Told in two timelines, this follows the story of Annie, first a stewardess on the Titanic and later, have survived the sinking and spent several years in an asylum, a nurse aboard the ocean liner turned hospital shop the Brittanic.

The description is rich and the story intriguing, but the paranormal element seemed quite confused towards the end and I was left a little unsure about what had happened. Still, the writing is excellent and engaging.

Having read this author's previous book, The Hunger, and really enjoyed it, I was looking forward to reading this book too. I think it helped that I have long had a fascination with the Titanic and the stories surrounding her.

I found this story more than a little bit confusing, and although there were creepy parts, it wasn't as good as it could have been. I can't quite put my finger on it, though. The best ghost stories have this overarching feeling of dread and menace and this was missing in this book, in my opinion. The storyline was messy and although I kind of got it, by the end, I think it could have been so much better.

Annie Hebbley works on the Titanic, where she falls for one of the passengers. But what is her connection to him and what about Mark's wife, Caroline? And where does the child fit into the equation? So many tangled threads here!

4 stars from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Transworld Digital.

My thanks to Random House U.K. Transworld Publishers/Bantam Press for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Deep’ by Alma Katsu in exchange for an honest review.

It was published on 5th March and as I started reading after this date and knew very quickly that I was enjoying it, I opted to obtain its audiobook edition, narrated by Jane Collingwood, and listen alongside reading the eARC.

‘The Deep’ unfolds in two timelines: in 1912 during the maiden voyage of the Titanic and in 1916 aboard her sister ship, The Brittanic, refitted as a hospital ship during the Great War. It has an ensemble cast of characters, some fictional and others based on historical figures.

Central to both timelines is Annie Hebbley, a young Irish woman hired as a maid for the First Class passengers. She is caught up in their dramas, especially of a young couple and their baby. After surviving the sinking of the Titanic, Anne becomes a nurse on the Brittanic.

While this is a clearly highly researched historical novel, it has elements of occult horror about it as some crew and passengers on the doomed ocean liner are aware of a number of disturbing events taking place.

Central to this theme is newspaperman William Stead, who is intensely interested in spiritualism and the occult. Stead is one of the historical personages in the novel. He is certain that the incidents on the ship are due to spirits of the seas: sirens and mermaids.

The supernatural elements of the novel are not overt but more in the way of an ominous atmosphere and things glimpsed out of the corner of the eye. I won’t say too much to avoid spoilers but I certainly found this approach highly effective.

I found it a fascinating novel. I was interested to read in the Acknowledgments of the research undertaken for the novel and that one of the minor characters, Violet Jessop, a friend to Annie, not only existed but had written a memoir that provided insight into the sinkings.

While this was the first novel I have read by Alma Katsu, I am now very interested in reading more of her work.

Set in a dual narrative on the Titanic in 1912 and her sister ship, the Brittanic in 1916, The Deep follows young Annie Hebbley as she leaves home and works on both ill-fated ships. Following a series of unexplained events, and heists, join Annie in questioning her sanity. A haunting tale of obsession, The Deep takes unexpected turns and features a host of morally questionable characters that demand your attention. While this high-seas narrative does not feature any mermaids, the book as a whole is as alluring as a siren.

Having enjoyed The Hunger by the same author I was really looking forward to this, the level of research she put into the Donner Party I just knew I'd bhttps://www.netgalley.co.uk/member/book/175104/review#e in for a well researched book on two of the most famous sister ships in history, the Titanic and the Britannic and indeed I was.

This is historical fiction with horror / paranormal elements thrown into the mix. Dual timelines running simultaneously which was little confusing for me, with the ships being so similar and a overlap of characters I really did have to think about which ship I was on and in which time period in every chapter which hindered my enjoyment to an extent.

Very well researched and the author did a fantastic job of weaving fact and fiction seamlessly. These ships felt alive to me, I could envision myself on them both.

Hauntingly beautiful..a great twist on the story of the titanic. The characters are believable and well created making for a satisfying read.

A young Irish stewardess named Annie Hebbley survives the sinking of the Titanic. She is a woman who is running from her ruinous past. On board the ill-fated ship, she immediately becomes embroiled in the drama of her first class passengers as she finds herself drawn to a gorgeous baby with a captivating father and luminary mother.

The novel unfolds in two alternating timelines, April 1912 and November 1916. Four years later, Annie is working as a nurse on board the Titanic's sister ship, the Britannic, refitted as a hospital ship. In this haunting tale of madness, obsession, devotion, and betrayal, Alma Katsu intermingles the history of the Titanic and its sister ship the Brittanic with the lives of the passengers and crew credibly and artfully, along with just the right level of factual information. Added to the blend is a soupçon of the paranormal, and I reckon that some might have liked to see more of this, but for me it was the perfect balance, as any more would have made The Deep a charade. I enjoyed the shifting points of view which weren't difficult to follow, and each character added an element to the story that kept events interesting and mysterious.

A great first read for me from Alma Katsu!

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel, at my request, from Bantam Press via NetGalley and this review is my own unbiased opinion.

It was an enjoyable fiction about Titanic, a fascinating part of history. It was clear that the writer made her research. I found the writing engaging, the characters interesting and I turned the pages to learn more about them. It was quite atmospheric too.

Thanks a lot to NG nad the publisher for this copy.

Annie survived the sinking of the Titanic saving a young baby in the process. She soon finds herself aboard the sister ship of Titanic, the Britanic now being used as a hospital ship. Being aboard an almost identical ship starts to bring back memories of her previous voyage and the strange events that happened aboard before it even sank.

Having read The Hunger, I was really excited to read this. It's a good read though I did enjoy The Hunger more. The plot is really interesting and offers another version of the traditional story we know. I enjoyed the history shown in it. The story jumps from the Titanic to her time on the other ship. It's also told from various other peoples perspective adding more to the story. I enjoyed the plot and the ending was really good. A brilliant chilling and at times creepy story.

I'm going to begin with some discoveries I made, whilst reading this book, that are unconnected with my review but fascinating all the same. Well, at least to me. The first discovery was that this featured a plethora of individuals who actually sailed upon the Titanic. Two of these were third-class boxers. A little research unearthed that these two boxers both resided no more than a mile from my home. I live in a quieter part of Wales and have never seen nor heard of my surroundings featuring in any books I have read so this was an unforeseen delight that immediately brought fresh sorrow. I felt some sort of connection to these men which made their eventual passing a more saddening affair than I had anticipated.

My later discovery, upon talking to my family about my research into this book, was that a recently deceased relative of mine actually worked for the infamous Mr Ismay, until right before his boarding of the fateful ship. My uncle's mother left her home at the age of thirteen and was employed into the household of Mr J. Bruce Ismay. Mr Ismay was most famed and ridiculed for first urging the ship to increase in speed and later of his fleeing the Titanic on the lifeboats reserved for women and children, in the guise of an elderly woman with a shawl wrapped around and covering his head.

These two discoveries might seem trivial but it made my connection and so my emotional attachment with this book that much stronger. Historical fiction, with its roots pressed deep into history, will always trump those with a more fleeting attachment, for me.

Onto my thoughts more connected with book's actual contents...

From the very moment I read the synopsis I was sold. It promised to feature "...an eerie, psychological twist on one of the world's most renowned tragedies, the sinking of the Titanic and the ill-fated sail of its sister ship, the Britannic." So, basically everything I could ever want in a book!

It delivered the necessary emotions that these tragedies required as well as a Gothic and suspenseful twist that felt entirely unprecedented. I would say that this did not horrify but the sinister turn of events did intrigue and ensured I had no idea of how this narrative shift would conclude. The multitude of perspectives were interwoven to provide a complete picture, which resulted in many tears shed from me and an unforgettable story delivered.

https://lynns-books.com/2020/03/09/the-deep-by-alma-katsu/
3 of 5 stars
Well, The Deep is a mixed bag of a book for me. On the one hand I had the lure of a story about the Titanic (which never fails to hook me), the promise of a Twilight zone style story and the gorgeous and evocative writing of Alma Katsu. On the other hand, this isn’t quite the ghostly or quietly creepy tale of horror that I was expecting. The thing is, I think I gave myself such high expectations with this book, in my own mind I already knew what I wanted this to be and so it’s no fault of the author if she can’t reproduce on the page what I’ve got swimming around in my head. The short version, is this is a very well written and interesting reimagining of the short voyage of the Titanic. It’s a little more on the side of historical fiction although there are some supernatural elements, but they’re not overpowering and the sort of thing that could be explained away as hysteria or wild imagination.

What I really liked about this was the writing and the way those few days aboard the Titanic are so evocatively brought to life here. We spend time with a number of passengers and most of them have something going on, little secrets, secret fears or just basic insecurities that do draw you in quite well. This is also set in an era where superstition was a thing of intrigue. Seances and tarot cards, curses and palm reading were quite the rage with even the well heeled enjoying a good scare or a brush with the occult.

The Deep is a richly detailed, character led story. The main character is Annie Hebbley, a stewardess on board the Titanic responsible for a number of the more well to do passengers. Annie develops something of a fixation on an attractive young man named Mark Fletcher. Mark is recently married and with a young baby, he’s not quite from the high echelons of society, unlike his wife, and frequently feels a little out of his depth and this vulnerability does lead him to befriend Annie and use her as a sounding board for some of his grumbles. Mark’s wife Caroline also has secrets and fearing her husband is unhappy with his choices finds herself more often than not arguing with him over trivial matters.

These marital struggles are mirrored in some of the other passengers relationships and with the rising tensions nerves are becoming frayed. Things on board are going missing and one of the young helping hands dies mysteriously causing much distress and scare mongering.

This main thread is counterbalanced by a story set four years ahead that plays out on the Titanic’s sister ship, the Britannic. The Britannic was used as a hospital during WW1 although ultimately it suffered a similar fate to it’s sister. As the ship sets sail we once again meet Annie who is serving as a nurse and she encounters another Titanic survivor who she didn’t expect to see again.

I never miss an opportunity to wax lyrical about character driven books. They are my catnip. That being said I think that in this particular instance the character led nature of The Deep might be the reason this book suffered a little bit for me. I’ve struggled to put my finger on why that is and I think it boils down to the nature of this particular disaster. The characters are all really well fleshed out and there’s no shortage of intrigue but at the end of the day I found it difficult to become invested in any of them because at the back of my mind I was very aware that the ship’s sinking was imminent. I’m not sure whether it was a combination of impatience on my part and rushing headlong through the story to get to the actual crux of what happened or simply that I didn’t want to really become too attached to anyone because they might soon be resting in a watery grave. Whatever it was, the imminent disaster itself took a long time to find page time and I couldn’t help feeling that I would have liked a much bigger mystery or sense of something spooky behind the sinking. I guess that in a nutshell the supernatural elements felt a little too flimsy or not quite what I was anticipating.

Overall, I enjoyed this read and so I don’t want to come across as too negative. The writing is very good and Alma Katsu continues to be as impressive as ever. I think my own expectations have a lot to answer for on this occasion. I had something totally different in mind and so couldn’t help feeling a little deflated. If you’re looking for an intriguing, fictional retelling of the last few days of some of the passengers aboard the Titanic then this could be for you. There is a little of the supernatural involved here but I think it’s not overpowering in fact it’s more of the nature that you could explain away or put down to other causes.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

The Deep by Alma Katsu

It is 1916 and Annie Hebbley has just joined the ship Britannic as a nurse. This enormous ship, a sister ship to Titanic, has been drafted into war service, ferrying the injured and dying from the battlefields of southern Europe back home to Britain. This marks the start of a new life for Annie and it’s one she’s lucky to have, for Annie was a maid aboard Titanic. It was a miracle that she survived but she’s spent the time since in an asylum. But now she has hope of recovery even if it means she must return to the sea and the sea is something that both calls to Annie and terrifies her.

In a story that moves between 1912 and 1916, life aboard both grand ships is brought to life, especially on the Titanic as Annie waits upon and almost befriends some of the most famous and glamorous passengers of the Titanic, including Madeleine Astor, the scandalously young and pregnant bride of one of the richest men in America, as well as Mark Fletcher, his wife and baby, whom Annie is especially drawn to. But all is not as it seems and the mood darkens, the further the ship sails across the black, cold waters of the Atlantic. Strange things are seen, voices heard. Annie is plagued by demons on a voyage that is doomed and, as she sets sail on Britannic, she knows that they follow her still.

I am such a big fan of Alma Katsu’s The Hunger and so I couldn’t wait to read The Deep, even more so when I learned it was set aboard (and overboard) two tragic ships, Titanic and Britannic. The fate of both ships is well known and it provides the perfect subject for historical horror. It’s extremely hard to resist.

Much of the novel focuses on the doomed voyage of the Titanic and I absolutely adored the sections set aboard this ship. It’s brought to life with the most exquisite descriptions of life on board, especially for those rich enough to sail in first class. We spend time with several of the passengers, learning about their lives, fears, hopes and secrets. This is a voyage to a new life in some cases. It’s a symbolic passage for several, including Annie. The future looks wide open and optimistic as they sail to the promised land. But that’s not reckoning on the malignant and horrifying entity that haunts this ship and the people on it.

The Deep is a glamorous novel, not surprisingly because it features so many glamorous people, but it is a horror novel and there are moments in it when it does frighten. I didn’t find its horror as believable or as frightening as in The Hunger, there’s something not quite right about its reveal in my opinion, but, nevertheless, it’s a wonderfully written book and it does a brilliant job of recreating the experiences of those aboard the Titanic. The sinking scenes are fantastically done. I was glued to the page.

I think Alma Katsu is such an interesting writer and I love the ways in which she combines history with horror. The descriptions are so richly evocative of place and time and the mood is so intensely charged with atmosphere, dread and tension. I just can’t get enough of books such as this and so I long for the next.

Other review
The Hunger

the summary
The Deep blends historical events with supernatural occurrences to create an atmospheric, haunting and engaging story. The novel is told in dual timelines- 1912 aboard the Titanic and 1916 on her sister ship the Britannic. We follow Annie, a stewardess on the Titanic who is experiencing unexplainable circumstances and thinks she is being haunted. Years later we learn she has been in a mental hospital and doesn't remember what happened. She becomes a nurse on the Britannic and slowly her memories return.

the atmosphere
From the very first page, you are transported to the titanic in all its lavishness and luxury, then to the Britannic, a more somber and conservative setting. The paranormal elements added another layer to the atmosphere, an unsettling feeling weaving through both storylines. I read this under blankets while it was storming outside, while listening to the Titanic soundtrack and that really elevated the experience.

“A ship so massive, and here we are, trapped on it, nowhere to run.” She shivered “One is always trapped within oneself though”

the characters
Told in multiple perspectives, we see the voyages through through different eyes. From John and Madeline Astor- first class passengers, to Dai and Les- boxers and con-artists. In particular, I liked Dai and Les' storyline, and appreciated that Alma Katsu didn't take the cop-out excuse of a historical setting for not including diversity.

the horror
I have heard this book pitched as a horror story aboard the titanic, but I feel like that is slightly misleading. While there are some unnatural occurrences included, it was more atmospheric and unsettling than full horror. That led to the book dragging for me in some places, as I wasn't kept on the edge of my seat.

the ending
after the slow build up to the end, it felt quite rushed and anti-climactic. It was predictable, and let me down considerably after theorising for the whole book. Because surely that was just a red herring, and wasn't going to be it, right? wrong.

the verdict
A largely slow paced, well written and atmospheric read- I would recommend this to someone looking to be immersed in a story with a hint of an unsettling feeling. However, if you are looking for a truely scary horror read- perhaps try elsewhere.

*trigger warnings for graphic depictions of an attempted suicide, and an attempted drowning*

Thank you to Random House UK and Netgalley for this ARC

Release Date: 5 March 2020

Love fiction about Titanic and most are written with recognised true characters but also some made up ones too. Enjoyed the spooky twist in the storylines which made it interesting to me. Good atmospheric writing of the ships and the era. Obviously some research was done for the book. What happened to Mark on Britannic?

Someone or something is haunting the Titanic, the only simple way to explained the series of misfortunes that have plagued the passengers of the ship the moment they have set sail.
A number of the passengers believe they are in a twilight zone, while eerie encounters are going on, disappearances are happening, sudden deaths and then, then unthinkable happens. The Titanic sinks.
Years later, a survivor from that night is working as a nurse on the Titanic's sister ship, the Britannia, which is now a hospital ship in a world war.
Her name is Annie and she comes across an unconscious soldier, that she recognises whilst she is doing her work....... and it’s the young man she knew from the Titanic. Annie is convinced he could not survive the sinking of the biggest disaster of the world.......
This really is wonderfully written and so brilliantly entwined with history and fiction, that I could not stop reading.
The Titanic was a very historical moment, and the author had brought this into a hauntingly, brilliant story. The items going missing, the rumours starting that the ship is haunted......
I really enjoyed this book and would truly recommend, I could and would read all this all over again.

In 1916 during WWI Annie Hebbley arrives to work as a nurse on the HMS Britannic, sister ship to the doomed Titanic aboard which she had served as a maid to the first class passengers. Whilst on board the Britannic, Annie sees Mark Fletcher, one of the first class passengers of the Titanic that she believed had drowned. Annie had been attracted to Mark, and ended up saving his baby daughter, Ondine, whilst his wife, Caroline died in the disaster. Annie believes that this means that she and Mark were meant to be together, but the paranormal occurrences which haunted that fateful trip in 1912 are still around and have not finished their work.

I loved the author's previous work, The Hunger, and I also love anything about the Titanic so this sounded like a perfect book for me. It was okay, definitely not as good as The Hunger, but still well written. I found that the main character, Annie Hebbley, comes across as a bit of a stalker (there are reasons given for her behaviour later on but at first it is very overpowering) whilst Mark was not a very appealing character to me.

I liked the way that the paranormal aspects were woven into the true story of the Titanic, and the fact that some of the real life passengers such as JJ Astor and his wife appeared as characters in the book. I also enjoyed the nod towards actual survivor of both the Titanic and the Britannic sinkings, Violet Jessop (I read her autobiographical account a few years ago and it is fascinating). Overall it was a good read but not as enthralling as The Hunger.

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers, Random House UK, Transworld Publishers / Bantam Press, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

I could not get into this book at all. I love historical fiction but this was not my type of book. I am interested in the Titanic which is why I requested the book. I really liked that Annie was from Ballintoy. Ballintoy Harbour is a beautiful part of Northern Ireland.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

The Deep by Alma Katsu delivered everything I could have wanted from a paranormal historical fiction taking place on the Titanic. It was atmospheric, chilling and immersive, and you cannot deny the level of research that went into this story. I feel as though Katsu did a fantastic job at giving readers a glimpse as to what it might have been like to sail on the Titanic, and experience the horror of the disaster.

I was also impressed with Katsu's ability to switch between so many characters, as well as a dual timeline, without the story becoming too confusing or information heavy. All the characters' story arcs come together in some way, and I enjoyed seeing the progress of the story, and the different experiences of those on the Titanic, through numerous sets of eyes. The uncanny paranormal scenes that took place throughout the story were definitely some of my favourites, and the overall feeling of fear and paranoia that spread through the characters. I think Katsu did a great job at blending and balancing the real historical events with the fictional ones, and it made the story all the more immersive just knowing the disaster that was slowly approaching.

For me, the only downside to this book was the ending. It felt a little more rushed than I would have liked, considering how relatively slow the build up was, and it also felt a little anticlimactic. There were also a few times throughout the book where things started to feel slow, but on the whole something would usually pique my interest again just as I would start losing focus.

Overall, The Deep was an immersive and chillingly atmospheric take on one of the most devastating disasters in maritime history, and Katsu did a fantastic job at blending real history with paranormal fiction. An enjoyable and memorable read.

The Deep, Alma Katsu’s latest novel, is a fact-meets-fiction take on the devastating tale of the Titanic and is a refreshingly original and utterly unique historical thriller with elements of the supernatural, horror and mystery and featuring a mish-mash of folkloric entities. It tells the story of Annie Hebbley, an Irish girl who was a maid entrusted with the care of the First Class Deck on the disastrous maiden voyage of the doomed ship in 1912; she survives against the odds and is inexplicably on board Titanic’s sister liner, hospital ship Brittanic four years later in 1916 where she is employed as a nurse tending to wounded World War I servicemen. Annie had spent the intervening time period between the two voyages languishing in a mental asylum for conditions seemingly brought on by the enigmatic and deeply frightening voices and apparitions that frequented the decks of the Titanic enveloping them in an eerie calm.

Whilst I didn't feel this hit the heady heights of its accomplished predecessor The Hunger or will be enjoyed by the same wide audience there is no denying that this is a mesmerising gothic-tinged tale and one of the areas Katsu continues to excel at is creating a profoundly unsettling atmosphere. The atmosphere is literally to die for. The amount of research the author has done in order to weave an authentic story is astonishing; I only wish all writers cared as much about how their book will be perceived. It's a tale ripe with engaging, complex characters, both real and imagined, and the writing tempts you into the narrative from early on and continues in a propulsive fashion for its entirety. You may be forgiven for believing the iceberg was the monster in the Titanic story but here a very different but no less dangerous beast lurks in the frigid waters.

A creepy, disturbing and cracking read full of nuance and sophistication with a genuinely engrossing plot. Many thanks to Bantam Press for an

Right, I loved The Hunger. It was deep, dark and obsessing. It explores the historic events but at the same time, you can feel the fiction and author’s creativity. And that dark mysterious thing hanging over the travelers.
As for The Deep – so sorry to say this, but I am not impressed at all. It fit more in the Historic genre than in the Horror.
The book opens with Annie, locked in the Liverpool asylum. Or at least with somebody who is looking for her. She spent there the last four years, but the First World War just started and it is time for her to move on.
1912, Titanic. The greatest from the greatest liners. New technology. Unsinkable. Until it actually sank. But what is the story behind this tragedy? Is it possible for the ship to be hunted?
The story follows two timelines. Annie Hebbley started her journey as a stewardess 46371247serving the First class passengers on board of the Titanic. There, she met Mark with his wife and baby. She immediately felt drawn to him and she can’t explain why. It felt like she knew him. From another life, maybe?
But there are other wealthy passengers. Some of them believe that the ship is hunted. Maybe they have their reasons? Maybe this is the reason behind the Titanic tragic end?
1916, First World War just broke free to the world. After four years in an asylum, Annie receives an offer from Violet Jessop – to join the crew on Britannic. Britannic is the well known Titanic’s sister ship. During the war, this ship is adapted to serve as a hospital ship. After she survived Titanic she really doubted her decision to go back on board. But there, she found somebody. She thought that he died in Titanic, but obviously – he didn’t and he is far than pleased to see her.
Honestly, I’m a bit disappointed. As I mentioned previously, I loved The Hunger and was delighted to find out that the Publisher granted me an ARC and I’m so thankful. I put high expectations for this book and this was my initial mistake.
The main idea is brilliant, the realisation – not. It is a great drama, tho. What disappointed me is the lack of paranormal events. The story follows the day-to-day life of the Titanic passengers. They all have their problems but the feeling that dominated over the whole book is kind of pathetic, not chilling (what it is supposed to be in a proper horror book). Rich people moaning about insignificant kinds of stuff. I really struggled with this book. But I should praise the last part of the book. It really brings that chills down my spine. Revealing what hunted the ship and what is the reason behind the sinking of the two greatest liners.
Overall, it was a good book. It brought that Titanic spirit and I do recommend the book as it a great sneak peek to the life on Titanic.
A huge thanks to NetGalley and Bantam Press for the ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts are mine!