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The Luminous Dead: A Novel
Verfasst von Caitlin Starling
Gesprochen von Adenrele Ojo
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Mit Anhören beginnenBeschreibung
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 that 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?
Buchaktionen
Mit Anhören beginnenInformationen über das Buch
The Luminous Dead: A Novel
Verfasst von Caitlin Starling
Gesprochen von Adenrele Ojo
Beschreibung
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 that 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?
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Pros: intense, interesting characters Cons: Gyre Price lied on her application and took the caver job expecting to earn enough money to leave the planet and find the mother who abandoned her when she was a child. She didn’t know she would only have a single handler on the surface, one who can’t be trusted. Nor did she expect that spending so long in the darkness and isolation would make her see things… hear things… I bought this book on the recommendation of some authors I follow and so never read the back cover to find out what the book was about. I assumed - from the cover and random comments - that it was about zombies on an alien planet. It’s not. Once I realized what the book actually was, the story of what happens to a person when they are isolated and afraid, I settled in for a different kind of horror. Gyre’s paranoia ramps up when she realizes she can’t trust the only human link she has, kicking off an intense love-hate relationship with the only person who can save her life if things go bad. And things go bad. In addition to the natural cave environment and the dangers it poses (climbing, falling, equipment failure, swimming, etc) there’s also a creature on the planet that can swim through rock. No one understands what calls the tunnelers, but calling one is usually a death sentence. This is a very intense read. At times Gyre isn’t sure what’s real and what isn’t and waffles between rational decision making and pure paranoid outbursts. The ending is especially tense and I really wasn’t sure what would happen to her. If you like survival stories, this is great.
Rating: 4The only horror is this book is how toxic the relationship between the characters is. This should be mass listed with content and trigger warnings for trama, emotional/physical/mental abuse, toxic manipulation, medical/drug misuse, plus more and worst of all- the fact that the ending supports all this and makes it like the manipulation and trama are the basis for a good relationship. Everyone should take a hard pass on this. I really don't understand how books like this even get published.
Rating: 1
The book had a very good suspense and creepy claustrophobic/isolation atmosphere, and a big plus is the wlws, but I was very disappointed with the ending. I really thought there was going to be more story behind it, and I expected some big twist at the end, maybe a little bit more really scary moments not just mind games. I thought it was going to be more like Anihilation. I didn't really get it. I think it had a loooot of potential that just wasn't used properly :( Still I read it in one night and I got really immersed in the story, so it isn't the worst book ever.
Rating: 3Loved the concept of this creepy story but didn’t quite get what I wanted. Certain parts felt repetitive, with same shouty conversations happening again and again. The mystery element of the story could have been played up much more, as could the part around the big threat the ‘tunnellers’ which seemed to be resolved in a few pages.
Rating: 3Sapphic Horror Psycho Thriller.
When I have first read this book, I was amazed by how the author manage to have a story with only two characters involved and only one perspective. It remind me of Misery by Stephen King.
The psychological impacts of being alone, stressed, fear and the call of the cave/death. Was so true in this book.
The audiobook was good, the banter between the characters was a bit irritating to listen to than reading... but it’s a part reality.
Rating: 5When I have first read this book, I was amazed by how the author manage to have a story with only two characters involved and only one perspective. It remind me of Misery by Stephen King.
The psychological impacts of being alone, stressed, fear and the call of the cave/death. Was so true in this book.
The audiobook was good, the banter between the characters was a bit irritating to listen to than reading... but it’s a part reality.
5+ stars! This book is amazing and I was filled with dread the entire time I was reading it. It's definitely a new favourite.
Rating: 5girls goes into a cave, with the hopes of making enough money to go off planet to find her mom. Her mom abandoned her without a care on a backwater planet with nothing, so fuck her.
Rating: 2Scary, psychological book set in the future on another planet and entirely focused on two female characters. Gyre is a young 'caver', exploring a vast underground cave system in a very high-tech suit for high wages. Her boss is Em, a very rich entrepreneur/engineer/'handler' at the controls above ground. This is an adventure story but it's very focused on their developing relationship as they talk via the comm system. Each has issues from their past that come to light. Not a book for those with an intense fear of caves, drowning, or severe claustrophobia. Better for those who like reading about futuristic tech, peril, and mortal danger.
Rating: 4
Excellent storytelling, great characters, and a slowly unraveling plot that leads to an unexpected but satisfying ending. I really enjoyed the listen, and Ojo's narration made it an even better experience.
Rating: 4Hmm. How to write this review… It's hard because this is a well written book that bored me. "The Luminous Dead" is a 400 page book detailing the effects of sensory deprivation in a long solo cave dive, and Stockholm syndrome between the caver and her handler. The interaction of these stresses on each individual is the story being told – how one person's actions and reactions sets off reactions in the other, the two personalities spinning around each other during the hazardous cave hike.Ms Starling is clearly talented. The plotting is intricate and the characters are clearly drawn. I have a bunch of technical questions to ask, though, like why, in the future when we are mining other planets, does rope break and batteries smash when dropped? My grandmother had Thor Heyerdahl's book " Aku-Aku" about Easter Island on her shelves and as a child I was terrified by his description of wiggling down volcanic vents to demonstrate how islanders might have hidden from raiders. I don't know if that description would still induce claustrophobia, but this book, which is about a single person braving a deadly system of caves, certainly did not.So I skipped a lot of pages and several times thought of quitting altogether. But the writing really is good. I'm looking forward to Ms Starling's next book."The Luminous Dead" by Caitlin Starling was published by Harper Voyager on 2 April 2019.
Rating: 4Dark,atmospheric and addictive.Dont listen in the dark or in any caves.
Rating: 5The Luminous Dead follows a caver, Gyre, through a deep cave in with a single unusual handler instead of a large support team. Her handler, Em, has her own reasons for sending Gyre into the depths. The book manages to keep the tension going to the end. It compels the reader to keep going even with such a limited cast of characters.
Rating: 4