Reviews tagging 'Schizophrenia/Psychosis '

The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling

54 reviews

mcbadger's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A harrowing and yet beautiful depiction of grief and fear. This is everything I love about horror.
Also love the casually queer protagonist and deeply flawed but lovable characters.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Grief, Death of parent, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Body horror, Suicidal thoughts, and Abandonment

Minor: Vomit and Classism

gia0203's review

challenging dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This was absolutely delicious. On the surface, this story is a claustrophobic nightmare about a caving mission that, from the outset, should be completely doomed. Beneath that, the narrative represents the cyclical nature of trauma and how grief can make monsters of us all.

The twisted and codependent relationship between Gyre and Em is the strongest part of the novel. Even as they betray one another, they must rely on each other, and this dynamic means that the long climbing sequences and continuous fights for survival never seem dull. They’re so messed up and yet you root for both of them, despite everything. 

There is also always hope. Against all the odds, Gyre and Em still believe things will work out. And I’m thankful that

this hope meant something, and that the author honoured it in the ending.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Grief, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Gaslighting

Minor: Blood

djinnc2m's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense slow-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

5.0

Slow-build but never dragged. This hooked me from the start and never let go. Characters were complicated and flawed but felt so real and I couldn’t help feeling attached. Will definitely read more books from this author!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Gore, Toxic relationship, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Body horror, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, and Abandonment

kidprezident's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Injury/Injury detail

ghosthermione's review against another edition

3.75

I enjoyed it, but not as much as the first time around. I thought the audio format would make it spookier and really bring out the huis-clos effect, but it didn't really. It was more impressive when I was reading it on paper and imagining the atmosphere for myself. Also, I have a lot more complicated feelings about the ending than I did the first time around. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Injury/Injury detail

attackrat's review

medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes

4.5

lying toxic gay women, climbing, space caves, fungus, and possible hallucinations? yes pls :)

I do think this could have leaned into its own elements of horror a bit more, as I was uncomfortable any time I thought about the situation she was in but not quite horrified. it’s often compared to Annihilation which I can see but it doesn’t quite get there. it has the pieces but doesn’t quite go all the way, which honestly? I didn’t really mind. I just don’t think it should be compared to Annihilation. I loved this book and its atmospheric tension, I loved the characters and how they interacted and changed each other. I just think if you went into it expecting a horror book it might disappoint you. me personally? I was here for the girlies and the caves so I did notttt care

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

contains fully submerged diving, mentions of being crushed or killed in caves or while underwater, and drowning

higgindasz's review

dark emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body horror, Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, Medical trauma, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Abandonment

directorpurry's review

adventurous 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Medical content, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Death of parent and Abandonment

kurumipanda's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense slow-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

3.0

I liked this. The caving parts were excellent: atmospheric, unsettling, terrifying. The dialog and relationship development were weaker - it seemed to develop too quickly/strongly with too little substance. Some story decisions felt inconsistent and illogical, and I wish the author had gone further with the sci-fi and cave ecology aspects. The audio narrator is great, though hearing the dialog aloud may have exacerbated some of my issues with it. Overall worth the read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Abandonment

Minor: Body horror, Drug use, Vomit, and Gaslighting

librarymouse's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

4.0

The Luminous Dead calls into question the reliability of its characters' perception and creates such a thick fog of paranoia and confusion that it remains tangible even after the end of the novel. Both characters are terrible people who are terrible to each other.

I don't really know that this was the case, but my interpretation of events is that the tunneler was using the likenesses of those who died in the tunnel's depths to lure victims to reveal themselves. However, Gyre's fever, the spores, and the general paranoia of her time in the tunnels makes it unprovable. Gyre feeling herself be dragged by the sporified corpse of Jenny reinforces that uncertainty of reality. Especially with the pull of the depths like the call of the void made manifest. Em is a terrible person. Sympathetic, but still terrible. She killed so many people in the search of corpses she wasn't sure would still be there, and ran when Gyre found them. They're so toxic for each other - Gyre holding the kill switch to Em's livelihood and future and Em having broken Gyre's body and mind. Not to mention Gyre's willingness to mutilate herself for the sake of getting a job for the money to get off planet and find the mother who abandoned her and whom she grows to hate, and Em's willingness to desecrate her mother's memory by sending caver after caver down into the depths that swallowed her parents, only to turn away and leave Gyer alone in the dark when her father's body is found. They're terrible people and terrible for each other, but in this sort of off world horror, you kind of have to root for them.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Grief, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Medical content