Misplaced Pages

Into the Drowning Deep

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
2017 novel by Mira Grant
Into the Drowning Deep
Cover art for Into the Drowning Deep
AuthorMira Grant
LanguageEnglish
GenreHorror, Science fiction
Set in2022, Mariana Trench, Challenger Deep
PublisherOrbit Books
Publication date14 November 2017
Media typePrint, ebook
Pages448 (Hardcover)
ISBN978-0316379403
Preceded byRolling in the Deep 
Websitehttps://www.miragrant.com/books/into-the-drowning-deep/

Into the Drowning Deep is a 2017 science fiction horror novel by Mira Grant. It is the follow-up to her 2015 novella Rolling in the Deep. It focuses on Tory Stewart, a sonar specialist who becomes obsessed with mermaids after her sister's disappearance. Tory's sister Anne worked as a reporter for Imagine Entertainment. While filming a mockumentary about mermaids, the crew of Imagine's ship Atargatis vanished. Tory vows to discover the truth about what happened to her sister.

Plot

Seven years prior to the start of the story, the Atargatis is lost at sea. The ship was sent to the Mariana Trench by Imagine Entertainment, which specializes in filming B movies about mythical creatures. Though the ship is recovered weeks later, there is no trace of the crew. Leaked footage from the ship appears to show mermaids slaughtering the crew. The public is highly skeptical of the video and it is largely believed that the footage was being created for a mockumentary. Though some believe the footage is proof of the existence of mermaids, the incident is largely forgotten by popular culture.

Theodore Blackwell is an Imagine representative who begins recruiting interested parties for a second voyage to the Mariana Trench aboard the Melusine. His goal is to prove the existence of mermaids and to capture a live specimen, restoring the reputation of Imagine. He is accompanied by several hundred scientists and crew members, including his estranged wife Dr. Jillian Toth, Tory Stewart, Imagine reporter Olivia Sanderson, and the three Wilson sisters, all scientists.

At the Mariana Trench, Heather Wilson attempts to become the first human to reach the Challenger Deep in a submersible. She is killed by mermaids, proving their existence. Theodore captures a mermaid and keeps it in a tank. Over the course of several days, scouting parties of mermaids kill several crew members. Olivia and Tory begin a romantic relationship. The ship is then swarmed by mermaids, resulting in the deaths of most of the crew members. As the ship's safety systems fail, Dr. Toth works to unravel the mysteries of mermaid physiology and save the remaining crew. Hallie Wilson learns to communicate with the captive mermaid via sign language, which saves several crew members from being eaten. Tory realizes that all of the mermaids are actually male, and that the female is a ship-sized behemoth who is slowly moving toward the ship. She uses undersea lights to repel the female, and Olivia helps repair the ship's dysfunctional safety shutters. The surviving crew members are rescued days later.

Reception

Gerry Paige Smith of BookPage gave the novel a positive review, calling it original and stating it "will unnerve and enthrall even seasoned horror fans." Kirkus Reviews gave the novel a mostly positive review. They praised the novel's atmosphere of claustrophobic horror, while criticizing its length and excessive parenthetical asides. They positively compared the work to Jurassic Park and also praised Grant's smart commentary about climate change and the exploitation of sea creatures. Publishers Weekly gave a mixed review, praising the novel's concept and gore, while criticizing the writing style as clichéd and meandering.

References

  1. Gerry Paige Smith (14 November 2017). "Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant - Review". BookPage. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
  2. "Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant". Kirkus Reviews. 18 September 2017. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
  3. "Fiction Book Review: Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant". Publishers Weekly. 2 October 2017. Retrieved 23 October 2019.

External links

Works by Seanan McGuire
October Daye
  • Rosemary and Rue (2009)
  • A Local Habitation (2010)
  • An Artificial Night (2010)
  • Late Eclipses (2011)
  • One Salt Sea (2011)
  • Ashes of Honor (2012)
  • Chimes at Midnight (2013)
  • The Winter Long (2014)
  • A Red-Rose Chain (2015)
  • Once Broken Faith (2016)
  • The Brightest Fell (2017)
  • Night and Silence (2018)
  • The Unkindest Tide (2019)
  • A Killing Frost (2020)
  • When Sorrows Come (2021)
  • Be the Serpent (2022)
  • Sleep No More (2023)
  • The Innocent Sleep (2023)
InCryptid
  • Discount Armageddon (2012)
  • Midnight Blue-Light Special (2013)
  • Half-Off Ragnarok (2014)
  • Pocket Apocalypse (2015)
  • Chaos Choreography (2016)
  • Magic for Nothing (2017)
  • Tricks for Free (2018)
  • That Ain't Witchcraft (2019)
  • Imaginary Numbers (2020)
  • Calculated Risks (2021)
  • Spelunking Through Hell (2022)
  • Backpacking Through Bedlam (2023)
  • Aftermarket Afterlife (2024)
Velveteen
  • Velveteen vs. the Junior Super Patriots (2012)
  • Velveteen vs. the Multiverse (2013)
  • Velveteen vs. the Season (2016)
Indexing
  • Indexing (2014)
  • Indexing: Reflections (2015)
Ghost Roads
  • Sparrow Hill Road (2014)
  • The Girl in the Green Silk Gown (2018)
  • Angel of the Overpass (2021)
Wayward Children
Alchemical Journeys
  • Middlegame (2019)
  • Over the Woodward Wall (2020)
  • Seasonal Fears (2022)
Collections
  • Letters to the Pumpkin King (2014)
  • Laughter at the Academy (2019)
  • Dying With Her Cheer Pants On (2020)
as Mira Grant
Newsflesh
Parasitology
  • Parasite (2013)
  • Symbiont (2014)
  • Chimera (2015)
Rolling in the Deep
as A. Deborah Baker
Up and Under
  • Over the Woodward Wall (2020)
  • Along the Saltwise Sea (2021)
  • Into the Windwracked Wilds (2022)
  • Under the Smokestrewn Sky (2023)
Categories: