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The Deep: A Novel Paperback – August 16, 2016
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A strange plague called the ‘Gets is decimating humanity on a global scale. It causes people to forget—small things at first, like where they left their keys, then the not-so-small things, like how to drive or the letters of the alphabet. Their bodies forget how to function involuntarily. There is no cure.
But far below the surface of the Pacific Ocean, a universal healer hailed as “ambrosia” has been discovered. In order to study this phenomenon, a special research lab has been built eight miles under the sea’s surface. But when the station goes incommunicado, a brave few descend through the lightless fathoms in hopes of unraveling the mysteries lurking at those crushing depths…and perhaps to encounter an evil blacker than anything one could possibly imagine.
- Print length416 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication dateAugust 16, 2016
- Dimensions5.31 x 1.1 x 8.25 inches
- ISBN-101501144839
- ISBN-13978-1501144837
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About the Author
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
1.
THE OLD MAN’S HEAD was covered in mantises.
At first Luke thought it was a wig or some weird toupee—but he was at the southern tip of Guam, a few miles from the Pacific, and the man was wearing tattered clothes and what looked like strips of old radial tires lashed to his feet. Why bother with a toupee?
The driver saw the old man, too. He hissed between his teeth—an uneasy tssshk! He said something under his breath: a curse, maybe a prayer? Luke didn’t speak the local dialect.
“I’ll do it,” Luke told the driver. “You wait here.”
He elbowed the Jeep’s door open. Sweet Jesus, the heat. It’d hit him like a fist when he stepped onto the runway at the Agana airport. It hit him again now—the tropical air, laden with the nectar of heliotropes, caused beads of sweat to pop along his brow.
The old man stood facing the wall of a one-story workshop. The ground was strewn with hubcaps and crankcases snarled in rusted wiring. Wrist-thick vines snaked out of the greenery to twine around the industrial junk; with nobody around to hack it back, the jungle would reclaim this spot in a matter of months.
The old man was walking into the wall—his sandals made a gentle whush-whush as they brushed the yellowing adobe. The spotting was pronounced on his bare arms and his throat. The scabs were dime-sized, bigger than what Luke was used to seeing. Some of them had cracked open and were leaking grayish pus.
Luke had no clue what had drawn the mantises. Maybe they’d dropped from the creeping ivy snarled across the shop’s roof. Or maybe something on the man’s scalp, or leaching out of it, had attracted them.
They were the largest insects Luke had ever seen. Each mantis was the length of his thumb, and muscular-looking. They had swollen, cantilevered abdomens that curved above their sharp, considering faces. A baker’s dozen or so carpeted the man’s skull.
Luke got the sense of them turning to stare at him, all at once.
Luke retreated to the ditch. His feet sank into the muck. He didn’t like the way it sucked at his boots—greedy, a lipless brown mouth.
He found a stick and went back. The insects squirmed quarrelsomely on the man’s head, which was covered with wispy white hairs as downy as those on a baby’s skull. Their exoskeletons made a brittle chitter. What the hell were they doing?
Luke watched their choreographed manner. The stink of burned diesel mixed with the heliotropes to create a sticky vapor that coated his throat. Distantly, he heard the driver repeat what he’d said before—that breathless curse or prayer—and Luke was worried he’d set the Jeep in gear and take off, leaving him with the old man and the mantises, the heat and the crawling jungle.
What in God’s name were those bugs doing?
One mantis pinned another in a violent vise grip, then widened its jaws and bit down, cleaving the other’s head in half. Their abdomens were wed. What was clearly the female continued to eat the male’s head while his antenna whipped about frantically.
Using the stick, Luke brushed the mantises off the man’s skull. A decapitated male skittered wildly across Luke’s fingers; he shook it into the mud with the rest of them. The urge arose to step on them. Squash them all to paste.
Instead, Luke set his hands on the old man’s shoulders to turn him around. His expression was familiar: The Big Blank. His eyes gone milky, the edges of his eyelids pebbled with nodules of acne that gave his skin the look of an orange rind. His mouth wide open, his tongue coated in white film. He may not have drunk water in days. He’d forgotten to, probably.
That’s how it went with the ’Gets: you forgot the little things first, then the not-so-little things, then the big ones. Next, the critical ones. In time, your heart forgot how to beat, your lungs how to breathe. You die knowing nothing at all.
As soon as Luke pointed him in a new direction, the old man started to walk. He’d go on until he fell down or stepped off a cliff or stumbled into a leopard’s den, if they had those around here. And Luke couldn’t do a damn thing about that.
He climbed back into the Jeep. The driver eased past the old man as he tottered down the road, that clingy mud sucking up past his ankles already. Luke watched as they pulled away, the old man’s body becoming indistinct through the stinging fumes.
Product details
- Publisher : Gallery Books; Reissue edition (August 16, 2016)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 416 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1501144839
- ISBN-13 : 978-1501144837
- Item Weight : 2.31 pounds
- Dimensions : 5.31 x 1.1 x 8.25 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #27,995 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #96 in Genetic Engineering Science Fiction (Books)
- #766 in Military Science Fiction (Books)
- #3,579 in Suspense Thrillers
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Hello All,
It is I, Nicholas J Cutter Esq! I'm the writer of The Troop, The Deep, The Acolyte (May 2015), and the upcoming Little Heaven (2016, probs). I write horror and I love doing it. If the books sell, I'll keep writing them. If they don't, I'll go dig a ditch--not for the money, but because that's what I like to do when I'm not writing.
You can visit me at:
www.craigdavidson.net (that's the name of my alter ego)
Or check out my author page at:
http://authors.simonandschuster.ca/Nick-Cutter/408931263
Yrs most sincerely,
Nick.
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers praise the writing quality and visual style of the book. They find the writing vivid, imaginative, and descriptive. However, some readers feel the flashbacks are tiresome and poorly timed. There are mixed opinions on the suspenseful aspect - some find it fantastic and interesting, while others consider it bleak and depressing. Opinions differ on readability - some find it a worthwhile read, while others say it's disappointing and dragged out. The pacing is also discussed, with some finding it fast-paced and finishing the book quickly, while others consider it slow and disappointing.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers enjoy the writing quality of the book. They find the first-person perspective engaging, with artistic prose and suspenseful storytelling. The author's voice is relatable, and the flashbacks are well-written. While the descriptions are impressive, some readers felt a map would have helped solidify certain aspects.
"...The author does a fantastic job at weaving that idea of fear and insane imagination we all have at what might be lurking in the dark, and the..." Read more
"...The GOOD Cutter writes a fine voice, realistic and very relatable, with his characters or at least his main ones...." Read more
"...The book gets a bit awkward at times with flashbacks to his abusive past and some of that could have been cut...." Read more
"...It just wasn't my cup of tea in any way. The writing was well done overall, but the story left a lot to be desired...." Read more
Customers find the book's visual quality vivid, imaginative, and descriptive. They appreciate the author's style and detail-oriented writing. The concept and imagery used in the story are described as spectacular, suspenseful, and relatable. Overall, readers describe the book as original and interesting.
"...The GOOD Cutter writes a fine voice, realistic and very relatable, with his characters or at least his main ones...." Read more
"...itself and the sense of dread and malice and claustrophobia is evokes absolutely land...." Read more
"It was good. Really had a lot of atmosphere and terrifying parts! But it dragged on at the end...." Read more
"...Very well written, quite descriptive (not for the squeamish) and it will hook you from the beginning...." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the suspenseful tale. Some find it fantastic and creepy, with an intriguing premise. Others describe it as depressing and bleak, with lots of gruesome descriptions and foreboding events.
"...Regardless, this one actually creeped me out completely. That's so rare that it instantly earned a top spot for scariest book I can think of." Read more
"...Also, this book is bleak as hell. There is no happy ending and nothing happy along the way...." Read more
"...I love me a good tragedy, and it can be a very effective narrative in the horror genre as well...." Read more
"...That's sometimes better. This book is also very intense and claustrophobic. I really felt the crushing weight of being 8 miles beneath the sea...." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the book's readability. Some find it an interesting and exciting read with potential, while others describe it as bleak, disappointing, and slow-paced.
"...Ultimately despite my gripes, the book is still fantastic and should be read. Just have a video of puppies or something waiting when you get done." Read more
"...As mentioned, very much a page turner! And if that's all your looking for, this might be an enjoyable read. The NOT so good -..." Read more
"...But in general I just found it to be very dragged out and disappointing. Side note- I see the other reviews complaining that it’s fatphobic...." Read more
"...Soooo awesome. The book didn't go in the direction I thought it would. That's sometimes better. This book is also very intense and claustrophobic...." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the pacing. Some found it fast-paced and hard to stop reading, while others felt it was dragged out and disappointing.
"...Another strong point is pacing. Cutter drives the narrative at fairly breakneck speed, with short chapters that often end in cliffhangers that have..." Read more
"...Unfortunately, the last 10% let me down...." Read more
"I ordered the book for my girlfriend. She said it arrived it great condition." Read more
"...Really had a lot of atmosphere and terrifying parts! But it dragged on at the end...." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the character development. Some find the characters well-conceived and relatable, describing the book as similar to Stephen King's work. Others feel the character development is lacking, the plot predictable, and the characters seem one-dimensional. The protagonists experience horrible things and are subjected to even worse happenings, but the main character's internal thoughts drag out the story.
"...Plus, the character development is somewhat lacking, and the ending is predictable...." Read more
"...First, I have to say that I LOVE that the main character is from my hometown, so seeing places mentioned that I'm well acquainted with made my heart..." Read more
"...Unlike The Troop, this book lacks the character development, and I genuinely didn't care what happened to any of them...." Read more
"...The Einstein Poster was an excellent homage to King...." Read more
Customers have different views on the book's sadness. Some find it heartbreaking and depressing, with creepy moments that bring tears to their eyes. Others say the ending leaves them depressed and the book is not for the faint of heart.
"...you are a lover of animals this book has some scenes that are extremely heartwrenching. That said, I give this book 9.3 out of 10 stars." Read more
"...the book is enjoyable, and has some genuinely creepy and heartbreaking moments throughout...." Read more
"...It didn’t really have a story. It was sad, and gross, and weird. All those things I like, but it just didn’t do it for me...." Read more
"i actually enjoyed this book... it did make me cry at a point which got me mad lol cause i was reading to be scared or at the edge of my seat......" Read more
Customers find the flashbacks in the book repetitive and poorly timed. They feel there's no story and the author tends to reference previous events in the main character's life. Many readers found themselves skipping pages to get back to the relevant plot.
"...was tense, and the story was compelling, despite occasionally dragging with too many flashbacks. Unfortunately, the last 10% let me down...." Read more
"..."The Deep" is not on the same level. The book is loaded with flashbacks and journal entries that take away from the flow of the story...." Read more
"...only to find that at page 236 it just back to page 189 and is missing almost 50 pages. It picks up again at page 289 or so...." Read more
"...The 'gets was almost pointless and pretty much abandoned after a few chapters and served as a small plot vehicle to get main characters under water...." Read more
Reviews with images
Great book. My copy is messed up.
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on September 8, 2022ATTENTION: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS!
I don't scare easily. I just don't. I've been a fan of horror since I could walk, so really, things that others find scary don't affect me so much. That being said, this novel got under my skin pretty quickly and stayed there.
First, I have to say that I LOVE that the main character is from my hometown, so seeing places mentioned that I'm well acquainted with made my heart beam. Second, I'm not claustrophobic, but something about the idea of being trapped miles underwater with no chance of escape if even the slightest thing goes wrong, makes my skin crawl. Add in the loss of a child, the experimentation on animals, the hallucinations, body horror, etc, and this book is the scariest book I can remember reading.
It's like Hellraiser, The Abyss, The Thing, and Event Horizon had a baby and it was raised with the utter hopelessness of The Collector.
While reading, I thought that the final part could have been left out, and the moment where he hears his son and the lights go out could have been a perfect ending, but after reading it, I'm torn. I still think that would have been a great ending, and at first I thought that the creatures he encounters were too on the nose and derivative, but after finishing it and sitting with it a bit, I'm not so sure. I realize they have unique qualities that set them apart, and the exposition makes sense, as does his final choice.
Regardless, this one actually creeped me out completely. That's so rare that it instantly earned a top spot for scariest book I can think of.
- Reviewed in the United States on February 9, 2023So, let me say I tried to give this 4 1/2 but for some reason it won't let me.
Spoilers ahead.
The book is fantastic, and has a lot of moments that are genuinely disturbing and horrific. For the first time in a long time, I felt myself genuinely creeped out by the prose in a book as opposed to just entertained. The author does a fantastic job at weaving that idea of fear and insane imagination we all have at what might be lurking in the dark, and the sadistic mind dialogue we give those monsters. The monsters in this case, however, are real.
I do, however, have a few criticisms. The disease which is the narrative trigger, the Gets, turns out to be a red herring that has nothing to do with the insanity happening on the station and the Fig Men didn't even create it. As they say, it happened to be a lucky coincidence for them. I absolutely HATED this, especially as the disease doesn't transmit in any natural way (fluids, airborne, contact, etc). It made no sense to me and also is one thing I thought was a massive missed opportunity for the author to really lean into the godlike, sadistic power of these monsters...they can't escape their prison but they can still touch the world enough. It would show they're so inhuman, that they were willing to cause a worldwide plague to just lure one man down into the dark so they could play and escape. It just irked me.
Also, this book is bleak as hell. There is no happy ending and nothing happy along the way. Do not read it if you're in a dark place at the time, because you may not make it out.
Ultimately despite my gripes, the book is still fantastic and should be read. Just have a video of puppies or something waiting when you get done.
- Reviewed in the United States on November 23, 2022This is my third Nick Cutter book, and after that extended trial, I've decided probably my last. Ill try to share why in the following comments without giving away any spoilers, but if you're the type that likes to enter into a book with zero expectations or foreknowledge, be warned some things may give you an idea of the books narrative and plot.
The GOOD
Cutter writes a fine voice, realistic and very relatable, with his characters or at least his main ones. He gives just enough info to help you invest, and the inner dialogue/monologue of his protagonists feel quickly at home in your head. Likeable, generally "good" every-men who are easy to connect with.
Another strong point is pacing. Cutter drives the narrative at fairly breakneck speed, with short chapters that often end in cliffhangers that have you hurrying on to the next chapter.
As mentioned, very much a page turner! And if that's all your looking for, this might be an enjoyable read.
The NOT so good -
After three books, I believe I've sussed out Cutter's modus operandi...and its a bit lazy and non-edifying.
In the books I read, they followed the same path - set up a great premise and potential story, spend a little time building the world and establishing the characters, then a little less time getting them to a particular place....then basically halt the plot development for the rest of the book and just move from one predictable horror trope scene to another. This goes on forever...then the book ends. Dourly.
I mean, there's only so many times you can read about the main character encountering something turning into "gelatinous ooze", and his mind "gibbering in fear". Its like taking a short, interesting trip through the countryside...to a pigsty, and then spending days just wallowing around in the muck. One disgusting pile of muck is about the same as any other, but we are subjected to scene after scene of it.
During all this extended muck-wallowing, nothing happens to the plot. Causation, motive, new information, twists or surprises are in very short supply, if any...again, one gelatinous oozing object/character is pretty much the same as the other, if they don't reveal anything about the plot or the characters.
In this particular instance, it takes place at the bottom of the ocean, with an ancient malevolent, unknowable entity screwing with everyone and everything. Basically, "Event Horizon", except at the bottom of the ocean instead of the far reaches of space, and not nearly as cohesive.
WARNING - The next part might be a bit spoiler-y, though I won't give away any specifics.
One of the MO's that have held constant in the three Cutter books I've read is that there is basically no redemption in them, for the characters or the readers. They tend to be likeable protagonists who find themselves in a life or death struggle with unknowable evil - a common trope. But Cutter seems to display a very sadistic side in that there is hardly ever any "wins" for his characters through the book. He grinds them down, defeat after defeat, grinding and grinding until there is nothing left to grind. And then it ends.
I love me a good tragedy, and it can be a very effective narrative in the horror genre as well. However the best tragedies are felt more deeply when they are experienced by a hero who has striven heroically and lost. I feel - very subjectively - that Cutter just seems to enjoy torturing his characters till they're used up, like a sadistic child with a magnifying glass at an ant hill.
One wants for a LITTLE redemption at some point!
And so because of these pros and cons, I give The Deep three stars...and probably say farewell to Mr. Cutter having space on my Kindle.
Top reviews from other countries
- Amazon CustomerReviewed in Canada on August 19, 2022
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing read!
First book from Nick Cutter that I've read and absolutely loved it! Very well written, pictured every disturbing thing that happened in this novel
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Bettina PoppReviewed in Germany on July 7, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars OK
Habe es als Geschenk gekauft
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HugoReviewed in Spain on May 20, 2023
5.0 out of 5 stars Muito bom
Hugo
Reviewed in Spain on May 20, 2023
Images in this review -
Thomas D. ReaderReviewed in France on September 4, 2017
5.0 out of 5 stars Nick Cutter is the man
This book couldn't be titled better. Characters and plot are so deep, and the author takes no shortcut in order to build tension and haunt our dreams, waking or sleeping. Really loved it. Lovecraft meets Jules Verne.
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Serena, Cliente AmazonReviewed in Italy on October 14, 2016
1.0 out of 5 stars Stephen, che t'ho fatto di male?
L'ho comprato presa dall'entusiasmo per un post del buon Stephen King, che via Facebook lo descirveva come una bomba (parafraso). Inizio a pensare che ci fosse dell'ironia nelle sue parole. Un insieme di immagini "da incubo" sconclusionato e senza capo né coda. Magari a H.P. Lovecraft si gioca un altro giorno, eh?