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Dead Water
A novel of prodigious scope and ambition, ablaze with imaginative energy and rendered in mesmerizing prose—complete with polar bear attacks, tsunamis, modern piracy, airship crashes, Cold War intrigue, and a djinn May 25, 1928: Over the frozen seas of the Arctic, an airship falls out of the sky. Among the survivors is a young scientist on the verge of a discovery that will redefine physics. October 3, 1996: Through the dusty industrial towns of India's Great Trunk Road, a disgraced and disfigured female detective starts tracking a criminal syndicate whose tentacles spread from forgery to smuggling to piracy. Her life has been ruined, but she will have her revenge. December 26, 2004: On the island of Bali a tsunami washes up a rusting container. Locked within this aluminum tomb are the mummified remains of a shipping magnate missing for 29 years, and a hand-written journal of his last days. December 13, 2011: Off the coast of Sri Lanka, a tramp steamer is seized by pirates. The captain has his wife and son aboard, and their survival depends on following the pirates' every demand. But what can they possibly want with his worn-out ship and its cargo of junk? We know what they want. We know the ship was carrying a Dead Water cargo, and we know Dead Water is the key to everything. We could spin a thousand stories from this toxic Cold War secret but there's only one of them that can really make a difference. And this is it.
- GenresFictionScience Fiction
345 pages, Hardcover
First published August 1, 2011
About the author
Simon Ings
45 books150 followersI began by writing science fiction stories, novels and films, before disappearing down various rabbit-holes: perception (The Eye: A Natural History), 20th-century radical politics (The Weight of Numbers), the shipping system (Dead Water) and augmented reality (Wolves). I co-founded and edited Arc magazine, a digital publication about the future, before joining New Scientist magazine as its arts editor. Now I eke out a freelance living in possibly the coldest flat in London, writing arts reviews for the newspapers. My latest non-fiction is Stalin and the Scientists, a history of Soviet science. My latest novel is The Smoke.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
June 29, 2012
This book really wrong-footed me. I thought it was going to be a bunch of only tenuously connected stories, like David Mitchell's Ghostwritten, so I didn't pay enough attention to what eventually coalesces into an intricate, brutal, century- and world-spanning thriller. I'd have appreciated it more if I'd made some notes.
There's a lot of good research gone into this - on weather, how shipping cargo works, Arctic exploration, nowadays pirates etc. That was slightly spoiled for me by the magical realist framing device. I have zero tolerance for magical realism, and the causes of magical realism. But it's a small element of the book which you can pretty much ignore. (Although I've a sneaking suspicion it's actually a really important part of the book. I am quite stupid about these things.)
There's a lot of good research gone into this - on weather, how shipping cargo works, Arctic exploration, nowadays pirates etc. That was slightly spoiled for me by the magical realist framing device. I have zero tolerance for magical realism, and the causes of magical realism. But it's a small element of the book which you can pretty much ignore. (Although I've a sneaking suspicion it's actually a really important part of the book. I am quite stupid about these things.)
February 21, 2012
Spanning over 8 decades and several oceans, Simon Ings’s story is bold and impressive. The way real events and fiction intersect are very interesting.
Ings takes the reader on a journey around the world, following the lives of characters in India, Oman, Sri Lanka, Canada, the US and Bali. Like many novels that feature lots of characters from different eras, it’s interesting to see how Ings draws the stories together.
I loved the description of distant lands and the characters were well-drawn. I did find it difficult to keep up with who was who at times and the plot became quite dense in places. It’s an interesting story but you need to have plenty of time to dedicate to this book so you don’t get lost off.
Ings takes the reader on a journey around the world, following the lives of characters in India, Oman, Sri Lanka, Canada, the US and Bali. Like many novels that feature lots of characters from different eras, it’s interesting to see how Ings draws the stories together.
I loved the description of distant lands and the characters were well-drawn. I did find it difficult to keep up with who was who at times and the plot became quite dense in places. It’s an interesting story but you need to have plenty of time to dedicate to this book so you don’t get lost off.
December 24, 2017
This is a great read. As noted elsewhere, it has to be read quickly, but also carefully - it all comes together. It is a novel ostensibly about shipping and piracy, about global politics and the global economy, about capitalism and polar exploration, about weather and physics, but is is also at its deepest levels a novel about the human condition, tragedy and inhumanity. Some great characters are drawn here, in an intriguing and interlocking tale that spans the planet over the last century. Ultimately, it is about shipping containers. Go figure.
The only downside for me was the nod to magic realism and the djinn. Not sure what purpose they served other than to signal this really was a novel and not an anthology of different stories. Or maybe it was just the authors attempt to attract some deserved recognition in the broader literary culture, beyond the ghettoes of the SF and thriller genres. Nonetheless, despite that caveat, I'll give it 5 out of 5.
The only downside for me was the nod to magic realism and the djinn. Not sure what purpose they served other than to signal this really was a novel and not an anthology of different stories. Or maybe it was just the authors attempt to attract some deserved recognition in the broader literary culture, beyond the ghettoes of the SF and thriller genres. Nonetheless, despite that caveat, I'll give it 5 out of 5.
March 6, 2025
This was a hard read. I had a head injury 3 years ago that makes reading comprehension a little bit harder than it used to be. I still read just as quickly but sometimes it takes me a moment to understand & I have to sit & ponder what I just read or re-read a section. I did a lot of pondering & re-reading with this novel & I don't think I understood the ending. I tried reading the last chapter aloud to my cat but she didn't have much to say about it, I may have to re-read it.
Parts of this book were brilliant. I loved Cloud Atlas & there were some similarities with that, characters from all over the world, from different time frames, that all tie together in the end. With Dead Water though, I'm not entirely sure how they do all tie together. Shipping containers of course, & a red leather notebook & the enigma of Dead Water, a concept that will turn physics on its head.
But what does that have to do with the revenge of Roopa?
A young cop following in the footsteps of her father, a man killed in the line of duty by the Yadev crime family, Roopa will bring the whole syndicate down but first she has a baby with Yash Yadev, the new family patriarch. Then she gets bashed & disfigured by his goons when she tells him she's pregnant & so spends the next 20 years working for Rishi to bring Yash down. But what Rishi hasn't told her is Yash is dead & Roopa is working for him, doing what I don't know. Espionage on a dead man? Roopa thinks everything she is doing is moving one step closer to killing Yash.
That's just one of the storylines within the book, a lot of it is set in India & I found those parts the most interesting. The author writes action really well & some parts were anxiety inducing. The first violent death was done really well & was genuinely shocking. After about a third of the book I was like does this book just kill all of its characters as horribly as possible. At least the twin boys become Gods when there's a rail disaster, a train derailment that really occurred in India in 1995.
There's a thread of magical realism running through the book, I liked it in the beginning but felt in the end it was used as a way to tie things up without having to provide an actual explanation.
It took me about 3 weeks to read this, on & off, & I think I may have benefited from reading it faster. There were definitely things I forgot which made everything tying together harder to understand, there were no helpful summaries by characters reflecting to themselves. There are QR codes & I was a bit disappointed they didn't lead to any clues or extra information. Like another reviewer on here this book made me feel stupid. It had everything I need for it to be a 5 star read, I'm just left with a vague sense that I missed something major so 4 stars.
Parts of this book were brilliant. I loved Cloud Atlas & there were some similarities with that, characters from all over the world, from different time frames, that all tie together in the end. With Dead Water though, I'm not entirely sure how they do all tie together. Shipping containers of course, & a red leather notebook & the enigma of Dead Water, a concept that will turn physics on its head.
But what does that have to do with the revenge of Roopa?
A young cop following in the footsteps of her father, a man killed in the line of duty by the Yadev crime family, Roopa will bring the whole syndicate down but first she has a baby with Yash Yadev, the new family patriarch. Then she gets bashed & disfigured by his goons when she tells him she's pregnant & so spends the next 20 years working for Rishi to bring Yash down. But what Rishi hasn't told her is Yash is dead & Roopa is working for him, doing what I don't know. Espionage on a dead man? Roopa thinks everything she is doing is moving one step closer to killing Yash.
That's just one of the storylines within the book, a lot of it is set in India & I found those parts the most interesting. The author writes action really well & some parts were anxiety inducing. The first violent death was done really well & was genuinely shocking. After about a third of the book I was like does this book just kill all of its characters as horribly as possible. At least the twin boys become Gods when there's a rail disaster, a train derailment that really occurred in India in 1995.
There's a thread of magical realism running through the book, I liked it in the beginning but felt in the end it was used as a way to tie things up without having to provide an actual explanation.
It took me about 3 weeks to read this, on & off, & I think I may have benefited from reading it faster. There were definitely things I forgot which made everything tying together harder to understand, there were no helpful summaries by characters reflecting to themselves. There are QR codes & I was a bit disappointed they didn't lead to any clues or extra information. Like another reviewer on here this book made me feel stupid. It had everything I need for it to be a 5 star read, I'm just left with a vague sense that I missed something major so 4 stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 21, 2019
This book just didn't grab me. The straight forward account where everything is explained and expected, with no one particular narrator did not help me to orientate to the purpose of the story. I think perhaps I was not the right audience.
January 8, 2020
I liked it especially the images of the countryside. I wasn't too fond of the ending because it seemed that it was so predictable and "tied up with a bow".
October 18, 2022
A dense and complexly layered epic. I got lost at times, and it was difficult to invest in its characters when most meet such devastating ends.
Did Not Finish
April 2, 2026I'm too dim for this
September 22, 2014
A brainy thriller with literary standards of style and characterization, action-packed and fascinating. Set in about a dozen countries, its plot spans almost a century. Though ambitious and largely successful in artistic terms, I'm not sure how it has done commercially; I think it deserves to be a bestseller. Many of the settings and a large number of the characters are Indian, and they are dealt with convincingly and respectfully — no curry-house comedy cut-outs here. A heavy salting of science and technology betrays the author's roots in science writing and science fiction. There is no need to be a technophile to enjoy this book, but it adds something if you are.
The plot of Dead Water is complicated. It deals mainly with piracy and other forms of skulduggery in the world of shipping, though an important strand of the novel concerns gangsterism and slavery in modern India. The cast of characters is large, but the body count is high and not many make it to the end of the novel. The good guys don't necessarily win.
Interestingly, the novel is plotted round several famous historical disasters: the failed Italian polar expedition of 1928, the Firozabad rail disaster of 1995 and the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004. Another pivot-point of the plot is the deposition of the Sultan of Oman and his replacement by his son (the present Sultan, Qaboos) in a coup devised and largely carried out by the British in 1970.
One of the things I liked best about the book was how well-researched it seems to be; there's heaps of highly convincing detail. However, a few of the details that I could check myself were wrong. The ship aboard which the climactic action takes place is supposed to be sailing south, with Sri Lanka to port and Tamil Nadu (India) to starboard. This is impossible, because the Palk Strait, between the two countries, is far too shallow for shipping in that area, and even if it were possible the ship would have to be sailing southwest, not south, to obtain that view. Also, the Sri Lankan town of Trincomalee is not visible from (or anywhere near) that point, but we are told the ship's captain sees the sun set over Trincomalee — impossible. Finally, the author misuses the name Tamil Eelam, applying it to the Tamil Tigers, when in reality it is the name of the state that organization hoped — and failed — to carve out of Sri Lanka.
These are trivial details, inessential to the plot, and did not detract much from my enjoyment; however, it did make me wonder how much other detail in this information-packed novel was equally erroneous.
I have another complaint. There is an active (and entirely unnecessary) supernatural element in the book. It is not offensively superstitious, but it does add a kind of sub-David Mitchell quality to what would have been a much better novel if it had stayed put in the material world it describes and deals with so well.
These minor reservations aside, I heartily recommend this to lovers of complex, well-plotted thrillers, fans of multiculturalism, people who are fascinated by science, technology and the elaborate networks of trade and communications with which our world is webbed, and lovers of science fiction, who will see much in the structure and presentation of this novel to remind them of their favourite genre.
The plot of Dead Water is complicated. It deals mainly with piracy and other forms of skulduggery in the world of shipping, though an important strand of the novel concerns gangsterism and slavery in modern India. The cast of characters is large, but the body count is high and not many make it to the end of the novel. The good guys don't necessarily win.
Interestingly, the novel is plotted round several famous historical disasters: the failed Italian polar expedition of 1928, the Firozabad rail disaster of 1995 and the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004. Another pivot-point of the plot is the deposition of the Sultan of Oman and his replacement by his son (the present Sultan, Qaboos) in a coup devised and largely carried out by the British in 1970.
One of the things I liked best about the book was how well-researched it seems to be; there's heaps of highly convincing detail. However, a few of the details that I could check myself were wrong. The ship aboard which the climactic action takes place is supposed to be sailing south, with Sri Lanka to port and Tamil Nadu (India) to starboard. This is impossible, because the Palk Strait, between the two countries, is far too shallow for shipping in that area, and even if it were possible the ship would have to be sailing southwest, not south, to obtain that view. Also, the Sri Lankan town of Trincomalee is not visible from (or anywhere near) that point, but we are told the ship's captain sees the sun set over Trincomalee — impossible. Finally, the author misuses the name Tamil Eelam, applying it to the Tamil Tigers, when in reality it is the name of the state that organization hoped — and failed — to carve out of Sri Lanka.
These are trivial details, inessential to the plot, and did not detract much from my enjoyment; however, it did make me wonder how much other detail in this information-packed novel was equally erroneous.
I have another complaint. There is an active (and entirely unnecessary) supernatural element in the book. It is not offensively superstitious, but it does add a kind of sub-David Mitchell quality to what would have been a much better novel if it had stayed put in the material world it describes and deals with so well.
These minor reservations aside, I heartily recommend this to lovers of complex, well-plotted thrillers, fans of multiculturalism, people who are fascinated by science, technology and the elaborate networks of trade and communications with which our world is webbed, and lovers of science fiction, who will see much in the structure and presentation of this novel to remind them of their favourite genre.
January 24, 2012
You have to read this book fast! You get dragged around the world and through times so quickly that it can be hard to remember where you last were when you put the book down. I had to keep flicking back to find previous characters and stories, I think the more savvy amoung readers can use their smart phones to keep track of characters - nice little twist adding a new dimension to reading.
As for the story(s), I liked the main plot and the running theme of "dead water". The meaning of dead water changed for different characters however brought them all together. For a book based around the shipping container industry it was quite exciting. And the linking in with real-life disasters that happened round the world was very clever.
The ending proved a bit of an anti-climax, I feel I may have missed the point. A few characters seemed forgotten about, presumed dead? For all it's building and clever inter-mingling of stories, none of it came together very well at the end. Maybe I will re-read the last part and get it all straight in my head. I had to read most parts of the book twice anyway.
As for the story(s), I liked the main plot and the running theme of "dead water". The meaning of dead water changed for different characters however brought them all together. For a book based around the shipping container industry it was quite exciting. And the linking in with real-life disasters that happened round the world was very clever.
The ending proved a bit of an anti-climax, I feel I may have missed the point. A few characters seemed forgotten about, presumed dead? For all it's building and clever inter-mingling of stories, none of it came together very well at the end. Maybe I will re-read the last part and get it all straight in my head. I had to read most parts of the book twice anyway.
July 15, 2013
With many pages that were very immersive and really kept hooking me on the novel, Dead Water could have been as good as the superb The Weight of Numbers but it had 3 issues that prevented it:
- the structure is much less cohesive than there; yes there is a sort of threading together in the end and the "Dead Water" - deadly wastes - topic is weaved well, however the novel's shifts are not that smooth and the move from brilliant prose and interesting characters to more pedestrian stuff is noticeable
- the supernatural framing is unnecessary imho and takes away from the book
- the thrillerish structure also worked less well for me than the more epic narrative of Weight of Numbers
Otherwise lots of similarities and the author knows his stuff and weaves a great "Stephensonian" tale combining the crash of the airship Italia in the Arctic to the bombing of London in WW2, to a horrific train crash in India, to the rise of the petro-ministates of the Gulf and much more
Recommended definitely and hopefully the author will get the deserved recognition for these complex novels that are interesting sf away from the usual
- the structure is much less cohesive than there; yes there is a sort of threading together in the end and the "Dead Water" - deadly wastes - topic is weaved well, however the novel's shifts are not that smooth and the move from brilliant prose and interesting characters to more pedestrian stuff is noticeable
- the supernatural framing is unnecessary imho and takes away from the book
- the thrillerish structure also worked less well for me than the more epic narrative of Weight of Numbers
Otherwise lots of similarities and the author knows his stuff and weaves a great "Stephensonian" tale combining the crash of the airship Italia in the Arctic to the bombing of London in WW2, to a horrific train crash in India, to the rise of the petro-ministates of the Gulf and much more
Recommended definitely and hopefully the author will get the deserved recognition for these complex novels that are interesting sf away from the usual
November 8, 2013
Brutal. Glittering. Feral. Many-leveled. Implacable. Simon Ings seems to be turning into a kind of basilisk version of David Mitchell: like Cloud Atlas, this is a story about the intersecting lines that connect lives and events across time and space, but instead being a story of hope and redemption, it is a story about capitalism, globalization, wreckage and waste. I first became hooked on Simon Ings when he was still a science fiction writer: Hotwire is one of the darkest and most hallucinatory works in the genre of cyberpunk, not to mention the goriest (few other writers are as ready to turn their characters into meat...). Dead Water is as visceral and violent, but far more complex, chilled with the cold wine of intellect and leavened by sardonic humour. And it has a happy ending. Sort of.
Highly recommended. And you've been warned.
Highly recommended. And you've been warned.
January 26, 2013
The blurb on the cover states, "displays a subtle and persistent power," and the novel which follows does not disappoint. Ings maintains a calm, almost detached tone throughout, which only adds to the power of the events as they unfold. The best analogy I've managed is "Alistair Cooke narrating the Bhopal Chemical Disaster as it unfolds" - clearly inadequate, so feel free to add your own.
There is a sense of disorientation while reading Dead Water, in that just as one gets a feel for what it is, the narrative diverges from what one expects. In the end, it is a horror story set in a science fictional crime drama encased in a post-cold war thriller about global shipping. And in the end, it's one of those novels that'll keep you up at night.
There is a sense of disorientation while reading Dead Water, in that just as one gets a feel for what it is, the narrative diverges from what one expects. In the end, it is a horror story set in a science fictional crime drama encased in a post-cold war thriller about global shipping. And in the end, it's one of those novels that'll keep you up at night.
September 18, 2014
Didn't finish, couldn't care enough to put the effort in.
I got about two hundred pages in and couldn't see any clear thread between the arctic story and the Indian one bar a few implausible planted hints. It probably all came together towards the end in some intricate and clever fashion, but I'd found myself not caring about either stories or characters, seeing very little of the plot promised by the cover copy and profoundly irritated by the tiny font use in the book - which is the publishers' fault not the author's, but diminished the experience.
I got about two hundred pages in and couldn't see any clear thread between the arctic story and the Indian one bar a few implausible planted hints. It probably all came together towards the end in some intricate and clever fashion, but I'd found myself not caring about either stories or characters, seeing very little of the plot promised by the cover copy and profoundly irritated by the tiny font use in the book - which is the publishers' fault not the author's, but diminished the experience.
July 3, 2015
Sadly disappointing. Clearly not enough people read the brilliant _The Weight of Numbers_, which should have collected a majority of awards, but in this Hairy Potter world it was never even nominated…but with this next novel Ings stays within the same template as the masterful ‘Weight’, which seems forced. Not to mention difficult to pull off.
Worth a read, and others may enjoy this more than ‘Weight’, but it didn’t work nearly as well for me.
Worth a read, and others may enjoy this more than ‘Weight’, but it didn’t work nearly as well for me.
May 30, 2015
Amazing book - truly incredible writer. I only took off one star because he made me feel stupid - I struggled to tie together all the strands and implications woven into this intricate series of linked stories. Tremendous imagination, each story so vividly written they come to life, and the whiff of mystical always had me wondering if I'm imagining things or is the author really implying what I think he is? Confusing, compelling, and very enjoyable. Just wished I was a bit smarter.
December 19, 2015
This is a novel without a genre. The pacing is too slow to be a thriller, the plotting is too convoluted for a horror novel, there's too much gore for an artsy prose exercise, and the science fiction/spiritual element is tertiary and not grounded in a larger system. All that would be forgivable if the book were fun and interesting (as in David Mitchell at his best), but sadly, I did not find it to be so.
February 15, 2012
I honestly got lost in this book, as in literally the plot was all over the place. However, when I was able to keep up with the book, it was a good read. Still, the way the stories are supposed to connect to the 'Dead Water' theory just didn't seem to be mentioned or even fit in, it just floated around as a loose notion.
November 28, 2012
Really liked this, is was amazingly complicated and moved from story to story but had great links that all tied up in the end. as quite sad at times due to its portrayal of real cruelty that exists in the world. Would recommend to people who like tongue twisters!
March 8, 2014
Totally torn with this one. On the one hand, cleverly written, certainly an intelligent book; on the other, a very obfuscated plot. I have a feeling this one will continue to percolate in my brain for the next few days.
January 24, 2017
Couldn't finish it...which was very frustrating. The 'magic' just didn't work at all for me...and got in the way so much I just couldn't continue with the book. Incongruous and I'm the end, terminal, for my reading.
November 11, 2011
Disappointing given the reviews I had read. Found it too disjointed, a bit confusing.
October 30, 2012
Surprised me when it switched abruptly from the exotic worlds of Oman, or India, to Gabalfa in Cardiff.
December 8, 2015
Quarter of the way through it felt like it was going nowhere. Three quarters of the way through it was still going nowhere, so I stopped.
February 17, 2016
average thriller
March 15, 2013
I really struggled with this book. Just couldn't get into it.
Read
July 2, 2018I don't know why I keep returning to Simon Ings. Maybe I love his writing no matter what; or maybe I need more bewildering parent-child relationships and embittered cuckolds in my life. Who knows.
I can't say I liked this book very much - it was a bit too much on the dark and violent side for me, without as much of a psycho-philosophical counterpoint keeping you invested, as is the case in many of Ings' other books. It did however teach me much that I didn't know that I didn't know about the shipping-industry. So I guess there's that.
I can't say I liked this book very much - it was a bit too much on the dark and violent side for me, without as much of a psycho-philosophical counterpoint keeping you invested, as is the case in many of Ings' other books. It did however teach me much that I didn't know that I didn't know about the shipping-industry. So I guess there's that.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews