Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
16th out of 45 books
—
50 voters
Dead Sea
by
Tim Curran
When the crew of a lost freighter finds themselves trapped in a gruesome dimension—of sea monsters, ghost ships, and the undead—it is up to them to locate the U.S.S. Lancet and convince a nearly insane physicist to help them return home....more
Paperback, 332 pages
Published
January 1st 2007
by Elder Signs Press
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
507)
this is a big, meaty slice of steaming cthulhu-horror goodness. somewhere near the sargasso sea, a sinister fog envelopes a ship, its crew, and an often ostentatiously manly group of contractors... and deposits them in some horrible other-dimension. this new world is just that: "new", in the sense of a world that is pretty much a primal soup of creeping crawling flapping flying swimming life, almost completely fog-shroud, land nowhere in sight.
"He likened that sea to a petri dish, warm and wet...more
36 likes · like · see review
view all 9 comments
Mar 08, 2013
Adam Wilson
marked it as to-read
Dead Sea was one of those books that was a perfect read for me. I have no complaints about it at all. I will say that the plot is a bit like The Mist by Stephen King,
except with the cast of characters being caught in it on the ocean instead of in a supermarket, but this surpasses The Mist by 81 Miles, and I gave The Mist five stars!
Anyway, this is one of the most atmospheric novels I have ever read and the author relies a lot on sound and smell to paint a picture of fear. Being nearly blind, I...more
except with the cast of characters being caught in it on the ocean instead of in a supermarket, but this surpasses The Mist by 81 Miles, and I gave The Mist five stars!
Anyway, this is one of the most atmospheric novels I have ever read and the author relies a lot on sound and smell to paint a picture of fear. Being nearly blind, I...more
7 likes · like · see review
Whatever you do, do not read this book while you're on a cruise, especially when you're caught out in the fog. I did, and at the sound of the first foghorn, I jumped a mile. I was so into this story that when I peeked out my balcony and saw thick fog, I think my heart sped up a bit!
The story opens with a group of men who have signed on as a construction crew to work in the jungles of French Guiana. They are sailing on the cargo ship Mara Corday, and the journey is going fine until they enter a p...more
The story opens with a group of men who have signed on as a construction crew to work in the jungles of French Guiana. They are sailing on the cargo ship Mara Corday, and the journey is going fine until they enter a p...more
9 likes · like · see review
Ok, time for a little old-fashioned horror. This one is not for the squeamish. The book is an homage to the works of William Hope Hodgson. If you are looking for an intense read, and are willing to suspend your disbelief from the ceiling, give it a read - you won’t be disappointed. This book features the single most disturbing character death I can recall in horror fiction – you’ll know it when you read it!
A truly creepy tale that evolves like your worst nightmares, slowly and inexorably, shredding your sanity along the way. If Jaws didn't keep you out of the water, Dead Sea will.
7 likes · like · see review
Give me the short version: Container ship The Mara Corday is unfortunate enough to pass through a dimensional gateway in the Sargasso Sea. All hands experience a serious change in fortune from working class man to snack buffet.
Have you ever read that Stephen King short story The Mist? If not, you ought to; the horrible happenings are disturbing enough that your stomach feels reality shift queasily beneath you. They also released a quite natty film adaption of it in 2007.
Now, imagine the queasy f...more
Have you ever read that Stephen King short story The Mist? If not, you ought to; the horrible happenings are disturbing enough that your stomach feels reality shift queasily beneath you. They also released a quite natty film adaption of it in 2007.
Now, imagine the queasy f...more
If you asked me when I was a young boy what my favorite book was, I would without a doubt say Treasure Island. I've read it countless times, over and over again. I was at a perfect age to read that book, too; The most impressionable period, with the mind most bend to accepting the fantastic, allowing me to sail over the seas and far away while never leaving the comforts of my small bed. I still hear the tap tap tap of the blind man's cane, the Black Spot, Long John Silver and his parrot, the gra...more
9 likes · like · see review
This story is a horror lover's dream. You can almost feel the scene and atmosphere dripping and oozing like the nightmarish gelatin-like interdimensional sea. The author's various descriptions are awesome, giving you sketches that will last far beyond the reading. If you love strange sea monster stories, you've got to check this one out ASAP.
It didn't help my psyche that while reading this the last few days there has been a dense, spooky fog enveloping our area. I kept expecting to see hungry, s...more
It didn't help my psyche that while reading this the last few days there has been a dense, spooky fog enveloping our area. I kept expecting to see hungry, s...more
There are times when I crave a good horror story. One with Lovecraftian ideas and monsters and just plain epicness, for lack of a better word. I usually end up with a book that falls short of my expectations. In fact, I can only think of a couple that left me feeling satisfied or, more accurately, horrified.
This book surpassed them all.
I started mid-morning and did not stop reading until the next morning. Even if I wanted to I couldn't have put it down. I was sucked into the pages by Tim Curran...more
This book surpassed them all.
I started mid-morning and did not stop reading until the next morning. Even if I wanted to I couldn't have put it down. I was sucked into the pages by Tim Curran...more
For someone who has been reading horror for decades, it takes a lot to scare me. Dead Sea is a claustrophobic story that has some of the most frightening scenes I've ever read; scenes that describe creatures from another dimension. And the great thing is that Tim Curran writes about them in a poetical way. I was reaching for this book at 2:00 a.m. several times because I couldn't wait to get back to the story and see where it could possibly take me.
Dead Sea is about what happened to all those sh...more
Dead Sea is about what happened to all those sh...more
17 likes · like · see review
The Good: Similarities to Stephen King's "The Mist" aside, the book has an interesting plot and premise. The author gives excellent descriptions of places, things, technologies, and overall atmosphere (I'm jealous of his vocabulary). There is usually a steady supply of action and monsters to keep the plot, most of which takes place in life boats stranded on a "dead sea", moving along.
The Not So Good: Too much of anything can be a bad thing. There is a fair amount of repetition in the description...more
The Not So Good: Too much of anything can be a bad thing. There is a fair amount of repetition in the description...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Dec 29, 2012
Bill
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
horror,
science-fiction
I've read a ton of horror novels and I've seen it all: I've seen ideas hashed and rehashed by masters and hacks.
Dead Sea did something that only a few have succeeded in doing.
It scared the crap out of me.
I love the sea. Every year we vacation to someplace warm where I can be close to it, where I can simply gaze at it, swim in it, or take a diving excursion. This year may be different, because each time I venture into its warm embrace, I don't think a second will pass that I don't think of the te...more
Dead Sea did something that only a few have succeeded in doing.
It scared the crap out of me.
I love the sea. Every year we vacation to someplace warm where I can be close to it, where I can simply gaze at it, swim in it, or take a diving excursion. This year may be different, because each time I venture into its warm embrace, I don't think a second will pass that I don't think of the te...more
13 likes · like · see review
A fairly crisp beginning is hampered by a laborious middle, so by the time the conclusion plods into view it feels like it has taken a long time coming. The nightmarish Dead Sea is horrible in its every manifestation, so each new beast seems like just a variation in tone of the one before. Their purpose seems only to be to provide ways for the extraneous characters to die, in albeit wondrously imaginative ways, and could have been portrayed in a more succinct manor that would have better served...more
Mar 13, 2009
Claire S
marked it as to-read
Sounds like fun! I live in the middle of the continent, with nice safe land all around, but have been in really big boats once or twice .. so for me is a great setup.
Sections of his book on there own could have been 5 star novelas that would have rated right up at the top of my best reads of 2012 list. Then there where other parts of equal length that where nothing but characters fighting with each other. Now that I am done with it I think it was a good book with a great ending but I am glad it is finally over. Solid 3 stars.
Wow, it's tough to review and rate this book. Generally I liked it but it is WAY too long and in desperate need of an editor. Curran spends too much time describing the eerie fog and sense of doom over and over and over again to the point that it's no longer effective. I get it, I get it! The first half of the book dragged on endlessly but the second half, although still plagued with overdescription, picked up nicely and had some truly scary and creepy moments. Had this book been streamlined bet...more
1 like · like · see review
This was my first time reading anything by Tim Curran. What can I say? The author had a way of creating such an eerie and creepy atmosphere with such vibrant descriptions that at times I had to put the book down and catch my breath. I would give this book 6 stars if I could. I’m looking forward to his other work, specifically Resurrection: Zombie Epic & The Underdwelling.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Creepy!
3.5 Stars
Great characterization. A truly meaty read that I found to be like a Porterhouse steak. So juicy and thick, but halfway through I was tired of chewing. Saks and some dialogue were just too much. I was seriously wishing someone would knock off Saks early on. His jokes became overly irritating and his bully persona made all the other good character lines not stand out.
Great characterization. A truly meaty read that I found to be like a Porterhouse steak. So juicy and thick, but halfway through I was tired of chewing. Saks and some dialogue were just too much. I was seriously wishing someone would knock off Saks early on. His jokes became overly irritating and his bully persona made all the other good character lines not stand out.
Very scary and gruesome, but it needs an editor.
2 likes · like · see review
I can see why this book has a 4 star average but for me it was a 3 1/2 star read.
I found the pacing to be inconsistent and sometimes I felt like I was stuck in the Dead Sea.
I found the pacing to be inconsistent and sometimes I felt like I was stuck in the Dead Sea.
Want to know where the Bermuda Triangle spits you out and what horrors lurk there then read this book! If you can get your hands on it... Great read!
Very Lovecraftian in the best possible way (not characterization but rather setting).
This was a great horror novel! It has everyting you could want in this type of book. Creepy atmosphere,bloody, great dialogue, humor, solid characters and so on. Best book I have read this year.
2 likes · like · see review
My new favorite genre writer.
Jun 17, 2013
Michael Mclendon
marked it as to-read
Jun 16, 2013
Nicholas Prior
is currently reading it
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| paced reading hor...: dead sea by tim curran spoilers to 100% | 72 | 18 | Feb 06, 2013 01:00pm |
