Into the Drowning Deep

By: Mira Grant

Narrated by: Christine Lakin

Length: 17 hrs and 15 mins

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

• Feed
• Deadline
• Blackout
• Feedback

Rise: A Newsflesh Collection

Parasitology

• Parasite
• 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!

6 of 6 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.

19 of 21 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.

16 of 21 people found this review helpful

Over-dramatic, ridiculous story

I need to stop buying books on sale because they end up being books like this. The title of the book sounded cool, the blurb was interesting, and then right away you realize this book is about mermaids. Mermaids! Still, the way they are introduced is interesting and there is some promise to the beginning of the book but the story quickly loses steam. Every character is a stock character. You've read them before. There's the mysterious man working for the corporation, the professor who is arrogant and smarter than everyone, the hunter who is unable to see anyone else's viewpoints.. none of them are developed to a level that makes them interesting or makes you feel for them. The thing that really got to me was the bleeding-heart liberalism. Every creature is valuable (even when they're eating you)! Everyone is gender fluid! Corporations are all evil! People who don't know sign language are assholes because deaf people are important! On top of this I found the language over-dramatic. Descriptions of events dragged on, not in a way that helped to envision them but more in a way that sounded like somebody trying to make something sound more important than it is. The characters were not relatable in any way. At the end of the day I like to learn from a book. Even fiction books can teach because they allow you to place yourself in a situation and imagine how you will feel, react, etc. Nothing in this book was relatable, realistic, or interesting for me. I would not choose this author in the future.

4 of 5 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.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Incredibly intense.

Mira Grant weaves a story about the creatures of the deep. The characters are all compelling. Brave, flawed and real. No cardboard women in this book!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Super creepy in all the right ways!

I loved this book! It kept me on the edge of my seat the whole way through.

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!

A social justice flavored eco-sermon.

I love Seanan McGuire's October Daye series, so, when I found out that Mira Grant was her pseudonym, I began reading the Grant works as well. I bought this audio book in particular because I love a good marine-based horror story and thought, "Score!"

This book sacrifices characterization so the author can drive home her "humankind is killing the ocean and the planet" and "the disabled are different but treat them the same...but also be aware of their differences" homilies ad nauseum. I'm not against those kind of themes in a work per se (I believe flaws/differences/weaknesses are required for believable character development) but in this book the author repeatedly broke my ability to suspend disbelief repeatedly in order to rehash these points OVER AND OVER.

If you want to read good suspense/horror fiction that features a character with autism, read Stephen King's Mr. Mercedes series. Holly's autism is implicit to her nature without King having to use more than introductory exposition to explain it.

Also, I found this audio book under the Horror category in Audible. In my opinion, it would fit more accurately under science fiction/fantasy, or maybe some sort of eco-fiction. The author's desire to constantly hammer the reader over the head with her themes keep it from ever reaching any truly suspenseful pacing or narrative tension. If you want to read excellent horror that takes place in the sea, read Nick Cutter's The Deep or Michael Crichton's Sphere.

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.

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.