“On a foggy winter morning two children discover the impossible: the wreck of an eighteenth-century ship stranded in a field.

One enters the hatch on the deck and is never seen again. And she isn’t the last to disappear . . .

Soon a government agency begins to investigate, determined to uncover the ship’s secrets before a media storm erupts. They enlist Robert Grim, a retired specialist of the occult, to unravel the mystery, who soon realises the ship could be a harbinger of an ancient doom awakened under the sea.

In a maelstrom of international intrigue and pure terror, Grim must race against time as he comes face to face with an open doorway to the apocalypse.”

Hello and welcome to damppebbles. Today I am delighted to share my review of Oracle by Thomas Olde Heuvelt. Oracle was published by Hodderscape on 19th March 2024 and is available in hardcover, audio and digital formats with the paperback to follow. I chose to read a free eARC of Oracle but that has in no way influenced my review.

Back when I was a fledgling book blogger (2016 to be precise) I read a book called HEX by Thomas Olde Heuvelt. I loved it! Creepy witch vibes, terror in small-town America, a secret kept from the rest of the world, death peering through the window each and every day. If you haven’t read it yet, you should. Due to how much I loved HEX I was keeping an eye out for anything else by this author. Which is when Echo landed on my radar (pun intended! 🤭). Again, I thoroughly enjoyed the author’s storytelling and have been keen for more ever since. But it’s been a while. So you can imagine my glee when Oracle appeared on NetGalley. Oracle is the second book in the Robert Grim series — Robert was the lead in HEX so I was pleased to be reunited. Although I would be lying if I remembered everything about Robert from eight years ago. Katherine (the witch), definitely. Robert hasn’t stuck in my mind quite so well! Suffice to say, this book can be read as a standalone. You don’t need to have read HEX before picking up Oracle but it would be a travesty because HEX is SO GOOD!

Making their way to school through the dense fog, long-time friends Luca and Emma make a startling discovery. An eighteenth-century ship in the middle of a tulip field. They approach full of excitement and apprehension. After all, this isn’t something that happens every day. Emma, confident and without fear, climbs inside the open hatch. Luca holds back, hesitant and worried. And rightly so as Emma completely disappears. Luca calls for help which results in a number of official and unofficial have-a-go-heroes climbing through the hatch. They too disappear. It soon becomes clear that this is a supernatural phenomenon never seen on Dutch soil before. Which immediately escalates the ghostly problem to the top levels of homeland security. Before long the Dutch General Intelligence Agency are involved, creating strangely believable alternatives to explain away the truth, which the Dutch people accept without question. But the authorities know they need help and there’s only one man who has ever faced such an unknown supernatural occurrence before, and lived to tell the tale…

Oracle is a chilling horror/thriller crossover novel with a palpable sense of unease and an overarching sense of dread and imminent doom. The author builds the tension from the moment the ghostly ship appears, drawing Luca and Emma into its paranormal orbit. Thirteen-year-old Luca, who has been best friends with Emma for some time and has the cutest crush on her, is the more cautious of the pair. Emma is keen to investigate the apparition and climbs into the open hatch. Shortly after, the ominous sound of a bell tolling reaches Luca’s ears and he knows something has gone terribly wrong. But this is only the start of Luca’s harrowing journey to the truth. There are so many elements to the story that at times I wondered how the author had managed to keep the different threads as easy to understand and follow as he did. It’s a complex, cinematic tale. One perhaps the reader needs to invest in a little to get the most out of.

Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. Oracle was very different to everything else I’ve read recently and I enjoyed losing myself in Grim’s odd, often terrifying world. There is a lot going on in this book but it all ties together well, creating an intriguing read chock-full of tension and creepy unknown forces. There are peaks and troughs throughout the storytelling creating wonderful moments of high drama alongside some rather heartbreaking, emotional scenes. I enjoyed how the initial threat mutates throughout the book becoming something else Grim and co. need to battle against and outsmart. One particular twist was done in the most frightening and nerve-shredding way and I loved it! All in all, I found Oracle to be a well-written, immersive horror/thriller crossover with interesting characters (I was on Luca’s side from the moment things went a little iffy for him!) and a well-drawn, intricate, full-on plot. I don’t think this is going to be a one-sitting read for many people. I felt it was a book that the reader needs to savour rather than rush. That way it delivers the gut punch it was designed to. Very enjoyable and I look forward to more from this author in the future. I’ll leave you with one final thought – give and give in abundance (that will make no sense to anyone unless you’ve read the book so you know what to do!). Recommended.

I chose to read and review a free eARC of Oracle. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

Oracle by Thomas Olde Heuvelt was published in the UK by Hodderscape on 19th March 2024 and is available in hardcover, audio and digital formats with the paperback to follow (please note, the following links are affiliate links which means I receive a small percentage of the purchase price at no extra cost to you): | amazon.co.uk | Waterstones | Foyles | bookshop.org | Goodreads | damppebbles bookshop.org shop | damppebbles amazon.co.uk shop | damppebbles amazon.com shop |

Thomas Olde Heuvelt (1983) is the international bestselling author of HEX. The much-praised novel was published in over twenty-five countries around the world and is currently in development for TV by Gary Dauberman. Olde Heuvelt, whose last name in Dutch dialect means “Old Hill,” was the first ever translated author to win a Hugo Award for his short story “The Day the World Turned Upside Down”.

Thomas lives in The Netherlands and the south of France and is an avid mountaineer.