Deepest Times (McGuire Collection Book 1)

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The worst was always yet to come. While Grant offers a conclusion for our characters, and even a few reveals as to what exactly is going on, not everything is so tight - a lot of loose ends as to the science are left behind, and the ending to all the action is a bit Which is the littlest bit terrifying. Not that I don't worship Mira Grant's writing but she, as a person, scares me. Every person on this vessel was a story in the process of telling itself, and all of them were fascinating, and all of them deserve to be heard. The only final thing to mention is Olivia is autistic and so incredibly well written, and I really think reading her character was a lot for me, and maybe, after two rereads, I'm thinking a lot about how much I connected to her, and how that felt in terms of my personal identity.

This book meant a lot to me. And I want to end this with some words from the author , because they're perfect: It is the story of what it means to grieve so deeply that your bones are coral made, that your heart refuses to be still until the sins of the past can be put safely to rest, that the world weighs too much, crushing you. And yeah, it's a story about mermaids. Horrifying, marine biologist-approved mermaids, lurking in the deepest parts of the ocean, ready to devour you.

Give this a try. View all 40 comments. I would like to preface my review by stating outright: I fucking loved this book. My feelings for this book are still very much on that point on the spectrum of awe where wonder becomes dread, or dread turns into wonder. I read this at night because as it turns out, I like suffering but with a nice soundtrack.

So, what's this book about? In , The Atargatis —a research vessel headed to the Mariana Trench on a scientific expedition supervised by Imagine, an entertainment company known for its horror movies, to look for mermaids—sailed off the map, leaving in its wake a murky narrative and a gruesome footage that bespoke a new and unsettling certainty: Seven years later, Imagine Entertainment sends another ship— The Melusine —to set sail for answers, a desperate ploy they hope will secure the company a legacy that is built on more than mediocre science fiction movies and rumors of a massive maritime hoax.

Hired to accompany the Melusine into uncharted waters, are a bunch of scientists who—unperturbed by the fact that the vanishing of The Atargatis does rather minimize the bounds of chance—spoke of their adventure ahead with its unguessable horizons with the fervor of untested warriors who had nothing to lose, nothing to gain, nothing they desired anymore, except to make their lives into a work of art: Jillian Toth —a marine biologist and a siren expert—whose burden of guilt and shame would not permit her to accept the fatality of a mission that was born out of her own research and studies, without at least going herself to face the flesh-ripping monsters of the watery deeps.

To them, this mission was their destiny come at last to retrieve them. Into The Drowning Deep packs a winning formula, by frightening, enthralling, disturbing and intriguing the readers all at once. Eerie and disorientating, spine-chilling but imbued with gallows humor, this terror tale spills realistic, likable characters tumbling towards a future filled with uncertainty and doom where they have no home but the unforgiven sea and no people but each other, and raises many questions that are cognitively taxing to swallow.

In spite of the horror movie flicker that mingles with the atmosphere, this is an energetic book that starts at high velocity and never lets up. The plot races along, but never leaves the reader behind. There is so much emotion rushing under the skin of every moment. The parenthetical asides give such greater poignancy at all the right times, making you pay attention to everything you read and ramping up small moments into a real bang.

I was antsy and uncertain throughout, a pendulum swinging between fear and dread, as if I was feeling the same weight of hungry eyes on me and the sense of having to be wary as the characters. I was also ever walking a knife-edge between adoration and animus when it came to the characters but they were all so fleshed-out and real that I still felt the pinch of pain in my stomach at every loss and trust me, there are many.

Jill and Theo goad each other into new lows was fun to read and I'm kind of rooting for them to gather the tatters of their broken marriage into a semblance of a relationship, maybe. And boy am I glad to exist on dry land. View all 34 comments. Oct 11, Chelsea Humphrey rated it it was amazing Recommended to Chelsea by: How can I write a review to do this book justice? The way I feel about her writing is similar to how diehard Stephen King fans feel about his work; she could publish her grocery list and I would pay top dollar for it.

If you haven't read the prequel novella Rolling in the Deep yet, no worries. Personally, I enjoyed reading the prequel first, as I wanted to experience the events as they happened instead of it being relayed to me "second-hand" if that makes sense. Whatever way you choose, you will not be lost, left behind, or confused if you decide to jump in right here.

The story is still excellent and will hopefully blow you away as it did me when I devoured it. Around the boat, the sea is getting lighter, like the sun is rising from below. The camera continues to roll. The cameraman continues to run. A thin-fingered hand slaps across the lens, and the video stops.

The screaming takes longer to end, but in time, it does. Unfortunately again , these folks are taken by surprise by the monsters that they find. I don't want to give anything away, but here we have the same intricate details from Grant.

Her writing is the very definition of "science fiction", as her fiction has so many scientific "facts" to enhance the credibility of the story I almost forget this is fiction and not a documentary on the Discovery Channel. There were a few really nice twists and turns that caught me off guard, and one major turning point of the story blew my mind so wonderfully that I'm still thinking about it as I type this. While we receive enough closure in the end, I felt the finale was left open enough for another entry if she so chooses to write it, which pleases me greatly.

Muahahaha Highly recommended for fans of fantasy, science fiction, and just plain weird and dark takes on classic stories. Book 2 in my Nebulous November reading challenge. View all 30 comments. Mar 18, karen rated it it was amazing Shelves: There were appetites to be sated, no matter how cold the water became, no matter how strange the sea turned. As long as there were bellies, they would need to be fed. As long as there was life in the sea, there would be teeth.

The Atargatis had found the mermaids because the people on the ship were made of meat, and the mermaids had empty stomachs that they wanted to fill. That was how you found things, in the sea. That was all you ever had to do. Do I think they found mermaids? Of course I do.

The Devil and the Deep

And I think the mermaids ate them all. Luis looked at her worriedly as he unlocked the car. They were still miles from home, adrift on an uncaring sea, and the worst was yet to come. View all 42 comments. Nov 06, Melanie rated it liked it Shelves: ARC provided by Hachette in exchange for an honest review. So assume the mermaids have never forgotten about us. We wrote them off as legends as soon as they were no longer knocking on our front door.

I just feel really torn on this one! I loved so many aspects of this, but ultimately I feel like this ju ARC provided by Hachette in exchange for an honest review. I loved so many aspects of this, but ultimately I feel like this just wasn't a book for me.

I still encourage anyone who is intrigued by the synopsis to pick it up, especially if you like horror with science! Ultimately, this book stars a cruise-like ship, that is traveling to a place in uncharted territories to the Mariana Trench, where a tragedy happened many years ago.

On this ship, we get to see the crew and learn their backstories on why they were chosen for this expedition where they will once and for all find out if mermaids exist. This book has so much good: This book is smart, and I actually learned quite a few things about aquatic life. This book is filled with action and is so fast paced. This book has some amazing moral discussions that I think a lot of humans would benefit from thinking about.

I mean, for the most part the characters are trapped in the middle of a dark ocean, cut off from society, facing ocean-dwelling creatures that, up until this point, have only been in fantasy. Gore, a lot of blood, violence, death, and things in those similar veins. Overall, and like I stated above, I still completely recommend this book. View all 9 comments. Dec 29, carol. She takes the promise she had shown in Feed, her creature inventiveness from Discount Armageddon and weaves them together with the horror atmosphere from Every Heart a Doorway to create a terrifically scary tale.

Her older sister, Allie, was the videographer for an exploratory ship put together by Imagine Entertainment aka 'Dreamworks'? Everyone on the ship was slaughtered or missing, and the bits of found footage showed fanged mermaid-like creatures hunting the humans down and eating them. The world remained skeptical, however.

It's seven years later, however, and a representative from Imagine approaches Tory and her research partner, Luis, with an invitation to be part of a second discovery mission. It even included two big game hunters everyone loved to hate: The locations are beautifully realized.

In fact, for the first bit of Tory's introduction, I felt I was reading a blog post about Monterey, California. But the world-building is a tad odd. The set-up for the story is done in , but the majority takes place in There is supposed to be a greater divide between the wealthy and the poor, climate change is taking a toll, but drought has been solved with solor-powered desalination plants. It's an odd juxtaposition, because in one moment it feels so very now as to possibly be last week, and then the next there are momentary references to advanced technologies we haven't reached quite yet.

Her partner, Luis, has a crazy amount of family money which he has used to help develop new technologies and lab equipment that they use for their research. But you know what? Who cares about little world-building oddities.

Editorial Reviews

It follows many classic horror tropes and yet the reader remains deeply invested. Tory is developed well enough to be both driven and kind, and her friend Luis is the epitome of the distracted, awkward scientist. There are two deaf women and their translator sister, all of whom have difference science specialties and focus deepsea pod pilot, chemist, language specialist , so you just know that sign language will play a role somewhere.

Olivia is a 'personality' and videographer who has been hired to document the trip. The representative for Imagine, Theo, has a chronic pain syndrome that he treats with an intriguing mixture of marine neurotoxins, and I'll be honest--I totally expected that would play a role as well. His estranged wife, Jillian Toth, is one of the reasons for the first expedition, as her life's work as a biologist has been to prove mermaids exist.

She's a fascinating, determined character, full of guilt about the first expedition. Her career was a shipwreck. At least is was a shipwreck that she had, thus far, managed to survive. That was more than she could say for the ones who'd sailed upon the Atargatis.

But the guilt, ah And while a romance is brought into it, it's a queer one, quite possibly the first in all her thirty-five-ish books. It is often very evocative, but occasionally Grant gets a little carried away and will use some florid imagery and dialogue that doesn't make sense. It is easy to forgive her, but it is the kind of thing that prevents it from being a truly remarkable book. Grant also made infrequent but completely annoying use of the full parenthetical paragraph.

Seriously--get a better editor. At over four hundred pages, it is one of Grant's longest works to date and while I enjoyed the science, it could have used some trimming. What was also quite fun for me was the science-geek setting and the creature opposition. There's a lot of interesting description of oceans, mammals, sea-life, etc. There are a couple of spots it gets a little more technical, particularly when Tory is explaining her research using sound to map ocean life, but most of it is accessible.

The device of the videographer allows for low-level explanations. All that said, I'd highly recommend it to anyone who happens to have an interest in oceans and urban fantasy, although view spoiler [ I'm still kind of pissed about the dolphins. View all 20 comments. Jul 02, Chelsea chelseadolling reads rated it really liked it. View all 4 comments. Tory Stewart's sister was lost when she was aboard the ship Atargatis. The whole ship was lost and there were video clips of what looked like Mermaids destroying them. But they were always discredited as being an hoax.

Now the film company that sent Tory's sister out on the quest to find mermaids is sending another crew out. This time they are collecting all the super smart scientists and have built a disaster proof ship. That always turns out so well Tory agrees to be on the ship and maybe have Tory Stewart's sister was lost when she was aboard the ship Atargatis.

That always turns out so well Tory agrees to be on the ship and maybe have answers to what exactly happened to her sister and as an extra bonus she will get to find out if mermaids really do exist. Sounds pretty decent doesn't it? Mira Grant did her research on this book, it's believable enough that I got sorta claustrophobic several times.

Into the Drowning Deep

I'm scared shitless of stuff in the ocean anyways so this was totally the world of nightmares for me. She took the reader into the world of the Marina Trench and even made me stop reading several times to look up stuff. I like when a book makes me do that. Then toss in some mythical creatures and it's totally my jam. These aren't the sweet little singing type of mermaids either. These suckers will eat your face off. That's a win from me. The book is extremely read-able and the things that kept me from going all fangirly were few. The repetition was the biggest thing. I don't have to be told the same thing over and over.

I might not be the smartest cookie around but I usually get it after a bit. The length for the book really felt like it wasn't needed. There were so many characters that I couldn't be bothered with getting attached to any of them. I just wanted the critters to eat them all. So I'm rating this book as middle of the road. I liked it and will probably read another one of this authors books but I'm gonna let other people cut in line before me. Mermaids might be there to eat our faces anyways. Netgalley in exchange for review View all 18 comments. My introduction to the fiction of Seanan McGuire--who publishes science fiction thrillers as "Mira Grant"--is Into the Drowning Deep and this is a relentlessly exciting nautical ride that learns from the best and worst the genre has to offer, as if McGuire flipped between TNT, Discovery Channel and SyFy Network and taking notes for a month, designed the best mermaid attack novel of all time.

Her take is an R-rated one with credible science, gutsy female characters, gore, sharp dialogue and some My introduction to the fiction of Seanan McGuire--who publishes science fiction thrillers as "Mira Grant"--is Into the Drowning Deep and this is a relentlessly exciting nautical ride that learns from the best and worst the genre has to offer, as if McGuire flipped between TNT, Discovery Channel and SyFy Network and taking notes for a month, designed the best mermaid attack novel of all time.

Her take is an R-rated one with credible science, gutsy female characters, gore, sharp dialogue and some wit. Always in the market for all of the above, customer satisfaction went through the roof for me. The story begins in with Victoria "Tory" Stewart saying goodbye to her sister Anne, an on-camera correspondent setting sail on the SS Atargatis to the Mariana Trench, where the all-schlock Imagine Entertainment Network is searching for mermaids.

Anne tells her sister, entering UC Santa Cruz in the fall to study marine biology, that nobody expects to find a mermaid, but she hopes the program will be good exposure. Contact with Atargatis is lost for six weeks before the U. Navy discovers it adrift. Leaked video footage appears to show the crew being torn apart by creatures with human torsos, eel-like tails and needle teeth. The bodies of the crew are never recovered.

In , marine biologist Tory Stewart works in Monterey on whale-watching tours while writing her dissertation. Global climate change has altered the migration patterns of large sea mammals, among other things. The Imagine Network has been acquitted of wrongful death of the Atargatis crew, while the court of public opinion concludes that the leaked footage was a hoax. Tory and her lab partner Luis Martines study deepwater sonar scans of the Mariana Trench to hunt for acoustic anomalies.

She's visited by her ex-husband Theodore Blackwell, the 2 executive of the Imagine Network, who's launching an expedition to the Mariana Trench. But you're not blind, you're not stupid, and you're the one who told them what they were looking for. You knew those things were real the second you saw the recording. Even if Imagine had wanted to make up a monster story to cover for the loss of a very real group of people, they wouldn't have been able to do such a good job in such a short amount of time.

That technology, too, has marched on. If there was something in those tapes for the world to discredit, it would have happened already. The fact that it hasn't should be proof enough of what happened on the Atargatis, no matter what Imagine says to the media. It wasn't a stunt, it wasn't a mistake, and there's been no cover-up.

The world just doesn't like the answers we've been able to provide. My back is bothering me. Nerve damage doesn't go away simply because one takes a desk job. I need your answer. Will you sail with the Melusine, and help Imagine provide answer to people who've been waiting for the last seven years? My employers are very good at managing the details. Toth is haunted by survivor's guilt and Mr. Blackwell is plagued by chronic nerve pain that medical innovation can only partially treat, Tory also joins the expedition with baggage, seeking closure in the death of her sister.

Her acoustic research with Luis, which Blackwell reveals has been clandestinely funded by Imagine all along, has picked up the sound of the Atargatis engines deep in the Mariana Trench, as if something down there is mimicking the sound of the fated vessel seven years after it was attacked. Tory and Luis arrive in San Diego to set sail on the Melusine , a floating science city of four hundred that has its share of characters: Tech geek plagued by social anxiety and self-image issues, she inexplicably crushes on Tory, the last crew member who wants to get to know her.

Speaks Klingon and Quenya Elvish from Tolkien. A big guy who helps Olivia from feeling overwhelmed in crowds. He is French-Canadian, she is Japanese-Australian. Want the first verified kill of a mermaid. Shunned by the scientists, initially. Identified by Olivia as a "science hipster" who ridiculed mermaids until they were proven to exist and saw a career opportunity. Acoustician and sign language expert. She also serves as ASL translator for Deaf twins, Hallie's youngster sisters, redheads. Holly is an organic chemist. Heather is a submersible operator whose dream is to personally explore the Challenger Deep.

Heavily tattooed, looks like a nightclub bouncer. Ultimately aligns with Mr. Blackwell and Hallie Wilson in a secret think tank to communicate with a captive. Blackwell has promised freedom in exchange for their work as scouts. Unknown to humans, dolphins have known for centuries what lurks in the Mariana Trench. Busy trying to repair the numerous glitches the Melusine set sail with, like security shutters that won't shut. Daryl is upset about something and goes to tell the captain about it. By telling the captain--by telling the person in charge --the young man had rendered this someone else's problem.

Gregory knew he was coming to see the captain. He hadn't endorsed it, exactly, but he knew, and that made it true enough to say. Captain Peterman went cold.

Being the first to say the word mermaid would be to lose. He would not lose. Voice level, he said, "Something in the water? Son, I don't know if you're aware, but we're in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. There's lots of somethings in the water. This is their home. As far as they're concerned, we're 'something in the water,' and they're probably pretty keen on us moving along. He stood his ground, even though every instinct he'd developed in three years as an independent maritime engineer told him to back down.

It was never good to argue with the captain over anything but the safety of the ship--in part because an engineer who argued over little things was less likely to be listened to about the big ones. There might come a time when the survival of this vessel and her crew depended on the captain listening when he spoke.

If he couldn't guarantee that, he might as well turn in his resignation now. But the glitter in the water had been wrong. Something about it turned his stomach in a way he didn't have words for, had never needed to articulate before; something about it had seemed so inimical that he didn't want to remember what it looked like. When he tried, his mind shied away, presenting him with images of sunlight on the surface, of Gregory frowning at his idle fancies. How could light be threatening? It didn't make sense.

It was just light, after all. It was just light. Into the Drowning Deep is one of those novels that feels as if the author had monitored my book reviews and offers a surprise, just for me. High concept, hard science, like Michael Crichton, except, compelling characters. Nobody named 'Norman Johnson' acting out a plot. You like women in your fiction? Read more Read less. Here's how restrictions apply. Richard Jennings April 8, Language: Don't have a Kindle? Try the Kindle edition and experience these great reading features: Share your thoughts with other customers.

Write a customer review. Showing of 1 reviews. Top Reviews Most recent Top Reviews. There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later. Amazon Giveaway allows you to run promotional giveaways in order to create buzz, reward your audience, and attract new followers and customers. Learn more about Amazon Giveaway. Fairytales, the Deep Ones, cults, glowing tattoos, friendship, and bloody vengeance! This page turner had it all. This was the story I was waiting for. Brutal versions of fairytales, those closer to the original pre Hans Christian Anderson versions, are something I love.

Loneliness deadens the spirit. A man who has lost his wife knows much about loneliness, I think.

It was sad but well done. It relaxed her completely, made her feel as if she might float away. Then it just hung up the phone.

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The middle gave me a moment of true heart clenching fright. I gasped and shuddered, the audio for this story was well done. It was rushed and lacked punch. Uncle JoJim shrugged yet again, and his empty sleeve flapped. It has backstory, and avid description, but still feels random.

Enjoyable but not memorable. Not SGJs normal well thought out horror with depth. At best you could say it was whimsical. View all 3 comments. I didn't hate any of the stories. Overall average is 3. Horror Stories of the Sea, is a collection of 15 sea-themed stories edited by Ellen Datlow. Most of these stories hit between two and four stars with me, but there were some that I found exceptional or "unique". Personal favorites of mine included: I honestly don't believe that I've read a story by Brian Hodge that I haven't loved, to some degree.

His language evokes the most impressive images and moods, and his tales always seem to have a hint of that "otherworldliness" in them that make you think such a thing might just be possible. But it's love on a whole different wave length. A jealous younger sister thinks she finally has the upper hand It had one of those endings that couldn't have been more perfect and fitting to the story. Powerful story of dominance, sorrow, redemption and discovery. And of course, the sea. A Father lost at sea leaves behind a symbol that his daughter feels holds the key to his disappearance.

Pale things, drawn back by an allure they'd never understood". This one deals with "damaged" people, and how they have their own ways of coping. Not as much a "sea story", but a remarkable tale, in general. I'm honestly surprised at some selections that made it in here to begin with. However, most of them had something "good" to pick out. View all 5 comments. Mar 02, Lilyn G. I got a free copy of this from Edelweiss for review consideration. If you think that affects my review, you don't know me very well. The Devil and the Deep was an anthology that sounded kind of interesting to me, but I had no true desire to read it.

Mostly because I'm still a bit biased against anthologies, even though I've had some pleasant experiences lately. Favorite Quotes Quotes may change in final copy: There are a few stories in here, such as Golden's, that should emit a siren's call for any horror fans. Definitely one worth checking out. But I hope you'll pick this up anyway. It's definitely worth it. It's not huge - a little over pages - but I read it in one sitting because I had to keep reading.

Ellen Datlow is an editorial genius and I can't wait to read another of her collections. Read this if you haven't. I highly recommend it. Very well written and absorbing, for the vast majority. Mar 21, Fiona rated it really liked it Shelves: Another great collection from Ellen Datlow - short and satisfying horror set around the theme of the sea. Full review to come. Feb 18, David rated it liked it Shelves: More misses than hits inside this one.

Mar 06, Mike D rated it it was amazing. Listen to Ellen Datlow talk about this book on my podcast This new nautical themed anthology edited by Ellen Datlow really blew me away. It is perfectly executed, diverse, and bold in a way that I have come to expect from her work. It contains 15 all original short stories, all of which are solidly written and engaging. The edition starts with "Deadwater" by Simon Bestwick, which is remarkably well done and really hooks you in.

It is the kind of tale that you expect to be in an anthology like th Listen to Ellen Datlow talk about this book on my podcast This new nautical themed anthology edited by Ellen Datlow really blew me away. It is the kind of tale that you expect to be in an anthology like this and has broad enough appeal that it will speak to most readers.

This one demands the attention of short horror fans! Read my full review at Signal Horizon Jul 26, Alexa "Naps" Snow rated it liked it. Enjoyed some, skipped some. I love the seas, water, never thought it could give me the chills but there were stories that reminded me of the dark side of the ocean. Aug 07, Phillip Smith rated it really liked it. A very good collection overall. Just a tremendous short story. Mar 26, Kazima rated it really liked it Shelves: I thought some of the stories were the weakest of the bunch, which is unfortunate because at first I had to force myself to keep going back to the collection.

However, the stories seemed to get better and better, or maybe I just got more and more into it. Probably a combination of both, and at any rate I would highly recommend it! Apr 03, Alvaro Zinos-Amaro rated it really liked it Shelves: Yikes, I am so disappointed. As I've been experimenting with anthologies this year, I've gradually learnt that I don't really enjoy short stories. In saying that, there were two basic criteria's these stories had to adhere too. Set in or near the sea b. Be scary That's all I needed from these stories.

Maybe I'm harder to scare than I originally th Average Rating: Maybe I'm harder to scare than I originally thought? But some of these weren't set near the sea or had anything to do with the ocean. This just wasn't the nautical horror I was expecting. May 13, Ray added it. I won't rate it as I'm a featured author, but I will say I'm very happy to be among these stories.

Brian Hodge's 'He Sings of Salt and Wormwood' is terrific and my favourite from the anthology, if I could only choose one. And if you like a dose of comedy with your horror, Michael Marshal Smith's 'Shit Happens' is wonderful, as is Stephen Graham Jones's 'Broken Record' though it's not played just for laughs. I have no particular fear of the ocean, and in fact can feel drawn to it I'd love to have a house on the ocean, except with global warming one day it would be underwater , but I get it.

They say we know about the universe than we do the bottom of the deepest part of the ocean. The stories, of course, vary in style and quality, and some of them are only marginally connected to the sea. It also has a great opening sentence: There are also stories about ships, either old "Haunt," by Siobhan Carroll, about ghost ships taking the dead aboard , and newer "Shit Happens," by Michael Marshall, set aboard the Queen Mary, and involving zombies. There's another set on a ferry going between Scotland the Shetland Islands, "The Deep Sea Swell," by John Langan, which has a ghost in a diving suit, and another about whalers getting stranded on a spit of land that has something very nasty on it "The Whaler's Song," by Ray Cluley.

I think the most interesting story is "Broken Record," by Stephen Graham Jones, which finds a man stranded on a desert island but has random objects arriving. Then he realizes that these are the things he listed on a contest entry years ago, about what he would want on a desert island.

One of them is his mother, and another is a werewolf.

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