August 2015 Group Read #1: Dead Sea by Tim Curran

[Jon Recluse]

Here's the thread for August's group read of Tim Curran's Dead Sea!

Please use spoilers, and have fun.

[Kasia]

Very nice :) I will do my best to join, always heard great things about this book.

[Quentin]

This has been on my list for a while, really glad it won. Can't wait to get into it.

[Latasha]

i'll probably start this weekend.

[Kimberly]

I just recently re-read this one (for the third or fourth time). Can't wait to join in discussions!

[Hudson]

This was such a great book, Curran is awesome. (and way underrated it you ask me)

[Maxine Marsh]

Oh yeah baby, this is gonna be good!

[Dani]

Cool! Something I haven't read yet!

[Marc-Antoine]

I've got mine on order, unfortunately this one is a little harder to come by in Canada, eta is August 11th. I'll be a little late to the party...

[Katy]

Quentin wrote: "This has been on my list for a while, really glad it won. Can't wait to get into it."

I have this one on my Kindle, so this is great. Now I'll be able to get to it.

[Tiffany]

I'm going to join in on this one. I just downloaded this book on my Kindle.

[Andrew]

Just got it on my Kindle. Hope it's good :)

[Katy]

Andrew wrote: "Just got it on my Kindle. Hope it's good :)"

I've gotten a bit into it, maybe 15%. I'm enjoying it.

Sargasso Sea and (view spoiler)[ weird worm monsters...<\spoiler> (hide spoiler)]

[Latasha]

Other times he dreamed about things in the fog, immense things that were not man or beast, but grotesque cosmic wraiths like sentient monoliths and pestilent shadows that crawled from one world to the next.

Ohhhh yeah! This is gonna be good. I just read the prologue . The name of the ship?! Whoa!

[Kimberly]

Fantastic atmosphere in this-- :D

[Andrew]

Sh1t hits the fan (view spoiler)[early @ 5% LOL. (hide spoiler)]

Just hope the story is not similar as Fevre Dream as both are set on water.

[Deborah]

Andrew wrote: "Sh1t hits the fan [spoilers removed]

Just hope the story is not similar as Fevre Dream as both are set on water."

Not even remotely like Fevre Dream.

[Katy]

Kimberly wrote: "Fantastic atmosphere in this-- :D"

20% in. (view spoiler)[ So everybody's in the water, nobody's got a boat. If these are the main characters, wonder how this will go on for another 85%...unless they get picked up...<\spoiler> (hide spoiler)]

[Nate]

I happened upon the perfect day to start this. We've had four straight days of over 100 degrees, but today the clouds are heavy and so dark it seems like dusk. Nice real life coincidence to really set off the atmosphere as the fog rolls in.

This is also my first Curran book, and I must say I'm highly impressed so far.

[Quentin]

I'm only about 7%. It's my first Curran book too, and I'm impressed as well. I had been meaning to read this one, now I wonder why I waited!

[Shaun]

I stalled at about 45% in this book several months ago. Starting from the beginning to see if reading with the group helps.

I love the Lovecraftian feel to it, and the mention of the Mary Celeste.

[Jeremy]

Starting this tonight--also my first Curran book

[Kimberly]

Curran does Lovecraftian so well!

[Nate]

I'm 22% done with Dead Sea, and holy crap. I thought this would be a slow journey into madness, but I've been vaulted into insanity right off the bat with no slowing in sight. I can't imagine where this is going, as the current situation is what I was envisioning as the end game.

[Andrew]

I am about 70 pages in. Enjoying the atmosphere but having a hard time with the simplistic and macho banter between the crew. Hope that changes.

[Andrew]

Andrew wrote: "I am about 70 pages in. Enjoying the atmosphere but having a hard time with the simplistic and macho banter between the crew. Hope that changes."

Ze time will come. Don't worry

[Nate]

Katy wrote: "Kimberly wrote: "Fantastic atmosphere in this-- :D"

20% in. [spoilers removed]"

That was my thought too, Katy. (view spoiler)[I really didn't expect them to go in the drink so soon. (hide spoiler)]

[Jeremy]

80 pages in--good story and some great early jump scenes, but so much unnecessary exposition. (view spoiler)[There are a bunch of chapters that begin with the POV of a character standing around, thinking about how they have a bad feeling, then ending with something like "little did they know about the evil to come." If Curran is using that tactic to build tension, it's not working. Cut it out, and get to the evil! (hide spoiler)]

[Nate]

Okay, I'm at 51%. (view spoiler)[I am loving these sea creatures. The flying manta ray thing may be my favorite so far. The derelict is also maximally spooky. With all the events so far and the story only half through, is anybody else worried that the rest of the story will be more of the same? (hide spoiler)]

[Andrew]

I agree about the exposition. Every character , and it seems in every other paragraph , is talking or thinking about how off everything seems. We get it already.

[Char]

Nate wrote: "Okay, I'm at 51%. [spoilers removed]"

As someone who has read this previously, I have to say that you haven't even reached the most imaginative portions yet. :)

[Kimberly]

Charlene wrote: "Nate wrote: "Okay, I'm at 51%. [spoilers removed]"

As someone who has read this previously, I have to say that you haven't even reached the most imaginative portions yet. :)"

Agreed :D--and I've read this one 3 or 4 times...

[Nate]

Kimberly wrote: "Charlene wrote: "Nate wrote: "Okay, I'm at 51%. [spoilers removed]"

As someone who has read this previously, I have to say that you haven't even reached the most imaginative portions yet. :)"

Ag..."

Awesome! I have had a blast so far, and I have been consistently surprised at the increasing danger and tension. Can't wait to see where this goes.

[Maxine Marsh]

Wow, I'm really liking this. I'm about 25% in, thinking of taking the book 25% a week for the month, but who knows...I love Curran's writing. I feel like I'm in the Dead Sea with these guys, the gross water, the stench, very creepy atmosphere, this is the stuff nightmares are made of-- I can feel the sea monsters just out of sight in the fog all around me.

[Kimberly]

Maxine wrote: "Wow, I'm really liking this. I'm about 25% in, thinking of taking the book 25% a week for the month, but who knows...I love Curran's writing. I feel like I'm in the Dead Sea with these guys, the gr..."

I thought this was one of Curran's most "atmospheric" books ever--that really intensified the feeling for me! :)

[Quentin]

Im at 12% and absolutely loving it so far. I see what people are saying about the exposition, but that seems minor to me compared to how good the novel is overall. The atmosphere is tremendous!

[Char]

Maxine wrote: "Wow, I'm really liking this. I'm about 25% in, thinking of taking the book 25% a week for the month, but who knows...I love Curran's writing. I feel like I'm in the Dead Sea with these guys, the gr..."

Yes, exactly! Whenever I looked up when I was reading this book, I felt like I was coming out of the fog.

[Andrew]

Charlene wrote: "Maxine wrote: "Wow, I'm really liking this. I'm about 25% in, thinking of taking the book 25% a week for the month, but who knows...I love Curran's writing. I feel like I'm in the Dead Sea with the..."

Same context as feeling thirsty when reading Dune? :P

[Nate]

Quentin wrote: "Im at 12% and absolutely loving it so far. I see what people are saying about the exposition, but that seems minor to me compared to how good the novel is overall. The atmosphere is tremendous!"

I agree, Quentin. The book has its faults, but I am at 65%, just starting part 4, and this is hands down a 5 star read so far.

Any area of horror this book covers is done so well...there have definitely been some teeth-chattering, knee-knocking moments.

[Andrew]

I do enjoy a good monster book , especially sea monsters. And at about 40 % in , this one is pretty good.

[Quentin]

I don't know if anyones made this comparison yet, but I can't help but think of this one as Stephen King's THE MIST on water. I'm just getting that same vibe.

[Nate]

I would not have thought that this story could get even more interesting, but I'm at 80% now and more engrossed than ever. Definitely not more of the same from the first half to the second half of this novel. Curran is incredibly impressive.

(view spoiler)[From the various sea monsters and their spot-on portrayal, to the incredible ghost story aboard the Cyclops, and now to Elizabeth and Aunt Else, Curran has shown some serious range in this book. Aunt Else has me laughing my ass off, and I can't wait to unravel these latest mysteries. (hide spoiler)]

[11811 (Eleven)]

Quentin wrote: "I don't know if anyones made this comparison yet, but I can't help but think of this one as Stephen King's THE MIST on water. I'm just getting that same vibe."

That's exactly what I thought.

[Jeremy]

I'm 35% in--am I the only one who is hating this? The character of Saks is so annoying, and the constant barrage of schoolyard gay and "yo mama" jokes is wearing super thin (as is the inevitable response of "eff you" or "knock it off"). I also think there is a lot of repetition--this book badly needs an editor.

[Andrew]

My point exactly. I am enjoying the atmosphere , and I realize this is not meant to be " literature " , but the cheap shots to get us to hate the character of Saks are just that , cheap and repetitive. And the resemblance to The Mist is spot on.

[Nate]

Well, I finished this morning, and I must say I enjoyed the heck out of this. Sure, the book had flaws, most of which have been noted in this thread. But maybe I was just really in the mood for this type of story, because they didn't bother me much and this still ended up a 5 star read just based on the fun factor.

I also really enjoyed how many horror and sci-fi themes that Curran explored, and for my money he nailed them all. This was my first time reading his work, and I will definitely be taking on some more soon.

[Kimberly]

I felt that this was one of his best "atmospheric" tales. I loved (view spoiler)[ how he hit upon all the various legends/rumors in that area! (hide spoiler)]

[11811 (Eleven)]

Somewhere around 75%ish, can't recall, there was a moment that took me back to Stephen King's The Jaunt, (view spoiler)[ when he steps through the window into an eternity of eternities, none to pleasant. That shit freaked me out. (hide spoiler)] still scares the hell outta me in retrospect.

[Kimberly]

11811 (Eleven) wrote: "Somewhere around 75%ish, can't recall, there was a moment that took me back to Stephen King's The Jaunt, [spoilers removed] still scares the hell outta me in retrospect."

(view spoiler)[ That is STILL what I consider to be the most disturbing scene in the book! I can't help but think of the implications....and wish the fate onto Saks instead! ;) (hide spoiler)]

[11811 (Eleven)]

Kimberly wrote: "11811 (Eleven) wrote: "Somewhere around 75%ish, can't recall, there was a moment that took me back to Stephen King's The Jaunt, [spoilers removed] still scares the hell outta me in retrospect."

[..."

Amen lady! :)