Oddkins: A Fable for All Ages

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Oddkins: A Fable for All Ages (ISBN:0-446-51490-X / 978-0-446-51490-3)^[1] is a children's book written by Dean Koontz, illustrated by Phil Parks, and published by Warner Books in September of 1988[1]. The British edition (ISBN: 0-7472-0112-9 / 978-0-7472-0112-0) was released in November of 1988^[2], and the paperback (ISBN: 0-7472-7992-6 / 978-0-7472-7992-1), which was only released in the United kingdom, was published in 1989^[3]. The Oddkins is now out of print in both the United States and the United Kingdom.

[edit] Synopsis

Oddkins: A Fable for All Ages is the story of a magic toymaker, Isaac Bodkins, who passes away before selecting someone to carry on in his work. His toys, each resembling a different recognizable animal, went to children in need; children who had lost parents, children who were ill, neglected, or abused. The plush animals would come alive, giving moral support in times of greatest need. When they were no longer needed, the magic would drain from them, and the children they had cared for would remember them as nothing more than childhood play things. Now, chased by the evil toys made by Isaac’s predecessor, the toys, led by Amos the bear, must make their way through New York city on a dark and stormy night to seek out the toymaker Isaac had selected^[4]. If they cannot find her in time, an evil toymaker will take over and harm will come to the very children the Oddkins were created to protect.

The Oddkins is quintessential example of postmodern Gothic fiction, showing the transition from the mythic fantasies of the countryside to the cold harsh Gothic reality of the urban center. It is also an exemplary work of crossover literature.

[edit] References

1. Koontz, Dean. Oddkins: A Fable for All Ages. London: Headline Book Publishing PLC, 1988.
2. Fantastic Fiction, http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/k/dean-r-koontz/oddkins.htm.
3. fantastic Fiction, http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/k/dean-r-koontz/oddkins.htm.