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

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.

done me a spook

I love Mira Grant, this novel was no exception. I got a little spooked while I was listening and taking a bath 🤣 good stuff 10/10 would recommend yo

Another excellent story from Mira Grant

Another fascinating story from Mira Grant, pitting men against the ravages of nature. I have a new respect for the ocean and its creatures. The human story that evolves in the midst of this conflict is also satisfyingly intimate and accurate, leaving the reader hopeful for mankind, but also wary of its great weaknesses.

Christine Lakin is a master narrator. Every one of the many characters has a distinct voice and personality. What a delight.

Chilling, gripping, fantastic storytelling

Much like McGuire’s Newsflesh series the blend of science and horror through this tale of cryptozoology in most unknown part of the ocean.

KILLER MERMAIDS

Scary fun, for what it is. Seems to have a bit too much filler, though. The ending was kind of anticlimactic after all that, but still not a waste of time.

3 stars for the killer mermaids.

Very good book! Entertaining and fun.

Definitely an entertaining book. It's written beautifully and the audiobook I listened to had a great narrator. The characters are quite enjoyable and their personalities are well. Though one of the main characters did get a bit annoying there to the end however it can be forgiven. I love the idea of mermaids and love that this is a horror novel. Without giving too much spoilers the book leads you on a very adventurous but kind of slow paced search for mermaids. The ending I feel could have been more exciting but it did end pretty good. Some things are a bit unrealistic however that can be forgiven too. I find this novel very entertaining and I definitely would recommend it to anyone who likes sci-fi and mermaids!

Mermaids?

This will make an excellent film. You have a run of the mill standard of character types. But they are all very interesting. Lots of strong females. Made me reconsider the sweet mermaid images we have seen.

Murderous mermaids, meh...

Ok, I will start by saying I picked this book knowing it was going to be a bit of a mind bender. I am totally open to exploring genres I don't usually read. The story starts out with a super cool premise - a boat filming a mockumentary on mermaids disappears in the Mariana Trench but recovered video coverage exposes a blood bath and these purportedly savage mermaid-esque creatures who caused all the blood letting. Was it a hoax or a legit marine disaster? The sister of one of the victims is a marine biologist and ends up on a return mission that is supposed to uncover answers, even though we all know where things are going to end up. Same place, different mermaid madness. The parts of the book that I loved were also the parts that really just ended up ruining the book - all of the different schools of education - marine biology, sonar technology, communications, sign language, conservation, mythology, etc... The author did her research but she just inundates the reader with so many lectures throughout the entire book you feel like you are getting "schooled." Most of the characters are also fairly ridiculous. Sorry. Supposedly all these PHD's are out there being catty and snarky and stupid. There are two big game hunters on the boat, too, that are so idiotic it was almost offensive. In the end, great premise and research but very poor character development and storytelling killed this book.

This needs to be a movie

Narration:
Narration was solid. Did a good job at differentiating characters without overdoing it. Would listen to other books narrated by her.

Story:
The creativity in this story is amazing. Also, the technical knowledge explained throughout is done is such an engaging way. Sometimes authors can ‘over explain’ pieces of a story but this book felt very organic. Many characters at play and each with their own contributing backstory … truly fascinating. I really enjoyed the book.

Worth listening just for Michi and Jacques Abney

Not the best thing I've ever read, but perfect to have on background while working and doing chores.

It's a more progressive, environmentally-minded Michael Crichton-type story with enough scientific research and incorporation into the story to make it seem real. The book is taking place in 2022 but in this version of Earth, science has advanced slightly faster than we have now, so things like paraplegics can have their spines rebuilt and the "new Teslas" are charged by solar power. This Earth is also dealing with the consequences of climate change, and a big undercurrent theme in this story since the reason the mermaids are causing trouble is because their traditional feeding habits have been upended by changing oceans. They are basically starving to death.

Some parts of this book sound super preachy, even if (like me) you heartily agree with the sentiments. But, the more I got into the story, the more it fits with the vocal and often arrogantly righteous attitudes of the scientists who are the main characters. Their inner monologues dreaming about their imminent scientific fame and glory show the cutthroat and selfish world of "scientific discovery," almost always blinding them to the obvious danger they are walking into. I don't love this aspect of the writing, mostly because you can tell when a character is about to die or get hurt when their hubris is full-blast. The equivalent of watching a scary movie and a character is going to investigate the weird noises instead of getting the hell out of there. Most deaths are the direct result of poor choices, which makes the impact of their deaths way less harsh. One particularly chilling scene involves a woman going deep-diving in her submersible (hard pass), blatantly ignoring all the warning signs, so her death is seen as coming a mile away and it's hard to have much sympathy.

It's interesting to watch the scientists who start losing loved ones and friends suddenly go from "we are stewards of the earth and its creatures" to "nuke the killer mermaids."

In stark contrast to these conceited and often hypocritical scientists are my favorite characters, Michi and Jacques Abney. They are big-game hunters brought on as security detail, usually the sworn enemy on a boat full of passionate conservationists. Even though I despise hunters and poachers in real life, in this book they were a welcome counterpoint to the others. I like that they were honest and embraced what they were, and their passionate marriage making love on a bed full of weapons was hilarious. They also make a lot more sense being the only people equipped to actually fight the creatures attacking them. I know they are who I would want to be next to, when there are monsters everywhere.