability is that if Odd is consciously trying avoid a particular someone or something, he will inevitably find or be found that very person or thing. Despite the hapless danger and misfortune this ability causes, the character usually finds humor in the irony and speaks of it in an anecdotal fashion.
Additionally, Odd is able to 'foresee' events due to his ability to see Bodachs, a term identified by a child he met who shortly after voicing the word, and in the presence of Bodachs, was killed in a somewhat mysterious accident by a truck driver.
Friends
"Little Ozzie"
A morbidly obese, extremely successful mystery novelist, with six fingers on his left hand.
Danny Jessup
Danny is Odd's best friend, in Forever Odd, Datura kidnaps him after he tells her about Odd's ability to see the dead on a phone sex line. His bone disease makes him susceptible to bone fractures.
Bronwen "Stormy" Llewellyn
Odd's girlfriend, soulmate and fiancée in the first novel (and the prequel graphic novel).She would often call him "Odd one". Odd believed that he and Stormy would be together forever due to an encounter with a carnival fortune telling machine. Stormy was killed in a rage of gunfire at the end of the first novel. Since then, Odd is driven by a constant desire to use his supernatural gifts for good, so that he can be reunited with Stormy after death.
Chief Wyatt Porter
The Chief helps Odd many times, acting almost as a surrogate father. He is one of the few people that know Odd sees the dead. He is shot by one of the people who would later shoot people at the mall, but survives. His wife, Karla, also cares deeply about Odd in a somewhat maternal role.
Novels
- Odd Thomas (2003)
- Forever Odd (2005)
- Brother Odd (2006)
- Odd Hours (2008)
- In Odd We Trust (2008) (graphic novel prequel)
- Odd is on Our Side (2010) (graphic novel prequel)
- House of Odd (To be release February 2012) (graphic novel prequel)
- Odd Apocalypse (Tentatively scheduled for release June 2012)
Dean Koontz has stated (in an essay at the end of the Odd Thomas graphic novel) that he "now believe[s] that, God willing, there will be six Odd Thomas novels," although at the 2008 Comic-Con in San Diego Koontz amended this by stating there would be a total of seven Odd Thomas books. "I know how it ends," said Koontz. "But I don't know how he gets there yet."
Odd Passenger
A four-part webisode series debuting in April 2008, Odd Passenger detailed events between Brother Odd and Odd Hours. They were directed by Jack Paccione Jr., with Odd being played by Anthony Marks.[1] In it, Odd encounters a fellow ghost-seer who has been driven mad by his visions of the lingering dead. This leads Odd to fear for his own sanity, and ponders whether or not he too will be driven to madness by his second sight. The series ends at the beginning of Odd Hours, with Odd witnessing a vision of the end of the world while visiting Magic Beach.
References
External links
Categories:- Literary characters
- Fictional detectives
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