Book Review Oracle, By Thomas Olde Heuvelt 5/5 stars

 Once in a while, a reader comes across a gem of a novel. One that is wholly unique, thought provoking and emotionally engaging. 

I did not expect to find that in Oracle. But, yet, there it all was! It even has a great cover. 

 Obviously I picked this up because of the oceanic theme. (Water 2025!) I don't think I would have found it otherwise. Oracle, and the first book in the series - Hex- have not been on my radar.  Neither book had a huge presence on TikTok, Instagram or even Booksky. I think I found it while browsing the library catalog on line. I am so glad I did because it was just so fresh and unexpected, delightfully horrific and complex. Just the kind of book a reader can sink their teeth into.

    In short - an ancient ship appears one day in a tulip field, with an old bell tolling that gives a local farmer the creeps.  he knows it's a bad omen. People go in to investigate, but they don't come back out, and all the while the bell tolls. Soon, Government agencies are involved, families are silenced as a rag tag team of folks with different motivations work side by side (but definitely not together) to try to prevent what seems to be impending doom. 

   I am unclear how Heuvelt did it but he managed to put together a cohesive engaging novel combining deep sea oil rigs, ancient Doggerland Mammoths, Smallpox ships  , Vengeful ghosts/oceans, an older cranky quasi-detective, and a somewhat sullen teenage boy.  When described this way, it sounds like an impossible writing prompt.  When read, the reader gets an experience of reading something wholly new.  While Heuvelt draws on history, the story and characters seem to be of his own invention. There is such a good balance of horror, suspense/thrills, and emotion, that it kind of defies being placed into one genre box, and I'd recommend it to readers who read in almost all genres (there's not real romance, so if you are looking for that, this is likely not the one for you.) 

  Will this top my top reads for 2025?  possibly... possibly.  It is in contention!  I have already put all his other books available in the library on hold. 

STATS

First Published : 4/30/2024

Pages: 384

Available as an Audio Book : YES 

Trigger Warnings: parent death, child death, violence, alcohol, drugs, gun violence,  

As always - this is not a complete list, read responsibly!