THE MELANCHOLY DEATH OF OYSTER BOY & OTHER STORIES

THE MELANCHOLY DEATH OF OYSTER BOY & OTHER STORIES Tim Burton (Rob Weisbach, $20) Director Tim Burton (Batman, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Edward Scissorhands) here offers a literary slice of his dark brand of humor. 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''). Belated Halloween trick or Christmas treat, this one is best served to a more, um, mature audience. B+