There is an underlying warmth to this odd — pun intended — little tale by Koontz featuring Odd, and Stormy Llewellyn. It takes place about four years prior to the beginning of the Odd series by Koontz, when they are both sixteen. Not having tackled the series yet, I have no way of knowing if the background here is anything new for fans of the series, but it certainly made me want to read it, and very soon. Stormy’s background of being orphaned and then adopted and abused is touched upon, and of course Odd’s terrible childhood, so bad he has moved out and lives above someone’s garage in this tale, while working as fry cook at the Pico Mundo Grill.

In essence, despite Odd’s powers and his ability to see the dead, this is a quirky and delightful look at growing up, and as usual with Koontz, a testament to the human spirit. The actual spirit of Elvis, a different spirit with a hatchet in his neck, a spooky house where someone has been murdered, and a carnival where Odd and Llewellyn are headed to have fun, are all components to a wonderful short story that reminds us why we read. A short but marvelous story to lose yourself in, even if it is only for a short while. ( )

A short story from the beginning of the Odd Thomas saga where we meet the young lovers and learn of their fortune from the gypsy mummy.

This short story provides some more information to the series.

FROM AMAZON: Amid the dizzying rides, tantalizing games of chance, and fanciful attractions of a state fair, two teenage sweethearts on the cusp of life and love's pleasures find their way to a shadowy carnival tent brimming with curiosities. There, from the bizarre and enthralling Gypsy Mummy, a mechanized merchant of dreams and prognosticator of tomorrows, the young couple learns what fate promises for them. But fate, for Odd Thomas and Stormy Llewellyn, is something altogether different: full of dark corners, sharp edges, and things no seer or soothsayer could ever anticipate.

And for Odd Thomas, a gallant fry cook from a sleepy California desert town, the future beckons - to listen to unquiet spirits, pursue unsettling mysteries, and learn shocking truths...for a purpose far greater than himself. ( )

This was my first Koontz read in a long time, and my first Odd Thomas story. I have seen the movie, so I had that perspective. I was somewhat disappointed with the story. It just didn't seem to involve much at all, other than Odd's internal dialog. I'm still not sure what the ghostly side trip was all about. I kept expecting it to take a completely different turn...

So the ghosts can't talk. Couldn't they communicate by just pointing to icons like those on an Ouija board? ( )

Pretty good

Not bad little story but I missed the meat of the novel's. It is good to hear from Stormy again after so much time but the morbid side wants to know more about what was going on in that house... ( )

This short story clocking in at 38 pages was enough to impart information to old and new readers of the Odd Thomas series. Frankly I wish this had been written first, and I would suggest new readers to Odd Thomas may want to start off with this book before moving on to the first full length novel.

The Odd Thomas series includes the following: Odd Thomas: An Odd Thomas Novel, Forever Odd: An Odd Thomas Novel, Brother Odd: An Odd Thomas Novel, Odd Hours: An Odd Thomas Novel, and Odd Apocalypse: An Odd Thomas Novel, Deeply Odd: An Odd Thomas Novel.

Mr. Koontz's last book in the series, Saint Odd: An Odd Thomas Novel was published on January 13, 2015 and the short story was a segue into the new and final book.

The last review I had regarding the Odd Thomas series I posted on April 15, 2013 on Amazon said:

When I first read Odd Thomas I totally fell in love with the character of Odd, Stormy, Chief Porter, and all the inhabitants of Pico Mundo.
At that time I stated to become a bit irritated with Dean Koontz's writing and was ready to write off that novel but I quickly fell in love with everyone.
I remember getting to the ending and ugly cried for about half an hour.
Finally, it seemed to me that Koontz had managed to write something totally different, heart wrenching, with depth, that did not just quickly resolve itself like his other novels.

However, by the time I got around to reading Odd Hours I started to get a bit disenchanted with our awesome fry cook.
I started to feel that the overall premise of the novels needed to get a bit shaken up and that having Odd explain things using 20 words when one word would started to work my nerves instead of charming me like it had in the past.

However, with the newest iteration of the Odd Thomas series, Deeply Odd I found myself falling in love with Odd all over again.

And I found myself loving Stormy and Odd all over again in this short story showing them at 16 and how they both found out that they were destined to be together forever. I honestly thought that the series lost it's charm once we had Odd traveling all over after the events of the first novel. Deeply Odd managed to bring back some of the fire from the first book that I found missing from the other books. This short story was a great return to form and gives me hope that the final book, Saint Odd is going to be just as spectacular.

The only thing that I wish that we had seen more of are fan favorites like Chief Porter and Terri who are discussed in the short story, but are not seen or heard. We also have Stormy and Odd talking like their later adult selves which was a tab bit disconcerting. It would have been great to actually have them acting like actual teenagers. In both of their cases it is understandable once you understand Odd's and Stormy's backgrounds. However, it was still a bit much.

And sorry to say at times i was over Odd's banter and wanted the story to get a move on. I forgot that Odd's little conversational quirks can start to work your nerves after a while.

What was most surprising is that we read about Stormy's reluctance in having Odd or herself involved with the fallout from his 'psychic magnetism'. I think that makes sense since at 16 she is not the same woman who was all about Odd doing what needed to be done to make others safe and how this life was boot camp and the here after was about about being 'in service."

In sum, I was happy to revisit with Odd and Stormy and this short story makes me excited for the final novel in this series.

Loop me in, Odd one. - Stormy Llewellyn

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