AQUEOUS: A Subterranean Thriller

by Taylor Buck

DESCEND AND DISCOVER WHAT LIES BENEATH.
Scientists discover a miracle mineral deep underground. Is it the genesis of life? Or the end of everything as we know it?
In Brazil, a team of scientists descend a dark mine stretching three miles beneath the earth’s surface. Their mission? To study a mysterious liquid rumored to possess miraculous capabilities. Convinced the mine holds the key to understanding the genesis of life, the scientists make another startling discovery—they are not alone. Something ancient resides deep within the earth. As the team races against the clock, they find themselves battling to survive something darker and more mysterious than the mine itself.

287 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 16, 2024

About the author

A self-proclaimed creative explorer, Taylor began writing when he was twelve, authoring and illustrating his own Choose Your Own Adventure books (carefully crafted with staples and notebook paper). Over the years, he focused his creativity more on illustrating than writing, studying Graphic Design at Oregon State University and spending summers frequenting Europe to study art and architecture. He eventually focused his creative efforts into advertising, leading creative direction for a Fortune 500 internet retailer and gaining hands-on knowledge of corporate marketing and visual communication.

The topics of his writings range from classicism, art and religion to futurism and technological singularity. His first novel, The Island Project, explores robotics and transhumanism in a secret government base on Hawaii’s Big Island. In 2015, he released The Medici Letters—an international thriller combining a modern day treasure hunt with historic accounts of Renaissance Florence. The sequel, The Prince's Order, was released in 2020.

An Oregon native, Taylor currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two boys.

Reviews

[Marina · Rating 5 out of 5]

The uneasiness creeps into your mind from the beginning.
Wow, this book did keep me on my toes.
The plot starts with a common point of view: someone finds a liquid three miles under the surface of the earth which seems to have wonderful healing capabilities.
A team of scientists goes underground to research this liquid. So far so good. From the start things do not add up and when the uneasiness started to grow into wariness , I wanted to warn the team to go back to the surface.
The story is mostly told from the perspective of Harold, he is the odd one out in this team.
Without giving too much details I can assure you that the level of unrest, horror and deceivedness grows by the chapter and I rooted for the team to get out of this situation alive.
The story flows from research to horror and an apocalyptic end without losing my attention. I kept on reading , too bad I had to sleep in between the two reading sessions before I finished the story.
It is an open ended story but perfectly executed. The storyending remains as strong as it started.
It gave me the chills and lots to think about, humans are creative, destructive,resourceful and in some cases heroic. but what if there is something else living here on earth?
I totally recommend this book.

I received an advanced review copy for free, and I am leaving this honest review voluntarily.

[Matt Egan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truly unique thriller!

Aqueous is a sci-fi/horror thriller that's truly different from others available. Think about Michael Crichton's 'Prey' meets Jeff VanderMeer's 'Annihilation' + a hefty dose of psychedelia, yet entirely different from either. I'm not giving away spoilers on this one, you'll have to read it to find why it's such a special novel. 5/5 stars, highly recommended reading for anyone looking for something of high quality but off the beaten path in the best possible way!

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fast-paced action thriller. For most of the book I felt like I was watching one of those 'movie-of-the-week' movies before streaming was a thing. All of the actors would be unknowns, or those that you'd typically see in one of these types of movies. The story itself was okay. There isn't much backstory on any of the characters, and it's hard to feel one way or the other for them. The epilogue felt unnecessary, plus it was a bit too preachy for me.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Balthazarinblue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh man, this was a solid 4 star read until the Epilogue. In fact, if you're looking for a tense, claustrophobic scifi-horror adventure, then this is very readable and enjoyable, as long as you skip the Epilogue! What a load of pseudo-intellectual mumbo jumbo. It really detracted from the whole story and Howard's character in particular.

I received an advance review copy for free on BookSirens.

[Gianna Hartman · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an enjoyable read in regards to the setting and characters. I did enjoy the character interactions and humor. I came across some grammatical errors, incorrect phrasing, and one jumbled up run on sentence. I think the biggest flaw is that chapter nine does not fit into the plot at all and sticks out like a sore thumb once completing the book. It doesn’t make any sense to be there because it wasn’t elaborated on. Given that it’s so early in the plot, I would suggest to remove chapter nine from the story since it would take rewriting the rest of the book and changing the entire plot to include it and elaborate on what happened in chapter nine. Also the epilogue takes away from the whole story and takes it on a spiraling tangent.
But other than that, I enjoyed it.

*This was an ARC that I read free through BookSirens.*

[Daniela Vega · Rating 5 out of 5]

“AQUEOUS” is a very original and interesting novel where Earth may be on the verge of collapse. A discovery sets off a chain of events that lead to an expedition led by Howard, along with a team of experts who venture into the depths of the Earth to investigate what is really going on, as they descend the team will encounter various challenges, numerous dangers, obstacles and they will discover unimaginable secrets.

The characters are well constructed, each with their own goals, and the interactions drive the narrative so well. The novel managed to keep me hooked from beginning to end. Each chapter reveals new layers of mystery, each discovery raises the stakes. The pace is good, with moments of action and suspense. Without a doubt, it manages to mix themes such as adventure, drama, mystery and science fiction. A highly recommended read!

[Taylor Buck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hi all, this isn’t a review, I just wanted to announce my new novel and say a bit about it. Aqueous explores various subject matter I'm extremely interested in—the origins of life, the connection between humans and the earth, why humans have blood types, and the mysterious frontier beneath our feet. The story is a fast-moving psychological thriller that intentionally weaves tropes found in my favorite Crichton sci-fi: An assembled team of scientists, isolated location, a mysterious and terrifying threat, attack and evade, and philosophical discussions around morals and ethics. I hope you enjoy the story.

[Dylan Roundelay · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Sphere” meets “The Abyss” is the best way I can describe this novel. It’s a sci-fi thriller with a psychological undercurrent throughout. What starts as a steady-building action thriller builds into a horrific and claustrophobic nightmare before ending with a deeply contemplative take on humankind and our role on earth. It hit all the marks for me - entertaining and thought-provoking. Highly recommend!

[Alan Loewen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Philosophical SF Thriller?

It’s hard to pinpoint with surety the genre the Aqueous fits into, but it is a fascinating read that I could not put down.

A group of unique explorers is sent down into the world’s second-deepest mine to discover the secrets of a mysterious pool of liquid that is much more than simple water. Death and horror follow as they work at solving the mystery before it overtakes them all.

[Cari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh but the last few pages! Whyyyyy author Buck! It was going so well. Really tho, a great read. I love caving/deep earth or ocean/extreme environment stories, add a dash of otherworldliness and possible intelligent "alien" life and you've got a recipe for a book I'll like. The last few pages tho ... The email. I just wasn't feeling it. It was over the top and unnecessary... Just weird. Maybe he was planning for a sequel? At any rate, 99.9% of the book was great, so I still highly recommend it!

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a well thought out story. Very unusual and clever idea for an attacking "enemy". Some suspenseful parts. Unusual ending. It appears the author himself is trying to put things together too. I can recommend it as a good read.

[Charlie Dogo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hard core Sci Fi read

Aqueous, by Taylor Buck, is a hard core sci-fi read that edges on the surface of a thriller. The writing is pretty good, and intense, especially if you’re looking for a draw out story to keep you busy for days.

[Terry and dog · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mystery, science fiction, underground, action packed story with good characters and a unique adversary. I enjoyed it very much.

[David Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deep... Thought required. Enjoyed it.

Lots of creative action and thought. I enjoyed the entire read, but the epilog pushed it over the top. Almost religious in the end.

[Gail Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

AQUEOUS

A delightful joining of horror, psychological thriller, and Biblical Flood ethos, makes this book a recommended read. I look forward to more from you. Well done, Sir.

[Irene Hollimon · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was good