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booksthatburn's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
THE LUMINOUS DEAD is dense, claustrophobic, atmospheric horror, dripping with details. It builds a miasma of uncertainty by describing what the MC thinks happened then sometimes admitting that she was wrong, rarely revealing if her guide was mistaken too. The first half lingers on meticulous detail of the path through the caves, so that later we will know why a missing cache is worthy of terror, why the thought of pressing on towards one camp or returning to another elicits a silent scream. It tells in pieces a small and personal history of death underground, the dependence on the only voice around, helplessness when chance, mistrust, and technological failure cause breaches in connection.
I’m finding that I really like this kind of quiet horror. Books where most of the story is just explaining literally what’s happening, but the horror is in what should be happening but isn’t, shouldn’t be happening but is, and the precariousness of having to trust other people about one’s own body, in contexts where it is difficult to control whether or not boundaries will be respected. It understands that gaslighting is isolating and terrifying, and the terror is in being almost sure, wrong once, right once, and then never again being quite certain of what’s really happening. Hallucinogenic substances, involuntarily ingested, may be involved, in various times and manners.
I love this for many of the same reasons that I love Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. The settings are very different, but they have many tendrils of horror in common. If you like sci-fi and liked Mexican Gothic, you'll probably like this (and if you like The Luminous Dead and like aesthetic non-sci-fi horror, you'll probably like Mexican Gothic).
I’m finding that I really like this kind of quiet horror. Books where most of the story is just explaining literally what’s happening, but the horror is in what should be happening but isn’t, shouldn’t be happening but is, and the precariousness of having to trust other people about one’s own body, in contexts where it is difficult to control whether or not boundaries will be respected. It understands that gaslighting is isolating and terrifying, and the terror is in being almost sure, wrong once, right once, and then never again being quite certain of what’s really happening. Hallucinogenic substances, involuntarily ingested, may be involved, in various times and manners.
I love this for many of the same reasons that I love Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. The settings are very different, but they have many tendrils of horror in common. If you like sci-fi and liked Mexican Gothic, you'll probably like this (and if you like The Luminous Dead and like aesthetic non-sci-fi horror, you'll probably like Mexican Gothic).
Content Warnings
Moderate: Medical content, Death, Mental illness, Death of parent, Drug use, Excrement, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, and Grief
ghostbirds's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Death of parent, Drug use, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Medical trauma, Blood, Gore, and Vomit
madarauchiha's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
✨🌠 my about / byf / CW info carrd: uchiha-madara 🌠✨
Ok. I don't understand why people were so hot for this book. Kinda lesbian flavored horror set in a cave. The writing is ok, I thought the author portrayed the environment very well and didn't lose me on the technical details.
The toxic lesbian relationship felt shoehorned in and oddly placed. Personally I prefer lesbian relationships in media without the toxicity or the unhealthy, abusive dynamics. It's not unrealistic but ehhh let's do better.
I haven't read much cave based horror but I think this was fairly creepy and tense. I think the tension was more based in the environment than anything paranormal or supernatural, however. After a while it got pretty repetitious. Like.. nothing really happened lol.
If you want a horror story where the horror is mainly supernatural or paranormal, you may not appreciate this one. There is definitely some fungal body horror if you like that, though.
I don't recommend this, just go in knowing what you want.
Wrt diversity. Yes they're black characters or characters of color. Not sure which is intended. It rarely comes up outside of descriptions, so temper your expectations. Don't expect [spoiler name] to mention eating pig feet and collards as a child.
Character descriptions [mild spoilers?]
▪ The camera shifted, Em’s mother turning it around to face herself. She looked like she was in her mid-twenties, maybe the same age Em was now, and looked eager and happy, foreign expressions on her daughter’s face. She was pale-skinned, her blond hair curling gently against her cheeks, and her green eyes glittered. She had the same small notch in her chin as her daughter. “You hear that? Laurent says we’re all going to be rich.”
▪ Em’s eyes darted from side to side, too ashamed or panicked to meet Gyre’s gaze. She had dark circles under her eyes that looked like they had been there long before Gyre had entered the cave. Her hair was thick, pure black, haloing around her face in a mess of tight curls. Her skin was darker than Gyre’s, a rich, warm brown without freckles or moles. She was stunning, even in her exhaustion, even though her full, doll-like lips were chapped and torn from chewing at them. She pursed them as she thought about what to say next, the motion deepening the small cleft in her chin.
So I guess. Em is part white? idk it's confusing and shoehorned in.
The conclusion was a happy one. I didn't have everything answered but the character arcs ended well and I appreciate how it was handled. If you want answers to everything, you may be disappointed.
Content warnings
minor suicide, drug abuse, vomit,
medium medical content,
major injuries, psychosis, vomit, amputation, medical content, gore, paranoia, death, medical abuse, death, body horror, fungi horror, parasite horror, claustrophobia,
Ok. I don't understand why people were so hot for this book. Kinda lesbian flavored horror set in a cave. The writing is ok, I thought the author portrayed the environment very well and didn't lose me on the technical details.
The toxic lesbian relationship felt shoehorned in and oddly placed. Personally I prefer lesbian relationships in media without the toxicity or the unhealthy, abusive dynamics. It's not unrealistic but ehhh let's do better.
I haven't read much cave based horror but I think this was fairly creepy and tense. I think the tension was more based in the environment than anything paranormal or supernatural, however. After a while it got pretty repetitious. Like.. nothing really happened lol.
If you want a horror story where the horror is mainly supernatural or paranormal, you may not appreciate this one. There is definitely some fungal body horror if you like that, though.
I don't recommend this, just go in knowing what you want.
Wrt diversity. Yes they're black characters or characters of color. Not sure which is intended. It rarely comes up outside of descriptions, so temper your expectations. Don't expect [spoiler name] to mention eating pig feet and collards as a child.
Character descriptions [mild spoilers?]
So I guess. Em is part white? idk it's confusing and shoehorned in.
The conclusion was a happy one. I didn't have everything answered but the character arcs ended well and I appreciate how it was handled. If you want answers to everything, you may be disappointed.
Content warnings
minor suicide, drug abuse, vomit,
medium medical content,
major injuries, psychosis, vomit, amputation, medical content, gore, paranoia, death, medical abuse, death, body horror, fungi horror, parasite horror, claustrophobia,
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Vomit
Moderate: Medical content
Minor: Drug abuse, Suicide, and Vomit
ju_shi's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Suicidal thoughts, Medical trauma, Gore, and Death
corvidaeus's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Body horror, Confinement, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Gore, Grief, Medical content, and Vomit
Moderate: Drug use, Gaslighting, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Blood
samusc's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
4.75
This is the second time this month where I've finished a book and can honestly say I've never read anything else quite like this.
The balance of environmental and mental horror was incredible. Gyre is one of the best examples of unreliable narrator I've ever seen.
Gyre and Em have such a toxic relationship, yet manage to save each other from physical death, and work through intense trauma. Gyre's loneliness and Em's desperation are both so palpable. During each chapter I wondered how could the situation get any worse, and it continued to.
Starling has written a raw description of the call of the void, which is unsettling in and of itself.
My partner would love to see a horror video-game adaptation of this work and I agree that this book has strong adaptability.
The only criticism I have is the scene towards the end when Gyre faces off against the tunneler feels like a dramatic tonal shift from other scenes. I was thrilled to finally see the tunneler and it was terrifying when she first observes it. I understand why, from a characterization perspective, that she shouted at it to turn around and face her, though it felt a little too cinematic to me.
This work is a stunning achievement as a debut novel and iconic addition to horror as a genre. I can't wait to read more of Starling's work.
The balance of environmental and mental horror was incredible. Gyre is one of the best examples of unreliable narrator I've ever seen.
Gyre and Em have such a toxic relationship, yet manage to save each other from physical death, and work through intense trauma. Gyre's loneliness and Em's desperation are both so palpable. During each chapter I wondered how could the situation get any worse, and it continued to.
Starling has written a raw description of the call of the void, which is unsettling in and of itself.
My partner would love to see a horror video-game adaptation of this work and I agree that this book has strong adaptability.
The only criticism I have is the scene
This work is a stunning achievement as a debut novel and iconic addition to horror as a genre. I can't wait to read more of Starling's work.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical trauma, Mental illness, and Confinement
the_escapist's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
A futuristic caving survival story (mostly horror, with a little sci-fi thrown in). Also has giant worm creature things.
The main character finds herself a deal: do a highly dangerous expedition into an unknown cave for weeks on end to get rich enough to leave her desolate planet behind. Except that now she’s in the cave she’s beginning to have second doubts about whether she can trust the person who’s guiding her.
There’s plenty of tense action, increasing horror (psychological and physical), a focus on the relationship between the caver and her handler(there’s a tiny element of eventual sorta f/f enemies to lovers here) , and a whole lot of revelations along the way.
It has nice short chapters and great pacing and is easy to read without feeling simplistic or undeveloped. There weren’t enough small details and descriptions to make it feel like the author was a seasoned caver/climber – it was more like an absence of super-specific knowledge rather than anything jarringly wrong though. But I went into this as someone who has done a fair amount of caving/climbing so it would be hard to satisfy me on that front. It didn't take me out of the story, but it's the only criticism I have of the entire book.
Overall this was so engrossing and original and such a ride from start to end. I'm keeping an eye on this author because I loved reading this so much.
The main character finds herself a deal: do a highly dangerous expedition into an unknown cave for weeks on end to get rich enough to leave her desolate planet behind. Except that now she’s in the cave she’s beginning to have second doubts about whether she can trust the person who’s guiding her.
There’s plenty of tense action, increasing horror (psychological and physical), a focus on the relationship between the caver and her handler
It has nice short chapters and great pacing and is easy to read without feeling simplistic or undeveloped. There weren’t enough small details and descriptions to make it feel like the author was a seasoned caver/climber – it was more like an absence of super-specific knowledge rather than anything jarringly wrong though. But I went into this as someone who has done a fair amount of caving/climbing so it would be hard to satisfy me on that front. It didn't take me out of the story, but it's the only criticism I have of the entire book.
Overall this was so engrossing and original and such a ride from start to end. I'm keeping an eye on this author because I loved reading this so much.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement
Moderate: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gore, Grief, Medical content, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic relationship, and Vomit
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