‘Into the Drowning Deep’ delivers a potent cocktail of bloodthirsty monstrous mermaids, blood spatter and gore with aplomb. It’s also that kind of popcorn-throwing syfy-horror-fantasy I expect at a viewing of any apex-predator movie—a thrilling, entertaining and highly campy ride up until the credits roll—which the book delivers.

Just don’t take it too seriously, which, with the aid of popcorn and a few laughs along the way, is rather easy to do.

The writing is visually striking, though distant and sometimes cynical with a tendency to go off rambling tangents in the way I would associate with authors like Michael Crichton, Steve Alten or Peter Benchley. Despite the premise, it is rather slow-going and the introductions to all the other characters (with the parenthesis of their background lives happening too often, just like this) so it means that things don’t really get underway until half the book’s gone by. But once the ship sets sail, expect the blood and gore to splash everywhere thanks to mermaids that are the furthest from Disney’s red-haired Ariel and her trusty sidekicks; these ones eat man for their delicious flesh and won’t stop till they get their fill.

Fighting, dissection and loads of chomping ensue, which might be one of the best bits for me, the other being Mira Grant’s ability to slip into various writing styles. Innocent animals as well as people are taken apart in grisly glory courtesy of very sharp teeth, amid the frantic guesswork behind the evolutionary path of the fanged-tooth sirens/mermaids, along with (some moralising science-speak) about humanity’s whirlwind path of destruction and how everything is interpreted through a framework only we can understand and deem superior.

With constantly changing POVs, Grant doesn’t make out any clear hero but neither are they particularly likeable enough that you get invested in them. The story is after all, more plot- than character-driven as the ultimate goal here is to uncover the mystery of the strange happenings deep in the Mariana Trench. Still, it suddenly comes to a climax after a slow build, before quickly plunging to a half-hearted resolution, leaving the dismembered body parts, gore and some very angry humans and sirens in their wake. The clean-up and aftermath happen ‘backstage’, but the idea of man’s survival typically hangs in the balance with a conclusion that suggests there might be room for a sequel—this much we’re simply told as the sun sets yet again on the impasse of man vs. the deep.

I have a confession to make. I have never read any of the books this author has written as Seanan McGuire, but I have everything she's written under her pen name, Mira Grant. I loved her Newsflesh series so when I got a chance to read this book I picked it up immediately!

Into the Drowning Deep was an interesting read and reminded me very much of Michael Crichton's work with some Lovecraft and Jaws thrown in for some spice. I enjoyed it! This book is Grant's take on a creature feature.

The plot concerns a mockumentary film crew that disappears along the Mariana Trench after footage of a deep sea monster attack surfaces from the abandoned wreckage. Several years later, marine biologist Tori Stewart has joined a new crew heading to the Trench and she hopes to investigate the case that ties in with the disappearance of her older sister who was part of the original film crew. She soon uncovers cryptozoological creatures who are nothing like the beautiful, mythical creatures in the stories we grew up with. I never expected to be frightened by mermaids but here we are. Bravo, Mira Grant! Bravo!

Like a most horror and disaster movies, this book has a large cast of characters, some of who are stereotypes, but Grant manages to make you care in some way about most of them. And of course in true Mira Grant fashion some of the ones I liked suddenly were murdered in a gory, chompy fashion. I really enjoyed the horror aspects of this book but what I really loved about them was that there was quite a bit of science integrated into the fantasy. Even though I loved all of the scientific explanations, I can see a lot of people not enjoying them. I just really liked what it added to the story.

Into the Drowning Deep was a fun read that really fit into the Halloween season even though the release date is set for November. It certainly has a great atmospheric build-up to a good horror novel that horror enthusiasts and those who like things horror-lite will enjoy. I didn't realize it was the first book in a series and I can't wait to get my hands on the next one!

Note: There is a novella, Rolling in the Deep, which ties into this book. I have not read it yet, but I will be soon. Apparently, it's the prequel to this but it's not required in order to read this book.