Mary and I spent the evening downstairs in the library, listening to election coverage on Sirius/XM while she crafted and I worked on my comic book collection. Looking at the numbers this morning, it would seem that enough of the populace finally took a look at everything that has happened over the last few years and said, “Hey, maybe civics weren’t my strong suit, but I’m pretty sure this guy and his cronies are wiping their ass with the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.”
Or at least… I hope that’s what it means.
The Atlantic has a very sobering think-piece on what may happen next. Read it here.
Winter is coming.
~
Women In Horror Year: Day 136
The Deep by Alma Katsu
Hardcover - Paperback - eBook - Audiobook
What really happened on board of the Titanic?
Someone, or something, is haunting the ship. Between unexplained disappearances and eerie deaths, the guests of the Titanic—particularly maid Annie Hebley and guest Mark Fletcher—are convinced there’s something sinister afoot. But before they can unveil the danger that beckons them, disaster strikes.
Years later, Annie is working as a nurse on the sixth voyage of the Titanic’s sister ship, the Britannic, newly refitted as a hospital ship. When she happens across an unconscious Mark, now a soldier fighting in World War I, Annie is relieved to see he survived the sinking. But soon Mark’s presence awakens deep-buried secrets, a creeping darkness forcing Annie to reckon with the demons of her past—as they both discover the terror may not yet be over.
One of the things I looked forward to the most in my retirement was reading by the fireplace of an evening. I’ve been doing a lot of that these last two weeks. Currently I’m rereading Deep Waters, a collection of many of William Hope Hodgson’s nautical horror stories, published back in the day by Arkham House. With works like The House on the Borderland and The Night Land, Hodgson was, of course, one of the originators of what would later become known as cosmic horror, as well as science-fiction horror. But here in 2026, those works often overshadow something else he as equally responsible for, and that is nautical horror. The guy was a sailor, and his sea stories capture that life — and the dread that comes with it — very well.
As an ex-sailor myself, I have a deep and abiding love for nautical horror, and I’m happy to report that Alma Katsu upholds the tradition — and Hodgson’s legacy — in fine form with The Deep. A historical horror novel, Alma weaves simultaneous timelines. In the hands of a lesser writer, that might have led to a narrative mess, but she pulls it off with aplomb, deftly increasing the tension and mystery with each switch. She also, much like the historical horror of Dan Simmons (think The Terror or Abominable) wisely chooses to play it coy with the supernatural elements. They might be real, or they might be the product of mental illness and superstition. This subtlety makes for a far more deliciously creeping read, really ratcheting up the suspense. It’s a slow burn — much slower than her previous historical horror novel The Hunger — which allows her to really flesh out the characters, which only increases the reader’s investment in them and the emotional stakes… which is what the best horror fiction relies on.
The ending has caused some controversy in online discussions. I won’t comment on it here to avoid spoilers, except to say that I loved it. Should this be adapted for television or film, I hope they leave the ending as is.
The Deep is a solid, engrossing read, and available in hardcover, paperback, eBook and audiobook from Putnam. Signed copies of the paperback available from Vortex.
