The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy & Other Stories

by Tim Burton

Hardcover, 1997

Status

Available

Call number

PS3552.U7827 M4

Genres

Graphic Novels and Comics

Publication

Rob Weisbach Books (1997), Edition: 1st, 128 pages

Description

Twenty-three illustrated gothic tales from the dark corridors of the imagination of Tim Burton. Burton - the creative genius behind Batman, Edward Scissorhands, Sleepy Hollow and Nightmare Before Christmas, among others - now gives birth to a cast of gruesomely sympathetic children: misunderstood outcasts who struggle to find love and belonging in their cruel, cruel worlds. His lovingly lurid illustrations evoke both the sweetness and tragedy of these hopeful, yet hapless beings.

User reviews

LibraryThing member melydia

This is a strange little volume of macabre stories, mostly told in verse, of children with unusual issues and the horrors that befall them. I suppose it's supposed to be darkly humorous, but I found it just plain old weird. Though in the same vein as Edward Gorey, it's not quite as clever. However,

it's not bad for a ten-minute read.

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LibraryThing member riverwillow

This is a little collection of macabre, dark, quirky, humorous, strange and sometimes disturbing poems accompanied by illustrations. Most of the poems have a dark fairy tale/nursery rhyme feel - think Edward Scissorhands in three short verses - but Burton's trademark humour is never very far away.

A must read for anyone who loves Burton's films like me.

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LibraryThing member stipe168

little sadistic cartoons that only tim burton could come up with. very bright and colorful (not to mention demented) drawings but the master himself. Example "the boy with nails in his eyes" to be read over and over..

LibraryThing member autumnc

Fantastic for reading aloud...but not to grandparents. My grandfather did not think many of the images funny, he did alot of sighing, shrugging, shaking his head...a must for Tim Burton fans and definitely NOT for young kids!

LibraryThing member euang

Dark, Quirky & Strange !: "The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and Other Stories" is a collection of 23 poems written and superbly illustrated by Tim Burton - the director of, amongst other things - "Sleepy Hollow", "Beetlejuice" and "The Corpse Bride". It features a number of characters such as

Oyster Boy (obviously, I guess), The Girl With Many Eyes, Stain Boy and Anchor Baby. For the most part, the poems are very short - many are only a few lines long, while "The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy" is pretty much the longest in the collection. There are a few others - like "Robot Boy", "Anchor Baby" and (my favourite) "Mummy Boy" - that make it past a couple of pages.

There's a pretty gruesome thread running though the book, plenty of strangeness and a smattering of sad and / or lonely characters. While I wouldn't describe it as scary, I wouldn't neceaasrily recommend reading it while eating cheese just before going to bed ! Fans of Burtom's films - especially "The Nightmare Before Christmas" - should enjoy this.

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LibraryThing member aethercowboy

Any fan of Burton, or quite possibly even Gorey, will appreciate this collection of poems and illustrations. Imagine if you will a book by Shel Silverstein, only this time he's clinically depressed.

We meet all manner of ill-fated characters, some of whom get their own spin-offs (such as Stain Boy).

Burton has written a short poetic tale for each character, and sometimes two or three, and included accompanying illustrations to drive the point home. This is a children's book not intended for emotionally stable children.

This book is chock full of Burton's dark and depressing sense of humor and style, and is sure to please fans of his work. Recommended for fans and those with a similar sense of humor.

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LibraryThing member jadepumpsthejams

I love this book. I wish it had been available when I was a child; it would have been a welcome addition to my goosebumps and Edgar Allen Poe collections. It is enjoyable for both children and adults. Some of the poems are a bit scandalous for a very young reader. One story follows robot boy, whose

father never forgives his mother for "her unholy alliance/ a sexual encounter with a kitchen appliance."

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LibraryThing member Ti99er

Ok I don’t think I am going out on a limb here when I say Tim Burton is one strange dude. I am not one who is all that into poetry, probably because I typically don’t understand what it is I am reading and don’t care to take the time to reflect upon it. But I was interested in reading the

works of Tim Burton because I do enjoy his films. I must say that the form of poetry he wrote is at my speed. Forgive me for my ignorance in not being able to identify the form. It is the rhyming type of poetry along the lines of “roses are red, violets are blue, I don’t care if you like me, because I don’t like you” variety. Burtons work is simple and a bit disturbing at the same time. The illustrations are kind of funny. In closing I will just say this, it was fine for a quick fun read, but I am glad I mooched the book and didn’t shell out the $9.95 for it.

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LibraryThing member crazyjerseygirl

Tim Burton writes poetry. That should be enough.

LibraryThing member andreablythe

Tim Burton in typical fashion weaves many darkly humorous tales about a variety of odd characters, including oyster boy, matchstick girl, stain boy, the boy with nails for eyes, and more.

I read this book (for the second time) in just over an hour. It's very short. Each tale is illustrated and told

in verse, lending them a false sense of innocence, like a nursery rhyme, but most feature unfortunate events and bad ends for the characters. One has to enjoy this kind of dark humor to enjoy the book, and I actually found it more entertaining on the second go around.

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LibraryThing member tyler_durden_pt

A funny, yet hollow, little book. Burton has his own private world, filled with innocence-meets-horror characters. Fans of Edward Scissorhands and The Nightmare Before Chritmas will love this.

LibraryThing member verenka

The book was a present by my BookCrossing friends for my birthday. It contains extremely macabre yet funny little verses accompanied by Tim Burton's drawings. A lot of them have to do with children born as or turning into strange objects like Oysters, Mummies, Brie or Beds. The illustration is also

made by Tim Burton. I recognised his style, the big bulging eyes with shadows underneath and the from his animated films.

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LibraryThing member ToxicMasquerade

It may just be some poems, but they are different and interesting. A couple are even a little sad, like The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy. But, it was still fun, and really quick, to read.

LibraryThing member isabelx

But she knows she has a curse on her,
a curse she cannot win.
For if someone gets
too close to her,
the pins stick farther in.
from "Voodoo Girl"

A very short book of odd little poems about freakish children and parents who can't understand their unnatural offspring.

My favourite poem is "Voodoo Girl"

and my favourite picture is of Staring Girl's eyes having a well-deserved rest.

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LibraryThing member Bookmarque

No happily ever after endings here. Just darkly humorous poems accompanied by Burton's trademark frenetic drawings. A nasty little gem.

LibraryThing member charlottejones952

This book is full of mad ideas and sometimes disturbing themes, but overall these poems are easy to read, enjoyable and enhanced by the wonderful illustrations provided by Tim Burton. It is something that I could easily read just a few poems out of if I didn't have much time, or something that I

will definitely be re-reading in its entirity at some point in the future. Robot Boy is my favourite of the collection due to the humour and interesting accompanying images.

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LibraryThing member -Eva-

A collection of odd poems, true to the odd nature of the author. Some sad, some quirky, some funny, and the only problem is that it's a tiny little volume that should have been much longer.

"Char Boy"

For Christmas, Char boy received his usual lumps of coal,
which made him very happy

For Christmas,

Char Boy received a small present instead of
his usual lump of coal,
which confused him very much.

For Christmas Char Boy was mistaken for a dirty fireplace
and swept out into the street.

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LibraryThing member something_

Well I liked the drawings! It's the only reason why I'm giving it two stars to be honest. The poetry... well, I have a bit of trouble calling this poetry. I found the musings were neither imaginative nor deep (or its meanings were so deep I completely missed them).

Regarding the text, this is one

of the (extremely) rare circumstances where I can say: "I could do equal or better" - and probably any kid could too. The rhymes were simplistic, but also devoid of any particular style or 'flourish', or something that made them stand out from a 4th grade work. They didn't tug at my feelings either. They were just... there. To illustrate the pictures I suppose. But as said before, I really like the style of the drawings at least, they were oddly captivating.

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LibraryThing member BrilliantGlow

I adore the illustrations that go right along with all these poems and short stories. I've long been a fan of Tim Burton and this was a complete delight to read.

LibraryThing member SumisBooks

Highly recommend to ANY Tim Burton fan! ❤

LibraryThing member krau0098

This was a collection of poetry with illustration by Tim Burton. The poems are all very off the wall, some are slightly disturbing, and most are darkly humorous. I would recommend for older teen to adult because of the content (there are a few poems with explicit sexual themes). I am a huge Tim

Burton fan and ended up enjoying this a lot.

The majority of poems talk about strange and troubled children and the weird ailments or situations that haunt them. All in all they were well done, occasionally made me laugh out loud, and were definitely unique. The sketches are very Burtonesque and their style matches the poems well.

While I did enjoy this, it might be something that’s better read bit by bit over time. I sat down and read it all in one sitting and the poems (despite their quirkiness) actually got to be a bit repetitive.

Overall this is a must for all you Tim Burton fans out there. It’s a beautifully put together book and is full of strange and quirky poetry and illustration by Burton.

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LibraryThing member shreya_kulsh

I think this was the first book that had actually managed to make me laugh out loud. I'm convinced Tim Burton has an imagination from outer space because this was pure genius.

LibraryThing member nebula21

A darling, dark and sinister read! I chuckled a lot.

LibraryThing member nebula21

A darling, dark and sinister read! I chuckled a lot.

LibraryThing member stevejwales

A strange and charming collection of short stories and vignettes of outcast children. A little Roald Dahl-like but even more twisted, while for the most part retaining a disarmingly sweet innocence.

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