Odd Thomas

Content Warning: This guide contains discussions of graphic violence, extreme violence to women, sexual assault, child abuse and trauma caused by child abuse, child molestation, and death by suicide. The novel also contains depictions of mass shootings and references to terrorism and serial murderers. The novel contains depictions of mental health conditions and sometimes engages in stereotypes about them.

The struggle between good and evil is a central theme in the Odd Thomas narrative. When he hears the unnatural noises from Penny’s shell, he says, “Evil was coming. I wondered whose face it would be wearing” (11). This establishes the idea of good and evil, while influenced by paranormal forces, as primarily human. While the bodachs are a terrifying presence throughout the story, they are not the source of the evil Odd encounters. Odd states as much outright:

When I was a child, I first thought that these shades might be malevolent spirits who fostered evil in those people around whom they swarmed. I’ve since discovered that many human beings need no supernatural mentoring to commit acts of savagery; some people are devils in their own right (48).

The bodachs do not create evil. Instead, they are drawn to the suffering that humans create. Dean Koontz builds on the idea of humans being the ones truly capable of evil by having his antagonists hiding in plain sight. Varner and Eckles are purely evil and don’t raise suspicion in any of the people of Pico Mundo. This includes Chief Porter, whom they manage to shoot to keep him out of their plans. Here, evil operates covertly, lurking in the shadows until it erupts into chaos and damages everything around it.

The beginning of the story establishes this concept with Harlo. He appears ordinary until Odd accuses him of Penny’s murder. Then, he goes on a rampage through the neighborhood in his escape and attempts to take several bystanders hostage. When he finally turns on Odd, Odd describes him with the following: “Although his eyes lacked elliptical pupils, they reminded me of the eyes of a snake” (21). While the genuinely evil characters do not appear so until they strike, Odd singles out Bob Robertson as a source of concern; while Bob is surrounded by bodachs, Odd also explains that, “Anyone who smiles this relentlessly was a simpleton—or a deceiver with something to hide” (44). While Robertson undoubtedly possesses evil intentions, shown by his membership in a Satanic cult and his shrine to mass murderers, he does not commit any evil acts over the course of the story. By contrast, Odd does not consider Varner’s involvement until he makes the connection between his and Robertson’s tattoos.

On the good side of the duality is Odd himself. While the antagonists commit evil acts for the selfish desire for power, Odd is a genuinely virtuous individual guided by a deep desire to shield others from harm. His acts of selflessness and compassion, extended to both the living and the dead, stress the theme of goodness. He says about his ability to see the dead, “I see dead people. But then, by God, I do something about it” (32). His unyielding dedication to the pursuit of justice is a powerful representation of goodness as a force that opposes and combats evil. However, Odd struggles with moments of self-doubt. At these times, Stormy serves as his moral center. He introduces her to the reader by saying, “In treacherous currents she is kept steady by a moral anchor the size of a ship” (8). She encourages Odd to act to protect others, even when he does not want to be involved. In Odd Thomas, the struggle between good and evil is not merely a supernatural clash but a reflection of the human condition. People, not supernatural entities, are capable of both through their actions.

The supernatural elements of the novel are only a base through which the human characters battle in terms of good and evil, too; this is a humanistic perspective that differs from the way in which many novels and ideologies view good and evil, as a battle of supernatural elements in which humans are simply the tools. Koontz’s Catholic background presents itself here, as the novel views the world as a battle of good and evil and believes this battle can be controlled by human beings and influenced by their actions. Even some of the supernatural elements, ghosts of the deceased, are not supernatural in themselves but are remnants of human beings; Odd helps the human beings who have been murdered by way of their souls and thus helps the supernatural world by helping human beings. Good and evil are not supernatural elements apart from humans but are supernatural elements as connected to humans, and good and evil are inherently created by humanity.