The Luminous Dead The Luminous Dead

The Luminous Dead

A Novel

    • 4.1 • 157 Ratings
    • $13.99
    • $13.99

Publisher Description

Bram Stoker Award nominee for Best First Novel!

"This claustrophobic, horror-leaning tour de force is highly recommended for fans of Jeff VanderMeer’s Annihilation and Andy Weir’s The Martian." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review)

The thrilling, atmospheric debut from the author of The Death of Jane Lawrence, a novel 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?

GENRE
Sci-Fi & Fantasy
RELEASED
2019
April 2
LANGUAGE
EN
English
LENGTH
432
Pages
PUBLISHER
Harper Voyager
SELLER
HARPERCOLLINS PUBLISHERS
SIZE
3.1
MB

Customer Reviews

FeloneousCst ,

Wow!

This is some of the best writing — I don’t find climbing or caves interesting but this had me reading till 4 AM.

Just brilliant! Hard to put down!

Playin hard to get them coins ,

Harrowing, claustrophobic and masterfully built.

You think you would get bored of reading about someone’s internal monologue in a cave…but this book hooks right into you from the start and drags you in by inch down into the caves of impoverished Cassandra V along with Gyra and Em. The slow burn of paranoia is layered superbly around the already horrifying claustrophobia and builds this book into a masterpiece. My heart was In my throat so many times! The character development was excellent and I loved them both to bits even as I rooted for and against them.

noscopehardcoreXXX360 ,

Absolutely Fantastic

I was hooked before the first chapter ended. I went into this book expecting something akin to The Descent, but it was so, so much more. It takes a very talented author to make a story about two characters and a cave not only interesting, but compelling. Starling’s done that and more. Not only is the tone consistent, but the way she’s portrayed mental breakdowns, hallucinations and desperation are believable and frightening.I thoroughly recommend this title to anyone who loves science fiction, horror, thrillers, and, oh yeah, a F/F romance built upon mutual hate. 5 stars isn’t enough, in my opinion.

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