You Are Destined to Be Together Forever
Published: 9, December 2014
Author: Dean Koontz
Genre: Fantasy, Murder, Mystery, Paranormal, Romance, Science Fiction, Short Story, Supernatural, Suspense, Thriller
Book 6.1 of 7: Odd Thomas
Check the summary of this book here:
The Review
Odd Thomas: You Are Destined to Be Together Forever is the second novella and eighth text in Dean Koontz's Odd Thomas series. Dean Koontz once again provides a suspenseful story that will keep you riveted to the page. In the conclusion, it's fast-paced and spellbinding. The regular Joe balances out the otherworldly evil. Even though it is only the size of a chapter of a normal-sized book, this one practically begs for a sequel.
You may argue that this modest contribution is unnecessary because Odd and Stormy readers have read about this unique incident in each of the Odd Thomas books, with varying amounts of detail but always the same depth of passion.
However, being able to share it with them makes it much more special, as if Odd and Stormy intentionally requested us to accompany them as they cement this very important pact between the two of them.
It's especially satisfying to be present when their destiny is disclosed for the first time since it will sustain us when we miss them, just as it will for Odd in the sequels to come.
I might be a little prejudiced. I've been a long-time admirer of Dean Koontz's stories since I first discovered them half a lifetime ago.
Anyway, back to Odd Thomas and this fantastic fast read... I absolutely adore this entire series. Koontz didn't write a lot of serial work before this, but these are highly worth reading. But keep in mind that he has a couple more series that I will be reviewing in the near future.
It serves as a recap and prequel to the first Odd Thomas novel. It is a very brief novella intended as a filler to remind readers who may have forgotten how it all began, in preparation for the great conclusion to the series, Saint Odd, which arrived just a few months later.
Actually, I found it and read it halfway through Saint Odd in an attempt to postpone the inevitable. It has some intriguing nuggets about Odd and Stormy when they were both 16 and went to the carnival where they received the fatal "You are meant to be together forever" fortune, but don't anticipate any huge discoveries or fresh insights.
If you're alright with a Star Wars-style chronology in which you get to the meat and potatoes of a series first, then travel back to learn how it all started, then you won't mind reading this short narrative.
However, if you like to do things in chronological order from the character's point of view, read this first. Then, Odd Thomas, Forever Odd, Brother Odd, Odd Hours, Odd Interlude, Odd Apocalypse, Deeply Odd, and Saint Odd will follow. There are also several graphic novels that precede Odd Thomas.
These volumes are written in the first person as a memoir of this imaginary character, which is unusual for Koontz and makes for a quick, delightful read.
Odd is the series' crown gem, but some of his companions along the journey are charming, unexpected, and bizarrely entertaining. They are consistently engaging and difficult to put down.
Even though this is the beginning of the story for these people, and it is all but the final book in the series with foresight, it was still a gripping read that you should read for yourself.
I read this short story right before reading Saint Odd but stopped and started reading Saint Odd but in the middle I started reading it again. It's heartbreaking to think that I'll be turning the final page of that final book very soon.
Unlike one friend who argued that this short tale was nothing more than an advertisement for the Odd series, I am quite certain that the short appeared before the novels.
I am also confident that the series does not require any extra promotion beyond Mr. Koontz's reputation and the enjoyment the series has offered to so many people.
I truly like his thoughts woven together as if they were an expensive and precious tapestry made from the rarest strands and the richest hues.
Mr. Koontz and his books are highly recommended to anybody who can read. The joy of reading surpasses the annoyance of daily life.
This short novella has everything that has made Odd Thomas one of the most beloved fictional heroes since the publication of the first book in the series.
The fortuneteller's card that guaranteed Odd and Stormy will always be together remained a constant throughout the entire series. Now, Koontz provides Odd lovers with a beautiful narrative that is precisely what it says it is: the happenings of that tragic night.
Odd and Stormy are traveling to the carnival with Elvis Presley's lingering ghost in the backseat when a second lingering spirit disrupts their plans and leads them on an unexpected and perilous detour.
Odd and Stormy are only teens, but his "quirks" and her harsh upbringing have taught them that "real evil roamed the earth" — Which makes them worry if they can securely sail this treacherous voyage known as life together. This short tale is expertly used by Koontz to build up the events of the last novel Saint Odd in this series.
Final Thoughts
Dean Koontz's short stories are usually entertaining. This is especially true as he's going to deliver the Odd Thomas conclusion and tell us about a narrative that has been hinted at in all the other novels.
This is a fantastic short for any Odd Thomas fan and should not be missed! It starts with Odd and Stormy on their way to the Pico Mundo carnival.
Odd, of course, lives up to his name, and they become involved in supernatural happenings that allow Odd and Stormy to join up and remind us delightfully and cruelly of their amazing connection and the depth of its loss.
Dean Koontz is a terrific five-star author, as you undoubtedly already know. This brief prequel about Odd and his girlfriend Stormy will finish before it really begins, at least that's how it appeared to me when I read it.
In some ways, this short narrative didn't contribute much to what had already been discussed in the majority of the Odd Thomas pieces about the two.
That's why I only gave this tale ninety points, as if it matter, but it was still a fun new story. However, right at the start of "You Are Destined to Be Together Forever," Koontz throws in a new little adventure that I don't recall seeing in the series previously.
It's truly exclusively for fans, of which I am one. It was a buck well spent, but I suggest you get Saint Odd as soon as possible. It's fantastic.
Synopsis
The following synopsis is taken from the Audiobook version of this story.
“This exclusive audiobook short story looks back - way back - to where it all began for Odd Thomas and Stormy Llewellyn, two souls who are destined to be together forever.
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.”
Useful Search Related Words & Keywords
Destined To Be Together, Final Book, Gypsy Mummy, Last Book, Looking Forward, Odd And Stormy, Quick Read, Short Story, Thomas Series, Together Forever
Rating: 90/100
Recommended: 100/100 Yes.
Buy the Kindle Version Here
Free With Free Audible Trial
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