![]() Odd Thomas, the 20-year-old short-order cook of the title, would not be Koontz material if he did not enjoy special gifts. ![]() Koontz builds an enveloping story around a hero who feels perfectly comfortable with the ghost of Elvis Presley and identifies, in equal parts, with Hamlet, Quasimodo and E. In a cleaner, less congested style than he usually favors, Mr. ''Give the narrative a lighter tone than you think it deserves, dear boy,'' the title character is told by his mentor, ''because you won't find the truth of life in morbidity, only in hope.'' The author himself follows that advice, and it leads him to a curious mixture of whimsy, gentle humor and horror. Koontz manages to tell a breezy, overtly inspirational story that should attract a few fans of its own. ![]() While still sustaining the requisite level of creepiness, Mr. ![]() Koontz writes in ''Odd Thomas,'' a book that treats these shapeless little ghouls with unexpected friendliness. ''They gather like tourists waiting for the predictable eruption of a reliable geyser at Yellowstone Park,'' Mr. ![]() They get excited and congregate wherever they suspect that a lurid, sensational act of violence may soon occur. These are silent, liquid phantoms that reflect the author's view of contemporary society at its worst. Creatures called bodachs can be found slinking through Dean Koontz's new novel of the paranormal. ![]()
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