Thomas Olde Heuvelt may be fairly new to the horror game, but his keen eye for all things gothic and frightening are comparable to far more seasoned authors in this genre. Perhaps that is why his name translates to “Old Hill” in Dutch.

ORACLE is Heuvelt’s most recent effort, and it hits near the top of the scale on the gothic creep meter. The scene is set from the very first sentence as high school friends Luca and Emma are biking home through foggy conditions. The fog is so thick that they do not see the extremely random 18th-century ship in the middle of a flower field until they are nearly on top of it.

The action immediately jumps to characters who apparently have nothing to do with Luca or Emma. With names like Diana, Wim and Van Driel, they seem to be aware of the Oracle and the power it holds within. It is obvious that Heuvelt is planning to slowly unveil the secrets of this mysterious vessel. Up to this point, readers will be exposed to some of the horrors that such an unknown power can possess.

"ORACLE is a stellar read and proudly joins the small collection of horror novels that have quickly made Thomas Olde Heuvelt a must-read author in my household…and hopefully yours as well."

Meanwhile, as Luca ponders what type of ship the Oracle might be, their curiosity gets the best of them as they step inside it. There are no apparent answers to be found, especially to the untrained eye. As they become separated, Emma gets lost, and Luca is unable to locate her. Luca’s tormentors from school also find the ship and board it. With the ring of a nautical bell, they are lost and never seen again. Luca is shrewd enough to disembark from the Oracle when he realizes that once the bell stops ringing, people inexplicably disappear.

The town is in an uproar as to what is going on and if the lost residents are gone forever. To answer these questions, Robert Grim is called upon to lend his expertise. A retired specialist of the occult, Grim is a gruff persona who freely speaks his mind regardless of who might be offended. He points out that there obviously is some sort of portal, or multiple portals, aboard the ship, and it may not be possible to determine why they exist or where they lead. The vessel is moved to a more central area to allow for easier examination. This is also done at the behest of the mysterious names I mentioned earlier who seem to have the most knowledge about what the Oracle may represent and who wish to preserve it at all costs.

The mysteries that the Oracle bring continue to defy natural law --- like the bleeding human heart that suddenly appears out of nowhere, as well as thousands of dead fish. When the journal of the original Oracle is discovered, some answers are given, but they do not necessarily make the situation any less frightening for Grim and the town’s residents. The excerpts from the journal are chilling, and Heuvelt continues to peel back layer upon layer of detail about this supernatural event to keep the tension high. Grim is aware that time may be running out for all of them.

ORACLE is a stellar read and proudly joins the small collection of horror novels that have quickly made Thomas Olde Heuvelt a must-read author in my household…and hopefully yours as well.