Scan barcode
solleron's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
relaxing
fast-paced
5.0
i was in a cafe reading this. i think i was alone. i flailed like crazy
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Gaslighting, Death, Abandonment, Body horror, Grief, and Toxic relationship
wrenny03's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Do not go into The Caves. The Caves are alive and malicious and they want you dead. This book fucks.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Drug use, Body horror, Death, and Vomit
Moderate: Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, and Confinement
Minor: Drug abuse, Gaslighting, Excrement, Injury/Injury detail, and Toxic relationship
evelikesbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Confinement, Mental illness, Vomit, Drug use, and Suicidal thoughts
afterplague's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
The Luminous Dead was an experience I wasn't expecting. If you're looking for a heart-pounding horror novel I'm afraid that you're going to be disappointed. If you wanted zombies or alien creatures I think you'd better look elsewhere.
Fundamentally, this novel is a character driven one. If you look at the plot at a surface level you'll probably be a bit bored and little disappointed. It's not that there aren't scares or tension, there is, but most of the plot is just climbing, talking, and a nervous breakdown. By describing it like this it might seem like I don't like Luminous Dead, but I think that's not true.
It's difficult to parse out my feelings and my rating of the book. I thought for ages about whether to rate this four stars or three. Objectively versus subjectively my feelings differed. I think there's something at the center of The Luminous Dead, but I don't think that it's typical of the horror genre. I don't think I was ever really scared. I was nervous at times, and maybe tense, but more than anything I just felt this creeping despair. This is not a "scary" story. It's just depressing, and it does that very well.
I'm going to go into more depth below, so please beware of spoilers.
Like I said, this is a character driven story, and so the characters have to be good to carry it. Luckily, I think they are. Gyre is our main and perspective character and Em is her woman in the chair. And that's it. There are only two characters in this entire book, and the story is just the two of them having conversations and attempting to navigate the cave.
Gyre is an excellent climber, but she has very little experience with caving jobs. She's worked as a technician, but has never actually undergone a real cave dive. She lies about her experience for a job worth more money than multiple other caving jobs combined in an attempt to get off planet and find her mother who abandoned her years ago. I like Gyre a lot. She's tough and smart, and she has a certain arrogance that drives her character into death defying scenarios. Because of this, though, she can be hotheaded, stubborn, and dangerous. She believes in her abilities and instincts, and she's usually right, but being in the cave for weeks on end definitely tests her psyche.
Em is completely different. She's very cold and extremely secretive. Her motives for sending Gyre into the cave are a complete mystery, and she is extremely controlling towards her. Em doesn't see Gyre as a human at first, violating her bodily autonomy by controlling the suit from afar. Gyre hates this and demands that she stop, but Em still occasionally sneaks her some drugs or assistance to the suit.
Their relationship is so weird and toxic, but it grows and changes into something that is closer than I could have imagined. They build trust and share things about each other. They find common ground when Em reveals that she's not exploring the cave for resources or anything valuable, she just wants to find the bodies of her parents cave diving team from twenty years ago. It's a really human moment, but Em reveals that twenty-five previous cavers have died trying to accomplish this task, and I was torn. Em's feelings and desires are valid, but her callous disregard for anyone in her search for closure makes her a monster. Gyre does call this out.
It's an interesting dynamic, and I really enjoyed one moment especially, after a lot of relationship and trust building, Em needs to fully take control of the suit and Gyre lets her. It was a really tense scene and demonstrated that even though Em sends the cavers down to the depths, she cares about them, remembers them, and feels their losses.
The cave itself is unfortunately not a very interesting environment. There are sections that are notable and memorable, like the fungi that burst into spores or the Long Drop that takes twelve hours to climb down, but most of the cave is just grey walls. The part of cave diving that really scares me is tight, enclosed spaces, but we don't really get much of that in the novel. Instead, all of the most tense parts take place in the sumps, underwater caves. Obvious cave diving is terrifying, but it just didn't hit the scarier parts of the caves.
Tension did build throughout the story and I did feel like there were legitimate threats, but I do feel like those threats were ultimately a disappointment. The Tunnelers were a frightening concept, and when we finally saw one I do believe it was well described. I just don't understand how it was defeated by being thrown off balance? That was weird. There's also the idea that someone else is in the caves, but that doesn't really go anywhere. The cave itself is also implied to be some level of haunted or supernatural or maybe it was hallucinogenic spores? It's not explained super well.
There was also a lot of back tracking which did make the pacing slog. Gyre has to progress through six camps and once she gets to six, she treks back to four, then back to five, then back to six, then back to five, then gets swept back to six, then back to five, then back to four, then back to three, then back to four and if reading this was tedious just imagine it going on for two hundred pages. The things happening are relatively exciting, but we are literally walking in circles.
The writing and intrigue were good, though. I don't want to insinuate that they weren't. The technology was also pretty cool. It's not so far advanced that it seems like a deus ex machina, but it is distinctly futuristic. The idea of not being able to feel anything or touch your own body for weeks at a time is a horror in itself.
I feel like I could talk about this for ages, contemplating the good and the bad, but I have to stop at some point. Maybe now you can get a bit of an idea of why this book was so difficult to rate.
I did enjoy The Luminous Dead, but it is kind of a vibe more than a horror novel. I wouldn't recommend this if you're looking for action and excitement. I would recommend it if you enjoy character focused stories, ambiguous supernatural events, and a slow burn.
Fundamentally, this novel is a character driven one. If you look at the plot at a surface level you'll probably be a bit bored and little disappointed. It's not that there aren't scares or tension, there is, but most of the plot is just climbing, talking, and a nervous breakdown. By describing it like this it might seem like I don't like Luminous Dead, but I think that's not true.
It's difficult to parse out my feelings and my rating of the book. I thought for ages about whether to rate this four stars or three. Objectively versus subjectively my feelings differed. I think there's something at the center of The Luminous Dead, but I don't think that it's typical of the horror genre. I don't think I was ever really scared. I was nervous at times, and maybe tense, but more than anything I just felt this creeping despair. This is not a "scary" story. It's just depressing, and it does that very well.
I'm going to go into more depth below, so please beware of spoilers.
Like I said, this is a character driven story, and so the characters have to be good to carry it. Luckily, I think they are. Gyre is our main and perspective character and Em is her woman in the chair. And that's it. There are only two characters in this entire book, and the story is just the two of them having conversations and attempting to navigate the cave.
Gyre is an excellent climber, but she has very little experience with caving jobs. She's worked as a technician, but has never actually undergone a real cave dive. She lies about her experience for a job worth more money than multiple other caving jobs combined in an attempt to get off planet and find her mother who abandoned her years ago. I like Gyre a lot. She's tough and smart, and she has a certain arrogance that drives her character into death defying scenarios. Because of this, though, she can be hotheaded, stubborn, and dangerous. She believes in her abilities and instincts, and she's usually right, but being in the cave for weeks on end definitely tests her psyche.
Em is completely different. She's very cold and extremely secretive. Her motives for sending Gyre into the cave are a complete mystery, and she is extremely controlling towards her. Em doesn't see Gyre as a human at first, violating her bodily autonomy by controlling the suit from afar. Gyre hates this and demands that she stop, but Em still occasionally sneaks her some drugs or assistance to the suit.
Their relationship is so weird and toxic, but it grows and changes into something that is closer than I could have imagined. They build trust and share things about each other. They find common ground when Em reveals that she's not exploring the cave for resources or anything valuable, she just wants to find the bodies of her parents cave diving team from twenty years ago. It's a really human moment, but Em reveals that twenty-five previous cavers have died trying to accomplish this task, and I was torn. Em's feelings and desires are valid, but her callous disregard for anyone in her search for closure makes her a monster. Gyre does call this out.
It's an interesting dynamic, and I really enjoyed one moment especially, after a lot of relationship and trust building, Em needs to fully take control of the suit and Gyre lets her. It was a really tense scene and demonstrated that even though Em sends the cavers down to the depths, she cares about them, remembers them, and feels their losses.
The cave itself is unfortunately not a very interesting environment. There are sections that are notable and memorable, like the fungi that burst into spores or the Long Drop that takes twelve hours to climb down, but most of the cave is just grey walls. The part of cave diving that really scares me is tight, enclosed spaces, but we don't really get much of that in the novel. Instead, all of the most tense parts take place in the sumps, underwater caves. Obvious cave diving is terrifying, but it just didn't hit the scarier parts of the caves.
Tension did build throughout the story and I did feel like there were legitimate threats, but I do feel like those threats were ultimately a disappointment. The Tunnelers were a frightening concept, and when we finally saw one I do believe it was well described. I just don't understand how it was defeated by being thrown off balance? That was weird. There's also the idea that someone else is in the caves, but that doesn't really go anywhere. The cave itself is also implied to be some level of haunted or supernatural or maybe it was hallucinogenic spores? It's not explained super well.
There was also a lot of back tracking which did make the pacing slog. Gyre has to progress through six camps and once she gets to six, she treks back to four, then back to five, then back to six, then back to five, then gets swept back to six, then back to five, then back to four, then back to three, then back to four and if reading this was tedious just imagine it going on for two hundred pages. The things happening are relatively exciting, but we are literally walking in circles.
The writing and intrigue were good, though. I don't want to insinuate that they weren't. The technology was also pretty cool. It's not so far advanced that it seems like a deus ex machina, but it is distinctly futuristic. The idea of not being able to feel anything or touch your own body for weeks at a time is a horror in itself.
I feel like I could talk about this for ages, contemplating the good and the bad, but I have to stop at some point. Maybe now you can get a bit of an idea of why this book was so difficult to rate.
I did enjoy The Luminous Dead, but it is kind of a vibe more than a horror novel. I wouldn't recommend this if you're looking for action and excitement. I would recommend it if you enjoy character focused stories, ambiguous supernatural events, and a slow burn.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Gore, and Grief
Moderate: Body horror, Confinement, Abandonment, and Death of parent
thelittlestrobot's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Abandonment, Gore, Grief, and Death
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Death of parent
nic1894's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I really like the writing style and I would read more of this author's work. It was also fantastically tense and really interesting concept.
SPOILERS
However, there were some issues with the pacing, plot and characters. The pacing dragged at points. It felt like there were too many plot points, with some being underdeveloped and others over. The potential body horror of the suit, the spores and the tunneler was missed. The capitalist commentary was interesting, but again underdeveloped. What the main issue was that it felt like the author didn't truly understand how terrible Em is. Lots of potential and good writing style, lots of missed opportunities.
SPOILERS
However, there were some issues with the pacing, plot and characters. The pacing dragged at points. It felt like there were too many plot points, with some being underdeveloped and others over. The potential body horror of the suit, the spores and the tunneler was missed. The capitalist commentary was interesting, but again underdeveloped. What the main issue was that it felt like the author didn't truly understand how terrible Em is. Lots of potential and good writing style, lots of missed opportunities.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Violence, and Death
Moderate: Gaslighting
celina246's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I had high hopes for this book but I’m a bit disappointed. It was by no means awful; it’s what I call a “quiet” horror, which means not a lot is necessarily happening but the atmosphere is kind of creepy and tense. But it teetered on boring too many times, and all the climbing jargon and descriptions of the cave routes made my eyes glaze over.
I wish CS had done a bit more with it, plot-wise, but it was character-centric and the characters were very annoying and unlikeable. Still, I feel like it could be a good movie.
I wish CS had done a bit more with it, plot-wise, but it was character-centric and the characters were very annoying and unlikeable. Still, I feel like it could be a good movie.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Confinement, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Grief
Moderate: Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
Minor: Mental illness and Toxic relationship
pichetteemmons's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
2.25
It’s like if Colleen Hoover wrote lesbian thrillers
Content Warnings
Graphic: Vomit, Death, Gore, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Suicidal thoughts
applesodaperson's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book was genuinely incredible. I mean it definitely made me want to never step foot in a cave again, because so many of the scenes, especially when Gyre was underwater, made me feel so icky and claustrophobic.
I think this book did such a good job of having consistent suspense. There were a couple small mysteries woven in that I found myself theorizing about. It also had so many times when Gyre got so close to succeeding, but then failed, which left me feeling so stressed out for her.
So this book only has two characters really, but yet it does such a good job of staying interesting. Gyre and Em are deeply complex people and also very flawed, which felt realistic and made me root for them.
I also liked the sci-fi setting. It wasn’t too complex, which was nice and easy to understand, but it also explained things well.
I also of course liked the romance.But even though I liked it, I will say that I do not think they should have ended up together. I think they should have just ended as friends. Because despite how close they feel, the majority of it came from trauma bonding, not from naturally building up romance.
Another thing this book did great was having Gyre go slowly crazy. I loved the slow build up and her constantly doubting herself. She was a perfect example of an unreliable narrator that kept me guessing at what was real constantly.
Loved this book! And it also had great representation!
Listened to on Libby.
I think this book did such a good job of having consistent suspense. There were a couple small mysteries woven in that I found myself theorizing about. It also had so many times when Gyre got so close to succeeding, but then failed, which left me feeling so stressed out for her.
So this book only has two characters really, but yet it does such a good job of staying interesting. Gyre and Em are deeply complex people and also very flawed, which felt realistic and made me root for them.
I also liked the sci-fi setting. It wasn’t too complex, which was nice and easy to understand, but it also explained things well.
I also of course liked the romance.
Another thing this book did great was having Gyre go slowly crazy. I loved the slow build up and her constantly doubting herself. She was a perfect example of an unreliable narrator that kept me guessing at what was real constantly.
Loved this book! And it also had great representation!
Listened to on Libby.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Gore
iam's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
SciFi cave exploration horror featuring lesbians tied up in a web of lies, what could you possibly want more?
Content warnings include: amputation, manipulation, unconsensual administration of drugs, claustrophobia, medical failure, abandonement, gore and graphic description of corpses and causes of death; mentions of death of parents, absent parents.
I personally would have preferred the cave monster to appear more, and a lot of the plot went in circles (literally.) It didn't actively terrify me, but I think that's fine, more low-key/subtle horror more there due to the surrounding situation than what actually happens (and a lot happens!) suits me more than the outright can't sleep one.
Very atmospheric, with a great cast of two characters, and the audiobook narration is done absolutely incredibly by Adenrele Ojo.
Content warnings include: amputation, manipulation, unconsensual administration of drugs, claustrophobia, medical failure, abandonement, gore and graphic description of corpses and causes of death; mentions of death of parents, absent parents.
I personally would have preferred the cave monster to appear more, and a lot of the plot went in circles (literally.) It didn't actively terrify me, but I think that's fine, more low-key/subtle horror more there due to the surrounding situation than what actually happens (and a lot happens!) suits me more than the outright can't sleep one.
Very atmospheric, with a great cast of two characters, and the audiobook narration is done absolutely incredibly by Adenrele Ojo.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Medical content, Abandonment, and Gore
amputation