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connorjdaley's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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? No
3.0
I believe I got this on an Audible 2 for 1 sale and I definitely grabbed it solely off the cover. The narration was pretty good, very Australian with no ridiculous female voices thankfully (done by Shaun Grindell).
This book starts off with literally no set up. It continues that way through the entire book. There isn’t a single ‘unnecessary’ word in this book, the author didn’t fluff at all. There’s no thoughts or emotion added in, it’s just directly what actions are happening. I can usually respect that decisive style for writing when an author does it, it usually means there’s nothing repetitive, but I have to say it doesn’t really work in this for me. A cavern opens up and groups of divers are willing to pay a lot of money for the chance to dive it before it’s been mapped or attracted tourists, but there’s something down there…they aren’t alone.
The big bad of the story is supernatural and oozing lore that the author simply didn’t write? I asked myself why so many times that I actually would rewind scenes. Without that giant piece to connect, the interconnected twists and drama fell pretty flat.
Still, a good monster horror. The beast itself is described but left for your imagination for the most part which I appreciated. It’s creepy and dangerous, and the novel has some good gory beats.
Personally a 3/5* for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Alcohol, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Death, Violence, and Blood
catsy2022's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Rating: A
“You guys must be parched. What’ll it be? VB or VB?”
An unexpectedly great short story. Set in the Australian outback, a group of cavers undertake an expedition to explore a new cave system recently discovered on farmland by a small town in NSW. Host to many opal mines in the 50s, now abandoned, the locals tell of the legend of the Miners' Mother, a mysterious creature believed to be inhabiting the caves and mines in the area to whom the locals sacrificed small animals and drained their own blood into shrines carved in the tunnel systems.
“Folklore states that Knockers were creatures who would notify miners of danger, by making tapping or creaking noises from deep within the stone. To ignore such a warning would often result in death, whether through tunnel collapse, horrific injury, or for others… disappearance without a trace."
I had initially been drawn to read this book after a friend did and praised the story. Upon finding it was written by an Australian author with paramedics amongst the main character party, I was excited to finish this book. I found it to be a great blend of The Descent, Alien and The Ruins, a thoroughly claustrophobic horror with competent protagonists. Sam is a paramedic, Frida is a biologist, Ellie is a geographer with her brother Max and their friend Aaron - the group has more than 1000 hours of experience caving. I felt like the pacing was just right in this book. I loved the mystery and the rational and realistic thought.
An image of the child’s face flashed before Sam’s eyes, and his gut clenched, goosebumps puckering the backs of his arms. No, it couldn’t be possible.
One of my favourite parts of this book was the sampling of the biological creatures. I felt like that was an amazing part of the book and very realistic, as well as the paramedics being able to "switch off" and go into medical training to treat injured people. I did feel like maybe the monsters took too much inspiration from other forms of media but I liked the small scale and the overall outcome of the story. A great read.
If there was a one percent chance of survival, the other ninety-nine could go get fucked.
“You guys must be parched. What’ll it be? VB or VB?”
An unexpectedly great short story. Set in the Australian outback, a group of cavers undertake an expedition to explore a new cave system recently discovered on farmland by a small town in NSW. Host to many opal mines in the 50s, now abandoned, the locals tell of the legend of the Miners' Mother, a mysterious creature believed to be inhabiting the caves and mines in the area to whom the locals sacrificed small animals and drained their own blood into shrines carved in the tunnel systems.
“Folklore states that Knockers were creatures who would notify miners of danger, by making tapping or creaking noises from deep within the stone. To ignore such a warning would often result in death, whether through tunnel collapse, horrific injury, or for others… disappearance without a trace."
I had initially been drawn to read this book after a friend did and praised the story. Upon finding it was written by an Australian author with paramedics amongst the main character party, I was excited to finish this book. I found it to be a great blend of The Descent, Alien and The Ruins, a thoroughly claustrophobic horror with competent protagonists. Sam is a paramedic, Frida is a biologist, Ellie is a geographer with her brother Max and their friend Aaron - the group has more than 1000 hours of experience caving. I felt like the pacing was just right in this book. I loved the mystery and the rational and realistic thought.
An image of the child’s face flashed before Sam’s eyes, and his gut clenched, goosebumps puckering the backs of his arms. No, it couldn’t be possible.
One of my favourite parts of this book was the sampling of the biological creatures. I felt like that was an amazing part of the book and very realistic, as well as the paramedics being able to "switch off" and go into medical training to treat injured people. I did feel like maybe the monsters took too much inspiration from other forms of media but I liked the small scale and the overall outcome of the story. A great read.
If there was a one percent chance of survival, the other ninety-nine could go get fucked.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gore, and Violence
Moderate: Gun violence, Torture, Death, and Body horror
Minor: Animal death, Vomit, and Self harm
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