Winter Tide

By: Ruthanna Emrys

Narrated by: Gabra Zackman

Length: 12 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's summary

"Narrator Gabra Zackman engages with this weird, grim novel, a combination of fantasy and mystery...her superb pacing and intense emotions add to the story's strange and intriguing atmosphere." (AudioFile Magazine)

After attacking Devil's Reef in 1928, the US government rounded up the people of Innsmouth and took them to the desert, far from their ocean, their Deep One ancestors, and their sleeping god, Cthulhu. Only Aphra and Caleb Marsh survived the camps, and they emerged without a past or a future.

The government that stole Aphra's life now needs her help. FBI agent Ron Spector believes that communist spies have stolen dangerous magical secrets from Miskatonic University, secrets that could turn the Cold War hot in an instant and hasten the end of the human race. Aphra must return to the ruins of her home, gather scraps of her stolen history, and assemble a new family to face the darkness of human nature.

©2017 Ruthanna Emrys (P)2017 Macmillan Audio

I never knew Lovecraftian horror could be so sweet

fun book, good 'read'. I loved it. true to the source, but far more nuanced and emotionally deep. excellent modern interpretation. Thanks.

What I've always wanted from Lovecraft!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! While I love the world of Lovecraft's mythos, I've never enjoyed his actual writing style and have found his depictions of minorities unpleasant to say the least. Zachman and Emrys manage to capture the sense of Lovecraft's vast, unknowable and dangerous universe, but address it with modern sensibilities. I loved all of the characters and especially enjoyed how adroitly they were brought together over the course of the story.

Fresh take on Cthulhu Mythos

well written story from a fresh perspective, modernizing the playground and adding the much needed touch of freshness.

Slow burner

This book is a lot slower than the normal scifi I listen to, and narrated by a female (also rare for me for some reason).

But I really enjoyed it and eagerly await the next in the series.

I'd recommend it if you're interested in Lovecraftian monsters and locations though it is a novel and not much like Lovecraft literature. The imagery is well written and evokes things properly through the senses.

But I also want to thank the narrator for doing possibly the best reading I've ever heard. It was absolutely flawless.

My only gripe for the book itself is that it was a little too slow at times and lost steam at the end. Still, it wrapped things up nicely which is something so many authors refuse or neglect to do - and given everything else I like about the book it's easily forgiven.

A brilliant way to turn Lovecraft on his head.

I first became interested in this story through the podcast recording of The Litany of Earth, which was excellent and engaging. This book took the germ of an idea and fleshed of out into something more. I love how the minds of all of the "monsters" carry across and I believe the book does a fantastic job of turning the grey mists of Lovecraft into something multi - dimensional without losing the clammy cold of New England.

excellent interpretation of Lovecraft

Would listen again. Good narration with excellent story and setting. The characters and modern take on Lovecraft from more humane but no less awed eyes is phenomenal.

Amazing

I love everything about this book. I adore cosmic horror and the mythos Lovecraft helped create, but I struggle with the blatant racism and classism prevalent throughout his stories. Finding this book was like a breath of fresh air I didn’t entirely know I needed. I was looking for a horror story, but is not what this is. It’s a character driven fantastical historical fiction. It is a slow burn, but each character is given so much depth you don’t notice. Regardless, Emrys is a shining example of how you can make tropes so embedded in horror, fantasy, and historical fiction your own. Gabra Zackman is also a wonderful orator, with individual voices for each of the characters. I always understood what was going on, but the voices were never distracting or annoying. Overall, I love this book dearly and I hope other people find it.

Influenced me to look at author's other works

A thoughtful romp within Lovecraft's world. I very much enjoyed the story and her take on the world. I will likely research the author's other works.

Should I Read This?

I read the reviews that others wrote and decided that if a person is a huge Lovecraft fan the answer is probably not. But my own experience was 1 or 2 books read 40 years ago. I have to say that I loved this AudioBook and highly recommend it to anyone who can judge it on its own merit. So many good parts!

Fascinating re-interpretation of Lovecraft’s mythos

Just a note: the synopsis seems to indicate (to me at least) that this book is a Lovecraftian spy thriller in the vein of Charles Stross. Winter Tide is definitely not that kind of book, but I found it a worthwhile listen nonetheless. Kudos to Emrys for being one of the rare few to imagine the Deep Ones as anything other than murderous fish monsters - the other modern authors writing in the Mythos need to step up their game.