Reviews tagging 'Violence'

The Deep by Nick Cutter

55 reviews

thebigemmt505's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.25

“It’s as strong as it needs to be. It exists- it, and everything in it- at the benevolence of something far greater and more terrible than itself.” 

The Deep is a a book that encapsulates the horror and mystery of the deep blue sea. We follow Luke, a veterinarian with a troubled past, as he’s called to see his brother in a base built at the bottom of the Mariana Trench. 

I really, really loved the atmosphere in this book. It’s consistently eerie and unforgivingly grimy and gory, which, is not for everyone. I’m personally a fan of the body horror in this book as it served a purpose to the main plot, (it showed how disgusting and powerful the ambrosia is). It was not meant to be just for shock value. The world building was really unique. I loved the description of a semi-post apocalyptic world, with a population whose collective head is barely above water against an incurable illness. Everything in The Deep kills slowly; everything is driven to madness then stamped to a pulp. The descriptions are written well and the tension is sustained well throughout the book. We feel the pressure build with those eight miles of water above. There were parts that meandered, and certain flashbacks that felt unnecessary, but overall the pacing was fine. I liked Luke as a character; he was be no means extremely profound or deeply relatable, but likeable and easy to root for. He was perfect for this plot. The plot, speaking of, is really want drew me back to this book over and over. I absolutely love horror that tackles themes of trauma and this struck a great balance for me… well… until… the end. 

I was planning to give this four stars until the last part. Admittedly, the full last 50-75 pages or so I found to be a bit messy, but not so bad it impacted my enjoyment. It felt as though it couldn’t wrap up all of its themes, drive them home, so they were left scattered in a pile of gore at the bottom of the Trieste

like everyone else in this book.

The last part of this book, The Fig Men, was so, so bad. It read like a shitty villain speech, dumping unnecessary and cliché exposition to wrap up all of the parts of this story that were best left to the imagination.

I mean come on man, two alien creatures calling the character my child, ancient beings that control parts of the human experience, oOoOoOohhhhh we want to be fReE, fReE so Luke accept our GIIFFTT, everything just…

… listen I finished this book moments ago so my thoughts aren’t fully collected, but GOD that really pulled down the rating for me. I legitimately thought that whole section would be revealed as a dream, or at least a mix of dream and Luke’s mind succumbing to grief and madness. When it wasn’t, I let out such a disappointed sigh, my first breath at the surface of this ocean and I was so annoyed I couldn’t even inhale. After reading other reviews, it seems I’m not alone in that thought, at the very least. 

Anyways, ending aside, I want to offer my opinion on a part of the book that is quite divisive. There’s lots of talk about the gore in this novel too, notably,

the death of LB. Usually, I would have a huge issue with this, not even because of the concept, but because dogs are so often killed off unnecessarily in horror stories purely to shock the viewer. In the case though, I can actually make a pass. LB’s death scene was written with so much care and emotion, much more so than the human deaths. It was gross, it was awful, I did shed tears, but Luke’s love for that creature was evident. I hated her death but I ended up really liking the scene. In addition, everyone else died too, so her death felt less like a sacrifice to the plot and more like a part of it.

That’s just my take, though. It was still upsetting to read. 

I want to recommend this book, especially if you love aquatic horror but god the ending… you choose on this one. Maybe you’ll love it. The read was still worth it for me, but boy am I let down. Oh well! I would still recommend it more than Our Wives Under The Sea. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Adult/minor relationship, Gore, Grief, Incest, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Violence, and Pedophilia

Moderate: Cursing, Confinement, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Fatphobia

Minor: Murder

jn0016's review

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Confinement, Violence, and Suicide

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Excrement, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Dementia, Incest, Animal death, Gore, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Death, Fatphobia, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Violence

vyralvyris's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

2.25

Cutter has such a captivating writing style, but the story feels disjointed and tacked together in a rush, especially at the end. With such a fascinating concept, I can't believe I was bored through the first 7 hours of the audiobook.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Murder, Self harm, Abandonment, Gore, Incest, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Animal cruelty, Blood, Animal death, Death, Grief, Rape, Sexual harassment, and Violence

Moderate: Cursing, Kidnapping, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Mental illness, and Cancer

shawcrit's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

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

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Child abuse, Animal death, Animal cruelty, and Body horror

Moderate: Sexual violence and Pedophilia

kier__'s review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

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

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Blood, Grief, Confinement, Child death, Gore, Cursing, Murder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Body horror, Drug use, Chronic illness, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Dementia, Excrement, and Medical content

yearofthesnk's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Masterfully brutal and revolting. He describes violence, body horror, and psychological collapse in incredibly compelling and vivid ways — which made this hard to endure. I took a year-long break partway through after

the dog's torture

.

I gave it a high rating because it delivers exceptionally well on what it promises. I have no doubt I'll still think about parts of this years from now.

That being said, the flashbacks can get tedious. I also didn't feel the ending entirely lived up to the harrowing journey through rest of the novel.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Violence, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Death, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Emotional abuse, Incest, Confinement, Gore, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, and Body horror

jmason9's review against another edition

dark sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Animal death, Animal cruelty, and Violence

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, and Kidnapping

Minor: Terminal illness

m0onb3am's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No

1.75

body horror (n when animals are subjected to it) <<<<

this is good for someone who liked the troop, but definitely not for someone who didn't. better premise for me but same execution.

there was a scene that felt like a cheap attempt at stirring emotion in the reader. though successful, it cost probably a star n a half sooo

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Body horror, Violence, and Death

Moderate: Self harm, Animal death, and Fatphobia

Minor: Murder and Animal cruelty

joleneistryingtoread's review against another edition

challenging dark tense fast-paced

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

4.0

Grosssssss 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Fatphobia, Death, Violence, Body horror, Animal death, and Pandemic/Epidemic

shiv91's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

What in the actual...

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Animal cruelty, and Violence