The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy, and Other Stories [Hardcover]

Tim Burton (Author)

Book Description

Release date: October 25, 2005

From breathtaking stop-action animation to bittersweet modern fairy tales, filmmaker Tim Burton has become known for his unique visual brilliance -- witty and macabre at once. Now he 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 the tragedy of these dark yet simple beings -- hopeful, hapless heroes who appeal to the ugly outsider in all of us, and let us laugh at a world we have long left behind (mostly anyway).

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

This unassuming hardcover in black buckram with a dark lavender title plate is the door into a world of twisted pleasures. Filmmaker Tim Burton (Edward Scissorhands, Beetlejuice, The Nightmare Before Christmas) tells 23 winsomely macabre stories about boys and girls who don't fit in. Their bodies are misshapen, their habits are odd, and their parents are appalled by them. But they do try hard to be human, like poor unwanted Mummy Boy, who's "a bundle of gauze": he goes for a walk in the park with his mummy dog. Some kids are having "a birthday party for a Mexican girl." They think Mummy Boy is a piñata: "They took a baseball bat and whacked open his head. Mummy Boy fell to the ground; he finally was dead. Inside of his head were no candy or prizes, just a few stray beetles of various sizes." For all its simple humor, The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy & Other Stories is a peculiarly disturbing book about the violence that children suffer. It is illustrated in pen and ink, watercolor, and crayon. The themes and imagery are at a young-adult to adult level. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Review

In the manner of the pictorial tales of Shel Silverstein, Roald Dahl, and Edward Gorey--but from a slightly more twisted realm of the imagination--Burton's creepy stories conjure up the fantastical, even the slightly demented: "The Boy with Nails in His Eyes," "Roy, the Toxic Boy," "The Girl with Many Eyes" ("You get really wet/When she breaks down and cries"), and "Brie Boy" ("The other children never let Brie Boy play ... but at least he went well with a nice Chardonnay"). -- Entertainment Weekly --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 115 pages
• Publisher: It Books; First edition (October 25, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060526491
• ISBN-13: 978-0060526498
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (188 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #260,196 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #51 in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Humor > Limericks & Humorous Verse

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 38 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Same as the previous edition, but w/ a slip cover December 18, 2004

By Book Worm

Format:Hardcover

This is a great collection of drawings and illustrations from Tim Burton which I would definately reccommend. HOWEVER, keep in mind that the HOLIDAY EDITION is simply the ORIGINAL EDITION, with the addition of a new holiday themed slip cover. Remove the slip cover and you've got the same book. Just don't want anyone ordering thinking that it's a new edition with all-new or additional poems and art. Now that that's out of the way, buy this book! (Either edition, and any time of the year!)

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars You don't have to be twisted to like this book! November 5, 1999

By nycgirl

Format:Hardcover

You don't need to like dark things in order to like this dark book. You don't even need to be gloomy or sad to read it. This book is just brilliant. It's innocent and child-like tales will transport you to another level of imagination. You will sympathize with the poor creatures in this book, because they need to be loved too. You will smile and laugh and empathize. I highly recommend giving this book as a gift. Everyone i have lent it to, including corporate execs--really liked it. I also highly recommend "Lenore: Noogies" by Roman Dirge for something similar in terms of art and storyline, which Tim Burton also praises.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Burton's Dark Success! January 27, 2000

By Ruben

Format:Hardcover

I have always admired the on-screen work of Tim Burton but had not known about his literary endeavours. When I was given this book as a present I did not expect much of it even though the title intrigued me and front cover art work was bizarre. I found this to be a collection of surreal accounts of abnormal children but still able to touch and allow the reader to endear to these beastly freaks of nature. The darkness in these stories are reminiscent of much of Burton's film work and the artwork is almost as powerful as the stories themselves. This book works on every possible level as it is simple yet sinister enough to be potent. A definite must-read for all those with a slightly twisted outlook on the world!

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A "Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy" review by Fernando Leal November 15, 1997

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

Tim Burton once again surprises and delights us with his new book, "The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and Other Stories". The book is a subvertion to the children's fairy-tale book genre. If you look at the book and flip through its pages, you'll say it's indeed a children book, and it's supposed to look like one. But the book has several direct sex and drugs references (i.e., the sexual problems of Oyster-Boy's parents, and "the girl who sniffed lots of glue"), and most of the characters of the tales die at the end. Tim Burton, who's given us such wonderful movies as "Edward Scissorhands", "The Nightmare Before Christmas", and "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure", has now made a wonderful book, filled with what he's best at, unusual, misunderstood and outcast characters. "The Melancholy Death..." is a collection of tales of little freak kids who live in deep sadness for not being understood or accepted. The stories are told through melancholic verses and the illustrations (by Tim Burton) are simple and extremely elegant. Once you meet characters like Melonhead, Stick-Boy, The Boy With Nails in His Eyes, Junk Girl, The Pin-Cushion Queen, it gets easier to understand how Tim Burton could come up with such an original and bizarre film as "Edward Scissorhands". It's as though he was one of the kids from the book. The references to sex reminded me of "Batman Returns", where Tim Burton subverted the action-movie genre, turning a Batman blockbuster movie into an expressionist tale of sex and horror. The Penguin, by the way, makes an appearance in the book as a child (The Hideous Penguin Boy). "The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy" is a wonderful book and a must for any Tim Burton fan.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Good old scary FUN! June 9, 2000

By benjamin bannister

Format:Hardcover

If you are a Tim Burton fan, get this book. It's a collection of fun and very Tim Burton poems about outcasts and outsiders that makes you feel better knowing you're not in their situations.

The book is oddly formatted. Some pages have one line of verse and a picture on the adjacent side. The book looks like it is written for children, but I don't know if any kids would understand or enjoy it as a young adult like me did.

The illustrations gave me the creeps; they are fun, yet disturbing at the same time. I recommend this book!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Written As a Children's Book, But Best For an Older Kid January 5, 2003

A Kid's Review

Format:Hardcover

I bought this handsome collection of short poems and stories by Tim Burton, not only because he is my most favorite director, but also because I was very interested in what his poetry and stories were like. Although "The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and Other Stories" is written as a children's book, the content consists of some sexual,drug, and just plain macabre stuff. For example, in a couple poems, like "Robot Boy," a line goes, "He never forgave her unholy alliance: a sexual encounter with a kitchen appliance." Also, to tell you about the scarce yet present drug content, in the poem called, "Sue", the beginning is, "To avoid a lawsuit, we'll just call her Sue (or "that girl who likes to sniff lots of glue"). And lastly,to show you that macabre stuff is present, I can't recite a specific line because all of them contain some or lots of macabre. But if you truly love Tim Burton, then this book is a good thing to have. I like the poems in this collection- they are fun to read over and over, and a great addition to your bookshelf. I just suggest that you don't buy it for a child or an early reader- it is really for an older kid (like 12 and up) to adult. All in all, I enjoyed this book, and anyone who loves Tim Burton, likes macabre comedy, and can be mature to some very light adult content will enjoy having this book!

P.S.- I loved "The Girl with Many Eyes"! (It was a clean and funny poem)!

P.S.S.- Not all of the poems contain drug or sexual content!! In fact, most are clean and clever!