An engrossing, entertaining, tragic, detailed work of historical fiction with just enough of the supernatural to delight any lover of ghost stories while not depending on that aspect to tell the tale. The Deep is Alma Katsu's Magnum opus (to date) and it showcases a master of the craft hitting her stride from page one and never slowing down.
Katsu weaves the encyclopedic history of the RMS Titanic and its sister ship the HMHS Brittanic with the lives of the passengers and crew deftly and believably without falling into the antithetical trap a good bit of historical fiction succumbs to: giving too much or too little factual information In fact, The Deep walks that tightrope brilliantly while maintaining a primary focus on story and backstory.
The meticulous research evident when reading The Deep serves to make the fiction that much more realistic and the chronological shifts in the chapters seem to appear at just the right time to keep the reader eager for more. Characterizations--the whole "why is this character acting this way"--are succinct but complete; i.e., the back stories don't get in the way of what's going on and there are no unnecessary characters popping up to interfere with the flow of the story.
The supernatural element was intriguing and spooky; the reader is never certain of its source, its impact, or ultimately, its reality which is precisely why it works so well. Was there a supernatural force at work on the ships? Did spiritual and other worldly entities doom the voyages from that start? The answer is the one you want, the one you desire. Your choice.
Try to take your time with The Deep. Try to make the story last; absorb the history and the lives and the happenings. It will be worth it.

I love novels where I find something so interesting that I look something up on Google. In this case, it's about survivors of both the Titanic sinking and the Britannica sinking. I cannot imagine what that would have been like. Are you supremely lucky, or unlucky??

I loved the story and the characters. I wanted to know more.

That being said, I also found the writing to be....more factual that emotional if that makes sense, I didn't actually CARE about the people - I just found their stories to be interesting. But I wasn't emotionally drawn in.

I'm rounding my 3.5 starts to a 4 because I actually learned something from this book.

I want to thank the publisher and net galley for the advance copy. This did not affect my review.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC of this book. Another spellbinding hit by Katsu. I enjoyed every creepy moment. She really knows how to tell a story

Too bland. Too boring. Just overwhelmingly simple. I couldn't get into it, and almost from the start found it difficult to find reasons to keep going back.

Ghostly Drama Onboard the Titanic

Read the description carefully, guys. If you don't, you could go into a book like this expecting monsters from the deep and getting a few Caspers instead, like I did.

I was excited to pick up this book, and at first, I was absorbed by the trip into the past it takes you on, but aside from a few small incidents and a lot of speculation about séances and ghosts and the paranormal, nothing much happens for much of its length.

The Deep contains two stories of the same woman, running concurrently throughout the book: in one, she's a maid aboard the Titanic, and in the other, she's a nurse aboard its sister vessel several years later. It isn't a thriller, and the main character is pretty bland. In fact, as it follows the daily goings-on and gossip of the first class passengers on the ship, it reminds me more of the few period dramas I've read or watched. I think it may appeal to fans of high society kerfuffles like Downton Abbey and its like - I can't say as I've never watched it. But I believe it's Downton Abbey with a side of ghostly shenanigans.

I can't say I would recommend this as a horror read either. As a period drama, maybe, but an underwhelming one at that.

All the same, I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher, Penguin Group Putnam, for providing an ARC of this book for me to review. All opinions are my own.

Something bad is happening to the Titanic… and I’m not just referring to that whole iceberg and sinking thing ... which is totally weird to type. The Deep follows Annie Hebbley, a survivor from the Titanic as she struggles after the infamous night.

I loved The Deep! I’ve been fascinated with the story of the Titanic since before I can remember. A fascination that only grew after watching a certain blockbuster, starring a certain heartthrob. So, to me, the entire setting was the absolute coolest! The story has two familiar and eerily different locations. In the present, we are on the Britannic, twin of the Titanic, after having been gutted and turned into a wartime hospital ship. While flashbacks give us the story of the Titanic voyage, with a haunting twist.

The Deep wove historical accuracies into a literal ghost story seamlessly. The way that Katsu wrote the personalities, inner thoughts, dialogue and actions of all these people, that I had heard of but never known, made them likeable and relatable, but more importantly, at least for a historical sort of story, they were made believable. Just about everything that was said or done, seemed entirely plausible for a woman or man living in 1912. Our heroine was clearly a woman from 1912, and not a woman with modern values and views that had been plucked out of 2012 and thrown into a plot from 1912.

Another amazing thing about The Deep, was there were so many times that I was 110% sure I had it! I knew what was happening. I knew who the ‘bad guy’ was! Each time, I was proven so wrong!! If you’re not a plot twisty kind of reader, never fear. It wasn’t huge plot twists that confused me, but little subtle details that lead me astray, a look in somebody’s eyes, a tiny little comment, small things that lead me down the wrong path so subtly and for so long, that by the end, I had no idea how wrong my theories could actually be, and were!

A couple little things; the cover is amazing. It’s haunting and gorgeous. Annie’s story is incredibly sad. (Possible spoilers alert) Did anybody else find the whole newspaper in Annie’s room thing a little weird? I mean, I get that it connects the two woman, but how did it happen?!? As far as I can tell, Annie never returned to her room after entering the sea?!? Is it supposed to be like a destiny kind of thing?!

All in all, I really enjoyed The Deep and would recommend it to just about everybody!!!

Alma Katsu has written a truly unique novel incorporating an eerie twist to the very well known story of the sinking of the Titanic in 1912. In 1916 at the height of World War one the ocean liner Britannic was sunk according to accounts by two German submarines. The Britannic coincidentally was a sister ship to the Titanic and had been turned into a hospital ship for the duration of the war. The novel moves from one point to the other effortlessly as the story unfolds.
The action swings back and forth between 1912 and 1916 and uses two protagonists to tell the story. Annie Hebbley is a young girl that has left her home in Ireland due to the horrific conditions she was suffering there. She manages to luckily get a job on the Titanic as a room steward serving 12 of the first class cabins on the ship. Among the passengers she serves are John Jacob Astor and Benjamin Guggenheim well known multimillionaires of the day. The second individual playing an important role in the book is Mark Fletcher an American returning home with his new British wife and their baby. From the sailing date both passengers and crew shrug off odd happenings including the sudden death of a young boy sailing as caretaker to one of the millionaire's dogs. The chairman of the White Star Line owners of the Titanic is aboard and hastens to assure everyone that the ship is unsinkable. People should not worry and just enjoy the luxury of the cruise bound for New York.
The story finds Annie in a mental institution four years after the Titanic tragedy unable to cope with the horror she has undergone. She is released by her doctor and reluctantly manages to obtain a job as a nurse on the Britannic finding an aptitude she doesn't know she has to do the work. In inspecting the wounded men under her care she comes upon Mark Fletcher. While on the Titanic she had met Mark, who was a passenger in one of the cabins she attended. She had developed a crush on him and in a wild moment has a one night stand. Her feelings come out and her imaginings lead her into thinking that Mark was in love with her and this feeling just has to be rekindled.
Ms Katsu changes the actual destruction of the Britannic from sinking by submarines to something else based on the love Annie thinks she can rekindle with Mark. The novel is absolutely compelling grabbing the reader and bringing him or her into another era and a possible link into the macabre. I certainly hope that Alma Katsu comes out with her next book soon and indicate my recommendation to pick it up as soon as published to enjoy.

When you've survived the sinking of the Titanic, only to find yourself on her sister ship in the middle of WWI- while you're dealing with the figurative and literal demons of your past, what could possibly go wrong? This book is a page turner- a little history, a little ghost story, a little love story, and some Irish Folklore makes for a fun reading recipe.

4.5 stars rounded up

“The Deep” by Alma Katsu is a haunting tale of madness, obsession, devotion, and betrayal aboard the ill-fated unsinkable ship, the Titanic, and her lesser known yet tragedy-wreathed sister ship, the Britannic. The novel unfolds in two alternating timelines, April 1912 and November 1916. In 1912, Annie is a stewardess aboard the Titanic’s maiden voyage, running away from her own ruinous past and immediately embroiled in the drama of her first class passengers as she finds herself drawn to a gorgeous baby with a captivating father and luminous mother. In 1916, after spending the last 4 years in an asylum, Annie reluctantly finds herself joining the nursing crew of luxury-liner-turned-floating-hospital-ward, the Britannic where a shocking reunion stuns her to her core.

“The Deep” does an excellent job of providing a wide cast of complicated characters, from the steerage class boxer duo Les and Dai seeking a new life in America to child bride Madeleine Astor and her wealthy husband, John Jacob IV. Each character brings something new to the table and doesn’t overstay their welcome. There’s LGBT representation, but it unfortunately falls into the “Bury Your Gays” trope.

There’s a good use of atmosphere in “The Deep,” and watching each of the characters slowly descend into paranoia and hysteria is riveting. The pacing starts off slow but gains its momentum in the second act and keeps it to the last page. “The Deep” would translate very well to a limited series tv show (pretty please?) without issue.

Overall, I would recommend “The Deep” to anyone interested in Edwardian era occult and the Titanic.

So, I am all for a good titanic book. This one was interesting because it had a twist. Was the Titanic haunted?
It kept me engaged and was well written but it was hard to follow at times and confusing at times as well. I did find it to be an interesting story despite this. Thank you to netgalley for the arc.

This book was incredible. My biggest issue is that I found myself frequently getting the names of the rich confused. Madeline and Caroline were frequently swapped. I loved the flashbacks to present day back and forth, and i LOVED the addition of a paranormal antagonist. I don't normally take the time to read historical fiction, but The Deep is so worth it.

Is something sinister haunting the Titanic? Four passengers (Madeline Astor, Benjamin Guggenheim, Mark Fletcher and Annie Hebbley) believe something is haunting the ship. A series of strange events/occurrences and deaths have occurred since the Titanic set sail. Then of course there is the sinking of that great magnificent ship.

Annie Hebbley has survived the sinking of the Titanic and after receiving correspondence from Violet Jessop, another survivor of the Titanic, she agrees to work as a nurse on board the Britannic (the Titanic's sister ship). The Britannic is a hospital ship and during her duties, Annie recognizes a man. A man she thought had died on the Titanic. A man she feels drawn to, a man she has been thinking about...

Alma Katsu excels at blending history with the paranormal. If you have read her book, The Hunger, you will know what I mean. In this book she takes the sinking of both the Titanic and the Britannic to tell her story. She uses real life millionaires who died during the sinking of the Titanic (John Jacob Astor, Benjamin Guggenheim, W.T. Stead) and a woman who survived both the sinking of the Titanic and Britannic (Violet Jessop). She utilizes their stories to tell her own story about someone or something which is haunting the Titanic.

This was a carefully crafted tale of a haunting that plagued both ships. I enjoy books that use real life events in their telling. I found myself looking to Wikipedia to learn more and was shocked to learn that one-woman, Violet Jessop not only survived the sinking of both ships, but before that working on a ship which collided with another. Bad luck or one hell of a lucky woman. After the sinking of the Titanic, I would not have set foot on a ship again, but she did repeatedly. But enough about history....

In this book she is but a minor character who serves to connect Annie to both ships. This book is told in multiple timelines, giving various characters perspectives and back/current stories. The paranormal element is seamless and not overbearing. There are little clues along the way that I didn't really connect until I completed the book and looking back had "aha, that was a clue" realizations.

Alms Katsu has proven once again that she is a wonderful storyteller who can take tragic historical events and beautifully blend them with paranormal elements. Everything comes out in the end (as it often does) and I enjoyed this seaworthy tale. As the synopsis says, Katsu utilizes this book to show "how are choices can lead us inexorably toward our doom." It didn't quite have the bite for me that the Hunger did, but it was still satisfying.

I received a copy of this book from Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

I had a hard time getting into this one, but it did finally suck me in. Loved the historical back drop. Anything Titanic related, or Brittanic for that matter, usually grabs my attention and that is what made me want to read this to begin with. It was a chilling story told in a very intriguing manner. Katsu really held my attention once we got past that beginning portion.

I had one heck of a time getting into this novel. Katsu’s The Hunger was one of my very favorite books of last year and I assumed The Deep would be an equal to that. I thought this book was interesting and well written, but it lacked whatever I needed to connect with it and ultimately did not finish it, although I almost got there. I did not enjoy the back and fourth between years and I found that there were too many characters. I love this author’s style of writing and the historical aspects of her work. I look forward to what she puts out next.

A nice little thriller about a woman who isn't sure of who she is, imposter syndrome among the upper class, the Titanic, and the Britannic. A young woman flees home and takes a job as a stewardess on the Titanic, where she's plagued by memories that don't seem to be hers and demanding first-class passengers who believe in the occult. She survives, and takes a position as a nurse on the Britannic, where she encounters a man she knew from her earlier work. There are indeed supernatural forces afoot, and author Alma Katsu does a good job of keeping them concealed until the very end of the novel. A good blend of the historic, the what-if, and the outright fantastical, but a few plot holes do nag after the end.

This horror tells the story of Annie, a survivor of the Titanic. Is there a ghost on the ship? A boy dies after being lured to jump off the ship and everyone is spooked, even consulting a séance to validate their fears of a malevolent spirit. This book interested me enough to finish it, but I feel that the scary bits were too far apart to sustain it. I was ready to be spooked and there are a couple of instances that made me rethink reading this at night. The ending had a bit of a twist that salvaged this book for me at least.

5 stars

This story is told over the period of time between 1912 with the maiden voyage of the Titanic and 1916 with the last voyage of the Titanic's sister ship, the Britannic. Originally a luxury liner like the Titanic, the Britannic was converted into a hospital ship during WWI.

The main character in this book is Annie Hebbley. She is a young Irish woman who is running from her past. She is carrying a whole load of guilt, but the reader doesn't know why until later in the book. Annie has problems, to put it mildly. Also important to that story are Mark and Caroline Fletcher and their daughter Ondine, Lillian (a former girlfriend of Mark's), John Jacob and Maddie Astor, Benjamin Guggenheim, newspaperman Stead, boxers Dai and Les and many others.

There are a wide variety of people aboard the Titanic from the very wealthy first class passengers to the very poor in third class or steerage as it is called. This contrasts greatly with the hospital ship the Britannic who is carrying the wounded, dying and hopeless soldiers from the battles during war time.

Something is going wrong on the voyage of the Titanic for there are mishaps and strange occurances that keep popping up. People begin to mistrust one another just in the few days that they spend together before the sinking. There is evil aboard the ship.

Four long years later, having somewhat recovered from the Titanic tragedy, Annie joins the crew of the Britannic. She is very surprised to see an injured Mark Fletcher aboard. She didn't know that he also survived.

But evil is still stalking them.

This is a very well written and plotted novel in the true tradition of Ms. Katsu. I really liked this book. The switching of timelines was well done and timed seamlessly. I appreciated what the author was trying to tell us. That the choices we make follow us no matter how hard or far we try to run. I like that Ms. Katsu is taking historical stories with which most people are familiar and turning them into exciting and interesting “what if” novels. Very well done!

I want to thank NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam/G.P. Putnam's Sons for forwarding to me a copy of this most interesting and enthralling book for me to read, enjoy and review.

This book was received as an ARC from PENGUIN GROUP Putnam - G.P. Putnam's Sons in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

Hearing and reading so many adaptations of the Titanic, my mind was filled with so much info that it became hard to comprehend but when I read the description expecting a completely different story, I was surprised that the main focus of this book was looking into the aftermath of the Titanic of the passengers point of view and not from just researching the shipwreck. The Deep also looks into the point of view of Annie, a survivor turned nurse of the new hospital ship called the Brittanic and then while working she discovers that one of her patients who is a soldier is also a survivor but as Annie and Mark (the soldier) grow closer together, demons of that tragic night start to resurface and the question is can they tame the beasts inside of them and fully recover from that night. This book was filled with fantasy, supernatural occurrences and so much drama that it will leave you glued to the book until the very end.

We will consider adding this title to our Adult Fiction collection at the library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

The Deep
By Alma Katsu
Genre: Gothic & Horror, Historical Fiction, Suspense & Thriller
Publisher: G.P Putnam’s Sons / Penguin Group
Release Date: March 10, 2020

I received a copy of this from the publisher and NetGalley, (THANK YOU!) All opinions are my own.

A terrible thing happens to me when I really love a book. I get tongue-tied, my brain goes blank, I can’t unravel the thoughts in my head and put them into cohesive sentences for the world. Lord help me.

I knew I would love this book. A supernatural twist on one of the most notorious tragedies in history? Yes please.

What I wasn’t expecting was to end up with a book hangover.
Yes, this is a psychological thriller. It’s eerie, mysterious, it’s got the sinister undertones... but it goes much deeper than that.

This story weaves us through multiple timelines and multiple lives. Our main character is Annie. She paves the way for both the past, where 4 years prior she was a stewardess on that Ill-fated Titanic voyage, and the present, where she’s now a nurse on Titanic’s sister ship, The Britannic. (Now being used as a hospital ship during World War One).

We’re seamlessly taken back and forth between the present and to the Titanic, where we follow the entire 4 day journey, up until the brutal end.

It’s on the Titanic that this book really is pieced together so masterfully.
We’re introduced to a variety of characters, both fictional and some you might recognize from history.
Chapter after chapter follows a unique set of characters, each told from their own POV.
This gives us a unique advantage in that as each chapter intertwines and the book progresses, we really are given an opportunity to know the cast on a much deeper level.
Each have their own unique story to tell: troubled pasts, dreams they are just SURE will come true in America, fears, insecurities, flaws... and they are so well developed that you forget who was real and who was just fiction.

I was shocked to find myself getting lost in this book. Their aren’t many that can actually have me conjuring up the atmosphere, imagining I’m there, or feeling connected to even ONE character, let alone the entire cast.

One thing I really enjoyed was reading about things that were normal back then, especially with the elite, such as the use of laudanum and cocaine, and the fascination with the Occult. How seances were no bigger a deal than an afternoon tea.

It also needs to be said I really appreciated that the unraveling of events that were of the supernatural side were so subtle that you almost weren’t aware they were happening, or if, like the guests, you could try to maybe explain them away.
Nothing was blatant. It was a very slow, undercurrent of evil type thing.

This book is one of the best I’ve read in a long time. It’s not only got the paranormal factor, but it’s also got twists and turns, it keeps you guessing, and you don’t know who to trust. And most importantly, it has depth. (No pun intended).

I just found Alma Katsu ‘s previous work, The Hunger, based off of The Donner Party on sale for kindle on Amazon for $1.99. You better believe I snatched that right up!
I HIGHLY recommend. This is one of my top 5 reads so far this year.
Solid 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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The Deep is a must read book of the year. Fabulous characters and writing. But this book as a gift for friends and family. I could not put it down.