(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through NetGalley.)

--- 3.5 stars ---

"In this half existence which is now my life, I have witnessed mysteries and miracles, both big and small. Most are beyond my understanding, but this much I know to be true: the dead are just as haunted by the living. And nothing stays lost forever. [...]

"My name is Oscar Zahn, and this was not my tale. But it was a tale for me to tell."

Oscar Zahn might be a floating skull in a trench coat (carrying a chaotic, octopus-like dark passenger, at that), but he's also one heck of a paranormal investigator. With the help of a network of otherworldly friends and allies, he comes to the rescue of the living and dead alike. From the battlefields of Somme, France, circa 1916, to an ethereal, in-between place located in the Arctic Circle, Oscar, Agnes, Mr. Crane, and the cobbled-together crew of the Cassiopeia travel the world(s), solving creepy mysteries, freeing trapped souls and hunting malevolent forces.

THE STRANGE TALES OF OSCAR ZAHN is as touching as it is bizarre. Oscar makes for a compelling (if mysterious) protagonist, and his exploits are literally the stuff of legends. Vương showcases a wild imagination, with ghost stories rooted in both history and science.

I do wish we'd learned more about Oscar's backstory, but that's teased at the end of the volume, presumably because Oscar Zahn's origins are intertwined with the Big Bad that our protagonists are pursuing.

Honestly, all the plots and subplots are so out there that this review proved difficult to write - I just couldn't keep everything straight, or not from memory alone. I think that learning more about Oscar's role in the story will tie things together so that I can see the puzzle from the pieces. THE STRANGE TALES OF OSCAR ZAHN seems like a series I'll devour a second time, from start to finish, once the final panel is released. ( )