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A Dark and Endless Sea: A Novel
Whitt Rogers has been dreaming.
Horrible dreams.
Dreams that stretch the very fabric of the real and the unreal as he is pulled by a voice across the country to a small crab fishing ship set to depart into the Bering Sea. At sea, the memories piece themselves together in cracked fragments. But there is something out there. Something speaking to Whitt in his dreams. A voice from a long-forgotten memory that promises peace at the cost of madness. A voice that leads to a place unimaginable and inescapable
Horrible dreams.
Dreams that stretch the very fabric of the real and the unreal as he is pulled by a voice across the country to a small crab fishing ship set to depart into the Bering Sea. At sea, the memories piece themselves together in cracked fragments. But there is something out there. Something speaking to Whitt in his dreams. A voice from a long-forgotten memory that promises peace at the cost of madness. A voice that leads to a place unimaginable and inescapable
308 pages, Paperback
First published June 7, 2024
46 people are currently reading
712 people want to read
About the author
Blaine Daigle
10 books206 followersHaving lived his entire life deep in the gut of Louisiana, Blaine Daigle grew up surrounded by ghost stories of haunted plantations and cursed woodlands. He still lives in Louisiana with his wife and two children and can't wait to pass on the nightmares to his kids..when they are old enough. During the day he teaches high school English. At night, he enjoys diving deep into the fears that shape and mold the world around him.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 132 reviews
June 21, 2024
Who Was He?...
Where Did He Come From?
A DARK AND ENDLESS SEA: A Novel
by Blaine Daigle
No spoilers. 2 stars. The last thing Whitt Rogers remembered was headlights on a road to somewhere. But where?
Now he was underwater, standing on the ocean floor, but somehow not drowning...
He was walking the sea floor in a submerged town. He saw dark things moving through the dark water...
The town's lighthouse was also underwater, with many people floating past him...
He suddenly knew he was in Blackwater Shoals, and he recognized the faces of the dead...
But this was all just a dream....
Whitt awoke in a motel feverish and cold. He remembered traveling from N. Dakota to the Alaskan coast and this motel...
A flyer pinned to his door advertised a job crab fishing on a trawler called The Sonia. He took the job to stop the nightmares...
He had no memory of who he was when he boarded The Sonia, but instinct told him this was the end of the line..
Although I love seafaring stories, this was a story I DNF at 50%. I couldn't make heads nor tails of the plot. It was something about a man trying to remember who he was, a crazy captain with his own hidden agenda, a crew having bizarre dreams, and reliant on weed-laced meals to keep the dreams at bay.
The story circled itself so much that at the halfway point, it became tedious and boring, and after reading this story one full week, I decided to throw in the towel.
Maybe you'll like this story better than me, God knows you'll be in the majority, but I just couldn't click with it.
Where Did He Come From?
A DARK AND ENDLESS SEA: A Novel
by Blaine Daigle
No spoilers. 2 stars. The last thing Whitt Rogers remembered was headlights on a road to somewhere. But where?
Now he was underwater, standing on the ocean floor, but somehow not drowning...
He was walking the sea floor in a submerged town. He saw dark things moving through the dark water...
The town's lighthouse was also underwater, with many people floating past him...
He suddenly knew he was in Blackwater Shoals, and he recognized the faces of the dead...
But this was all just a dream....
Whitt awoke in a motel feverish and cold. He remembered traveling from N. Dakota to the Alaskan coast and this motel...
A flyer pinned to his door advertised a job crab fishing on a trawler called The Sonia. He took the job to stop the nightmares...
He had no memory of who he was when he boarded The Sonia, but instinct told him this was the end of the line..
Although I love seafaring stories, this was a story I DNF at 50%. I couldn't make heads nor tails of the plot. It was something about a man trying to remember who he was, a crazy captain with his own hidden agenda, a crew having bizarre dreams, and reliant on weed-laced meals to keep the dreams at bay.
The story circled itself so much that at the halfway point, it became tedious and boring, and after reading this story one full week, I decided to throw in the towel.
Maybe you'll like this story better than me, God knows you'll be in the majority, but I just couldn't click with it.
July 4, 2024
My first Blaine Daigle book, and this will certainly not be my last! A Dark Roux is up next from this author. Daigle has some serious writing chops, which he displays to chilling effect wiht the opening dream sequence of a drowned village and a young amnesiac man walking around in it. From the first I was quickly swept up into this high seas mystery which bordered on some cosmic horror and then went full bore aquatic nightmare. No more details about the book, then, because I tend to spoil the plot.
I'm on vacation on a remote island, currently, so this nightmare on the high seas was definitely something that needed to be read. Very recommended.
I'm on vacation on a remote island, currently, so this nightmare on the high seas was definitely something that needed to be read. Very recommended.
February 4, 2024
4.5 stars, rounded up.
Another great book from Blaine Daigle!
The book opens with our main character, Whitt, in a motel room with no memory of anything that happened before. Whitt struggles to remember anything about himself to the point where he has to write his name on his hand before it floats away. He also suffers from nightly nightmares where he sees a town at the bottom of the ocean, filled with dead bodies. Whitt is drawn west and is in a tiny fishing village in Alaska. A mysterious note is taped to his motel room door that tells him to find the crabbing fish the Sonia since it will have answers. Whitt is, of course, confused since who even knows he's here but decides to go for it.
He finds the ship and is taken on board as a crew member. The captain decides the path that the ship takes but doesn't care about the crabs they catch and leaves everything entirely up to the crew. They start to teach Whitt how to be a crabber... crab-fisherman... how to work on a crab boat, there we go. Soon we find out that they all suffer from nightmares and they all are missing their memories. Except, they remember everything that happens on the Sonia.
The strangeness ratchets up from there with more dreams, deformed crabs, siren/mermaids/somethings, a glowing presence thing, as Whitt tries to figure out what in the heck is happening and what happened to his memories. The author does a great job of dropping you into a strange world and then increasing the strangeness and tension as Whitt experiences it.
I was worried about how the ending would go (since nothing ruins a good book faster than a bad ending), but the author ended it in a very satisfying way. I don't want to give anything away, but it was very well done.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this advance review copy.
Another great book from Blaine Daigle!
The book opens with our main character, Whitt, in a motel room with no memory of anything that happened before. Whitt struggles to remember anything about himself to the point where he has to write his name on his hand before it floats away. He also suffers from nightly nightmares where he sees a town at the bottom of the ocean, filled with dead bodies. Whitt is drawn west and is in a tiny fishing village in Alaska. A mysterious note is taped to his motel room door that tells him to find the crabbing fish the Sonia since it will have answers. Whitt is, of course, confused since who even knows he's here but decides to go for it.
He finds the ship and is taken on board as a crew member. The captain decides the path that the ship takes but doesn't care about the crabs they catch and leaves everything entirely up to the crew. They start to teach Whitt how to be a crabber... crab-fisherman... how to work on a crab boat, there we go. Soon we find out that they all suffer from nightmares and they all are missing their memories. Except, they remember everything that happens on the Sonia.
The strangeness ratchets up from there with more dreams, deformed crabs, siren/mermaids/somethings, a glowing presence thing, as Whitt tries to figure out what in the heck is happening and what happened to his memories. The author does a great job of dropping you into a strange world and then increasing the strangeness and tension as Whitt experiences it.
I was worried about how the ending would go (since nothing ruins a good book faster than a bad ending), but the author ended it in a very satisfying way. I don't want to give anything away, but it was very well done.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this advance review copy.
January 25, 2024
Daigle is the master of creating dark, atmospheric tales that will have you suffocating with tension and fear and leave you questioning your own sanity. His writing is so enchanting and hauntingly poetic. I felt like I was in a trance while the song "Blurred Lines" kept playing on repeat in my mind. Imagine the dark, cold isolation of being lost in the ocean somewhere north of Alaska and not being able to determine if the horrors that you are experiencing are real or imagined. My heart was pounding, and my leg was doing its shaky dance. This book was truly terrifying!! I will never step foot on a boat or go swimming in the ocean again. I can't recommend this book enough! A must read!
Thank you to the author, Wicked House Publishing, and NetGalley for granting me early digital access in exchange for my honest review!
Thank you to the author, Wicked House Publishing, and NetGalley for granting me early digital access in exchange for my honest review!
June 5, 2024
Well, I don’t know how Blaine Daigle keeps doing it! Three books, three incredibly different types of horror. This time, we are following a lost soul who takes a job on a mysterious ship. It’s one part Moby Dick, one part The Fisherman with a slow descent into madness.
Oftentimes visceral and unsettling, Daigle’s writing really sets the scene and paints vivid pictures of the horrors we are witness to. The only thing I found myself missing was his usual evocative character work. Although maybe this was kind of the point of the fever dream, a lot of the characters seemed interchangeable to me. Other than that, he truly captures the expansive claustrophobia of being on a ship, being surrounded by the world but being stuck.
Another great addition to the horror genre!
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Available June 7, 2024
Thank you to Netgalley and Wicked House Publishing for an advance review copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Oftentimes visceral and unsettling, Daigle’s writing really sets the scene and paints vivid pictures of the horrors we are witness to. The only thing I found myself missing was his usual evocative character work. Although maybe this was kind of the point of the fever dream, a lot of the characters seemed interchangeable to me. Other than that, he truly captures the expansive claustrophobia of being on a ship, being surrounded by the world but being stuck.
Another great addition to the horror genre!
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Available June 7, 2024
Thank you to Netgalley and Wicked House Publishing for an advance review copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
February 3, 2024
4.5 stars.
I have never in my life felt a desire to join a crab fishing trawler and set sail into the open ocean. But when I started reading A Dark and Endless Sea I was immediately immersed in the story. Pure speculative horror at it's finest.
Whitt is a young man with no memories. He wanders through life, running from the violent dreams that terrify him every night. Dreams of blood and glowing green eyes. When he learns the other men on board also suffer from the same dreams, Whitt finally knows he's in the right place. Until the trawler begins it's journey out to sea, with no intention of returning.
I have never read anything like this before. It's the kind of horror I want to read. Dark and creepy, with moments that truly made my stomach churn. There was some supernatural elements but they didn't feel gimmicky. There were flashes of gore and body horror. Think Danny's visions on The Shining. The writing was beautiful and so descriptive. I felt like I was really there. Towards the end the story became a little long-winded and the final monologue could have been cut down some. This was almost perfect.
Huge thanks to Wicked House Publishing and Netgalley for my free arc.
Publishing June 2024.
I have never in my life felt a desire to join a crab fishing trawler and set sail into the open ocean. But when I started reading A Dark and Endless Sea I was immediately immersed in the story. Pure speculative horror at it's finest.
Whitt is a young man with no memories. He wanders through life, running from the violent dreams that terrify him every night. Dreams of blood and glowing green eyes. When he learns the other men on board also suffer from the same dreams, Whitt finally knows he's in the right place. Until the trawler begins it's journey out to sea, with no intention of returning.
I have never read anything like this before. It's the kind of horror I want to read. Dark and creepy, with moments that truly made my stomach churn. There was some supernatural elements but they didn't feel gimmicky. There were flashes of gore and body horror. Think Danny's visions on The Shining. The writing was beautiful and so descriptive. I felt like I was really there. Towards the end the story became a little long-winded and the final monologue could have been cut down some. This was almost perfect.
Huge thanks to Wicked House Publishing and Netgalley for my free arc.
Publishing June 2024.
June 24, 2024
This is the second book I’ve read of Blaine’s and although not perfect, this book has made me SO excited to check out future releases of his! The level of atmosphere that he is able to create is absolutely *chefs kiss*! I could feel the intense cold of the Bering Sea in my bones, and the anxiety of being stuck on a fishing boat in the middle of nowhere, super stormy & freezing temps, no land in sight, a captain that is mysterious AF, and freaky ass stuff keeps happening…. Terrifying!!
I thought the pace of the story was really well done. There was a steady stream of odd occurrences & intense events to keep my intrigue solid from start to finish. There are a lot of dream sequences, which doesn’t always work for me, but in this case I think they worked really well (mostly) and I appreciated that they were written as clear dreams. It was never an ‘is this a dream or is this reality’ situation for me. I also really enjoyed our cast of characters and the mystery & tension they brought to the story.
My only complaints are that I would have LOVED Captain O’Halloran to have a pov. I was dyinggggggg to be in his mind and know more about him! I did like our main character Whitt, but O’Halloran was a much more interesting character imo. Also, the last 15ish percent didn’t work for me. I found the explanations & reveals underwhelming and felt bombarded with info. Personally I prefer a much more gradual approach to revealing things. But overall I had an amazing time reading this book! I think a lot of horror lovers who enjoy atmospheric reads, weird stuff, and supernatural fantasy elements in their horror will love this.
A Dark and Endless Sea is available now in physical and digital formats. Audio will be out exclusively through Audible July 16th (US)
Thanks so much to Netgalley, Wicked House Publishing, and the author Blaine Daigle for the e-galley!
I thought the pace of the story was really well done. There was a steady stream of odd occurrences & intense events to keep my intrigue solid from start to finish. There are a lot of dream sequences, which doesn’t always work for me, but in this case I think they worked really well (mostly) and I appreciated that they were written as clear dreams. It was never an ‘is this a dream or is this reality’ situation for me. I also really enjoyed our cast of characters and the mystery & tension they brought to the story.
My only complaints are that I would have LOVED Captain O’Halloran to have a pov. I was dyinggggggg to be in his mind and know more about him! I did like our main character Whitt, but O’Halloran was a much more interesting character imo. Also, the last 15ish percent didn’t work for me. I found the explanations & reveals underwhelming and felt bombarded with info. Personally I prefer a much more gradual approach to revealing things. But overall I had an amazing time reading this book! I think a lot of horror lovers who enjoy atmospheric reads, weird stuff, and supernatural fantasy elements in their horror will love this.
A Dark and Endless Sea is available now in physical and digital formats. Audio will be out exclusively through Audible July 16th (US)
Thanks so much to Netgalley, Wicked House Publishing, and the author Blaine Daigle for the e-galley!
February 7, 2024
Another quality horror novel from Blaine Daigle. One offering was appreciated, but to find that there could be two more to delve into so soon and not be disappointed, well that's a real delight. Each has been set in a totally different world with different vibes and different mythology.
I was hesitant to begin A Dark and Endless Sea as I knew there was a focus on dreams. My problem with the narration of dreams is that it can be a licence to write pretty much anything, including frustrating nonsense. But this was not the case in this instance. The storyline was strong and the inclusion of the dreams had a logical and vital purpose.
Dark, grisly and atmospheric, this tale comes alive through Daigle's skilled way with words and vivid descriptions.
I received this arc from netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
I was hesitant to begin A Dark and Endless Sea as I knew there was a focus on dreams. My problem with the narration of dreams is that it can be a licence to write pretty much anything, including frustrating nonsense. But this was not the case in this instance. The storyline was strong and the inclusion of the dreams had a logical and vital purpose.
Dark, grisly and atmospheric, this tale comes alive through Daigle's skilled way with words and vivid descriptions.
I received this arc from netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
April 1, 2024
This was my first time reading a book from this author so I was very excited to jump into the novel. The author just throws you into this dangerous/risky horror atmospheric story that makes you seat in the edge of your seat biting your nails. It was dark and creepy. Sometimes it made my stomach bubble from the gore he has you picture in the novel. The writing was wonderful and descriptive. I really liked this book and will read more books from him.
Thank you to NetGalley and Wicked House Publishing for providing me with a free ebook in exchange for an honest review.
June 29, 2024
A Dark and Endless Sea by Blaine Daigle is a horror novel about a man who can't escape a dream.
First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Wicked House Publishing and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
My Synopsis: (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
Whitt Rogers seems to be losing his memory. He has taken to writing his name on his hand before going to sleep, so that when he wakes up, he knows who he is, if nothing else.
But Whitt doesn't want to sleep. He is almost afraid to sleep. He can't escape the dream of walking on the bed of the ocean, able to breathe, but surrounded by dead bodies. Nor can he escape the voice in his head that has dragged him across the country...to a boat called Sonia.
He joins the crabbing vessel, and although the small crew is strange, he feels he was called to be there....and they've all been dreaming.
My Opinions:
I was surprisingly pleased with this one. Although I have enjoyed Daigle's other books, the topic of this one did not really appeal to me....I seem to have read a number of books about ships and oceans in the last year, so I admit to setting this aside for a little while. However, I should have remembered that this author writes well, and it became a fast, entertaining read.
I loved the characters, as well as the "myths" that were incorporated into the plot. At times the story was quite creepy, and almost always unnerving. Quite a bit of gore as well. All of those things added to the intrigue. However, at times it felt a little long.
Overall, a dark, atmospheric and suspenseful read.
For a more complete review of this book and others (including the reason I chose to read/review this book, author information and a favorite quotation from the book), please visit my blog: http://katlovesbooksblog.wordpress.com/
February 4, 2024
Suspenseful, claustrophobic and tense. A Dark and Endless Sea is a unique fantasy horror which had my blood pressure elevating from beginning to end.
Whitt is down on his luck. He is homeless, broke and visited by agonizing nightmares every night. On top of these horrific dreams, he has very little memory about his life. He finds himself in Alaska and a mysterious invitation is left on his door to join a crab fishing crew on their next journey. Whitt joins the ship of misfits and sets sail on a dark and harrowing journey. The nightmares soon become part of an unexplainable reality.
The descriptive writing in this novel was hair-raising. For real. I had goosebumps envisioning the dark sea, the monstrous creatures and the horrible things happening on the boat "Sonia". I could not binge read this book because it was stressing me out at times and I had to step away to process the many "what the heck did I just read" moments I came across. (poor albatross)
Highly recommend but with it's graphic and explicit writing, the book is gruesome and not for the faint of heart. If you are in the mood for a dark supernatural horror novel, this is the one.
4 solid stars. A five star novel for me is one I cannot put down and have to binge read. This one, I had to put down and walk away several times or I was afraid I would be the next person plagued with nightmares.
Thank you to NetGalley and Wicked House Publishing for the digital advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.
Whitt is down on his luck. He is homeless, broke and visited by agonizing nightmares every night. On top of these horrific dreams, he has very little memory about his life. He finds himself in Alaska and a mysterious invitation is left on his door to join a crab fishing crew on their next journey. Whitt joins the ship of misfits and sets sail on a dark and harrowing journey. The nightmares soon become part of an unexplainable reality.
The descriptive writing in this novel was hair-raising. For real. I had goosebumps envisioning the dark sea, the monstrous creatures and the horrible things happening on the boat "Sonia". I could not binge read this book because it was stressing me out at times and I had to step away to process the many "what the heck did I just read" moments I came across. (poor albatross)
Highly recommend but with it's graphic and explicit writing, the book is gruesome and not for the faint of heart. If you are in the mood for a dark supernatural horror novel, this is the one.
4 solid stars. A five star novel for me is one I cannot put down and have to binge read. This one, I had to put down and walk away several times or I was afraid I would be the next person plagued with nightmares.
Thank you to NetGalley and Wicked House Publishing for the digital advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.
May 14, 2024
I’m a sucker for any horror books set at sea, so when I saw that Daigle had written a book about a fishing trawler on a journey to the strangest depts of the ocean, I was ready to dive in. I’d previously read The Broken Places, which was an absolute master class in setting and character development.
The atmosphere in this A Dark and Endless Sea is absolutely stifling as we follow Whitt, an amnesiac lost at sea with with a deranged captain, and dangerous crew. Whitt is on a dark odyssey to recover lost memories that he knows are better left buried, but can’t stop himself as he pushes toward uncovering his past. Just like Whitt’s fragmented mind, sections of the book are structured in a way that almost made me feel like I was reading an epic poem, something far larger than the confines of a single ship drifting through the bering sea, with stakes much more grand than a single man restoring his memories.
The horror elements similarly extend far beyond just the claustrophobia of the ship. The book is filled with terrifying nightmares, bizarre creatures, and varying degrees of madness that are often far more chilling than the supernatural elements at play. There is always something lurking around the corner, and some of the worst of it is Whitt's own imagination.
The pacing is excellent– despite Whitt embarking on a journey into the complete unknown, the moment-to-moment storytelling is gripping, while slowly drip-feeding us teasers of the larger picture. I highly recommend reading this, along with The Broken Places.
The atmosphere in this A Dark and Endless Sea is absolutely stifling as we follow Whitt, an amnesiac lost at sea with with a deranged captain, and dangerous crew. Whitt is on a dark odyssey to recover lost memories that he knows are better left buried, but can’t stop himself as he pushes toward uncovering his past. Just like Whitt’s fragmented mind, sections of the book are structured in a way that almost made me feel like I was reading an epic poem, something far larger than the confines of a single ship drifting through the bering sea, with stakes much more grand than a single man restoring his memories.
The horror elements similarly extend far beyond just the claustrophobia of the ship. The book is filled with terrifying nightmares, bizarre creatures, and varying degrees of madness that are often far more chilling than the supernatural elements at play. There is always something lurking around the corner, and some of the worst of it is Whitt's own imagination.
The pacing is excellent– despite Whitt embarking on a journey into the complete unknown, the moment-to-moment storytelling is gripping, while slowly drip-feeding us teasers of the larger picture. I highly recommend reading this, along with The Broken Places.
June 5, 2024
Blaine Daigle's 'A Dark and Endless Sea' is a superb sea horror novel, hitting all the right spots easily and confidently! Not one book of his has disappointed me, and this one showcases the best of the author's sense of atmosphere, pacing, and characterization. The cast is small, the setting practically always the same, but both are employed masterfully to great effect, in order to paint a wonderful story of personality clashes, individual ambitions, and -most of all- convoluted, nightmarish situations with totally unpredictable outcomes. The visuals are exemplary, from ghost ships to sea creatures; and though it's a slow burn, the novel develops several different plotlines, with great care and in riveting detail: the tiresome life on a fishing vessel, the uncanny feeling of travel on a boat over open ocean, the worrying suspicion of the captain's insanity, as well as the suffocating, personal torment of the main character -all deeply invested with very strong cosmic horror vibes, suspense, and mystery. As with his previous works, this novel too has an exceptional ending, fully fleshed out, comprehensively articulated, and quite satisfying. An absolute delight of a book!
September 9, 2025
Unfortunately, I don't have much to say here. It's an immersive, creative book with lots of great elements to it, haunting horror scenes. and a very satisfying ending.... that is also very very bleak, to the point where I didn't really want to pick it back up sometimes, with a plot that's leaning towards cliche and trite if you think about it a little.
January 25, 2024
A fever dream at sea. Daigle’s lyrical prose sings, while his plot cuts like a sharpened knife. A Dark and Endless Sea is a masterclass in Lovecraftian horror, and you’ll be entranced by the secrets of Blackwater Shoals. I could not stop flipping pages.
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February 12, 2024I read this to offer a blurb and it was exhilarating. Fans of Blaine's work are in for a treat!
June 20, 2024
I nearly DNF'ed this at 50%. I should have followed my instincts. The writing is excellent, the atmosphere is dour, and I loved the location.....buuuuuut I. Was. So. Booooored. Other reviews claimed that the ending was so well done, but I must have missed it. Not for me.
March 28, 2024
If you’re looking for a captivating story that deals with complicated grief, isolation, sea monsters, and/or complex characters, this is the book for you.
A man with a lost past joins a crabbing boat that heads into uncharted waters. A voice in his head grows stronger and tempts him in exchange for his memories. The crew drifts into a surreal nightmare as they journey into the dark and endless sea.
Blaine Daigle has shown readers that he can write eloquent, thrilling, and emotional stories across a wide range of plots and settings. I find that each book he puts out is even better than the last (although they are all excellent), and he is definitely an author I will continue to follow.
I’m not usually a fan of unreliable narrators, but Daigle created such a deeply captivating character with Whitt. Despite not always knowing what was true or a dream, I was able to step into this character’s shoes and felt a lot of empathy for his plight. I also felt dread and a sense of claustrophobia being stuck on the boat. The prose was so atmospheric, you’ll truly feel alone on the wild ocean, surrounded by endless and ruthless waves.
This was a fantastic horror story, one I’ll definitely recommend to others.
Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Wicked House Publishing for a copy.
A man with a lost past joins a crabbing boat that heads into uncharted waters. A voice in his head grows stronger and tempts him in exchange for his memories. The crew drifts into a surreal nightmare as they journey into the dark and endless sea.
Blaine Daigle has shown readers that he can write eloquent, thrilling, and emotional stories across a wide range of plots and settings. I find that each book he puts out is even better than the last (although they are all excellent), and he is definitely an author I will continue to follow.
I’m not usually a fan of unreliable narrators, but Daigle created such a deeply captivating character with Whitt. Despite not always knowing what was true or a dream, I was able to step into this character’s shoes and felt a lot of empathy for his plight. I also felt dread and a sense of claustrophobia being stuck on the boat. The prose was so atmospheric, you’ll truly feel alone on the wild ocean, surrounded by endless and ruthless waves.
This was a fantastic horror story, one I’ll definitely recommend to others.
Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Wicked House Publishing for a copy.
May 31, 2024
Chilling and suspenseful, Blaine Daigle's latest book is a horrifying delight. This author knows how to write atmospheric tension and I gobbled it right up.
Whitt is caught in a world of nightmares and fear. Terrified of sleeping, he tries to stay awake. Not only because of the terrors he must endure while asleep, but when he does wake his memories are gone. All he remembers is a voice guiding him along a path he feels he must follow for answers. The voice leads him to a crab fishing ship, promising he will receive answers there.
Whitt soon finds himself aboard a ship with strangers and a mysterious captain. In the middle of a turbulent sea, Whitt is thrown into a horror that is worse than his nightmares. He begins to question the voice he's been listening to and if he can make it out of the dark sea alive.
I was immediately immersed in this book. It was haunting and dark and oftentimes disturbing. But it was oh so good!
A Dark and Endless Sea will be published June 7, 2024
Many thanks to Netgalley and Wicked House Publishing for the opportunity to read this incredible book.
Whitt is caught in a world of nightmares and fear. Terrified of sleeping, he tries to stay awake. Not only because of the terrors he must endure while asleep, but when he does wake his memories are gone. All he remembers is a voice guiding him along a path he feels he must follow for answers. The voice leads him to a crab fishing ship, promising he will receive answers there.
Whitt soon finds himself aboard a ship with strangers and a mysterious captain. In the middle of a turbulent sea, Whitt is thrown into a horror that is worse than his nightmares. He begins to question the voice he's been listening to and if he can make it out of the dark sea alive.
I was immediately immersed in this book. It was haunting and dark and oftentimes disturbing. But it was oh so good!
A Dark and Endless Sea will be published June 7, 2024
Many thanks to Netgalley and Wicked House Publishing for the opportunity to read this incredible book.
September 23, 2025
Beautifully written, but unbearably heavy. The sea and its horrors came alive through vivid, immersive prose, yet the story itself was bleak and lonely from start to finish. The ending, with its jumps between timelines, left me unsatisfied—I wanted more for Whitt than just the possibility of happiness. Gorgeous writing, but ultimately too depressing for me.
June 11, 2024
Late review for this awesome book as I got caught up in some backlogs with my other book reviews 🥹.
But this was a great read! The dark and creepy atmosphere it has had me hooked! The visuals this book gave to me as a reader was haunting and chilling and made the immersion even more amazing. A great read to pick if you're a big fan of atmospheric horror with a tinge of the supernatural.
But this was a great read! The dark and creepy atmosphere it has had me hooked! The visuals this book gave to me as a reader was haunting and chilling and made the immersion even more amazing. A great read to pick if you're a big fan of atmospheric horror with a tinge of the supernatural.
January 23, 2024
Having never read Blaine Daigle before, I honestly did not know what to expect. To say I was pleasantly surprised is an understatement. Daigle’s writing is illustrative and poetic as he spins a twisted, and at times disturbing, story that blurs the lines between dream and reality.
Without giving too much away, A Dark and Endless Sea is centered around a man named Whitt. Whitt doesn’t know much. He doesn't know where he’s from or how he ended up in a cold seaside town barely remembering his own name. The only thing he seems to remember are the dreams that terrorize him at night. Each night’s sleep is filled with troublesome voices and memories he can’t seem to puzzle together. Desperate to escape the urges in his head, he sets out on a crabbing vessel in the Bering Sea with a crew that may have more in common than he realizes. With all the makings of a classic ghost story, Daigle tells a haunting tale that kept me on my toes from the start.
Spooky, captivating, and dripping with mystery, A Dark and Endless Sea gave me everything I could want from a horror/thriller novel.
Without giving too much away, A Dark and Endless Sea is centered around a man named Whitt. Whitt doesn’t know much. He doesn't know where he’s from or how he ended up in a cold seaside town barely remembering his own name. The only thing he seems to remember are the dreams that terrorize him at night. Each night’s sleep is filled with troublesome voices and memories he can’t seem to puzzle together. Desperate to escape the urges in his head, he sets out on a crabbing vessel in the Bering Sea with a crew that may have more in common than he realizes. With all the makings of a classic ghost story, Daigle tells a haunting tale that kept me on my toes from the start.
Spooky, captivating, and dripping with mystery, A Dark and Endless Sea gave me everything I could want from a horror/thriller novel.
February 2, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley and Wicked House Publishing for an ARC copy of A Dark and Endless Sea.
Wow, wow, WOW! This was so beautifully and hauntingly written. I was captivated by the story and found myself thinking about it any time I had to put it down. I was nervous the ending would be a let down but it was fantastic...probably my favorite part. 5 big stars!!
Wow, wow, WOW! This was so beautifully and hauntingly written. I was captivated by the story and found myself thinking about it any time I had to put it down. I was nervous the ending would be a let down but it was fantastic...probably my favorite part. 5 big stars!!
January 23, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Loved this book. The creepiness of having no memory and the atmosphere of being out at sea with a group of strangers was perfect.
Add in that it is almost like a locked room mystery since everyone is on a crabbing boat somewhere in the ocean. I don���t usually like books with a supernatural aspect to them but in this book it was done perfectly.
Loved this book. The creepiness of having no memory and the atmosphere of being out at sea with a group of strangers was perfect.
Add in that it is almost like a locked room mystery since everyone is on a crabbing boat somewhere in the ocean. I don���t usually like books with a supernatural aspect to them but in this book it was done perfectly.
October 21, 2025
3.5 ⭐️ rounded up
June 7, 2024
Another splentacular novel by Blaine Daigle.
Whitt has horrible dreams and a past he cannot remember. A voice in the dreams lead him to a crab fishing ship, the Sonia, and he joins their crew looking for answers. Other crew members experience similar nightmares and begin to turn on each other as they are unable to explain or comprehend what is happening on the boat. While at sea, parts of Whitt's fragmented memory start coming back and the voice promises him peace from the nightmares but at a cost.
Yet again Daigle has written a fantastically dark, atmospheric horror novel. The reader is drawn into the haunting, cold and threatening sea as well as the horrifying dreams Whitt experiences. The writing is so good I could vividly see the boat, the sea and the underwater city in my mind and could feel Whitt's loneliness and isolation. I loved the addition of the supernatural elements to the story. What is a story at sea without some sea creatures (monsters)! This is the third book I have read from Daigle and I have absolutely loved them all. High recommendations of this book and the author.
Thanks you NetGalley, Wicked House Publishing and Blaine Daigle for the copy of this book.
Whitt has horrible dreams and a past he cannot remember. A voice in the dreams lead him to a crab fishing ship, the Sonia, and he joins their crew looking for answers. Other crew members experience similar nightmares and begin to turn on each other as they are unable to explain or comprehend what is happening on the boat. While at sea, parts of Whitt's fragmented memory start coming back and the voice promises him peace from the nightmares but at a cost.
Yet again Daigle has written a fantastically dark, atmospheric horror novel. The reader is drawn into the haunting, cold and threatening sea as well as the horrifying dreams Whitt experiences. The writing is so good I could vividly see the boat, the sea and the underwater city in my mind and could feel Whitt's loneliness and isolation. I loved the addition of the supernatural elements to the story. What is a story at sea without some sea creatures (monsters)! This is the third book I have read from Daigle and I have absolutely loved them all. High recommendations of this book and the author.
Thanks you NetGalley, Wicked House Publishing and Blaine Daigle for the copy of this book.
February 9, 2024
3.5/5
This book had such good atmosphere. I loved the ship and the sea, the descent into the unknown and mystery that surrounded it all. The build up was so good, the voices and the strange glow, the crew going slowly mad. All of it was going so well, and then I was let down by the ending. It just didn’t work for me, and felt rather unfulfilling after that whole journey.
The crew themselves were also rather indistinguishable. They all felt like the same person and I had a hard time keeping track of who was who. The only distinct people seemed to be the captain and his second hand, but even they were barely there and not fleshed out.
Overall I think the premise here was great, the atmosphere was chilling and amazing, but the characters and the ending were a let down.
Thank you to NetGalley and Wicked House Publishing for the review copy.
This book had such good atmosphere. I loved the ship and the sea, the descent into the unknown and mystery that surrounded it all. The build up was so good, the voices and the strange glow, the crew going slowly mad. All of it was going so well, and then I was let down by the ending. It just didn’t work for me, and felt rather unfulfilling after that whole journey.
The crew themselves were also rather indistinguishable. They all felt like the same person and I had a hard time keeping track of who was who. The only distinct people seemed to be the captain and his second hand, but even they were barely there and not fleshed out.
Overall I think the premise here was great, the atmosphere was chilling and amazing, but the characters and the ending were a let down.
Thank you to NetGalley and Wicked House Publishing for the review copy.
March 3, 2024
This book is a must-read for fans of dark, atmospheric, suspenseful tales. It's a haunting journey that will leave you with lingering nightmares (the crabs!) If you don't already have a deep appreciation for this author's ability to craft a memorable narrative, this Lovecraftian fever dream of a story will do it.
June 5, 2024
Thanks to Wicked House Publishing for making the ARC of 'A Dark and Endless Sea' by Blaine Daigle available on Netgalley
Whitt wakes up in a motel room with no memories, driven to the ocean by his fear of a recurring nightmare and a voice that has a mission for him. When he signs up as part of the crabbing crew on the boat named Sonia, he soon discovers that he and his crew mates have more in common than they initially realise, and that this connection - and the unknown motivations of their captain - will not only drive them into uncharted waters, but beyond the limits of their sanity.
Your enjoyment of this book is likely to depend on whether or not you like a slow burn of a book. You really have to put in the work to be fed tiny morsels of information for maybe 50% of the story, at which point things begin to incrementally ramp up. If that idea tickles your fancy, then you might just be in for a treat with this book.
While I would have liked a bit more clarification of the book's characters, this is very much a book that's more driven by its two main protagonists: Whitt and the ocean. You will feel the water soaking through to your bones, the cold numbing your nerves and the sheer exhaustion of living and working in an environment that could destroy you without a thought, even if its emerald eyes weren't fixated on you.
I do have to admit that I was concerned that everything was going to fall apart at the end, but I was actually pleasantly surprised by how it all got wrapped up. I don't think it completely stuck the landing, but it did a pretty damn good job.
Rating: 4.5/5
'A Dark and Endless Sea' will be released on June 7th 2024.
CW: graphic violence, gore, murder, psychological trauma, childhood abandonment, mild drug use, critters
Whitt wakes up in a motel room with no memories, driven to the ocean by his fear of a recurring nightmare and a voice that has a mission for him. When he signs up as part of the crabbing crew on the boat named Sonia, he soon discovers that he and his crew mates have more in common than they initially realise, and that this connection - and the unknown motivations of their captain - will not only drive them into uncharted waters, but beyond the limits of their sanity.
Your enjoyment of this book is likely to depend on whether or not you like a slow burn of a book. You really have to put in the work to be fed tiny morsels of information for maybe 50% of the story, at which point things begin to incrementally ramp up. If that idea tickles your fancy, then you might just be in for a treat with this book.
While I would have liked a bit more clarification of the book's characters, this is very much a book that's more driven by its two main protagonists: Whitt and the ocean. You will feel the water soaking through to your bones, the cold numbing your nerves and the sheer exhaustion of living and working in an environment that could destroy you without a thought, even if its emerald eyes weren't fixated on you.
I do have to admit that I was concerned that everything was going to fall apart at the end, but I was actually pleasantly surprised by how it all got wrapped up. I don't think it completely stuck the landing, but it did a pretty damn good job.
Rating: 4.5/5
'A Dark and Endless Sea' will be released on June 7th 2024.
CW: graphic violence, gore, murder, psychological trauma, childhood abandonment, mild drug use, critters
July 26, 2024
Solid 4.5 stars
Whitt Rogers is in an unusual position. His memories are fading to the point he must write his own name on his arm in permanent marker so that he will remember it when he wakes up. Whitt is in a cycle of obscure fever dreams that are both frightening and concerning. He isn't entirely sure where he is or what is going on but he is presented with a job opportunity and feels he is not in any position to turn that down. The job is crabbing off the deep dark Alaskan coast in the Bering Sea. But what do his dreams mean? Why is this ship so mysterious? Can he find out before it's too late?
Daigle really hit this one out of the park! My second novel by him and I cannot wait to read more. Such a unique story that gave me all the creepy feels. A whole trope I did not know I needed in my life. What is scarier than the vast ocean and all of it's unknowns?
I did the audiobook for this one and am so glad I did! Alex Knox did an amazing job of bringing Daigle's story to life. His character voices - specifically the ship captain - were so engaging. His inflections made this story easy to follow and gave it the spooky vibes it deserves. I did listen to it at around 1.75 speed as I found this the best speed for my liking.
Whitt Rogers is in an unusual position. His memories are fading to the point he must write his own name on his arm in permanent marker so that he will remember it when he wakes up. Whitt is in a cycle of obscure fever dreams that are both frightening and concerning. He isn't entirely sure where he is or what is going on but he is presented with a job opportunity and feels he is not in any position to turn that down. The job is crabbing off the deep dark Alaskan coast in the Bering Sea. But what do his dreams mean? Why is this ship so mysterious? Can he find out before it's too late?
Daigle really hit this one out of the park! My second novel by him and I cannot wait to read more. Such a unique story that gave me all the creepy feels. A whole trope I did not know I needed in my life. What is scarier than the vast ocean and all of it's unknowns?
I did the audiobook for this one and am so glad I did! Alex Knox did an amazing job of bringing Daigle's story to life. His character voices - specifically the ship captain - were so engaging. His inflections made this story easy to follow and gave it the spooky vibes it deserves. I did listen to it at around 1.75 speed as I found this the best speed for my liking.
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