Reviews

Deeper by Jeff Long

horror_n_history's review

challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

glitterkitter's review against another edition

4.0

This is one of the times I am extremely grateful that I finish read the rest of series/sequels when the first novel isn't too brilliant.
Deeper is a continuation of The Descent. Both novels explore a newly discovered underground world, with a previously unknown intelligent species. They explore the questions of what hell could really be like and whether the Devil really exists.
I found The Descent to be a pretty average thriller. It dealt more with how all the underground realm worked scientifically and if it had just been transformed into a mythological explanation.
Deeper takes a more supernatural/spiritual approach in that it explores whether or not there really is a supernatural being controlling parts of the world, and what happens to people after they die to some extent. I found this approach to be much more intriguing than the one taken in the first novel.
Seeing as some storylines where left in a possibly not-entirely-completed way, I'm hoping there will be a third novel, and look forward to reading it if there is.

sumomus's review

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A good sequel to The Descent, if not quite up to par with the first book in the series. If you liked The Descent I would recommend reading this. 

hoffworld's review

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

hippie13's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

awitham4077's review against another edition

3.0

 Not nearly as good as the first but by the time I had finished, I was at least satisfied with the ending. I found myself struggling through some of the story and thought it was missing some of the qualities that made the first one so good. The enemy didn't feel nearly as threatening as they did in the first book. 

At the very start, when all the children go missing, I thought that the hadal nation was going to make some great comeback. They didn't though. They just became some sort of pathetic underlings type race, easily defeated.

 

504eigner's review against another edition

5.0

This and its predecessor are what airplane fiction should be.

popolopoi's review

adventurous dark emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

I absolutely LOVED this book. The descriptions of places and situations are incredibly rich, which is exactly what I like in a book. As a sequel of The Descent, I'm very happy with how this ended.

There's also some epistolary content that was a pleasing surprise. Very rich narrative, full of visual components.

gentlemanjeff's review against another edition

4.0

This thrilling nightmare of an adventure carries the reader through many of the same conflicts familiar from the first book, while shedding light on a few mysteries. An ambitious dive into the mythology pushes the limits before being neutered by an ending that offers no clear resolution or even a satisfactory conclusion. Worth the read to complete the duology. Must-read for fans of Crichton's darker stories.

shelflife's review

3.0

I read the first book, The Descent and believe I liked it better. But this was a very good read, however very dark. I believe this is to be a trilogy. It will be interesting to see how it ends. Overall premise is that the mythology regarding "hell" actually exists with another race of people living beneath the earth. They have actually mostly died off but there is evidence of a civilization older-than-old. These creatures are human however they have horned heads and tails due to evolution with living inside the world instead of out. So if there really are so-called demons from all the stories we've heard about, is there a devil to go with them? REad the book and find out.