What do you think?
Rate this book
The Deading
Stephen King’s Under the Dome meets The Last of Us in this harrowing dystopian novel about the downward spiral of a seaside town that becomes infected by a mysterious ocean-borne contagion.
If you want to stay, you have to die.
In a small fishing town known for its aging birding community and the local oyster farm, a hidden evil emerges from the depths of the ocean. It begins with sea snails washing ashore, attacking whatever they cling to. This mysterious infection starts transforming the wildlife, the seascapes, and finally, the people.
Once infected, residents of Baywood start “deading”: collapsing and dying, only to rise again, changed in ways both fanatical and physical. As the government cuts the town off from the rest of the world, the uninfected, including the introverted bird-loving Blas and his jaded older brother Chango, realize their town could be ground zero for a fundamental shift in all living things.
Soon, disturbing beliefs and autocratic rituals emerge, overseen by the death-worshiping Risers. People must choose how to survive, how to find home, and whether or not to betray those closest to them. Stoked by paranoia and isolation, tensions escalate until Blas, Chango, and the survivors of Baywood must make their escape or become subsumed by this terrifying new normal.
At points claustrophobic and haunting, soulful and melancholic, The Deading lyrically explores the disintegration of society, the horror of survival and adaptation, and the unexpected solace found through connections in nature and between humans.
If you want to stay, you have to die.
In a small fishing town known for its aging birding community and the local oyster farm, a hidden evil emerges from the depths of the ocean. It begins with sea snails washing ashore, attacking whatever they cling to. This mysterious infection starts transforming the wildlife, the seascapes, and finally, the people.
Once infected, residents of Baywood start “deading”: collapsing and dying, only to rise again, changed in ways both fanatical and physical. As the government cuts the town off from the rest of the world, the uninfected, including the introverted bird-loving Blas and his jaded older brother Chango, realize their town could be ground zero for a fundamental shift in all living things.
Soon, disturbing beliefs and autocratic rituals emerge, overseen by the death-worshiping Risers. People must choose how to survive, how to find home, and whether or not to betray those closest to them. Stoked by paranoia and isolation, tensions escalate until Blas, Chango, and the survivors of Baywood must make their escape or become subsumed by this terrifying new normal.
At points claustrophobic and haunting, soulful and melancholic, The Deading lyrically explores the disintegration of society, the horror of survival and adaptation, and the unexpected solace found through connections in nature and between humans.
321 pages, Paperback
First published July 23, 2024
108 people are currently reading
24377 people want to read
About the author
Nicholas Belardes
11 books290 followersPublishers Weekly says shiningly about TEN SLEEP: “Belardes adroitly keeps readers guessing about whether his protagonists will survive their harrowing journey, while demonstrating a mastery of daylight terror." And that's not all. Library Journal cheers Belardes's latest eco-horror as a “coming-of-age, visceral Weird Western marked by palpable terror and populated by uncanny creatures."
TEN SLEEP is now available for preorder.
A writer of the American West, Nicholas Belardes’s books often combine elements of horror, fantasy, eco-horror, and science fiction.
And don't forget THE DEADING. The New York Times calls this debut a “dystopian eco-horror that perfectly balances social critique, lyricism and ghastliness. It’s a claustrophobic mosaic of a novel, and an outstanding debut.”
Follow me on Bluesky
TEN SLEEP is now available for preorder.
A writer of the American West, Nicholas Belardes’s books often combine elements of horror, fantasy, eco-horror, and science fiction.
And don't forget THE DEADING. The New York Times calls this debut a “dystopian eco-horror that perfectly balances social critique, lyricism and ghastliness. It’s a claustrophobic mosaic of a novel, and an outstanding debut.”
Follow me on Bluesky
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 309 reviews
September 4, 2024
Some segments had delightful prose, but it was really limited to some POVs/scenes and not something that carried through the whole book.
If it had been just about the eco/sci-fi horror and/or the birding aspect it could have been an easy 5 stars for me but the deading/community descent into cultism/dystopian side just didn't really work and added unnecessary bulk to a story that was already quite busy.
Long story short, there were aspects of this book which were fantastic and aspects I really couldn't make myself care about and I was left feeling like the author had too many ideas and should have decided on some aspects to focus on but didn't.
2.5 rounded up.
If it had been just about the eco/sci-fi horror and/or the birding aspect it could have been an easy 5 stars for me but the deading/community descent into cultism/dystopian side just didn't really work and added unnecessary bulk to a story that was already quite busy.
Long story short, there were aspects of this book which were fantastic and aspects I really couldn't make myself care about and I was left feeling like the author had too many ideas and should have decided on some aspects to focus on but didn't.
2.5 rounded up.
May 3, 2024
Thank you to Goodreads and the publisher for the ARC giveaway for this title.
Imagine it. Coastal town. Birds chirping. The smells of salt and sea. The breeze and the sun. Seems like a dream come true. Except that something is amiss. Something sinister and unknown is lurking in Baywood. And everyone's dying to find out what it is.
The Deading is a conspiracy theorist / bird-watcher's fantasy. There is an ecological aspect to the book as well as a "big brother is watching" angle. There is lots of introspective monologue as well as societal/socioeconomic discussion. And the birds. So much talk about birds. One thing that was missing was the horror that I was promised. Were there some tense moments and some bizarre happenings? Yes. Unfortunately, so much of the book was "literary mumbojumbo" and I feel robbed of a great spooky thing that I thought I was getting.
You know that auntie that comes to the party with her side dish of potato salad? She could have just made a normal recipe, and everyone would have enjoyed it. But no. This one adds walnuts, raisins, and coconut shavings to it. Is it even potato salad anymore? This book was like this auntie. Just too extra for no reason. Adding junk that didn't improve the story. It only made it longer and less appealing. Since this is an ARC, I'm hoping that reviews like this can help to "smooth out the rough edges" before the August pub date. I feel like the center concept of the book was the background of the book and the "thoughts on society" or "government watching us" took the foreground and it just wasn't what was advertised. If you want to write that book, do it. But don't advertise it as an apocalyptic horror novel. It's unfair.
Imagine it. Coastal town. Birds chirping. The smells of salt and sea. The breeze and the sun. Seems like a dream come true. Except that something is amiss. Something sinister and unknown is lurking in Baywood. And everyone's dying to find out what it is.
The Deading is a conspiracy theorist / bird-watcher's fantasy. There is an ecological aspect to the book as well as a "big brother is watching" angle. There is lots of introspective monologue as well as societal/socioeconomic discussion. And the birds. So much talk about birds. One thing that was missing was the horror that I was promised. Were there some tense moments and some bizarre happenings? Yes. Unfortunately, so much of the book was "literary mumbojumbo" and I feel robbed of a great spooky thing that I thought I was getting.
You know that auntie that comes to the party with her side dish of potato salad? She could have just made a normal recipe, and everyone would have enjoyed it. But no. This one adds walnuts, raisins, and coconut shavings to it. Is it even potato salad anymore? This book was like this auntie. Just too extra for no reason. Adding junk that didn't improve the story. It only made it longer and less appealing. Since this is an ARC, I'm hoping that reviews like this can help to "smooth out the rough edges" before the August pub date. I feel like the center concept of the book was the background of the book and the "thoughts on society" or "government watching us" took the foreground and it just wasn't what was advertised. If you want to write that book, do it. But don't advertise it as an apocalyptic horror novel. It's unfair.
August 20, 2024
DNF @ 50%
For a book with such an intriguing blurb, a badass horror cover, and great marketing it’s incredible disappointing to give up on it. But I cannot read another repetitive, useless, cyclical descriptive paragraph, or run-on sentence, again. There are so many issues with this story sadly.
Here are the big ones that stand out to me:
1) I never know who is talking at the beginning of the chapter! I need names please, or immediate orientating of which characters POV I’m getting. It’s very annoying (and distracting) to try and figure out whose thoughts I’m reading.
2) The extended descriptive, repetitive prose is unnecessary. I don’t need five different examples of birds being unable to fly or humans lying on the grass. This book could be less than half its size if the prose was cut down and made short, sweet, and impactful.
3) The actual plot has been lost inside the descriptions and constant discussion of birds. I do not care this much about bird watching! The Deading could have been a cool opportunity to get people interested in birdwatching. Instead it will bore you into looking for birds; anything to keep you distracted from reading more on the page in front of you.
4) The isolation of the town is illogical at times. Apparently no one was visiting when the quarantine was imposed? No one is missing family members who were travelling, all the kids have all their parents and friends in town at the moment of isolation? It’s strange that this assumption is put into place when it could have setup an interesting plot point about who is where and how the virus attacks locals versus tourists different. Huge lost opportunity in my opinion.
5) I’m sooo bored. I do not care at all what is happening in the bay, with the animals and humans, etc. I went and crept on some other reviews and read a lot of the same complaints I have. And so I’m DNFing this one because it doesn’t seem worth it to carry on if it doesn’t get any better (which according to other reviewers it doesn’t).
It’s always disappointing to be unsatisfied by a book, but to be downright annoyed, bored, and disinterested takes a fair bit of work (ironically). The Deading needed a heavy handed editor, some story boarding to map out who is where, when and why, and some focus on the point of the story or at least a sense of where it’s headed. Thus I concede, I’m beat and ready to move on get or into something that (hopefully) doesn’t include anything about birdwatching.
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
For a book with such an intriguing blurb, a badass horror cover, and great marketing it’s incredible disappointing to give up on it. But I cannot read another repetitive, useless, cyclical descriptive paragraph, or run-on sentence, again. There are so many issues with this story sadly.
Here are the big ones that stand out to me:
1) I never know who is talking at the beginning of the chapter! I need names please, or immediate orientating of which characters POV I’m getting. It’s very annoying (and distracting) to try and figure out whose thoughts I’m reading.
2) The extended descriptive, repetitive prose is unnecessary. I don’t need five different examples of birds being unable to fly or humans lying on the grass. This book could be less than half its size if the prose was cut down and made short, sweet, and impactful.
3) The actual plot has been lost inside the descriptions and constant discussion of birds. I do not care this much about bird watching! The Deading could have been a cool opportunity to get people interested in birdwatching. Instead it will bore you into looking for birds; anything to keep you distracted from reading more on the page in front of you.
4) The isolation of the town is illogical at times. Apparently no one was visiting when the quarantine was imposed? No one is missing family members who were travelling, all the kids have all their parents and friends in town at the moment of isolation? It’s strange that this assumption is put into place when it could have setup an interesting plot point about who is where and how the virus attacks locals versus tourists different. Huge lost opportunity in my opinion.
5) I’m sooo bored. I do not care at all what is happening in the bay, with the animals and humans, etc. I went and crept on some other reviews and read a lot of the same complaints I have. And so I’m DNFing this one because it doesn’t seem worth it to carry on if it doesn’t get any better (which according to other reviewers it doesn’t).
It’s always disappointing to be unsatisfied by a book, but to be downright annoyed, bored, and disinterested takes a fair bit of work (ironically). The Deading needed a heavy handed editor, some story boarding to map out who is where, when and why, and some focus on the point of the story or at least a sense of where it’s headed. Thus I concede, I’m beat and ready to move on get or into something that (hopefully) doesn’t include anything about birdwatching.
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
August 18, 2024
2.5 stars. Just finished the book so might add something to the review later or add stars.
I didn't dislike the book but it didn't quite grip me the way I tought it would. The premise was cool and I was intruiged but I couldn't really get invested in it.
I didn't dislike the book but it didn't quite grip me the way I tought it would. The premise was cool and I was intruiged but I couldn't really get invested in it.
July 25, 2024
When a small fishing town called Baywood is assailed by an inexplicable infection originating from a being within the ocean that causes people and animals to experience “deading,”: the act of abruptly dying and then returning to life mentally and physically changed, a bird-loving teenager named Blas Enriquez and other uninflected residents must adjust to a new existence.
Cut off from the outside world by the government, they contend with the changes to the environent around them and the rising paranoia and unhinged death-worshipping rituals concocted by the Risers, who fixate upon their inability to dead as they do.
The Deading is a novel with an intriguing premise and is a blend of isolation, environmental, body and cosmic horror. Told from multiple perspectives and with a switch between first person and third person point of view, the disturbing disintegration of a community is interspersed with contemplations regarding existence and a great deal of detail pertaining to various birds and the subject of bird-watching.
Blas is an interesting character: a teenager who loves his hobby of watching and documenting birds despite some desparaging remarks from his older brother Chango and other wealthier residents, who then must deal with his mother and brother in the grips of “deading” while his friends slowly dwindle and his community is reshaped into something malevolent.
His older friend and fellow birder Kumi Sato also provides a thoughtful examination of her own experiences, as well as the extent of the fervor and indoctrination of the Risers when she infiltrates their nightmarish ceremonies.
Certain scenes are absolutely engrossing, such as the changes experienced by a character in the beginning of the novel, scenes involving the garish rituals created by the Risers and a final confrontation that edges into the surreal and yet remains unsettling.
Some of the writing resembles a rambling stream of consciousness and there are moments in the middle where the plot becomes slow and seems to drag. There are also characters who survived separately from Blas and who seem to reinvigorate the story, but they aren’t introduced until close to the conclusion of the novel, which is also slightly abrupt as well.
Nevertheless, The Deading displays an admirable passion for its subject matter. Thank you very much to NetGalley, Kensington Books and Erewhon Books for providing access to this ebook.
Cut off from the outside world by the government, they contend with the changes to the environent around them and the rising paranoia and unhinged death-worshipping rituals concocted by the Risers, who fixate upon their inability to dead as they do.
The Deading is a novel with an intriguing premise and is a blend of isolation, environmental, body and cosmic horror. Told from multiple perspectives and with a switch between first person and third person point of view, the disturbing disintegration of a community is interspersed with contemplations regarding existence and a great deal of detail pertaining to various birds and the subject of bird-watching.
Blas is an interesting character: a teenager who loves his hobby of watching and documenting birds despite some desparaging remarks from his older brother Chango and other wealthier residents, who then must deal with his mother and brother in the grips of “deading” while his friends slowly dwindle and his community is reshaped into something malevolent.
His older friend and fellow birder Kumi Sato also provides a thoughtful examination of her own experiences, as well as the extent of the fervor and indoctrination of the Risers when she infiltrates their nightmarish ceremonies.
Certain scenes are absolutely engrossing, such as the changes experienced by a character in the beginning of the novel, scenes involving the garish rituals created by the Risers and a final confrontation that edges into the surreal and yet remains unsettling.
Some of the writing resembles a rambling stream of consciousness and there are moments in the middle where the plot becomes slow and seems to drag. There are also characters who survived separately from Blas and who seem to reinvigorate the story, but they aren’t introduced until close to the conclusion of the novel, which is also slightly abrupt as well.
Nevertheless, The Deading displays an admirable passion for its subject matter. Thank you very much to NetGalley, Kensington Books and Erewhon Books for providing access to this ebook.
November 4, 2024
Somewhere within Nicholas Belardes's novel "The Deading" is a fascinating environmentalist horror novel, mixed in with an alien virus invasion story reminiscent of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers".
The problem is that getting in the way of the novel is a distracting (albeit entertaining) obsession with bird-watching, a less-than-clear explanation for what the hell is actually going on, and characters that simply aren't relatable or well-developed.
There's something about an invasive species of highly aggressive snails that seems integral to the plot, but it is mentioned in the beginning and then dropped.
And I'm not sure what the hell "deading" actually is. Belarde, I think, is cleverly making a wry joke about our "Youtube/Tik Tok" culture by explaining that "deading", in the novel, started out as a viral movement in which young people (middle school and high school age mostly) fake dropping dead en masse and then getting up after a few minutes as if nothing happened. Later, when the "alien virus outbreak/invasion" starts, people start deading in real-life. They appear to drop dead and then come back to life. Except they aren't zombies, but they aren't quite their original selves either. Something is very different about them.
Comparisons have been made to Stephen King's novel "Under the Dome", but I don't see it, except for the fact that the entire novel takes place within a small coastal town that is immediately quarantined and monitored by drones. That's about the only similarity.
Frankly, I wasn't taken in by this novel, mainly because it feels like a lot is left unexplained, which normally isn't a problem for me, except that a lot of what isn't explained is essentially integral to a basic understanding and appreciation of Belardes's worldview, which remains muddled and ambiguous, at best.
The problem is that getting in the way of the novel is a distracting (albeit entertaining) obsession with bird-watching, a less-than-clear explanation for what the hell is actually going on, and characters that simply aren't relatable or well-developed.
There's something about an invasive species of highly aggressive snails that seems integral to the plot, but it is mentioned in the beginning and then dropped.
And I'm not sure what the hell "deading" actually is. Belarde, I think, is cleverly making a wry joke about our "Youtube/Tik Tok" culture by explaining that "deading", in the novel, started out as a viral movement in which young people (middle school and high school age mostly) fake dropping dead en masse and then getting up after a few minutes as if nothing happened. Later, when the "alien virus outbreak/invasion" starts, people start deading in real-life. They appear to drop dead and then come back to life. Except they aren't zombies, but they aren't quite their original selves either. Something is very different about them.
Comparisons have been made to Stephen King's novel "Under the Dome", but I don't see it, except for the fact that the entire novel takes place within a small coastal town that is immediately quarantined and monitored by drones. That's about the only similarity.
Frankly, I wasn't taken in by this novel, mainly because it feels like a lot is left unexplained, which normally isn't a problem for me, except that a lot of what isn't explained is essentially integral to a basic understanding and appreciation of Belardes's worldview, which remains muddled and ambiguous, at best.
March 10, 2025
“Under The Dome” meets “Gone” vibes in this terrifying tale!
Any scene that has the entity in it freaks me right out. This is true horror. This is snails gone wild, along with everything else in Baywood, CA. Don’t read this if you get the creepy-crawlies—you’ll be triggered to the Nth degree.
It was fascinating to see the breakdown of society, the urge to eradicate anything “other”, no matter what side of the “deading” you find yourself on. (I’ve always wondered why people feel the need to eliminate anyone different…why can’t everyone just let everyone else alone??) I definitely would not want to be stuck in this town!
This is the author’s debut novel, and I received an advance copy in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to both NetGalley and Erewhon Books! Be sure to check it out in July 2024.
#horror #creepy #snails #birdwatching #thedeading #erewhonbooks #nicholasbelardes #quarantine
Any scene that has the entity in it freaks me right out. This is true horror. This is snails gone wild, along with everything else in Baywood, CA. Don’t read this if you get the creepy-crawlies—you’ll be triggered to the Nth degree.
It was fascinating to see the breakdown of society, the urge to eradicate anything “other”, no matter what side of the “deading” you find yourself on. (I’ve always wondered why people feel the need to eliminate anyone different…why can’t everyone just let everyone else alone??) I definitely would not want to be stuck in this town!
This is the author’s debut novel, and I received an advance copy in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to both NetGalley and Erewhon Books! Be sure to check it out in July 2024.
#horror #creepy #snails #birdwatching #thedeading #erewhonbooks #nicholasbelardes #quarantine
January 10, 2025
Rating: 4.0 ⭐️
Updated Review:
“It’s like they’re deading.” in other words: Uh-oh. 😫
Can you imagine bodies going still, mouths foaming, eyes rolling back, people dropping dead (or so it seems) and then they come back like nothing happened? Yeah, they are just "deading".
Nicholas Belardes's debut novel The Deading is a twisted, strange, fascinating story. From the get-go, I liked the atmospheric tension of the story, how it alternated between a few characters' POVs and how their fear was so desperate, crippling and paralysing to read, whilst they still try to understand what's going on and how this new disease "the deading" came around.
The plot was dark, but undeniably thought-provoking. We get to experience different stories, happening at the same time, and how these characters come across their worst nightmares 1) trying to not get infected by this contagious disease that's terrifying, irreversible and gruesome, 2) staying alive and not be condemned by the new town leadership - the Risers or Deaders, who lost their minds and turned against each other 😅 and 3) trying to make their way out of Baywood, their hostile town, also quarantined by artificial intelligence.
For me, it definitely kept me on my toes and it almost felt like watching an all-out horror, pandemic movie in my mind.
If you are into frightening tales, check this one out in 2024! 🖤 #TheDeading
Huge thanks to Kensington/Erewhon Books and #NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Updated Review:
“It’s like they’re deading.” in other words: Uh-oh. 😫
Can you imagine bodies going still, mouths foaming, eyes rolling back, people dropping dead (or so it seems) and then they come back like nothing happened? Yeah, they are just "deading".
Nicholas Belardes's debut novel The Deading is a twisted, strange, fascinating story. From the get-go, I liked the atmospheric tension of the story, how it alternated between a few characters' POVs and how their fear was so desperate, crippling and paralysing to read, whilst they still try to understand what's going on and how this new disease "the deading" came around.
The plot was dark, but undeniably thought-provoking. We get to experience different stories, happening at the same time, and how these characters come across their worst nightmares 1) trying to not get infected by this contagious disease that's terrifying, irreversible and gruesome, 2) staying alive and not be condemned by the new town leadership - the Risers or Deaders, who lost their minds and turned against each other 😅 and 3) trying to make their way out of Baywood, their hostile town, also quarantined by artificial intelligence.
For me, it definitely kept me on my toes and it almost felt like watching an all-out horror, pandemic movie in my mind.
If you are into frightening tales, check this one out in 2024! 🖤 #TheDeading
Huge thanks to Kensington/Erewhon Books and #NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
May 26, 2024
“It’s already in you. And it will spread. You know this. Your world will never be the same. An unexplainable terror begins slowly unraveling around you. The deading is here. Even the tiny birds will lies still, as if dying has become a greeting, and mourning is a welcome.”
I had such high hopes for this debut eco-horror novel about a small coastal town where a mysterious contagion wreaks havoc on the local population (mollusks, birds and people alike). Think 28 Days Later meets The Bay and add a bit of the Lovecraftian. With a synopsis like that, and a cover to match the vibes perfectly, I couldn’t wait to get into this story.
Unfortunately, it didn’t deliver what I hoped it would.
What I liked:
It’s clear from the start, as well as the acknowledgement in the back, that the author and I are fascinated by the same brand of horror. Eco-, cosmic-, biological, teetering on the edge between speculative/sci-fi and horror. Bonus points for adding in an ocean-element too. In short; read the synopsis of The Deading, and you have basically the description of my ideal horror-novel. As awful as it sounds, I wanted to read that book, just not in the way that Belardes chose to tell it.
What I didn’t like:
There are quite some things I could critique, but I’m narrowing it down to the most “objective” ones that bothered me the most.
First things first: one of the key factors in a story like this is memorable characters that can hook you into the story and make you care for their safety as events progress. After having read this entire book (parts of it twice because it wouldn’t stick), I cannot tell you a single characteristic of any of our protagonists. They are flat, unmemorable and barely discernable from each other on page. This is compounded by the fact that the author often jumps from one POV to another without clearly marking the shift, which makes for a jarring and disjointed reading-experience.
Disjointedness is my second major critique of the book as a whole. Many cosmic horror novels employ this “disorienting” technique of presenting the story, and in some cases it adds to the horror. Think of Annihilation or House of Leaves, which use fragmented narratives to convey the sense of disorientation their characters feel. The difference being that Vandermeer and Danielewski chose to tell their stories in a fragmented way, yet they have a firm grip on them and know where they’re taking the reader. With The Deading it often feels the author lacks that control, and let the story meander away from him, failing to tie it all back together.
That leads to my final, most all-encompassing point: this book tries to do waaaay to much. Had it been focused on just a small cast of characters in a fishing village, dealing with an unknowable contagion, Belardes probably could’ve pulled off something intense and gripping. Instead, there are far too many secondary plotlines and themes railroaded in. The book tries to do eco-horror, zombies, government-surveillance, religious-/cult-horror, cosmicism and more and spreads itself so thin there’s barely any substance left. In the end, there are no resolutions and far too many open ends to make for a satisfactory conclusion to the story. I’m not a reader that needs every answer spelled out for them. In fact, some of my favourites (like aforementioned Annihilation and House of Leaves), leave quite some room for interpretation. Yet at least in those stories, it feels the author knows the answers. In The Deading, it feels like the author was just as lost on how to wrap everything up as I was.
Overall, I’m truly sad I didn’t love this book. I’d be happy to check out the authors next work, as their interests are clearly close to mine. The execution just wasn’t quite there yet in this debut…
Many thanks to Erewhon Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
I had such high hopes for this debut eco-horror novel about a small coastal town where a mysterious contagion wreaks havoc on the local population (mollusks, birds and people alike). Think 28 Days Later meets The Bay and add a bit of the Lovecraftian. With a synopsis like that, and a cover to match the vibes perfectly, I couldn’t wait to get into this story.
Unfortunately, it didn’t deliver what I hoped it would.
What I liked:
It’s clear from the start, as well as the acknowledgement in the back, that the author and I are fascinated by the same brand of horror. Eco-, cosmic-, biological, teetering on the edge between speculative/sci-fi and horror. Bonus points for adding in an ocean-element too. In short; read the synopsis of The Deading, and you have basically the description of my ideal horror-novel. As awful as it sounds, I wanted to read that book, just not in the way that Belardes chose to tell it.
What I didn’t like:
There are quite some things I could critique, but I’m narrowing it down to the most “objective” ones that bothered me the most.
First things first: one of the key factors in a story like this is memorable characters that can hook you into the story and make you care for their safety as events progress. After having read this entire book (parts of it twice because it wouldn’t stick), I cannot tell you a single characteristic of any of our protagonists. They are flat, unmemorable and barely discernable from each other on page. This is compounded by the fact that the author often jumps from one POV to another without clearly marking the shift, which makes for a jarring and disjointed reading-experience.
Disjointedness is my second major critique of the book as a whole. Many cosmic horror novels employ this “disorienting” technique of presenting the story, and in some cases it adds to the horror. Think of Annihilation or House of Leaves, which use fragmented narratives to convey the sense of disorientation their characters feel. The difference being that Vandermeer and Danielewski chose to tell their stories in a fragmented way, yet they have a firm grip on them and know where they’re taking the reader. With The Deading it often feels the author lacks that control, and let the story meander away from him, failing to tie it all back together.
That leads to my final, most all-encompassing point: this book tries to do waaaay to much. Had it been focused on just a small cast of characters in a fishing village, dealing with an unknowable contagion, Belardes probably could’ve pulled off something intense and gripping. Instead, there are far too many secondary plotlines and themes railroaded in. The book tries to do eco-horror, zombies, government-surveillance, religious-/cult-horror, cosmicism and more and spreads itself so thin there’s barely any substance left. In the end, there are no resolutions and far too many open ends to make for a satisfactory conclusion to the story. I’m not a reader that needs every answer spelled out for them. In fact, some of my favourites (like aforementioned Annihilation and House of Leaves), leave quite some room for interpretation. Yet at least in those stories, it feels the author knows the answers. In The Deading, it feels like the author was just as lost on how to wrap everything up as I was.
Overall, I’m truly sad I didn’t love this book. I’d be happy to check out the authors next work, as their interests are clearly close to mine. The execution just wasn’t quite there yet in this debut…
Many thanks to Erewhon Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
June 18, 2024
3.5 stars rounded up.
I can definitely see where the other reviewers are coming from. But the reasons others gave this 1 or 2 stars were the reasons that I liked this novel. Different strokes for different folks.
The POV changes, from different characters to first, second, and third person, and going back and forth between all of these different modes of storytelling, can be really jarring and off-putting. But strangely, I liked them. Each different POV gave different insights into the microcosm that was the town of Baywood. I really liked how it gave a well-rounded view on this alien invasion/pandemic story.
It wasn't very difficult for me to discern between the characters because each POV was written well enough that you could tell who was speaking. Sometimes I couldn't tell what was going on, but honestly, it added to the book's atmosphere because most of the characters also had no idea what was going on.
I feel terrible for saying this, but the one thing that really turned me off was the constant talk about bird species. I love when people talk about their passions, and I was really into birds when I was younger, but this felt like the author cornering me and mowing me down with facts about every single bird they've ever seen. It was so overwhelming.
I think if you like bizarre horror, you might enjoy this. If not, then maybe skip this.
Thank you to Erewhon Books and NetGalley for this arc.
I can definitely see where the other reviewers are coming from. But the reasons others gave this 1 or 2 stars were the reasons that I liked this novel. Different strokes for different folks.
The POV changes, from different characters to first, second, and third person, and going back and forth between all of these different modes of storytelling, can be really jarring and off-putting. But strangely, I liked them. Each different POV gave different insights into the microcosm that was the town of Baywood. I really liked how it gave a well-rounded view on this alien invasion/pandemic story.
It wasn't very difficult for me to discern between the characters because each POV was written well enough that you could tell who was speaking. Sometimes I couldn't tell what was going on, but honestly, it added to the book's atmosphere because most of the characters also had no idea what was going on.
I feel terrible for saying this, but the one thing that really turned me off was the constant talk about bird species. I love when people talk about their passions, and I was really into birds when I was younger, but this felt like the author cornering me and mowing me down with facts about every single bird they've ever seen. It was so overwhelming.
I think if you like bizarre horror, you might enjoy this. If not, then maybe skip this.
Thank you to Erewhon Books and NetGalley for this arc.
August 8, 2024
TW/CW: Language, gore, drinking, toxic family relationships, racism, sexism
*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:
In a small fishing town known for its aging birding community and the local oyster farm, a hidden evil emerges from the depths of the ocean. It begins with sea snails washing ashore, attacking whatever they cling to. This mysterious infection starts transforming the wildlife, the seascapes, and finally, the people.
Once infected, residents of Baywood start “deading”: collapsing and dying, only to rise again, changed in ways both fanatical and physical. As the government cuts the town off from the rest of the world, the uninfected, including the introverted bird-loving Blas and his jaded older brother Chango, realize their town could be ground zero for a fundamental shift in all living things.
Soon, disturbing beliefs and autocratic rituals emerge, overseen by the death-worshiping Risers. People must choose how to survive, how to find home, and whether or not to betray those closest to them. Stoked by paranoia and isolation, tensions escalate until Blas, Chango, and the survivors of Baywood must make their escape or become subsumed by this terrifying new normal.
Release Date: July 23rd, 2024
Genre: Horror
Pages: 304
Rating: ⭐
What I Liked:
1. Cover
2. The synopsis sounded good
What I Didn't Like:
1. Deading mentioned 121
2. Didn't care for the writing style
3. Story is all over the place
Overall Thoughts:
{{Disclaimer: I write my review as I read}}
Take a drink everytime deading is mentioned.
Wtf?
Final Thoughts:
I am so completely sorry but I just could not get into this book. It jumps from thought to thought and you never really have a sense of what you're even reading because we're on to another person or another subject. It just seems like this book lacked focus.
There were so many times when I was reading that I would zone out because I no longer found myself caring about what I was even reading about. The characters were not interesting. It just sounded like a bunch of whiny kids going off about how adults are pretending to get the dreading. I guess back in my day we would have called them posers. I guess in these kids minds they think adults are throwing themselves into the road pretending to have it so that they could have their legs run over and get a totally different personality. I don't even know.
I got halfway into the book before I decided I could no longer carry on. I really tried I did. It just was so boring and unfocused.
IG | Blog
Thanks to Netgalley and Erewhon Books for the ebook. Thanks to Recorded Books for the audiobook. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:
In a small fishing town known for its aging birding community and the local oyster farm, a hidden evil emerges from the depths of the ocean. It begins with sea snails washing ashore, attacking whatever they cling to. This mysterious infection starts transforming the wildlife, the seascapes, and finally, the people.
Once infected, residents of Baywood start “deading”: collapsing and dying, only to rise again, changed in ways both fanatical and physical. As the government cuts the town off from the rest of the world, the uninfected, including the introverted bird-loving Blas and his jaded older brother Chango, realize their town could be ground zero for a fundamental shift in all living things.
Soon, disturbing beliefs and autocratic rituals emerge, overseen by the death-worshiping Risers. People must choose how to survive, how to find home, and whether or not to betray those closest to them. Stoked by paranoia and isolation, tensions escalate until Blas, Chango, and the survivors of Baywood must make their escape or become subsumed by this terrifying new normal.
Release Date: July 23rd, 2024
Genre: Horror
Pages: 304
Rating: ⭐
What I Liked:
1. Cover
2. The synopsis sounded good
What I Didn't Like:
1. Deading mentioned 121
2. Didn't care for the writing style
3. Story is all over the place
Overall Thoughts:
{{Disclaimer: I write my review as I read}}
Take a drink everytime deading is mentioned.
Wtf?
Final Thoughts:
I am so completely sorry but I just could not get into this book. It jumps from thought to thought and you never really have a sense of what you're even reading because we're on to another person or another subject. It just seems like this book lacked focus.
There were so many times when I was reading that I would zone out because I no longer found myself caring about what I was even reading about. The characters were not interesting. It just sounded like a bunch of whiny kids going off about how adults are pretending to get the dreading. I guess back in my day we would have called them posers. I guess in these kids minds they think adults are throwing themselves into the road pretending to have it so that they could have their legs run over and get a totally different personality. I don't even know.
I got halfway into the book before I decided I could no longer carry on. I really tried I did. It just was so boring and unfocused.
IG | Blog
Thanks to Netgalley and Erewhon Books for the ebook. Thanks to Recorded Books for the audiobook. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
December 29, 2023
1.75 stars, rounded off to 2.
thanks NetGalley for an ARC of this novel.
Story starts with a gloomy atmosphere in this town with people trying to imitate dying for a while and attacked by something in strange way which did not make any sense to me throughout the novel.
Reminds me of a book by Blake Crouch in which people saw some light and started hunting the others who did not see that light. same case was here but its like the dome, in which only this town was kept isolated with depressing gov tactics and drone surveillance, which was totally absurd.
it was like to make a point in a story or make it very dystopian you just changed the world very dramatic.it was melancholic setting or tries very hard to be one.
there were some POVs to carry forward the story and they all begin without even a single hint of who is talking lol.Timeline was very confusing from the beginning itself and adding other characters did not help a bit.
and in the last i want to point out about all the unnecessary info on the birds and nature, it was so irritating after sometime that i had to speed read it. this novel gets exciting a bit after 70% and gets slow down even faster. And there were no explanation or a closure or even a good ending.(Mic drop)
thanks NetGalley for an ARC of this novel.
Story starts with a gloomy atmosphere in this town with people trying to imitate dying for a while and attacked by something in strange way which did not make any sense to me throughout the novel.
Reminds me of a book by Blake Crouch in which people saw some light and started hunting the others who did not see that light. same case was here but its like the dome, in which only this town was kept isolated with depressing gov tactics and drone surveillance, which was totally absurd.
it was like to make a point in a story or make it very dystopian you just changed the world very dramatic.it was melancholic setting or tries very hard to be one.
there were some POVs to carry forward the story and they all begin without even a single hint of who is talking lol.Timeline was very confusing from the beginning itself and adding other characters did not help a bit.
and in the last i want to point out about all the unnecessary info on the birds and nature, it was so irritating after sometime that i had to speed read it. this novel gets exciting a bit after 70% and gets slow down even faster. And there were no explanation or a closure or even a good ending.(Mic drop)
August 30, 2025
I’m unfortunately going to have to DNF this horror book. I enjoyed the killer snails 🐌 and the fantastic horror setting of a seaside tourist town. I liked that the bad guy got killed off. I did not like a character describing his brother having sexual relationships with a tree. I’m also sensory defensive about people eating with their mouth open and yes, this makes me want to vomit. However, this book made me interested in reading other books in the eco-horror genre.
April 23, 2024
oh man I really wanted to like this one. My gut was telling me to DNF it over and over again and I kept ignoring it, hoping it would get better, but nope. It didn't. And that really sucks because, in theory, it had the potential to be really good...
It's part eco horror, part oceanic horror, part cosmic horror, part social horror. and part pandy fiction, so at face value it has all the ingredients of something I would love but it just couldn't seem to pull it off.
An oyster farm is the site of the snail bite that sets the whole thing off - a woman gets bit, if bit is the right word, and she basically becomes comatose while more and more of the things crawl on and into her. Her boss attempts to save her and gets bit as well. She vanishes into the water while he becomes something else entirely. Like a patient zero or super boss kind of thing. And then within no time, it spreads to the townspeople who begin deading... seizing, foaming at the mouth, falling down dead on to the ground, only to stand back up a few minutes later and go back to their lives as if nothing happened. The sea town is quickly quarantined by the government, who begin to monitor them with drones, and the residents begin breaking themselves off into two groups - those who dead, now referred to as Risers, and those who don't, the uninfected. And those who don't... are beginning to fear for their lives.
Sounds so good right?! God I wish it was. It meandered a lot, there were whole entire sections that focused on birding (I mean, the cover, which is gorgeous btw, even has one on it) but it felt very loose and disconnected and didn't spend a lot of time on the actual deading. What caused it? Where did the virus, if it is a virus, come from? Why do those who are infected keep deading and rising? Where do they "go" when they die each time? Why doesn't the government actually go in and test or check on them? Why... why... why???
Sigh.
For the social horror part, think Jose Saramago's Blindness and Seeing but not nearly as good.
It's part eco horror, part oceanic horror, part cosmic horror, part social horror. and part pandy fiction, so at face value it has all the ingredients of something I would love but it just couldn't seem to pull it off.
An oyster farm is the site of the snail bite that sets the whole thing off - a woman gets bit, if bit is the right word, and she basically becomes comatose while more and more of the things crawl on and into her. Her boss attempts to save her and gets bit as well. She vanishes into the water while he becomes something else entirely. Like a patient zero or super boss kind of thing. And then within no time, it spreads to the townspeople who begin deading... seizing, foaming at the mouth, falling down dead on to the ground, only to stand back up a few minutes later and go back to their lives as if nothing happened. The sea town is quickly quarantined by the government, who begin to monitor them with drones, and the residents begin breaking themselves off into two groups - those who dead, now referred to as Risers, and those who don't, the uninfected. And those who don't... are beginning to fear for their lives.
Sounds so good right?! God I wish it was. It meandered a lot, there were whole entire sections that focused on birding (I mean, the cover, which is gorgeous btw, even has one on it) but it felt very loose and disconnected and didn't spend a lot of time on the actual deading. What caused it? Where did the virus, if it is a virus, come from? Why do those who are infected keep deading and rising? Where do they "go" when they die each time? Why doesn't the government actually go in and test or check on them? Why... why... why???
Sigh.
For the social horror part, think Jose Saramago's Blindness and Seeing but not nearly as good.
January 22, 2025
If you look at the Goodreads listing of what each star mean it says 2 stars = it was ok.
That's where I'm landing with THE DEADING.
The writing style is not for me. Never read Belardes before and I probably won't read anymore from him. First off, there was way too much bird information here. Like a landslide or avalanche of bird species and such. It just buries page after page of prose and even muddles up a number of chapters overall. Beyond the initial part of the story with Bernhard, I was left uninterested and/or confused way too often. I had to push myself through the book. I wanted it to tighten up and give me something good to leave with, but it only got weirder when it went into another direction with "The Risers".
I also didn't like the way you don't know which characters POV you're in when a chapter starts.
What did I like? Well, the eco horror concept was good. I liked a bit that reminded me of The Thing (REMINDER: THIS STORY ISN'T THE THING). I do feel like, with a strong editor or with a set of more story/character-minded beta readers, THE DEADING could have been a fantastic creature feature/eco horror novel.
Unfortunately, as it is, THE DEADING reaches too far in too many directions and never quite pulls anything together. I couldn't care about any of the characters, which would be fine if the story was way tighter, but that was not the case.
I give THE DEADING 2 stars.
That's where I'm landing with THE DEADING.
The writing style is not for me. Never read Belardes before and I probably won't read anymore from him. First off, there was way too much bird information here. Like a landslide or avalanche of bird species and such. It just buries page after page of prose and even muddles up a number of chapters overall. Beyond the initial part of the story with Bernhard, I was left uninterested and/or confused way too often. I had to push myself through the book. I wanted it to tighten up and give me something good to leave with, but it only got weirder when it went into another direction with "The Risers".
I also didn't like the way you don't know which characters POV you're in when a chapter starts.
What did I like? Well, the eco horror concept was good. I liked a bit that reminded me of The Thing (REMINDER: THIS STORY ISN'T THE THING). I do feel like, with a strong editor or with a set of more story/character-minded beta readers, THE DEADING could have been a fantastic creature feature/eco horror novel.
Unfortunately, as it is, THE DEADING reaches too far in too many directions and never quite pulls anything together. I couldn't care about any of the characters, which would be fine if the story was way tighter, but that was not the case.
I give THE DEADING 2 stars.
May 15, 2024
Genre:
Science fiction
Horror
Eco horror
Gen adult fiction
Speculative fiction
Like a cross between:
Stephen King’s Under The Dome
Horror Movie -Slither (2006)
Lovecraftian cosmic horror monster
Containment tv series
Birdwatching guide/how to for dummies
This book was an interesting read but not a book I would probably read again. It started well, and it was interesting enough for me to keep reading until the end. It is told through the perspective of multiple different characters which at times can be exciting and propel the narrative forward but other times almost seems to slow the pace and take the story on irrelevant detours. I found it heavily focused on birdwatching, which seemed well researched but at times got a bit slow to read and lost my attention. The downfall of the town and breaking apart of social norms, beliefs and values was interesting. I agree that it is somewhat similar to Under the Dome by Stephen king as the town is cut off from the rest of the world and as things like gas, cellphones, tv and radio fail the people become more a danger to others than the deading itself. And the deading becomes a way of dividing society into a new hierarchical system. Its vague ending leaves room for a sequel as it doesn’t seem to have a concrete resolution.
Science fiction
Horror
Eco horror
Gen adult fiction
Speculative fiction
Like a cross between:
Stephen King’s Under The Dome
Horror Movie -Slither (2006)
Lovecraftian cosmic horror monster
Containment tv series
Birdwatching guide/how to for dummies
This book was an interesting read but not a book I would probably read again. It started well, and it was interesting enough for me to keep reading until the end. It is told through the perspective of multiple different characters which at times can be exciting and propel the narrative forward but other times almost seems to slow the pace and take the story on irrelevant detours. I found it heavily focused on birdwatching, which seemed well researched but at times got a bit slow to read and lost my attention. The downfall of the town and breaking apart of social norms, beliefs and values was interesting. I agree that it is somewhat similar to Under the Dome by Stephen king as the town is cut off from the rest of the world and as things like gas, cellphones, tv and radio fail the people become more a danger to others than the deading itself. And the deading becomes a way of dividing society into a new hierarchical system. Its vague ending leaves room for a sequel as it doesn’t seem to have a concrete resolution.
May 1, 2024
ARC for review. To be published July 23, 2024.
Thirteen months ago the teenagers of Baywood High in California went through a period of “deading,” pretending to be dead, for their social media feeds. Now everyone in Baywood is doing it, seemingly for real. It began when Bernhard, a local oyster dealer found an invasive snail in his oyster crop. The part-alien life force took him over and he went off to the swamp to become….something else and then the deading began, people dropping dead, then reviving. Birds and animals do this too. Only in Baywood. A quarantine is quickly set up around the town.
Teenage birder Blas and elderly birders Ingram and Kumi do not dead. Factions quickly form within town. What will happen to Baywood and its residents?
This book was a bit maddening. Parts were good, but what, exactly, is happening is left very vague. Kumi says, “I’m not deading. I don’t have the desire to,” but birds and animals dead, so it hardly sounds like peer pressure is a factor. And how did the adults in town manage to let the whole thing turn into a Hot Tooic goth ritual? Way to stand strong, parents! So, ultimately frustrating, but some good stuff here.
Thirteen months ago the teenagers of Baywood High in California went through a period of “deading,” pretending to be dead, for their social media feeds. Now everyone in Baywood is doing it, seemingly for real. It began when Bernhard, a local oyster dealer found an invasive snail in his oyster crop. The part-alien life force took him over and he went off to the swamp to become….something else and then the deading began, people dropping dead, then reviving. Birds and animals do this too. Only in Baywood. A quarantine is quickly set up around the town.
Teenage birder Blas and elderly birders Ingram and Kumi do not dead. Factions quickly form within town. What will happen to Baywood and its residents?
This book was a bit maddening. Parts were good, but what, exactly, is happening is left very vague. Kumi says, “I’m not deading. I don’t have the desire to,” but birds and animals dead, so it hardly sounds like peer pressure is a factor. And how did the adults in town manage to let the whole thing turn into a Hot Tooic goth ritual? Way to stand strong, parents! So, ultimately frustrating, but some good stuff here.
did-not-finish
April 3, 2025DNF - 10% of the audiobook.
Extremely meh.
While I did not reach anything particularly offensive, I didn't feel like slogging through a climate change horror (one of my least favorite things to read, given the current state of the world) just to see why everyone was so disappointed in this book.
Extremely meh.
While I did not reach anything particularly offensive, I didn't feel like slogging through a climate change horror (one of my least favorite things to read, given the current state of the world) just to see why everyone was so disappointed in this book.
August 9, 2024
I don't know how I feel about this one. It was a bit monotone but the plot was wild.
I love books like this but it felt a little unanimated. I needed a bit more excitement in the tone. I don't think it was the narrator, it was just the tone of the book, wasn't right for me but I did love how it ended
3 stars
I love books like this but it felt a little unanimated. I needed a bit more excitement in the tone. I don't think it was the narrator, it was just the tone of the book, wasn't right for me but I did love how it ended
3 stars
January 15, 2024
(this is an advance review through NetGalley)
The Deading had a lot attracting me to it, a strange premise, links to King's Under the Dome and an intense title. And as I dove into the book it only got stranger still. The book has many 'parts' - part virus horror, part cosmic, part societal critique, part cult, with a dash of satire snuck in there.
The plot follows Baywood, or rather the mysterious hivemind/blob/infection that spreads into the small isolated town, leading to an enforced quarantine. A violent quarantine which is somehow less concerning than the bizarre process of 'deading' where people and animals infected have a tendency to 'die' for short periods.
Perhaps my favourite thing about this story is the quirky and unique juxtaposition of normal everyday life alongside the unusual and disturbing infection. It's not a zombie thriller, nor is it a typical pandemic thriller - The Deading obviously has a major impact on the population but at the same time people are sort of going about their lives, either trying to understand/resist/lean into the infection process.
My only real concerns about the book is there is a LOT. A raft of characters, plot points, and themes all while maintaining an air of mystery about the events of the story. For the first few chapters I actually genuinely thought this was going to be one of those winding narratives where each chapter was a brand new perspective as for about the first 5 or so was always a new POV. In a similar vein there were moments were I found the narrative a little too speedy, there were some really intense grounded scenes, but often some really significant moments seemed almost rushed, and reviewed in a sort of narrative summary. I honestly thought this book could have been twice as long and spent more time exploring the events of the story and been the better for it.
Overall The Deading though is really good, I could imagine this being a really good movie or TV series as the premise is so different, while there are nods to tropey or genre elements the tale feels like itself and itself only. Some might be disappointed to read this that the story isn't heavy on answers, perhaps leaving more questions afterwards - also I feel this book acts as a kind of 'multiphor' the blob/infection/Deading kind of representing many different themes (racism, classism, ageism, nature striking back, at least) so in some respects it avoid preaching because the story touches on many different issues, but some might prefer a more direct message.
An exciting and original work, recommended!
The Deading had a lot attracting me to it, a strange premise, links to King's Under the Dome and an intense title. And as I dove into the book it only got stranger still. The book has many 'parts' - part virus horror, part cosmic, part societal critique, part cult, with a dash of satire snuck in there.
The plot follows Baywood, or rather the mysterious hivemind/blob/infection that spreads into the small isolated town, leading to an enforced quarantine. A violent quarantine which is somehow less concerning than the bizarre process of 'deading' where people and animals infected have a tendency to 'die' for short periods.
Perhaps my favourite thing about this story is the quirky and unique juxtaposition of normal everyday life alongside the unusual and disturbing infection. It's not a zombie thriller, nor is it a typical pandemic thriller - The Deading obviously has a major impact on the population but at the same time people are sort of going about their lives, either trying to understand/resist/lean into the infection process.
My only real concerns about the book is there is a LOT. A raft of characters, plot points, and themes all while maintaining an air of mystery about the events of the story. For the first few chapters I actually genuinely thought this was going to be one of those winding narratives where each chapter was a brand new perspective as for about the first 5 or so was always a new POV. In a similar vein there were moments were I found the narrative a little too speedy, there were some really intense grounded scenes, but often some really significant moments seemed almost rushed, and reviewed in a sort of narrative summary. I honestly thought this book could have been twice as long and spent more time exploring the events of the story and been the better for it.
Overall The Deading though is really good, I could imagine this being a really good movie or TV series as the premise is so different, while there are nods to tropey or genre elements the tale feels like itself and itself only. Some might be disappointed to read this that the story isn't heavy on answers, perhaps leaving more questions afterwards - also I feel this book acts as a kind of 'multiphor' the blob/infection/Deading kind of representing many different themes (racism, classism, ageism, nature striking back, at least) so in some respects it avoid preaching because the story touches on many different issues, but some might prefer a more direct message.
An exciting and original work, recommended!
August 5, 2024
This book had so much potential but I feel like it fell a little flat. Under the Dome meets The Last of us is a big thing to achieve. Killer snails! Love it. But it didn’t really go anywhere. The birds! Could have came together really well but for me it didn’t. The deading started by the kids and then came across town like a plague didn’t feel very fleshed out. Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to review.
July 22, 2024
Basically, this book sucks. DNF. A disjointed all over the place so called horror novel. It made no sense at all, so disappointing. Thanks to Kensington Books for the free Advance Reader Edition but lately most of the free books I have been receiving have been awful.
January 1, 2024
Thank you to Netgalley for providing an Advanced Readers Copy of this book in exchange for a review.
DNF at 14% of the way through. Sorry, I tried but I could not bring myself to continue without it seeming like a chore. I really wanted to like this book but i did not.
I’d like to start this review by starting with the positives. When requesting this book, the cover instantly took my fancy. It is beautiful and I love the colour scheme of it. The colours didn’t clash on the cover and went well together with the font. The description as well also pulled me in. With the small descriptions we did get through the book, I quiet enjoyed the imagery shown and how is easily gripped me.
With all the above said, let’s move on to the aspects of the book that I enjoyed less AKA the negative part of the review. Now some of what I want to say may not be negative but others may be. This is just my opinion so take it with a pinch of salt.
There were times where I felt like there was some serious info dumping and it made me overwhelmed to say the least. Some of the information I felt like we didn’t need to know and could be weaved into the narrative as it made me skim over them. The info dumping made it seem like I was reading a text book instead of a novel. There were also some small parts while reading that I felt were ‘told’ outright to us, like the author/narrator telling us a character saying something in a current scene where it can be shown the character said/done such thing instead.
I did want to stop reading once I got to the end of chapter one but I kept reading in hopes I would enjoy it after. I really did try but I just couldn’t. The side characters I felt were ‘forgettable’. I probably don’t remember but I don’t think I know what any of them look like especially the people the main character works with. I found myself not remembering who these people were when their names came up as well.
There were also times where some sentences read as if we were reading from the middle of one instead of a complete sentence. One example would be where sentences started with ‘Has’ or some variant of that. I do feel like some of the sentences could be reworded so they didn’t feel odd or out of place. I also felt like the chapters didn’t flow well from each other and the timeline threw me off as it seemed to me we were thrown from one scene to another scene? It just confused me a little as well.
Overall, I’d rate this book a two out of five stars. I just couldn’t get past 14% on this book.
DNF at 14% of the way through. Sorry, I tried but I could not bring myself to continue without it seeming like a chore. I really wanted to like this book but i did not.
I’d like to start this review by starting with the positives. When requesting this book, the cover instantly took my fancy. It is beautiful and I love the colour scheme of it. The colours didn’t clash on the cover and went well together with the font. The description as well also pulled me in. With the small descriptions we did get through the book, I quiet enjoyed the imagery shown and how is easily gripped me.
With all the above said, let’s move on to the aspects of the book that I enjoyed less AKA the negative part of the review. Now some of what I want to say may not be negative but others may be. This is just my opinion so take it with a pinch of salt.
There were times where I felt like there was some serious info dumping and it made me overwhelmed to say the least. Some of the information I felt like we didn’t need to know and could be weaved into the narrative as it made me skim over them. The info dumping made it seem like I was reading a text book instead of a novel. There were also some small parts while reading that I felt were ‘told’ outright to us, like the author/narrator telling us a character saying something in a current scene where it can be shown the character said/done such thing instead.
I did want to stop reading once I got to the end of chapter one but I kept reading in hopes I would enjoy it after. I really did try but I just couldn’t. The side characters I felt were ‘forgettable’. I probably don’t remember but I don’t think I know what any of them look like especially the people the main character works with. I found myself not remembering who these people were when their names came up as well.
There were also times where some sentences read as if we were reading from the middle of one instead of a complete sentence. One example would be where sentences started with ‘Has’ or some variant of that. I do feel like some of the sentences could be reworded so they didn’t feel odd or out of place. I also felt like the chapters didn’t flow well from each other and the timeline threw me off as it seemed to me we were thrown from one scene to another scene? It just confused me a little as well.
Overall, I’d rate this book a two out of five stars. I just couldn’t get past 14% on this book.
March 23, 2024
I enter a lot of giveaways on Goodreads because I am always looking for a new, exciting author to entertain or engage me. I won this book and it looked interesting, so I started it right away.
I was extremely disappointed, as too often happens with books I win.
The problem began right at the beginning of the novel with a letter from the executive editor of the book's publisher. It's rather long and she compares the story that follows to Stephen King's Under the Dome, Jeff VanderMeer's Southern Reach trilogy and Emily St. John Mandel's Sea of Tranquility. Talk about setting some high expectations! Then she concluded the letter with a reference to the TV series, The Last of Us. All of this is rather pretentious for a writer's first novel.
And it does not deliver. I find a lot of journalists, which is Nicholas Belardes claim to fame, struggle when it comes to fiction. They often are too flowery, too obtuse, too "arty" to communicate effectively. In addition, it turns out Belardes is an avid birder and laments the number of Mexican-Americans represented in today's horror literature. So he pushes both in this book. They say authors should "write what they know," but I could not conjure up much interest in the types of birds observed by one of the characters in the small coastal town, which is the center of the story.
After about 50 pages I gave up. I won't be going back. And I doubt, despite the comparisons, you are going to see a TV series based on this book. Not recommended. Sorry.
I was extremely disappointed, as too often happens with books I win.
The problem began right at the beginning of the novel with a letter from the executive editor of the book's publisher. It's rather long and she compares the story that follows to Stephen King's Under the Dome, Jeff VanderMeer's Southern Reach trilogy and Emily St. John Mandel's Sea of Tranquility. Talk about setting some high expectations! Then she concluded the letter with a reference to the TV series, The Last of Us. All of this is rather pretentious for a writer's first novel.
And it does not deliver. I find a lot of journalists, which is Nicholas Belardes claim to fame, struggle when it comes to fiction. They often are too flowery, too obtuse, too "arty" to communicate effectively. In addition, it turns out Belardes is an avid birder and laments the number of Mexican-Americans represented in today's horror literature. So he pushes both in this book. They say authors should "write what they know," but I could not conjure up much interest in the types of birds observed by one of the characters in the small coastal town, which is the center of the story.
After about 50 pages I gave up. I won't be going back. And I doubt, despite the comparisons, you are going to see a TV series based on this book. Not recommended. Sorry.
April 6, 2024
Got through about one-third and quit. But thank you Goodreads, as I won this book through your giveaway program.
A zombie-ish thing is happening on the west coast, in the tidal marshes, in the oyster beds. Small snails which drill into oysters and eat them alive are just - what? Everywhere. Eating people, turning them into mushy-brained monsters. But the problem isn't that, it's this...
The book reads like a field natural history text. With endless asides to birding. Yes, birding! There are heavy, weighty - dare I say 'verbose? - and lengthy passages about birds. Endless lists of names of birds. More endless information on habitat and rarity and size and color and so on and so on. Not to say this wouldn't be interesting to birders, but it's simply too much.
(And btw, I have bluebirds on my feeders as I write this. Bluebirds! Haven't seen that in ten or more years. Also goldfinch, purple finch, cardinals and a lot of fat mourning doves down on the ground.)
I digress...
There's also endless info on oyster farming, ecology, environmental degradation, tides and salinity and the fact that the snails are eating people alive - and yet they're not really 'dead' - gets lost. Sometimes a writer does want to impress the reader with what he knows, and that can be all for the good, adding 'meat' to a story. But in this case, so much info overwhelms the story itself.
One star.
A zombie-ish thing is happening on the west coast, in the tidal marshes, in the oyster beds. Small snails which drill into oysters and eat them alive are just - what? Everywhere. Eating people, turning them into mushy-brained monsters. But the problem isn't that, it's this...
The book reads like a field natural history text. With endless asides to birding. Yes, birding! There are heavy, weighty - dare I say 'verbose? - and lengthy passages about birds. Endless lists of names of birds. More endless information on habitat and rarity and size and color and so on and so on. Not to say this wouldn't be interesting to birders, but it's simply too much.
(And btw, I have bluebirds on my feeders as I write this. Bluebirds! Haven't seen that in ten or more years. Also goldfinch, purple finch, cardinals and a lot of fat mourning doves down on the ground.)
I digress...
There's also endless info on oyster farming, ecology, environmental degradation, tides and salinity and the fact that the snails are eating people alive - and yet they're not really 'dead' - gets lost. Sometimes a writer does want to impress the reader with what he knows, and that can be all for the good, adding 'meat' to a story. But in this case, so much info overwhelms the story itself.
One star.
July 24, 2025
Forever a book that will stick with me. It truly captures the feeling of the Central California Coast and what it’s like to bird that area. The horror aspect was phenomenal and I felt on edge the entire time I was reading in the best way. I am new to eco horror but will definitely be reading more books from this author, especially as he isn’t afraid to address real issues in the birding community.
quit-dnf
June 30, 2024DNF at page 42.
Beautiful cover art and a compelling synopsis can't save the prose on this one. The Deading reads more like a dry academic textbook on oyster farming and birding than a horror novel, and it didn't take long for boredom to outweigh my patience. Moving onto my next read...
Beautiful cover art and a compelling synopsis can't save the prose on this one. The Deading reads more like a dry academic textbook on oyster farming and birding than a horror novel, and it didn't take long for boredom to outweigh my patience. Moving onto my next read...
June 8, 2024
The premise was good but the execution was lacking. I got 30% in and it just wasn't grabbing me. It's a DNF for me.
August 5, 2024
Thank You, NetGalley for an advanced ARC of this book as an audiobook
what got me interested in this book was the description saying - **Stephen King’s _Under the Dome_ meets _The Last of Us_ in this harrowing dystopian novel about the downward spiral of a seaside town that becomes infected by a mysterious ocean-borne contagion.**
But for me I got vibes of the thing as well which is not a bad thing due to the fact I love the original film, but also the recent game that came out called Still Wakes The Deep but on land not an oil rig... This book is a very slow burn at the beginning and it goes into many POVS of the people who live in the small fishing sea town, the book starts picking up pace at around 35 to 40% showing more of the contamination & its possession of the people from the inside, changing them by making them die to rise again. In this we get allot of information about birds but they are important to the story due to the mutation being spread by them as well as other animals... we see a small population be isolated and contained by the government & the teenagers who made a trend called Deading where teens pretend to be dead (but some of them after a while thinks that what they created has taken on a life of its own creating a new urban legend & myth like bloody Mary - starting a religion in how far the delusion has taken hold - not realizing this is a creature and disease ).
This book is definitely not a book that will be for everyone due to how slow it starts and the themes it has ( but the story i thought was very well written and also very well in how it presents the atmosphere and connection to the people so you care about what's happening, as well as keeping you gripped if your like me who enjoys weird and the unusual )
what got me interested in this book was the description saying - **Stephen King’s _Under the Dome_ meets _The Last of Us_ in this harrowing dystopian novel about the downward spiral of a seaside town that becomes infected by a mysterious ocean-borne contagion.**
But for me I got vibes of the thing as well which is not a bad thing due to the fact I love the original film, but also the recent game that came out called Still Wakes The Deep but on land not an oil rig... This book is a very slow burn at the beginning and it goes into many POVS of the people who live in the small fishing sea town, the book starts picking up pace at around 35 to 40% showing more of the contamination & its possession of the people from the inside, changing them by making them die to rise again. In this we get allot of information about birds but they are important to the story due to the mutation being spread by them as well as other animals... we see a small population be isolated and contained by the government & the teenagers who made a trend called Deading where teens pretend to be dead (but some of them after a while thinks that what they created has taken on a life of its own creating a new urban legend & myth like bloody Mary - starting a religion in how far the delusion has taken hold - not realizing this is a creature and disease ).
This book is definitely not a book that will be for everyone due to how slow it starts and the themes it has ( but the story i thought was very well written and also very well in how it presents the atmosphere and connection to the people so you care about what's happening, as well as keeping you gripped if your like me who enjoys weird and the unusual )
August 10, 2024
The Deading
Nicholas Belardes
RBmedia Publishing
2.5 / 5
Ok, so ...
The Deading was another book I didn't enjoy, unfortunately.
This book has a great concept. Great ideas. Nicholas Belardes is clearly a talented writer, and knows his subject matter. And this book did have some important and interesting things to say ... It just felt like the author had too many pots boiling all at once.
I personally felt the story tried to do too many things, and by doing that, didn't perfectly nail down anything, IMO. The writing felt scholarly at times. I had to read several parts a couple times, and still didn't fully understand what I'd read.
There were elements of the story that we never fully circled back to ...
And I really didn't feel it contained much horror.
It had some good moments, and the concept is horrifying ... but in a book this ... dense with information ... I would have preferred more horror to spruce up the lesson plan.
Lastly, I didn't really feel like I could get connected to the characters ... I honestly I can't say if they weren't that developed, or if my brain was just tired at that point ... and I struggled to keep up with the POV's. They switch up on you with no warning.
Although maybe you'll enjoy this book a lot more than I did!
😊
Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for this ARC eBook in exchange for honest feedback.
Nicholas Belardes
RBmedia Publishing
2.5 / 5
Ok, so ...
The Deading was another book I didn't enjoy, unfortunately.
This book has a great concept. Great ideas. Nicholas Belardes is clearly a talented writer, and knows his subject matter. And this book did have some important and interesting things to say ... It just felt like the author had too many pots boiling all at once.
I personally felt the story tried to do too many things, and by doing that, didn't perfectly nail down anything, IMO. The writing felt scholarly at times. I had to read several parts a couple times, and still didn't fully understand what I'd read.
There were elements of the story that we never fully circled back to ...
And I really didn't feel it contained much horror.
It had some good moments, and the concept is horrifying ... but in a book this ... dense with information ... I would have preferred more horror to spruce up the lesson plan.
Lastly, I didn't really feel like I could get connected to the characters ... I honestly I can't say if they weren't that developed, or if my brain was just tired at that point ... and I struggled to keep up with the POV's. They switch up on you with no warning.
Although maybe you'll enjoy this book a lot more than I did!
😊
Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for this ARC eBook in exchange for honest feedback.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 309 reviews