Into the Drowning Deep

Publisher's Summary

New York Times best-selling author Mira Grant, author of the renowned Newsflesh series, returns with a novel that takes us to a new world of ancient mysteries and mythological dangers come to life.

The ocean is home to many myths,

But some are deadly....

Seven years ago the Atargatis set off on a voyage to the Mariana Trench to film a mockumentary bringing to life ancient sea creatures of legend. It was lost at sea with all hands. Some have called it a hoax; others have called it a tragedy.

Now a new crew has been assembled. But this time they're not out to entertain. Some seek to validate their life's work. Some seek the greatest hunt of all. Some seek the truth. But for the ambitious young scientist Victoria Stewart, this is a voyage to uncover the fate of the sister she lost.

Whatever the truth may be, it will be found only below the waves.

But the secrets of the deep come with a price.

More from Mira Grant

Newsflesh

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• Deadline
• Blackout
• Feedback

Rise: A Newsflesh Collection

Parasitology

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• Symbiont
• Chimera

©2017 Mira Grant (P)2017 Hachette Audio

Another Excellent book by Mira Grant

Where does Into the Drowning Deep rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This was by far one of the best audio books I have listened to this year. The story held my interest right until the end. It was very suspenseful and the outcome was totally not predicted.I loved the performance by Christine Lakin and although I had the book checked out from the library I found myself listening rather than reading the book!

11 of 11 people found this review helpful

Great story. A little preachy

This book had me hooked quickly. The author did an excellent job introducing the characters. Scary plot. I wish there was a little less preaching on environmental stuff. The repetitive conversations about it made me hit the skip button a few times. I'm fine with learning about the horrible stuff mankind does to the earth but when the main character has the exact same conversation about saving whales with 4 different people (when it isn't necessary to the plot)...about an hour of this could have been reduced.

40 of 45 people found this review helpful

Don't look for Ariel here!

But do read this book if you want a superior Suspense 'monster' story...

Victoria lost her sister years ago when the boat she was in was attacked by monsters. Those monsters look shockingly like the mermaids of old, but no one can be sure. The found footage from the event is uneven and poor in quality. Still, it looks like nasty mermaids.

Years pass. Many people are haunted by the loss of that ship. Additionally, the reality TV company that owned it suffered as they fought to explain what happened to their staff and ship.

Ultimately, they decide to fund a new expedition to look for these mermaids and discover more about the accident from years earlier.

The bulk of this novel takes place on the ship seeking these mermaids. The crew is comprised of Scientists of all types, media specialists to document the events of the trip, Diving experts and tough guys hired to protect everyone else. They know what they are looking for. They have 'mermaid experts', including Victoria who has become a marine expert in her own right (but harbors a deep need to find out what happened to her sister), and they know where to look.

That foreknowledge isn't enough...

#MythologyInspired #Dark #Violent #Tagsgiving #Sweepstakes

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Just good enough for me to keep listening

I'm totally down the middle on how much I enjoyed this title. On one hand, the story was entertaining and told well. Though it did explore the horrors of the deepest parts of the ocean, and did so well, it also explored things from a very science-heavy angle that was unique and interesting. It was clear the author did her research on a variety of maritime subjects and I feel like I actually learned things reading this.

On the other hand, the pacing of the book was exceptionally slow. Grant spends an abundance of time explaining every little detail to excruciating degree - while interesting, I often found myself wanting her to get to the point. It takes a good half to two-thirds of the book for any real action to occur, and even then it is often interrupted with the mundane.

The characters are interesting and likable enough, but it did tend to feel like their backstories were over-explained while their actual actions were relatively few. This was exacerbated by the ending - with all that time devoted to backstories and buildup, things ended remarkably fast and with little conclusion.

Finally, the writing itself definitely could have been better. The word choice and descriptions used were fine, but they had a tendency to feel like "purple prose"...it's hard to describe, but there was just an arrogant feel to the way everything was described. An example would be a tendency to repeat phrases for emphasis - powerful in small doses, but annoying when over-used.

That's a lot of negatives, but as I said in the headline the book was still mostly enjoyable, enough that I wanted to see it through to its end. There is still an interesting plot about the hunt for mermaids in the Mariana Trench here, and as others have said it's appealing much in the same way as books like Jurassic Park. The narrator was also acceptable - I wasn't blown away by her accents or voices, but she was clear, identifiable, and unobtrusive

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

So Much Potential!!

This book was GREAT at first...then it seemed to try to meld some romance and not so subtly bring environmental issues to the forefront when the book would’ve been so much better without either. The story was an awesome premise and it was one of the ONLY books to actually give me a little bit of a chill down my spine (I love horror and books don’t usually scare or creep me out) but this one sparkled in some spots and fell flat in others.

Disclaimer: I’m not a fan of romance and I usually try to avoid the genre. The romance in the story was more of a side story but I feel like it detracted from the plot and created diversions when more attention to the mysterious thriller portion would’ve brought this over the top.

I did like this book but felt with a few changes, I could’ve absolutely loved it. To me, it is clear the writer is talented and I’ll look for more books in the future from her.

9 of 10 people found this review helpful

Time wasted.

I've never been compelled to write a bad review before until now. The story meanders something terrible. The logic makes no sense with bad obstacles introduced in an attempt to make you feel a sense of danger... They went on this expedition well armed and badly equipped all at the same time. Protective safety shutters which need a code to deploy? Really? And the shutters are never tested ahead of leaving port. Why? There was no ticking clock to rush out there by. The two hunters should have been the focus of the story. For as brief as they were in the story, they were what I wanted to see more of. Unrealistic sense of urgency throughout. When the sh!t hits the fan... there is no tension. Just as you think it's about to take off like a roller coaster... the author zigs and talks about stuff no one cares about. Well, I didn't care about any of the characters. They just talked about the danger they were in. Never do you experience it with any of the characters and the few times you do... the author meanders again with Novocain-like inner thoughts or conversation. Rarely does the author venture out into the danger to give the reader any sense of fear or excitement.

Paint your characters into a deadly corner and make them fight tooth and nail to escape.

25 of 31 people found this review helpful

Ending? Did I miss something???

The ending was abrupt and rather unfulfilling. They hype up this large encounter that I thought would end with the Navy coming in and doing battle with this monstrosity and the world getting a clear look at the horrors beneath the waves but... nope. Just fade to black and then lesbian cuddles and a lot of unresolved plot threads.

9 of 11 people found this review helpful

A rare glimpse of non-human cognition.

It is rare to read a book with non-human languages, thought and societies which truly feel appropriately alien. Grant offers a thrilling fast read which turns classic fantasy into smart science fiction.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Grant's Best Yet!

I really enjoyed this novel. The concept was fairly original, and the characters well-developed for the genre. I've read Mira Grant's other books, although I haven't read the final book in either series. I tend to savor the last book in a series, unless it's so good that I can't help myself. I have seen a marked improvement in her writing as time goes on. This one was excellent, and it kept me listening. Unlike some of the other reviewers, I did not find any part too "preachy" on the topic of marine life conservation. Instead, I though she simply did her research to make this cast of characters seem more real. The story is full of various scientists who specialize in marine biology, so it course these people would have strong feelings on the subject. I found the parts that dealt with explaining then biology of both real and imagined sea creatures to be very informative. The "Sirens" are terrifying and vicious, the tech was awesome, and the characters realistic and even flawed in some respects. If you enjoy a really good monster story, or simply dabble in horror, you will most likely enjoy this latest tale from Mira Grant. Although the story was fairly well wrapped up, there are enough unanswered questions to fuel a sequel or even a prequel, here's hoping!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Good suspense/horror

Properly horrifying, but I found the ending a little lacking. I have to admit it is probably appropriate however. Great take on a more likely "reality" of mermaids/sirens. Also managed to make a lot of great points about what mankind has done and is doing to the world without being heavy handed.

Narrator: I don't love the narrator, but she does a decent job with most of the accents. I found the men, unless they spoke with accents, pretty one note, and some of the women a little high pitched for comfort. But overall, it is a good listen.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Bit of a let down.

Thought the idea was great but the main characters were not likeable and the narration and accents were very poor . It also ended very abruptly so all in all was dissapointed

Not bad, an interesting take.

The premise and story itself are very good, even if Ms Grant/McGuire does tend to fall down a hole of over description occasionally. It was an interesting take on the myth of the mermaid and not dissimilar to what I have imagined. It was very nice to have some casual and natural representation of different groups in the story. I do wonder, however, if she utilised any Deaf sensitivity readers (there were parts of the story that really rubbed me the wrong way in relation to how the deaf characters were described) .
Overall, a good story.

Thrilling, fun and gory

I had to stop this every so often to take a break, the closed off spaces with a monster at your heels is one of the things I love/hate to read! This is 100% worth your time!

unexpected surprise from the deep

thoroughly enjoyed this story with superb performance. it will make you rethink mermaids forever! highly recommended.