The Luminous Dead
by Caitlin Starling
A thrilling, atmospheric debut with the intensive drive of The Martian and Gravity and the creeping dread of Annihilation, in which a caver on a foreign planet finds herself on a terrifying psychological and emotional journey for survival.
When Gyre Price lied her way into this expedition, she thought she’d be mapping mineral deposits, and that her biggest problems would be cave collapses and gear malfunctions. She also thought that the fat paycheck—enough to get her off-planet and on the trail of her mother—meant she’d get a skilled surface team, monitoring her suit and environment, keeping her safe. Keeping her sane.
Instead, she got Em.
Em sees nothing wrong with controlling Gyre’s body with drugs or withholding critical information to “ensure the smooth operation” of her expedition. Em knows all about Gyre’s falsified credentials, and has no qualms using them as a leash—and a lash. And Em has secrets, too . . .
As Gyre descends, little inconsistencies—missing supplies, unexpected changes in the route, and, worst of all, shifts in Em’s motivations—drive her out of her depths. Lost and disoriented, Gyre finds her sense of control giving way to paranoia and anger. On her own in this mysterious, deadly place, surrounded by darkness and the unknown, Gyre must overcome more than just the dangerous terrain and the Tunneler which calls underground its home if she wants to make it out alive—she must confront the ghosts in her own head.
But how come she can't shake the feeling she’s being followed?
Why Did I Not Finish:
I picked this up for a horror book club. I've read a more recent book by Starling that I enjoyed until it derailed near the end, but wast told this one was really good and creepy.
Yeah...
Although the writing was good, I didn't really connect with Gyre or the story in general. Nothing much was happening apart from Gyre winding herself up over nothing if she wasn't having conversations with her handler. There were some set ups that didn't seem to pan out as well.
At about halfway through the book I was bored and decided that I just didn't have the stamina to keep reading to see if anything creepy was going to happen ever. Maybe it gets really creepy after that point, but that's to discover for readers with more staying power.
Why should you read it:
Maybe the atmosphere and storytelling of this book is more to your tastes than mine.
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