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mnichols_2's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Gore, Incest, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Grief, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
sierrabowers's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
3.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Cancer, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Incest, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Dementia, Grief, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
mand_al_orian's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
changelingreader_adrian's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Incest, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Blood, Medical content, Dementia, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
esslesmcgee's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Incest, Blood, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cursing, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Kidnapping, Murder, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Body shaming and Bullying
aparker89's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Find yourself stuck in a loop of endless and increasingly terrifying nightmares with Luke who just wants to help save mankind... don't look to hard at the shadows, they might be looking back!
Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cursing, Incest, Physical abuse, Self harm, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Pandemic/Epidemic
jalecd's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Gore, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Incest, and Pedophilia
papercrowns's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.0
Well, I don't remember too many specifics about The Troop (my memory's fault, not the book's), but I do recall thinking it was awesome and gross, but not super disturbing per se. Well, The Deep was certainly disturbing. But, I understand why The Troop is the Nick Cutter book people talk about most, because while The Deep does what it says on the tin in terms of the horror, it's got its problems.
- An overuse of onomatopoeia to the point of distraction.
- The story touches on a lot of serious, uncomfortable topics, and they certainly gave me the ick but for the most part, these serve the story and felt intentional. However, there was some fatphobia that didn't quite feel necessary or serve the story that I could have done without. It was very like
"Ooh, she got fat, gross! We know she's gonna be a baddie!" - The general dialogue was fine, but when it came to banter, it felt a bit forced and unintentionally cringe, particularly between the main character and his brother.
- The 'Gets, the worldwide pandemic that instigates the whole narrative, was super interesting but is largely forgotten once we get to the underwater lab in the Challenger Deep. It was such an interesting concept that it would have been great to see it have more impact to the story rather than being a throwaway plot device.
These things brought it down to a 4-star read for me, but none of them derailed the story. It's a real wild ride and intensely unsettling; exactly what I want from a horror book. Nick Cutter excels in describing horrifying, uncomfortable, and balls-to-the-wall cuckoo-bananas situations.
His descriptions of the characters' psychological trauma as they grapple with desperate situations are so intense and unnerving; I often found myself wanting to put the book down to give myself a break but also being absolutely unable to tear my eyes from the page. There was one claustrophobic sequence in particular where Cutter describes
And frankly, that's some chef's-kiss horror writing if you ask me.
I can't wait to read more Nick Cutter, cuz I know it'll be a grand creep-fest that does exactly what it says on the tin. However, I will say that I'd love to see a bit more character diversity, particularly more women.
Worth checking the trigger warnings before reading if you have triggers. Definitely do not read if bad things happening to animals in your reading is a dealbreaker. 😬
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Self harm, Blood, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Incest, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Excrement, and Medical content
Minor: Sexual assault and Death of parent
lithoerary_atria's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
lemme break it down for ya:
parts 1, 2 & 3? utterly boring and mind-numbing and the whole writing down the sounds made didn't help. also i DIDN'T appreciate the numerous flashbacks that went on for pages. they could've been done away with.
parts 4 & 5? HELL YEAH, that's my stuff!! horrors beyond human comprehension & feeling helpless? fuck yes!! the writing was still meh tho especially with those internal voices inside luke's mind. it was silly & brought you out of the story lol.
part 6? i- we don't speak about it lol.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Fatphobia, Incest, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent
apolloniablooms's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Gaslighting