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tobin_elliott's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Hmmm.
I have an interesting time with this author. I absolutely adored HEX, but ECHO was only a "didn't mind" book. This one was somewhere in the middle.
The first part is actually really good. Heuvelt does a fantastic job of upping the creep factor with the ship. In fact, I'll so far as to say any scene involving the ship was amazing. Loved it.
The problem was, there was an awful lot that kept pulling the focus off the ship.
But, the ship was an absolute plus. The second great thing was the return of Robert Grim from HEX. Great character and, again, he elevated the proceedings.
I guess what didn't stick with me as much was all the subplots about various gov't agencies and shadowy foreign players. Interesting, but they paled in comparison to the main plot.
I quite like Heuvelt's writing, but I find that, while he has fantastic ideas, he can cloud them with too much other filler.
Still a good book, still absolutely worth the read. But HEX comes first, and it's the better read.
I have an interesting time with this author. I absolutely adored HEX, but ECHO was only a "didn't mind" book. This one was somewhere in the middle.
The first part is actually really good. Heuvelt does a fantastic job of upping the creep factor with the ship. In fact, I'll so far as to say any scene involving the ship was amazing. Loved it.
The problem was, there was an awful lot that kept pulling the focus off the ship.
But, the ship was an absolute plus. The second great thing was the return of Robert Grim from HEX. Great character and, again, he elevated the proceedings.
I guess what didn't stick with me as much was all the subplots about various gov't agencies and shadowy foreign players. Interesting, but they paled in comparison to the main plot.
I quite like Heuvelt's writing, but I find that, while he has fantastic ideas, he can cloud them with too much other filler.
Still a good book, still absolutely worth the read. But HEX comes first, and it's the better read.
sarareadsstuff's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
heathergstl's review against another edition
3.0
I was super excited to get and start reading Oracle. I read Hex in less than one day and Echo in less than two.
From the beginning the storyline itself was engaging, captivating, but the storytelling itself did not come close to comparing to Hex or Echo. The first 100 pages were like trudging through waist deep mud; with so much information that ended up having so little to do with the actual story. The whole Saudi scenario could have been left out completely!
The last 200 pages were much more like the Thomas Olde Heveult that I had come to love and I read them all in one eager sitting; still it took me 12 days to read because tue first 1/3 was so put-downable.
Also, I LOVED the nod to Neil Gaiman!
From the beginning the storyline itself was engaging, captivating, but the storytelling itself did not come close to comparing to Hex or Echo. The first 100 pages were like trudging through waist deep mud; with so much information that ended up having so little to do with the actual story. The whole Saudi scenario could have been left out completely!
The last 200 pages were much more like the Thomas Olde Heveult that I had come to love and I read them all in one eager sitting; still it took me 12 days to read because tue first 1/3 was so put-downable.
Also, I LOVED the nod to Neil Gaiman!
mistresstaserblade's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
redrumreads's review against another edition
5.0
There is a difference between a favorite book and a favorite author in my mind. Thomas Olde Heuvelt is a favorite author. I have now read all of his books that have been translated thus far. I pray to Nunyunnini that there are many, many more to come.
Thomas has a way of storytelling that is hard to come by in horror. His stories are poetic and meaningful with a lot of heart. Although his books are haunting and dreadful, I also feel like i’m reading a love letter. I mean come on, a hundreds of years old ghost ship set amongst a tulip field? I want that tattooed on me.
Robert Grim is such a grumpy yet charming character and the bond he formed with Luca gave hope throughout the book.
The North Sea itself is terrifying to me and all of the imagery in this book was unsettling and downright scary for me.
‘Echo’ now has some competition for my favorite. Mountains or the Sea… which is more unnerving??
Thomas has a way of storytelling that is hard to come by in horror. His stories are poetic and meaningful with a lot of heart. Although his books are haunting and dreadful, I also feel like i’m reading a love letter. I mean come on, a hundreds of years old ghost ship set amongst a tulip field? I want that tattooed on me.
Robert Grim is such a grumpy yet charming character and the bond he formed with Luca gave hope throughout the book.
The North Sea itself is terrifying to me and all of the imagery in this book was unsettling and downright scary for me.
‘Echo’ now has some competition for my favorite. Mountains or the Sea… which is more unnerving??
webslingingadam's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
A tight cohesive story that rockets along like a haunted house ride. I loved the characters, especially the return of Robert Grim and do hope to catch up with him in another novel down the line. No author fills me with more dread, more unease and more fear than Thomas Olde Heuvelt.
electricdistrict's review against another edition
This disappointed me because I enjoyed Echo, but Oracle did not live up to those expectations. The dialogue is corny and filled with embarassing surface level media references. The teenagers in particular sound like an adult's idea of how a young person talks. All the other characters are the archetypes you'd find in a mediocre Hollywood action film. The plot itself is interesting and I would be inclined to see how it all connects, but I lost patience with the parts of the book I didn't like.
rcy's review against another edition
2.0
After enjoying Hex I thought I would love supernatural thriller Oracle, but after an interesting start with the government cover-up, this dragged and was a bit too messy for me.
kpombiere's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5