Into the Drowning Deep
4.6
19
5
1
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780316379373 |
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| Publisher: | Orbit |
| Publication date: | 05/29/2018 |
| Edition description: | Reprint |
| Pages: | 480 |
| Sales rank: | 59,241 |
| Product dimensions: | 5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.50(d) |
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Customer Reviews
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Into the Drowning Deep
4.6 out of 5
based on
0 ratings.
19 reviews.
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How many books are there out that make a guy say, "A book about mermaids? Heck yeah!"?
Thank you Mira Grant for now giving guys a reason to say things like, "Go away! I'm reading my mermaid book.".
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Mira Grant, as far as I am concerned, is the queen of horror. Her novels never fail to scare the bejesus out of me at the same time keeping me absolutely glued to the page. With her latest novel, she capitalizes on people's general uneasiness with the ocean's depths and the unknown creatures it holds to generate that fear. That and she creates an indelible new image of mermaids that will have you thinking of the Disney princess Ariel in a whole new light.
One of the many ways which makes Into the Drowning Deep so terrifying is its plausibility. The arguments the characters make for the existence of killer mermaids logically hits all the right notes. It becomes difficult to argue away their points especially when there are so many things about the ocean that we just do not know. So the story becomes something that could realistically occur.
As with her other novels, the characters in Into the Drowning Deep are mesmerizing. Flawed and human, they cross the gamut from autistic Internet celebrity to a big game hunters to scientists who believe to crew members who doubt. No matter how briefly they may appear on the page, Ms. Grant finds ways to create their humanity, to make them more than one-dimensional descriptions but real-live people with emotions and family and backstories we can only imagine. This helps not only keep a reader's interest but also enhances the scene when the blood starts flying.
A horror story is only as good as the anticipation built before the monsters make their debut. With Into the Drowning Deep, that anticipation is high indeed. As mentioned earlier, Ms. Grant uses the innate fear of the unknown and of the ocean to build suspense and create tension before anything really occurs. She continues to utilizes these fears and adds others to the mis as the story progresses. She manipulates these fears to such a degree that she primes readers to anticipate the danger, ratcheting the tension ever higher. Once contact is made, Ms. Grant keeps her foot firmly in place, never allowing the story to lose steam or readers to lose that anxiety, keeping it finely tuned until she allows readers to take a breath and relax.
Mira Grant knows how to write a horror story and with Into the Drowning Deep she shows off her talent to do so. Her control of the tension and of readers' emotions is beyond excellent, and her writing style is such that it becomes way too easy to forget that the novel is fictional. She is so successful at this that the thought of taking a cruise into the open ocean scares me to no end. After all, who really knows what creatures exist in the unexplored depths of the ocean?
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Creatures, animals, monsters - it's all degrees, isn't it?
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Nature is bigger and weirder than anyone ever wants to think it is.
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I LOVE Mira Grant (and her other writings as Seanan McGuire). She has a totally immersive storytelling style that I nearly always lose myself in (the lone exception: Swallow Road)... This latest is no exception - this time, she's tackling mermaids. Yes, you heard me - mermaids. But don't picture Disney - these are mermaids red in tooth and claw, and they're fantastic!!
The story is a quest to discover what happened to the Atargatis - a ship sent on expe"dition by a "mockumentary" entertainment company into the deeps of the Marianas Trench. The ship is lost at sea (well, technically its crew is - the ship is eventually found) but some mysterious leaked video footage has raised more questions than answers - and those questions are decidedly weird. Tory lost her sister on the Atargatis, and she's not at all put off by the weird - so when an opportunity arises to join the follow-up expedition in search of "the Truth", she's in.
The resulting story is full of mystery, secrets, weird science, even weirder flora and fauna, and an incredible cast of main and supporting characters that are sneaky and glorious and strong and weak and thoroughly marvelous. In her inimitable style, Grant not only creates an entire world, she populates it in an entirely original fashion - and throws in a twist at the end (literally the end - like 3% of the book left, the end) that ties it all together but not entirely and leaves just enough room for more books... That's one of the things I love about her, incidentally - most of her books can be read as one-offs because the stories do have resolution of their major arcs, but there's nearly always a "but what about..." moment (or two or three) that lure you back in.
The other thing I love is her writing style and way with words. Simply told, she's a great lyrical writer who manages to keep the pace steady and the tension constantly building and ebbing, in a tidal sway of teasing excitement and creepy suspense. She always has at least one super-snarky female lead character (here it is without a doubt Dr. Toth) with biting insights into the human condition (even when the condition at issue isn't human). She writes great characters and gives them great lines - and those are peppered throughout great stories. You can't ask for much more in a horror story/thriller...
You won't look at the ocean in exactly the same way again - this is Jaws for the 2010s. It's brilliant and a head rush of a read and I couldn't put it down - except at night, because I'm a little wimpy... ;)
My review copy was provided through NetGalley.
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I’m a scaredy-cat, so I had to read Goodnight Moon when I read this at night, but I couldn’t put this down. Very smart, readable author with fantastic stories to tell.
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I+was+skeptical+of+this+book+at+first%2C+I+mean+how+good+can+a+book+about+mermaids+really+be%3F+It+was+everything+and+MORE.+If+you%27re+looking+for+a+book+that+terrifies+you%2C+makes+you+scream%2C+cry%2C+and+has++you+looking+at+the+water+fearfully.+This+book+is+for+you.
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Well ye landlubbers, this is how the mermaids of the deep truly be. Not some beautiful singing maiden longing to be on land but menacing fierce fighting and killin' machines that will rip yer face off and guzzle yer flesh. Arrrrr! Nasty creatures they be. Much thanks to Mira Grant fer giving up a better understanding of the denizens of the deep sea.
Mehaps it just be me but this took awhile to be engaging. Now don't get me wrong, I liked the science of it right fine. I enjoyed the characters in it. It just took too much time to get into the nitty-gritty of the beasts and action. I didn't get hooked onto the story until 63% and it only really gripped me until 85%. Plus I did not really enjoy the ending. But me mateys were chatterin' in excitement about this one and plus I adore the author's other work so I was determined to finish this.
I am glad I did. I loved the reality behind the mermaid myths. I loved the biology of the mermaids. I thought the killin' be awesome though I don't fancy fighting one of these beasties meself anytime soon. Many of the ideas in this novel float me boat. Sadly the execution just didn't thrill me.
I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for me honest musings. Arrr!
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If I trust anyone to write a story about bloodthirsty mermaids it’s Mira Grant (Seanan McGuire) and she didn’t disappoint.
If you love mermaids, being creeped out, nautical stuff, science facts, LGBT rep, possibly having nightmares, and horrible things that lurk in the great depths of the ocean, you will probably love this book as much as I do. If you love the ocean, it might make you not love it any more! Good thing for me, I already hate water and most of what’s in it.
I know basically nothing about science. So I can’t speak to the authenticity of the science that went into this book. However, it’s convincing to a plebe like me! I’m willing to bet that Mira did her research based on the way she writes and the fact that she loves animals and also really creepy stuff. In order to write about creepy horrors that lurk deep in the ocean, you have to at least know a little about the creatures that already live down there. Mira built a mermaid that could believably lurk in the dark, highly pressurized depths of the ocean. She somehow managed to craft a monster that I imagined to be both beautiful (though not remotely close to the usual mermaid standards, ie: Ariel) and terrifying. Their teeth. Oh, gourd, their teeth!
Her characters, per usual, are on point. Mira writes strong women very well. I love her focus on science and women in the field. Five of the main females in this book work in the science field and they know their shit. These ladies are diverse, smart, and believable. They’re not just caricatures of strong women; they have faults and flaws. They are sometimes annoying or make bad decisions. There are certainly main male characters too, but it feels like they very subtly play second fiddle. It’s hard to describe, but the way it felt for me was that Mira was able to pull of having the female cast be the focus of the novel without demeaning the men in any way. The cast is diverse too, including two deaf characters, a character dealing with paralysis and bisexual and lesbian characters.
Despite this book being a chunkster, it never felt slow. Despite this book containing a lot of science, I never felt bored. Despite this book containing a lot of scary scenes, I never felt…oh wait, I was definitely scared! Mira is a master of what I’ve dubbed the “subtle freakout”. She uses little snippets and quick details to build an incredible sense of foreboding in me. Having read her work before, I know that something creepy is coming, or characters will die, or horrible things will eventually be lurking around the corner, so when she gives these little clues I’m immediately on high alert. I LOVE IT.
Sort of side note, one of the things that freaks me out the most is when I read about technological failures that occur without notice, or with little notice – you know it’s totally going to mess something up later, and yet people are just going on with their merry lives, while the little failures happen in the background. I CAN’T EVEN! If, like me, you enjoy this type of detail, Into the Drowning Deep has it.
Mira Grant is quickly becoming an all-time favorite author of mine. I still need to dive into more of her fantasy works, and read her Newsflesh series, but she’s already on my auto-buy list and I’m going to build up my collection of her already published works as soon as I can.
If you like strong female characters (written by a strong female), diversity and LGBT rep and horror with a heavy dose of science (but written in an accessible an
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As usual wonderfully written and scary enough to give you pause at the waters edge.
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So is science, and so are human beings. Mira Grant has unleashed a thought-provoking and terrifying story that absolutely grips!
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I really really love this book. I love it so very much. And this is coming from someone who tends to stay away from books with horror and gore. But there's just something about the way this book is written that makes the horrors and gore being described beautiful enough for me to read without being too overwhelmed by things I usually shy away from. And yes, it helps that this is about merfolk, and if it weren't about merfolk I probably would be as into this book as I am. But oh my word, INTO THE DROWNING DEEP and its prequel ROLLING IN THE DEEP are two of my favorite books. They do a really great job of showing just how talented of a writer Mira Grant is. When reading ROLLING IN THE DEEP I sent a text to a friend that said something along the lines of: "How can a death be so beautiful?" That text really boils down to the heart of why I love these books so much. There's horror. There's beauty. There's beauty in the horror, and horror in the beauty. And neither the horror or beauty is trying to cover the other up. They just coexist in an extremely wonderful way.
TLDR: ROLLING IN THE DEEP and INTO THE DROWNING DEEP are amazing books and I highly suggest you read them.
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It should come as no surprise that I really loved this book. I've pretty much raved about the books by Mira Grant/Seanan McGuire in the past and she's definitely still at the top of her game.
As Mira Grant, the author is best known for her Newsflesh Trilogy books - a series set in a world where zombies are a terrifying reality. In her Parasitology series, Grant introduces the reader to the beginning of a zombie-like take-over. Now, in this Rolling in the Deep series, Grant takes the reader away from zombie and on to a journey to discover a new horror ... mermaids.
A few years back a ship was at the Mariana Trench to do some filming of a phony story about mermaids. But there was a disaster of some sort and all hands were lost. Now another ship is setting off for their last location, this one staffed with scientists and guards and the ship has been specially rigged to protect the crew. On board is Dr. Jillian Toth, a noted scientist who has written and lectured about the reality of mermaids. She is certain that this ship will produce evidence of the often-considered-mythical creatures.
And it does.
And we wish it hadn't.
Grant's mermaids are nothing like the Disney singing princess. These creatures are malevolent feeders with a taste for human flesh. They are fast and they are strong and they are on the offensive and from the moment of their first appearance in the book, Grant keeps the reader on edge all the way through the rest of the book. It is a true page-turner as we can't wait to get into the next chapter to see who has survived or if another wave of killers has attacked.
Grant is a tremendous writer and it's hard to even begin to say what she does so well.
First, there's her world-creation. Although set in the near future, this world is very recognizable. This is our world and we'd better be careful because there's something here we're about to discover. And when she gives us the monsters, just as she did with the zombies in her other series', she has clearly thought it through and created rules by which these creatures have existed and flourish. She even gives us plausible science to explain how these sea monsters can move between the heavy pressure of the ocean depths and the world above the water.
Next, Grant shows her skill by recognizing that this isn't just a scifi/fantasy/horror novel about a sea monster - this is a book about people, humans like us, discovering the new horrors, and then about how we react and survive (or not) this new beast. Essentially, Grant knows that a good book is about people, even if what we remember most vividly are the scenes of chaos and death.
And because of these things - a familiar world and a story about people we can recognize - we are fully drawn into the story. The action is immediate and terrifying and I'm not sure I want to take a cruise ever again because Grant makes me believe in these creatures.
This is highly recommended and if you've never read Mira Grant and like a little horror in your sci-fi, then this is a must read.
Looking for a good book? Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant is a wild ride on an ocean vessel, making contact with what was once believed to be only a myth, and it will have you believing in mermaids and fearful of ever encountering one.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
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Yes! This book was just as good as I had hoped that it would be - actually I would say it was even better. I'm going to start off by stating for the record that I love, love, love Grant's Newsflesh trilogy (of which I've read each book multiple times minus Feedback which I haven't read yet). Because I love those three books so much, I've been very hesitant to pick up anything else by her. Not because I don't expect to love everything that she writes. At this point I actually do expect to love all of her books. But more because I remember clearly the first time that I read Feed and how it managed to rip my heart out after I had come to care about the characters so much. That might sound slightly like a spoiler so I won't say more than that. I just knew that there was a good chance that anything else I read by her would either not live up to my very high expectations or would also rip my heart out. I told myself though that I wasn't waiting to read this one and I'm so glad that I didn't. It was absolutely fantastic! Yet again I found myself completely immersed in this world that Grant has created. This time though there was a creepy horror movie vibe to the book that I just couldn't get enough of. Killer mermaids folks.....that should tell you everything that you need to know.
One of the things that I really loved about this book was the characters. Grant has a knack for creating characters that I really come to care about. These characters were no different and I grew to care for them at my own peril. As soon as you start reading this book, you basically know that things may not turn out well for everyone. In fact, just from reading the summary you can see that they are heading straight into the danger zone in the attempt to determine what actually happened to the Atargatis so long ago. Cue the creepy horror music from here on out. The author starts dropping hints from the very beginning that things may not go as planned. It adds this layer of tension to the story that made for quite the reading experience. I won't say too much more but the comparisons to horror movies should tell you all you need to know. And yet again I say, killer mermaids folks. This book was everything I wanted to read and didn't even know it! I basically couldn't stop reading this book. I ended up finishing it late in the night because I just needed to know how it was all going to end. I was thrilled when after finishing I realized that it looked like this is going to be part of a series. I can't wait to read more! Also, there is a prequel that I need to check out as soon as possible because I just can't get enough of this world that Grant has created!
Overall, I can tell you that this book will easily be on my best reads of 2017 list! It was such a great reading experience and just writing up my thoughts has me so excited to read everything else that Grant has written. I've always wished that they would have made a movie (or movies) based off of the Newsflesh trilogy. I have to say that this book would make an amazing horror movie as well! I will always sing Grant's praises because her books are just that good! The worlds that she creates are just so unique and complex - I just can't say enough good things about her or her books. This book was dark, tense, and so flipping good that I can't even talk coherently about it. I'm going to need a copy of this one for my own shelves for sure! Highly, highly recommended! Readers of
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Full disclosure: I would read anything Mira Grant writes. I have never been disappointed! Mermaids with a twist and a side of science. There is room for a follow up book (yes, please) but you are not left hanging. I found this to be a quick and very entertaining read. Give it a go.
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"Into the Drowning Deep" was that rare horror story I really enjoy, creepy without being too scary to let me sleep at night -- I think this is because it's written almost more as a tragedy than as horror. Mira Grant's mermaids are full of teeth and bloody appetite and nightmare biology and she's so delightfully enthusiastic about sharing them with you. Things only go wrong because of human hubris and their penchant for seeing an obvious trap and poking it to see what happens. (As one of the characters notes, emergency distress buttons are painted black, because a bright _red_ panic button is too tempting a target.) Even when the mermaids are eating people's faces, it's because some choices have horrible consequences, rather than because some things should not be. Also, I love how varied and wonderful all her characters are, both the ones I want to see eaten, and the ones I want to protect, even when I can't. So if 'killer mermaids' sounds at all interesting, check this book out.
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Into the Drowning Deep is the first full book in the Rolling in the Deep series by Mira Grant*. There has been one novella "Rolling in the Deep" released prior to this. (I have not read that prequel.) Set aboard a ship, the crew on board is composed of scientists, network employees, and general contractors for various duties. There's a range of personalities, including an (all things considered) appropriate amount of egotistical nobbin heads, a few sharks on two legs, and surprisingly good people. There's also a believable amount of drama. It's a great book that will make you want to shove your responsibilities as adults to the side for several hours because nothing seems quite so as appealing as finishing this book as soon as possible.
What I like about the author's writing is that it is so real. She takes our world, and changes it just enough so that it's only a hop, skip, and one measly dimension over. Zombies, Mermaids, doesn't matter. She says [for x book] "In my world, they exist." and you instantly agree. There's no suspension of belief necessary. No scoffing or rolling your eyes at the improbability of it all. She makes says its true, and for the entirety of that book, you never think to doubt her.
I loved that one of the characters in the book was autistic, but not portrayed in a way that made her 'special'. It was just a part of who she was. It shaped how she interacted with people, and how she dealt with situations, but it didn't define her. There was one passage in particular that really stood out to me when it came to this character. She's having a conversation with someone else, and she needs to get something clear. She says:
"...signals are hard. ... People don't say what they mean. They say things that live in the same neighborhood as what they mean, and then they look at me like I'm stupid because i don't pick it up instantly. I'm not stupid. I'm just not that specific kind of smart."
I also appreciated that one of the characters in Into the Drowning Deep is bisexual (much more common to find homo or hetero than bi) and that the author directly addresses one of the major biases bisexuals face when people find out about their orientation.
" ... She wasn't a sl*t or a fence-sitter, or any of the other terrible things she'd been called ... She was just pickier about personalities than she was about genders."
There were lots of passages that I really enjoyed from Into the Drowning Deep that had nothing to do with the characters themselves. Just the basic quips or observations that made me giggle.
I really liked Into the Drowning Deep. It had a steady pace to it, the characters were interesting and varied, and the dialogue kept me entertained. It made me feel very justified of my dislike of water when it's deep enough I can't see the bottom. It also had enough action and gore in it to satiate the horror hound in me. I liked it - a lot! - but I didn't love it. It didn't ensnare me the way the author's book Feed did. While I appreciated what I was reading, something kept me from fully immersing myself in the story. I think it may be because while I liked the characters, I never really connected with any of them like I did with characters in Feed.
I highly recommend Into the Drowning Deep! A fantastic and imaginative well-told tale of terror.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from Netgalley for review consideration.
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After devouring and loving Rolling In The Deep, I couldn’t wait to get on the ocean, set sail, and see how this next venture would wind up.
It’s been seven years since all were lost on the Atargatis. It’s no longer top news and many think it was a hoax. Imagine Network isn’t done yet. They commission a new ship, a much larger crew, security guards, and supposedly failproof systems to protect them from what they now know lives under the waves, deep in the Marianna Trench.
Among the crew is a girl who wants vengeance, a reporter trying to make her name, two big game hunters looking to add mermaid heads to their walls, more scientists than you can shake a stick at, and some who feel it’s their duty to be there.
There is a lot more character development in this second book. It’s a longer story and I needed that. Sure, I couldn’t wait for the mermaid scenes, and there were were plenty of crazy ones, but I wanted to care about the character’s, feel their hopes and fears, and worry for their safety. I also wanted to select the ones I’d feed to the mermaids. It’s fun to have some that you loathe. I imagine how they might meet their sticky ends. And Mira Grant doesn’t disappoint with any of this.
And the mermaids. We learn quite a bit about them. We already know they’re killers. Now we find out what they really are. What it might mean to mankind, and the world. Scary stuff, indeed.
If you like your mermaids dark and lethal, you’ll love this one. You don’t have to have read Rolling In The Deep to enjoy it. Mira does a great job of filling in the blanks without breaking the easy flow of the story. But why miss out on more fun. I’d recommend you read them both.
And I’m hoping for more in this series. That titillating ending has me crossing my fingers that the author hasn’t weighed anchor on these mermaids yet.
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This is the first book in what looks to be a series called Rolling in the Deep which was also the title of a prequel. Victoria (Tory) lost her sister in a ship disaster while filming a “mockumentary” for an entertainment company looking for mermaids. However, images leaked out that looked like it was a slaughter by strange creatures, not a sea disaster. Tory has made it her mission since the tragedy to find out what is really going on in the Mariana Trench, where it all happened. Seven years after it all went down, the entertainment company wants to go back, but this time they will be prepared with scientists, including Tory, security people, and a huge ship because the images were right. It was a slaughter by what they believe to be mermaids, and they need to go back to prove the company wasn’t at fault. But with so many hidden agendas on board the new ship, will everyone get their answers or will it become another slaughter? I love this author whether she writers under Mira Grant or Seanan McGuire. She is so deft with weaving words into whatever atmosphere she wants, and this one was a doozy! Haunting, scary, creepy, touching, this book had it all. I must admit that I am afraid of deep waters, so that added to scary vibe, but to be fair, her wonderful writing probably scared those not afraid of the water. While the book did take a while to get going and the end was a little abrupt, this book was a wonderful read, and I really have to say I hope to read more about what was in the deep, because the end left me chilled wanting more! Highly recommend! Thanks to NetGalley and Orbit Books for the e-copy which I voluntarily reviewed.
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Good story but way too repetitive and wordy. Should have been half the amount of pages.
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Mira Grant does it again
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