Went into this expecting horror perfection as the authors previous book was amazing & horrific. This just didn’t do it for me:( too many characters to care about any of them, and such a slow burn. I feel this one just missed the mark on becoming amazing!

While a slow start, my nerves were on overdrive while reading this horror-thriller novel!

This is my first foray with Heuvelt, not having known that this was a sequel, but I will say that I didn't feel left behind reading Oracle. Grim is an interesting character to follow and I did really enjoy the characterization of all involved. The writing was a bit hard for me to get into; I did feel a little removed from some of the emotion that I think could have been used to get me to care more for these characters.

The horror was great for me and I felt so anxious for these characters with the speed at which things happened in the second half of this book. The slow start did make me a little worried as I was loosing a bit of interest but that changed and the stakes were immense by the end.

Overall, I really enjoyed this and am excited to read more from this author! Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

Note: You technically don’t have to read Olde Heuvelt’s book HEX in order to read Oracle, but I don’t think I would’ve understood the character of Robert Grim at all (nor some major parts of the book) without having read HEX first. So I’m going to advise you to read HEX first but I can’t make you do so. You do you.

Somehow, Robert Grim survived the events of the book HEX and has been living at the government’s leisure in a penthouse apartment in Atlantic City. Sure, he’s a miserable hermit of an alcoholic…but he’s alive.

Then one day the government comes knocking at his door, telling him his service is needed because he’s the only one they have with a particular skill set. He doesn’t really have a choice to say no, and so they’re off for the Netherlands because apparently, a “ghost ship” that looks like it should be at the bottom of the ocean is sitting in the middle of a tulip field and some people have gone in the hatch and, well, disappeared.

Robert Grim doesn’t know it yet, but he’s about to enter a moral, ethical, and political quagmire that will bring back some of his oldest and darkest memories, but will also maybe give him some closure on why he’s still here when so many have gone.

Oracle isn’t as brilliant or compelling as HEX, but comparing these two books is a waste of time because we’re comparing two totally different kinds of horrors. Oracle is about more of an eldritch horror: This horror is older than old, incomprehensibly large, ineffable and implacable. It is life and death, baptism and damnation. The horrors in Oracle also cross over time. It’s a larger story with a larger cast of characters and more locales, so it takes more time to get the story going, to get the players moving, and to gain momentum. (HEX, if you’ll recall, was a faster vehicle because it took place almost entirely in one time period, everyone was contained to one village, and the evils were not as ineffable or incomprehensible).

The premise is compelling, the characters are interesting and sometimes downright loveable, the plot is interesting, and once the story really gets going I became very invested in seeing how it all would end. Once I realized just how evil the evil was getting I got even more excited. The climactic scenes toward the end of the book are extremely well-written and almost cinematic in scale. Loved it.

I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: Book Series/Ghost Fiction/Historical Fiction/Paranormal Horror/Psychological Thriller/Speculative Fiction

I thought this was a decent effort, and any issues I have with it are more to do with my personal preferences than it has to do with the book itself. I think having a lot of names and places that are wholly foreign looking and mostly unpronounceable for me sort of took me out of the story a little bit. And also, there is a considerable amount of time spent dealing with government/black ops/secret agent aspects of the story. I know that there are a lot of people who like that sort of book so I can’t say it’s a negative, just not what I want a lot of in the book. I would prefer to spend more time in the protagonist’s head(s), but again, that’s my personal preference and not a criticism of the author and their abilities! If you like supernatural situations with elder God involvement, along with police/secret government subplots, you will not be disappointed with this book!!

On a fog shrouded morning, the 18th century ship Oracle appears mysteriously in the middle of a tulip field. First discovered by two teens on their way to school, it gathers more attention and several individuals enter the ship. No one emerges, and where they've gone is difficult to determine. Oracle is Thomas Olde Heuvelet's second book of supernatural horror in the Robert Grim series. It picks up many years after Hex and aside from the eventual inclusion of Grim does not have a close tie and can be read on its own.

Oracle is a decently plotted horror thriller mystery. We have a mysterious key event (the appearance of Oracle) and what has happened to those who entered the hatch. At the center of this is the not quite child Luca, who found the ship but refused to board and keep others from doing so. He begins to have visions that suggest he might be the key figure to resolve the mystery.

But first he has to contend with the disappearances of close friends, his father and the arrival of a secretive governmental agency focused on concealing the event and gaining some use of the Oracle's potential.

Heuvelt parses out details well, building to the conclusion with both slow bits of the clues or keys for puzzle and the quest to maintain secrecy. Divided into sections, the narrative proceeds from the ship's appearance with short sections between serving as flashbacks providing more context. And there are some very unsettling sections related to those who entered the ship hatch.

Where the book really suffers in is dialogue. As our main character is a teenager, there are a lot of attempts to use slang or reference 'youth' culture that feel very clumsy and unnecessary. Main characters also suffer from a lack of depth, Luca is the rebellious youth, his sister is a little girl who loves Disney. The secret agents in general are very stereotypical, hiding buired secrets or merely interested in keeping control through their power to kill as they feel necessary. The latter is especially evident with their leader. Robert Grim is pulled in, not due to his expertise, but as politically convenient. His knowledge is adversarial, forcing him to work mostly on his own.

Recommended for fans of horror or thrillers about the sacrifices of the few for the greater good. Great atmosphere but as often happens in the genre, some disappointment when the mystery is resolved.

Oracle (Robert Grim, #2)
by Thomas Olde Heuvelt
April 30, 2024

Another supernatural thriller from one of my favorites, Heuvelt!

A mysterious 18th century sailing ship suddenly appears one foggy winter morning, anyone who enters is met by a tolling bell and then they disappear.

Luca’s best friend, Emma, is the first to go missing on the Oracle but not the last. By the time Robert Grim is called in, eleven people and a few animals have disappeared. Robert has faced his own horrors in the town of Black Spring and it’s only by threat that he arrives in the Netherlands to help a secret supernatural government agency deal with the brute force that is the Oracle.

I loved the eerie atmosphere of this story along with the nonstop action, combined with this, getting a small peek back into some finer details of the Black Spring events was incredible.

Grim and Luca working together against an ancient force and nefarious government agencies is a brilliant teaming of unlikely heroes and I couldn’t get enough.

I can’t wait to see what Heuvelt does next!

My thanks to @TorNightfire for this gifted DRC!

Uneven. Olde Heuvelt has a good hand with the creepy scene, and on a moment to moment level was often quite enjoyable (as long as you don't think too hard about <i>why</i> things are happening), but the book seems to be trying to do just a little too much when taken as a whole. (Chief offender here: we have a subplot where a shady Dutch government official tries to sell the Spooky Boat That Makes People Disappear If They Go Inside to an even more shady Saudi government official who wants to use it as a Enemy-Disappearing-Machine, which doesn't make any sense in-universe (how is that more useful than just, killing a person and dissolving them in acid or burying them in a forest? You still have to kidnap the person and transport them to <i>a big creepy ship</i> that now you have to store somewhere) and is wildly unnecessary to the overarching <spoiler>elder-gods-demand-a-sacrifice</spoiler> plotline.)

I wasn't sure fan of this book. It bored me to tears to be honest. But I do like the authors other books. You should check them out. One positive is the writing is wonderful.

“‘When you can’t point to a logical explanation for something, it usually means that you haven’t found it yet.”

Oracle by Thomas Olde Heuvelt
Release Date: April 30th
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

This is my third attempt at reading a Thomas Olde Heuvelt book, and I’ve come to the same conclusion for each one. The stories start off so strong for me and I’m hooked from the beginning, but somewhere along the middle it drags on to the point that at the end I don’t really care what happens.

There’s a lot that happens in the middle of the book, but I don’t think it’s all necessary, and I would have enjoyed it more if it was a bit shorter so it didn’t drag on as much. Because truly the story is good with so much potential.

My thanks to TOR Nightfire and NetGalley for the ARC of Thomas Olde Heuvelt's Oracle.

Well, I loved this just as I did Hex. I haven't read Echo yet, but will now. Olde Heuvelt is the new Stephen King. He's clearly a student of King's work, as the references to books such as It are clear in this new novel of the Robert Grim series (I think we can acknowledge it is something of a series now). Basically, if a reader loves Stephen King, they will love Olde Heuvelt.

That said, I actually find Olde Heuvelt a better writer. His prose rises in some moments to a level of beauty and artistry that often lacks in Stephen King (my sons' have a favorite example from King's writing: "It smelled bad."). Heuvelt manages to draw the reader along into a completely unbelievable scenario with painterly, cinematic language that enables one (me) to visualize exactly what he describes. He also embraces the absurdity of the scenarios in which he places his characters, allowing them to react with humor and other very human ways. Their reactions are believable even with the situations are far from it.

I won't rehearse the synopsis of the narrative here, since anyone can read that in the book blurb. Needless to say, a 17th-century galleon dropped in a Dutch tulip field? People vanishing when they go inside? A child oracle? Yes, please. There were parts of this narrative that evoked The Langoliers for me, especially Luka as the oracle (cf. the blind girl in The Langoliers). There were also parts that reminded me strongly of Neil Gaiman (esp. the American Gods bits). Making the "monster" of is horror novel a cosmic battle between two old world gods, but really having it all be a commentary on climate change and disasters, was unexpected, yet it works. Oracle is a wild romp!

Wow what a book!!!! I read really mixed reviews for this novel so I was worried it wouldn't stand up to Hex or Echo, but I loved it! We follow Luca and a band of other characters (including Robert Grim making his sequel appearance!) as they navigate horrifying sights, political cover-ups, and lots and lots of death.

This just blew me away and I couldn't put it down!

Thomas Olde Heveult, an expert writer in magical realism, presents The Oracle as a meticulously crafted narrative. It delves into the realms of ancient gods, long-forgotten curses, and contemporary conspiracies, all of which serve to illuminate the primal aspects of the human condition.

The author's masterful imagery transported me to the Netherlands and the North Sea. The second half of the book was a tidal wave (pun intended) of action, tense emotions, and mystical enchantment. But the first 200 pages were a challenge. While each tangent served a purpose in the end, the set-up of the storylines was tedious and difficult to focus on. There were several times I considered abandoning the book, but I am so thankful I stuck with it! I loved the first book, Hex, and remembering how amazing it was motivated me to wade (🤣) through the boring bits of Oracle.

What I liked:
📚 The story was incredibly unique. The supernatural/magical element was firmly rooted in realism.
📚 The vivid imagery made me forget I was reading.

What I didn't like:
📚 The first half of the book explained several different angles of the story, and because the set-up for the main plot was so long, it was hard to stay interested.
📚 While Robert Grim had a substantial role in Hex, I never considered him a main character. So Thomas Olde Heveult's choice to use Grim to develop a series tie-in was odd. Grim was not a pivotal player in Oracle either. In my opinion, both books are better treated as stand-alone novels. There is not enough continuity to be a series. Grim's entire storyline seemed forced and irrelevant.

If you are looking for a fast page-turner, you will probably DNF Oracle. But if you are okay with taking a roundabout, detour-riddled journey to a fantastic ending filled with gorgeous imagery and dynamic details, give Oracle a shot.

I'm sure this question will come up for some, so:
NO - you do not need to read Hex first. There were some minor references to it in Oracle, but not enough to impact the story. HOWEVER, Hex was an exceptional read (better than Oracle), and I highly recommend it!

I was first introduced to Thomas Olde Heuvelt when I randomly picked up Hex from my local library 5 years ago. While I was not quite into horror back then, I loved the creepy atmosphere and the utter chaos the book delivered. I can now say I love this style of writing. Oracle had me hooked from the first chapter and while it took a while to see how certain chapters fit into the great narrative, Heuvelt delivered a solid horror story with a bit of a happy ending.

I'm bummed to write this, as I loved "Hex," but this book was soooo boring! I made it 30% in and just couldn't find the point of caring about anything that was happening. The coolest part of this book, the spooky ship and that death bell, were just sort of a backdrop for the investigation and the bad people in charge of the investigation. There was so much more buildup of spooky and community and interesting people and history in "Hex," whereas this one had none of it, in my opinion.

This book was so weird.

But I think I kind of loved it...

The atmosphere was top notch, creepy af and you felt every bit of it! I had to turn the lights on at one point because there was no way I was going to be reading this one in the dark. I felt like I heard the dinner bell ringing everytime I closed my eyes *shudders*.

That being said, the dialogue felt very stiff and this is I am sure due to the fact that the author is not a native English speaker and I believe the book was translated so this issue is more about me as an American reading a book that wasn't written for an American audience and not at all about the book itself. I struggled to get through certain parts due to this however and I think that if I were to reread the book I might enjoy it even more.

A unique premise and enjoyably creepy.

This uses the supernatural thriller element in a way that I was hoping for and thought it was super well done. It had a tense atmosphere that I was hoping for and enjoyed getting on this journey. The characters had a great overall feel to them and it worked well overall. It had that terror element that I wanted and left me wanting to read more from Thomas Olde Heuvelt. I liked how the disappearance worked with this and had me guessing what was going on.

Thomas Olde Heuvelt is one of the creepiest horror writers around!

In Oracle he takes on a catch 22 - an 18th century ship appears in a field. Anyone who enters is never seen from again - but noises are heard inside... The Dutch CIA are involved as well as other nefarious world power investigators.

All Luca wants is for his father to come home. He is willing to do anything to help him, even entering the ship. Thriller, Horror, Espinoge - this is a perfect tale to keep you up all night with the light on!
#torpublishing #tornightfire #oracle #ThomasOldeHeuvelt

I was really excited to receive this because of Hex and Echo. I also liked that Robert Grim would be returning. But meh. The book was a little underwhelming and hard to get through at times. And that ending? Come on boy.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for the ARC of this book. This will be out in April!

One winter morning in the Netherlands thirteen year olds Luca Wolf and Emma Reich are biking to school when they discover the wreck of an eighteenth century ship in a tulip field. Emma enters the ship and disappears. Then others vanish into the ship.

A government agency comes to investigate and to the surprise of exactly no one that does not make things the slightest bit better. They bring in retired occult specialist Robert Grim, who keeps reminding everyone he’s only dealt with one case, so he’s really no kind of specialist, but I guess they still want him to figure it out. Hilarity ensues.

This is billed as the second Robert Grim book. I guess the first one was his first case. He’s certainly out of his depth here, but who wouldn’t be, and then there’s crossing and double crossing. The parts about the ship were interesting to me but I could have done without the rest. It was just OK for me.

What a book! Weird, atmospheric, thrilling! That author as a very unique style and I love everything he does, Discover or rediscover him with his new book!