The Deep

There's a lot of criticism for this book in other reviews, but I genuinely enjoyed it. If you're looking for a deep, philosophical, literary masterpiece, look elsewhere. If you want a wild, psychedelic ride into human madness and the vibe of a well written b-rated sci-fi plot, this is for you! It was a worthwhile and wild ride. The writing was really emotionally descriptive and the metaphors/similies we're often very visceral. The only way I can explain it is that this book felt very "sensory"- you could see, feel, and especially hear everything. To address some of the criticism I saw: Some have called this book "fatphobic." I want to be very respectful and honor other's experience when I say that I don't think that's necessarily the case. If horrific descriptions of obesity trigger you, then absolutely stay away from this book. However, I don't think the author's intention is to display how horrible day people are. His mother is a monster, and part of her descent into her personal madness is obesity. Much like a rail-thin, Slenderman type character evokes a certain chilly vibe, this is just a literary tool to make the main character (and thereby the reader) feel both disgusted by the nature of the mother's monstrosity and feel astoundingly small. I truly didn't get the feeling that Nick Cutter "just hates fat people." As for pacing, it feels like an action packed slow burn, which I understand is contradictory. There is constantly something happening, but you don't get any answers and hardly any clues along the way. This book is very much about the journey and I enjoyed the visuals along the way. It was like stepping into an abstract nightmare that just never ends, and I think that's really effective for what the author is intending. I won't list all the trigger warnings here, but suffice it to say, this book deserves many of them. This is a horror book through and through. Don't expect it to be happy or for it to let up. I totally understand why this book isn't for everyone, but I found it incredibly imaginative, descriptive, and like any good b-rated sci-fi horror movie, pleasurable in its own way. My advice is just go into it with realistic expectations.

So, let me say I tried to give this 4 1/2 but for some reason it won't let me. Spoilers ahead. The book is fantastic, and has a lot of moments that are genuinely disturbing and horrific. For the first time in a long time, I felt myself genuinely creeped out by the prose in a book as opposed to just entertained. The author does a fantastic job at weaving that idea of fear and insane imagination we all have at what might be lurking in the dark, and the sadistic mind dialogue we give those monsters. The monsters in this case, however, are real. I do, however, have a few criticisms. The disease which is the narrative trigger, the Gets, turns out to be a red herring that has nothing to do with the insanity happening on the station and the Fig Men didn't even create it. As they say, it happened to be a lucky coincidence for them. I absolutely HATED this, especially as the disease doesn't transmit in any natural way (fluids, airborne, contact, etc). It made no sense to me and also is one thing I thought was a massive missed opportunity for the author to really lean into the godlike, sadistic power of these monsters...they can't escape their prison but they can still touch the world enough. It would show they're so inhuman, that they were willing to cause a worldwide plague to just lure one man down into the dark so they could play and escape. It just irked me. Also, this book is bleak as hell. There is no happy ending and nothing happy along the way. Do not read it if you're in a dark place at the time, because you may not make it out. Ultimately despite my gripes, the book is still fantastic and should be read. Just have a video of puppies or something waiting when you get done.

This is my third Nick Cutter book, and after that extended trial, I've decided probably my last. Ill try to share why in the following comments without giving away any spoilers, but if you're the type that likes to enter into a book with zero expectations or foreknowledge, be warned some things may give you an idea of the books narrative and plot. The GOOD Cutter writes a fine voice, realistic and very relatable, with his characters or at least his main ones. He gives just enough info to help you invest, and the inner dialogue/monologue of his protagonists feel quickly at home in your head. Likeable, generally "good" every-men who are easy to connect with. Another strong point is pacing. Cutter drives the narrative at fairly breakneck speed, with short chapters that often end in cliffhangers that have you hurrying on to the next chapter. As mentioned, very much a page turner! And if that's all your looking for, this might be an enjoyable read. The NOT so good - After three books, I believe I've sussed out Cutter's modus operandi...and its a bit lazy and non-edifying. In the books I read, they followed the same path - set up a great premise and potential story, spend a little time building the world and establishing the characters, then a little less time getting them to a particular place....then basically halt the plot development for the rest of the book and just move from one predictable horror trope scene to another. This goes on forever...then the book ends. Dourly. I mean, there's only so many times you can read about the main character encountering something turning into "gelatinous ooze", and his mind "gibbering in fear". Its like taking a short, interesting trip through the countryside...to a pigsty, and then spending days just wallowing around in the muck. One disgusting pile of muck is about the same as any other, but we are subjected to scene after scene of it. During all this extended muck-wallowing, nothing happens to the plot. Causation, motive, new information, twists or surprises are in very short supply, if any...again, one gelatinous oozing object/character is pretty much the same as the other, if they don't reveal anything about the plot or the characters. In this particular instance, it takes place at the bottom of the ocean, with an ancient malevolent, unknowable entity screwing with everyone and everything. Basically, "Event Horizon", except at the bottom of the ocean instead of the far reaches of space, and not nearly as cohesive. WARNING - The next part might be a bit spoiler-y, though I won't give away any specifics. One of the MO's that have held constant in the three Cutter books I've read is that there is basically no redemption in them, for the characters or the readers. They tend to be likeable protagonists who find themselves in a life or death struggle with unknowable evil - a common trope. But Cutter seems to display a very sadistic side in that there is hardly ever any "wins" for his characters through the book. He grinds them down, defeat after defeat, grinding and grinding until there is nothing left to grind. And then it ends. I love me a good tragedy, and it can be a very effective narrative in the horror genre as well. However the best tragedies are felt more deeply when they are experienced by a hero who has striven heroically and lost. I feel - very subjectively - that Cutter just seems to enjoy torturing his characters till they're used up, like a sadistic child with a magnifying glass at an ant hill. One wants for a LITTLE redemption at some point! And so because of these pros and cons, I give The Deep three stars...and probably say farewell to Mr. Cutter having space on my Kindle.

Loved it! Genuinely uncomfortable moments when reading and the scene with dog.. really affecting. Overall a great read, couldn't put it down.

I got this book ages ago, I believe it might have actually been one of the first books I was approved for on NetGalley and yet it took me months, if not an entire year before I finally finished this book. Despite it being a horror book that was supposed to be terrifying, I found it to be rather lacklustre. When I first started reading The Deep, I was intrigued by the virus that was spreading – the Gets – which makes people slowly forget everything: it starts with little things like what they ate the night before and gradually builds until they completely forget how to breathe and eventually die. The disease itself sounded like it would be a horrific event in and of itself, with the main character slowly forgetting things and I assumed it would eventually drive them mad. What actually happened was Luke voluntarily went into an underwater fortress because his scientist brother apparently asked to see him. Even though they were long estranged, Luke didn’t have anything keeping him where he was and so he went. The thing is, the lead up to this was long and slow and, quite honestly, very dull. I ended up putting the book down before Luke was even on the boat to head out to the fortress. After a few months away from the book, I picked it back up hoping that I had just been in the wrong mood for a horror. Once Luke is actually in the deep sea station, things do pick up and get more interesting. The mysterious substance dubbed Ambrosia is everywhere and could possibly have a life of its own. The locked laboratory that seems to hum constantly. And then, of course, there’s Clayton’s steadfast refute of the fact that he asked Luke to be there. Trapped miles under the surface of the ocean, Luke tries to figure out just exactly what is going on without losing his mind down there in the dark and suffocating depths. Now, forewarning, this next thing is a bit of a spoiler but not a huge thing. There’s a dog – one of the test subjects – that becomes a companion to Luke while he’s on the station. If you’re anything like me and hate reading about any kind of animal being killed, this might not be the book for you. Although it turns out that the dog is actually okay, there was a scene where it looks like it dies and I was bawling. The thing about this book is, the dog incident got the most reaction from me. Nothing else made me feel scared or angry or anything. So, that says a lot to me about the quality of the horror. In the end, I think this was an okay book. It took me way longer to read than I would have liked and I didn’t completely put it down and leave it so it wasn’t a complete write-off. I think it’s a good read for people who like a bit of mystery along with their scares. Although there wasn’t really any outright terrifying moments that would make you scream and throw the book away out of fear, but there were some rather chilling psychological moments that make you doubt whether the events are really happening or not. Overall, this turned out not to be a great read for me, personally, but I really feel that other horror fans will enjoy it.

Habe es als Geschenk gekauft

L'ho comprato presa dall'entusiasmo per un post del buon Stephen King, che via Facebook lo descirveva come una bomba (parafraso). Inizio a pensare che ci fosse dell'ironia nelle sue parole. Un insieme di immagini "da incubo" sconclusionato e senza capo né coda. Magari a H.P. Lovecraft si gioca un altro giorno, eh?