SYNOPSIS:
When the Imagine Network commissioned a documentary on mermaids, to be filmed from the cruise ship Atargatis, they expected what they had always received before: an assortment of eyewitness reports that proved nothing, some footage that proved even less, and the kind of ratings that only came from peddling imaginary creatures to the masses. They didn't expect actual mermaids. They certainly didn't expect those mermaids to have teeth. This is the story of the Atargatis, lost at sea with all hands. Some have called it a hoax; others have called it a maritime tragedy. Whatever the truth may be, it will only be found below the bathypelagic zone in the Mariana Trench…and the depths are very good at keeping secrets. Killer mermaids. Do you really need to know anything more than that? ;) This is a fun, fast read that gives exactly what it promises on the cover-- creepy death-at-sea and horrifying creatures. I love ocean-based horror, and this was fantastic. There was also obvious thought given to the mermaids' biology and why they would evolve the way that they have, which was a great touch. I wish I'd known more about some of the characters before they became mermaid snacks, but-- novella. Quotes/Lines: ((spoilers below!)) -- "Some of the people sailing with you will be spending time on private projects as well; this has been approved" *flashbacks to Aliens* One of them is going to try and bring a mermaid back alive, aren't they?? ((and man, going into this knowing that nobody is going to make it?)) -- "While our viewers are aware that we fals--er, fictionalize certain elements in our documentaries" pffffft -- 'Maybe that was why she wasn't allowed to smile that way on camera. If she looked too real, she'd become less of an idealized fantasy, and half their viewers would run.' :( -- "We're not porters." "Which is good, since you didn't port anything," replied his boyfriend Anton' On-page representation at 8% into the book ILU MIRA -- "They're bringing the interns with them." Thirty fresh-faced young things recruited straight out of college by Imagine, lured in with promises of publication and television experience.' ohhhhhh man -- I love the Captain. And Alexandra seems to have a good head on her shoulders. -- "Captain Seghers just went to peel the mermaids out of the bar" I cannot explain how much I adore the idea of a drunken troupe of mermaid performers. -- 'watching the ocean as it slid by around them, featureless as a mannequin's face' LINE. -- "Is it really safe to have a deaf man involved with piloting a vessel of this size?" She is gonna throw you overboard and be 110% justified -- "Even Christopher Columbus wasn't immune to their charms, and left several accounts of having seen these elusive sirens." Would that he'd just gone into the water after them. -- Wheelchair-using instead of wheelchair-bound yesssss -- The fact that it all starts because of a misunderstanding rather than someone pulling a 'let's capture a mermaid!' makes this even more awful -- "I'm on this ship because I actually do believe that there's something out here, and more, I believe that whatever it is, it's going to need protection once we prove it exists. Humanity destroys the things it loves. Something mysterious and unique enough to be the source of mermaid legends? We're going to be all over destroying that." I like you, Sonja. -- GET OUT OF THE WATER -- nnnnnnnn I like everybody so much this is gonna hurt -- No wait I take it back Bobby and Adrian can get eaten, and then everyone else can transport to an alternate dimension so they don't all die -- 'The official record says that all hands were lost at sea. We believe that something far worse occurred. We believe that they were found.' O______o -- 'All the needed to do was dive. And so she did.' *cries* -- 'somehow having managed to put on a full face of perfect makeup using her reflection on the side of a coffee pot. This skill, among others, was why she was Imagine's most popular convention correspondent. She had once fixed her lipstick in the shine off a Wolverine cosplayer's claws.' I love this little character tidbit. -- "This is clean, open ocean, with very little pollution and very high levels of the protein tags and chemicals that indicate a healthy ecosystem. So where are the predators?" DO NOT ASK THAT -- 'She could be angry. She could be devastated. But blaming Captain Seghers wasn't fair, and she refused to let grief make her into someone she wasn't." Sunnie. <3 -- The description of the mermaid's face. the eyes 'bioluminescent green and horror movie black'. 'This was a creature that could pucker up for kiss right before biting someone's face off.' PERFECT. -- 'Anne Stewart, first woman to bring back proof that mermaids existed. Anne Stewart, journalistic hero.' Oh honey. :( -- 'Was there any reason in the world to expect a deep-sea predator with that many teeth to be friendly?' Alexandra with the important questions. -- OH SHIT Anton no do not poke the mermaid -- "All the stories about mermaids drowning sailors, all the men lost at sea...we never took those into account. ... We turned monsters into myths, and then we turned them into fairy tales." Fantastic line. -- Yeah I'm starting Into the Drowning Deep right tf now
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A WORLD WITH A BLUER SUNMy reviews are set up a little like live-tweets: I write down lines I like/impressions as I read, and then transcribe. Reviews will contain spoilers, but I'll give a warning before they start. Archives
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