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The Darkest Deep: A Novel
A FAST-PACED PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER DEEP BENEATH THE OCEAN’S SURFACE
A scavenger trapped in a defunct undersea train tunnel struggles to escape as his air supply—and his sanity—dwindles in this debut psychological thriller.
The Transatlantic Train Tunnel, connecting New York and London, was meant to be the next Wonder of the World. But after the disastrous maiden voyage seven years ago, it’s generated nothing but protests, lawsuits, and bankruptcy. The only traffic the tunnel sees these days is scrappers harvesting its useless remains before it’s fully dismantled.
Not everyone is willing to take a tedious job one hundred and fifty feet below sea level, but Ben Breckenridge doesn’t have a choice. He needs the money, and the work will help quiet his anxieties. That is, until one of the bulkhead doors mysteriously locks, trapping him inside.
With limited air supply, Ben must race deeper into the tunnel to find a way out. Yet the farther he goes, the more his mind disintegrates. To survive, he’ll have to reckon with the monsters in his head. Only then will he be able to face the actual monster that’s now hunting him down . . .
“An intense, claustrophobic thriller that grabs you by the throat and won’t let go. Chris Butera has outdone himself; this is a book I won’t forget anytime soon.” —Samantha Downing, international-bestselling author of Too Old for This
“A unique and delightfully creepy riff on the ‘haunted house’ genre. That alone would be reason enough to recommend it. What makes this novel truly special, however, is how author Chris Butera forces us to be content with true the human mind, robbed of all distraction and comforts, is forced to contend with itself.” —Shaun Hamill, author of A Cosmology of Monsters
A scavenger trapped in a defunct undersea train tunnel struggles to escape as his air supply—and his sanity—dwindles in this debut psychological thriller.
The Transatlantic Train Tunnel, connecting New York and London, was meant to be the next Wonder of the World. But after the disastrous maiden voyage seven years ago, it’s generated nothing but protests, lawsuits, and bankruptcy. The only traffic the tunnel sees these days is scrappers harvesting its useless remains before it’s fully dismantled.
Not everyone is willing to take a tedious job one hundred and fifty feet below sea level, but Ben Breckenridge doesn’t have a choice. He needs the money, and the work will help quiet his anxieties. That is, until one of the bulkhead doors mysteriously locks, trapping him inside.
With limited air supply, Ben must race deeper into the tunnel to find a way out. Yet the farther he goes, the more his mind disintegrates. To survive, he’ll have to reckon with the monsters in his head. Only then will he be able to face the actual monster that’s now hunting him down . . .
“An intense, claustrophobic thriller that grabs you by the throat and won’t let go. Chris Butera has outdone himself; this is a book I won’t forget anytime soon.” —Samantha Downing, international-bestselling author of Too Old for This
“A unique and delightfully creepy riff on the ‘haunted house’ genre. That alone would be reason enough to recommend it. What makes this novel truly special, however, is how author Chris Butera forces us to be content with true the human mind, robbed of all distraction and comforts, is forced to contend with itself.” —Shaun Hamill, author of A Cosmology of Monsters
289 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 12, 2025
35 people are currently reading
8806 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
August 25, 2025
4 stars
I picked this one up right away because it released on Kindle Unlimited and it had one of the most interesting premises I've read all year - a horror novel about an enormous, expensive underwater tunnel connecting New York City and London. The maiden voyage was catastrophic, resulting in the deaths of many and for eight years it has been abandoned by all except those willing to venture inside and plunder the materials used to make it. One such person is our MMC Ben, who's out of both options and money.
My feelings about Ben are mixed. I do think he's mostly a good person who is deeply flawed in many ways. The author did a good job slowly revealing information about his past and there were creepy moments in the tunnel that genuinely made me shiver. The endless miles, the creeping paranoia, the constant need to reup on supplies and oxygen, it all made up a tense atmosphere.
I picked this one up right away because it released on Kindle Unlimited and it had one of the most interesting premises I've read all year - a horror novel about an enormous, expensive underwater tunnel connecting New York City and London. The maiden voyage was catastrophic, resulting in the deaths of many and for eight years it has been abandoned by all except those willing to venture inside and plunder the materials used to make it. One such person is our MMC Ben, who's out of both options and money.
My feelings about Ben are mixed. I do think he's mostly a good person who is deeply flawed in many ways. The author did a good job slowly revealing information about his past and there were creepy moments in the tunnel that genuinely made me shiver. The endless miles, the creeping paranoia, the constant need to reup on supplies and oxygen, it all made up a tense atmosphere.
August 11, 2025
#ad much love for my advance copy @podiumentertainment #partner 😘😘😘
🆃🅷🅴 🅳🅰🆁🅺🅴🆂🆃 🅳🅴🅴🅿 🌊
< @chrisebutera >
ᴘᴜʙʟɪꜱʜᴇꜱ ᴛᴏᴍᴏʀʀᴏᴡ
Buckle up. Strap in. Hold on to your hats. Pop a Xanax. I’m pulling out all the stops for this one. Oof! The Darkest Deep by Chris Butera is a phenomenal, claustrophobic read you won’t be able to put down. A slow descent into the inner workings of the human brain.
“Boring is what I'm after. Interesting' isn't all that exciting when you're my age. Gotta find your own way to have fun, make things my own personal sort of interesting,” (p. 38).
“And when the journey's done, I'll be a butterfly. Maybe not a beautiful butterfly but changed noneth—,” (p. 105).
Welcome to the Steel Glass Ocean - think subway meets aquarium. An underwater tunnel connecting from the US to the UK, stretching three thousand miles of track and steel, 150 feet below the ocean’s surface. It’s the most brutal job imaginable for a two-man crew - stripping the tunnel of every salvageable scrap - copper mesh, wiring, insulated tubing - before it’s demolished in six months.
Crews have quit in droves. Some whisper the tunnel is haunted. But Ben needs the work, and Fontaine needs a partner. Now it’s just the two of them - and whatever else lurks beneath the sea.
I loved how each chapter title followed Ben’s progress down the tunnel, and the details - like exactly how far he was from shore at each point - this added to the creeping, suffocating tension. Those little touches made the setting feel terrifyingly more real. I couldn’t stop reading once I started.
But this book doesn’t just have terror, it also has depth - and I’m not talking about the ocean kind. In both characters and in plot, you’ll find a layered and complex story.
The writing is engaging, witty, and dread-inducing all at the same time. Pulling that off takes talent - and Butera absolutely nails it. ALL THE STARS.
𝕄𝕖𝕞𝕠𝕣𝕒𝕓𝕝𝕖:
✓ Shiitcanned
✓ The Banter
✓ Boondoggle
✓ Snickers
✓ 99 bottles of O2
✓ Octo-snot
This book reads more like a fiction/thriller so even those who don’t read much horror can enjoy this one. It felt more like an exploration of loneliness, grief, and how being completely isolated from other humans affects your mental state; (And it was fking fantastic!) Of course ramping up more and more as the story progresses and we get to the separate parts of the story (4 in total).
I’ll def be reading whatever this author writes next - loved it is an understatement. If you read The Luminous Dead you’ll absolutely LOVE this one.
#podiumentertainment #thedarkestdeep
🆃🅷🅴 🅳🅰🆁🅺🅴🆂🆃 🅳🅴🅴🅿 🌊
< @chrisebutera >
ᴘᴜʙʟɪꜱʜᴇꜱ ᴛᴏᴍᴏʀʀᴏᴡ
Buckle up. Strap in. Hold on to your hats. Pop a Xanax. I’m pulling out all the stops for this one. Oof! The Darkest Deep by Chris Butera is a phenomenal, claustrophobic read you won’t be able to put down. A slow descent into the inner workings of the human brain.
“Boring is what I'm after. Interesting' isn't all that exciting when you're my age. Gotta find your own way to have fun, make things my own personal sort of interesting,” (p. 38).
“And when the journey's done, I'll be a butterfly. Maybe not a beautiful butterfly but changed noneth—,” (p. 105).
Welcome to the Steel Glass Ocean - think subway meets aquarium. An underwater tunnel connecting from the US to the UK, stretching three thousand miles of track and steel, 150 feet below the ocean’s surface. It’s the most brutal job imaginable for a two-man crew - stripping the tunnel of every salvageable scrap - copper mesh, wiring, insulated tubing - before it’s demolished in six months.
Crews have quit in droves. Some whisper the tunnel is haunted. But Ben needs the work, and Fontaine needs a partner. Now it’s just the two of them - and whatever else lurks beneath the sea.
I loved how each chapter title followed Ben’s progress down the tunnel, and the details - like exactly how far he was from shore at each point - this added to the creeping, suffocating tension. Those little touches made the setting feel terrifyingly more real. I couldn’t stop reading once I started.
But this book doesn’t just have terror, it also has depth - and I’m not talking about the ocean kind. In both characters and in plot, you’ll find a layered and complex story.
The writing is engaging, witty, and dread-inducing all at the same time. Pulling that off takes talent - and Butera absolutely nails it. ALL THE STARS.
𝕄𝕖𝕞𝕠𝕣𝕒𝕓𝕝𝕖:
✓ Shiitcanned
✓ The Banter
✓ Boondoggle
✓ Snickers
✓ 99 bottles of O2
✓ Octo-snot
This book reads more like a fiction/thriller so even those who don’t read much horror can enjoy this one. It felt more like an exploration of loneliness, grief, and how being completely isolated from other humans affects your mental state; (And it was fking fantastic!) Of course ramping up more and more as the story progresses and we get to the separate parts of the story (4 in total).
I’ll def be reading whatever this author writes next - loved it is an understatement. If you read The Luminous Dead you’ll absolutely LOVE this one.
#podiumentertainment #thedarkestdeep
July 31, 2025
So, he imagined he was being followed. Fine. It was just that: imagination. Irrationality spawning things in the dark. There was nothing there. Even if there was, the tunnel's glass was nearly as thick as a man is tall. The tethering cables triple reinforced.
He was Ben fucking Breckenridge.
A Tunnel wouldn't beat him.
Like many adult men, I fell away from reading as life got busier, but boy am I glad I picked the hobby back up recently. When people describe a true page turner, I will forever think of The Darkest Deep.
Perfect for fans of Dark Matter, The Deep, and The Luminous Dead, this book isn't just a pulse-pounding thriller, it has real emotional depth, too. Beneath the eerie setting and relentless tension is a relevant exploration of isolation, purpose, and the human mind under pressure. It's the kind of story that's easy to read, and even easier to unpack in long discussions with your book club. I insisted that my fiancé start reading right away, so I would have someone to discuss it with!
I won't spoil the deeper themes here, but if you love a haunting setting, razor-sharp prose, and a mystery that spirals with energy and dread, pick up The Darkest Deep and dive in.
August 25, 2025
WOW. This book is nothing short of amazing. I cringed, I even cried. I've read so so many books and rarely has one touched me like this one has. Scary and horrible and sad and deep ocean and tunnels all the things that make an amazing story. I can't say enough, amazing work.
August 9, 2025
This book is phenomenal. It compels you forward from the first page to the last. Once you pick it up you won't want to put it down until you finish.
August 28, 2025
The Darkest Deep is a gripping and unsettling read, distinguished by Butera’s ability to craft a unique and chilling narrative. From the opening pages, the novel pulls readers into a claustrophobic descent that evokes anxiety, confusion, anger, and even fleeting relief—often within the same chapter. The concise, punchy structure of the chapters keeps the pacing sharp and engaging, while the richly detailed prose adds weight to each moment.
Butera’s characterization is particularly strong. The protagonist begins as someone readers can easily root for, yet his gradual unraveling in isolation feels raw, believable, and at times deeply disturbing. His descent into madness is portrayed with authenticity, making the psychological tension both convincing and memorable.
While the central twist may not be entirely unpredictable, it is nonetheless crafted with care and executed effectively, prompting readers to retrace earlier passages and reconsider details they might have overlooked. One area that proved challenging, though perhaps unavoidable, was the middle section of the novel. As the character spirals further into insanity, the repetition mirrors his mental state, but it can also feel heavy for readers, slightly slowing the momentum.
Despite these moments, The Darkest Deep stands as a compelling and skillfully told story that lingers long after the final page. Its atmosphere, emotional depth, and psychological sharpness make it a standout work that I would confidently recommend. Overall, a thoroughly enjoyable experience—solidly four out of five.
Butera’s characterization is particularly strong. The protagonist begins as someone readers can easily root for, yet his gradual unraveling in isolation feels raw, believable, and at times deeply disturbing. His descent into madness is portrayed with authenticity, making the psychological tension both convincing and memorable.
While the central twist may not be entirely unpredictable, it is nonetheless crafted with care and executed effectively, prompting readers to retrace earlier passages and reconsider details they might have overlooked. One area that proved challenging, though perhaps unavoidable, was the middle section of the novel. As the character spirals further into insanity, the repetition mirrors his mental state, but it can also feel heavy for readers, slightly slowing the momentum.
Despite these moments, The Darkest Deep stands as a compelling and skillfully told story that lingers long after the final page. Its atmosphere, emotional depth, and psychological sharpness make it a standout work that I would confidently recommend. Overall, a thoroughly enjoyable experience—solidly four out of five.
September 4, 2025
Ah this was hands down one of my favourite books of the year. I hated that I had to work and put it down. It kept me on the edge of my seat because I was fully immersed in Ben’s dark journey through the tunnel. I was more and more invested with each mile (chapter). Can’t recommend enough if you like dark psychological thrillers.
August 21, 2025
It's been awhile since the last time I was so excited to read a book. This book didn't disappoint. It was thrilling, very intriguing, and had a very solid storyline. The build up was absolutely great. From start to finish, I was so hooked. I honestly didn't want it to end.
Highly recommended!
Highly recommended!
August 31, 2025
I loved the high-intensity thrill ride of this book! It was an excellent page turner that felt like a claustrophobic descent into madness a la Stephen King and a man versus beast epic a la Moby Dick while also being wholly original. A must-read!
September 2, 2025
This was so interesting!!! Really unique thriller premise. Also lol I haven’t updated my Goodreads in a week oops
November 29, 2025
3.5 ⭐️
Read
September 1, 2025DNF 43%
Just bored
Just bored
November 29, 2025
If you love ocean horror and atmostpheric horror, then this book was made for you! As someone who loves both of those genres dearly I was extremely excited to read this book. Honestly I am so sad that I kept this on my TBR for so long. Had I known what I was in for I would have read it probably months ago.
Not only is the plot incredible, but the mere vibes alone make this an easy 4 star read. You absolutely will think the story is going one way and that you have it all figured out but I promise you that is the farthest thing from the truth.
There is a lot of effort put in to showing the slow decline to mental stability in this novel and I think the pacing is right on track. It'll feel like watching a train crash in slow motion but you literally cannot look away to save your life. I honestly devoured this within a day or so if that tells you anything at all.
Not only is the plot incredible, but the mere vibes alone make this an easy 4 star read. You absolutely will think the story is going one way and that you have it all figured out but I promise you that is the farthest thing from the truth.
There is a lot of effort put in to showing the slow decline to mental stability in this novel and I think the pacing is right on track. It'll feel like watching a train crash in slow motion but you literally cannot look away to save your life. I honestly devoured this within a day or so if that tells you anything at all.
October 15, 2025
I don’t usually seek out stories that make me shiver, but Chris Butera’s The Darkest Deep hooked me and kept me taut, page after page. He renders a man who is driven, trapped, and haunted by his own mind so convincingly that I caught myself questioning my own grip on reality while reading.
Butera’s premise is brutally simple and wildly effective: a scavenger ventures into a defunct transatlantic train tunnel beneath the ocean—an abandoned mega-project meant to link New York and London—and becomes trapped as his air and sanity run low. This single, claustrophobic setting turns the ocean’s weight into constant pressure, converting every creak and drip into a threat. The result is a compact psychological thriller that doubles as isolation horror.
The novel’s strongest engine is interiority. As the protagonist’s options narrow, his mind widens in all the worst ways: memory tangles with paranoia, and purpose frays into obsession. Butera keeps the prose focused and propulsive, which makes even small decisions feel catastrophic. You don’t read so much as hold your breath.
World-building arrives in sharp, practical strokes. The failed “Transatlantic Train Tunnel” is sketched as a ruined marvel of modern ambition—lawsuits, protests, bankruptcy—now reduced to scrap and hazard. That backstory gives the book thematic bite: technological hubris leaves behind not just wreckage, but haunted spaces where people still try to eke out value and meaning.
Horror readers will recognize the classic “one-location descent,” but Butera keeps it fresh by rooting fear in cognition: the mind, stripped of distraction, becomes the true monster to confront. It’s no surprise early blurbs call the novel “intense” and “claustrophobic.” The atmosphere never loosens.
After I read the book, I absorbed the audio book version of The Darkest Deep is Butera’s by Eric Jason Martin and mirrors the book’s suffocating mood with controlled, pressured delivery. If you prefer audio, this performance amplifies the tension without showboating.
Bottom line: if you like psychological thrillers that compress time and space until they creak, this delivers. If you don’t usually read “scary,” this is the kind that wins converts—not through gore, but by placing you inside a mind that might be breaking and asking you to find a way out with it.
Butera’s premise is brutally simple and wildly effective: a scavenger ventures into a defunct transatlantic train tunnel beneath the ocean—an abandoned mega-project meant to link New York and London—and becomes trapped as his air and sanity run low. This single, claustrophobic setting turns the ocean’s weight into constant pressure, converting every creak and drip into a threat. The result is a compact psychological thriller that doubles as isolation horror.
The novel’s strongest engine is interiority. As the protagonist’s options narrow, his mind widens in all the worst ways: memory tangles with paranoia, and purpose frays into obsession. Butera keeps the prose focused and propulsive, which makes even small decisions feel catastrophic. You don’t read so much as hold your breath.
World-building arrives in sharp, practical strokes. The failed “Transatlantic Train Tunnel” is sketched as a ruined marvel of modern ambition—lawsuits, protests, bankruptcy—now reduced to scrap and hazard. That backstory gives the book thematic bite: technological hubris leaves behind not just wreckage, but haunted spaces where people still try to eke out value and meaning.
Horror readers will recognize the classic “one-location descent,” but Butera keeps it fresh by rooting fear in cognition: the mind, stripped of distraction, becomes the true monster to confront. It’s no surprise early blurbs call the novel “intense” and “claustrophobic.” The atmosphere never loosens.
After I read the book, I absorbed the audio book version of The Darkest Deep is Butera’s by Eric Jason Martin and mirrors the book’s suffocating mood with controlled, pressured delivery. If you prefer audio, this performance amplifies the tension without showboating.
Bottom line: if you like psychological thrillers that compress time and space until they creak, this delivers. If you don’t usually read “scary,” this is the kind that wins converts—not through gore, but by placing you inside a mind that might be breaking and asking you to find a way out with it.
August 10, 2025
I was in the mood for something dark and fun and a little twisted — like a “hammock read” on a weekend camping trip, or something like that. What I got instead was something way better and it was extremely surprising. Darkest Deep is a super tightly-written little dark fable that’s loaded with all kinds of interesting metaphors and themes that made me *actually* think about my life. It’s a story about relationships, and ambition, and (without giving too much away) the all-too-human flaws that sneakily guide the entire course of our lives, without us ever noticing until it’s too late. And it’s also hella scary and dripping with juicy, dreadful imagery.
It’s a really cool feeling when you accidentally discover an author at the beginning of their career, and you can tell they’re going to be someone to watch in the years to come. It’s kind of like you struck gold; you want to tell everyone about them, and at the same time you want to claim them as your own discovery, because it’s a badge of honor that you found them before the rest of the world did. Very happy to report that Chris Butera is on that list for me — it just sucks that I’ll have to wait however many years for his next one to come out. 5/5
It’s a really cool feeling when you accidentally discover an author at the beginning of their career, and you can tell they’re going to be someone to watch in the years to come. It’s kind of like you struck gold; you want to tell everyone about them, and at the same time you want to claim them as your own discovery, because it’s a badge of honor that you found them before the rest of the world did. Very happy to report that Chris Butera is on that list for me — it just sucks that I’ll have to wait however many years for his next one to come out. 5/5
August 17, 2025
I’m a fast reader. I tend to finish books in one sitting, but this one… I couldn’t. It sucks you in really fast, but it’s absolutely bone chillingly, bloodcurdlingly terrifying. I just finished reading another horror, and it was boring. This one though… I thought the horror would be from being stuck underwater. But no… it’s worse! It’s way worse! How he can’t escape his own mind, the horror of isolation, the fear of the unknown, the paranoia. Oh my goodness. It reminded me of movies by Hitchcock or books by Poe: make the simplest things absolutely terrifying. I would say I would read more books by this author, but I’ll have to wait until the nightmares stop to even think about it. And one of the worse parts for me was knowing that Ben’s lifeline was someone like Fontaine. I recommend it, but make sure you have an emotional support something or someone, because it will terrify you, and haunt you. So well written! And the details add to the horror, not drag it. Very well done. Now, if anyone knows of a solution for nightmares, I’d appreciate it, because man, this book is haunting me!.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
September 25, 2025
A psychological thriller that drags you 150 feet below sea level and refuses to let you come up for air. When Ben Breckenridge takes a salvage job in the abandoned Transatlantic Tunnel, he thinks the worst thing he’ll face is boredom. Instead, he finds himself trapped with limited oxygen, his sanity unraveling, and something hunting him in the dark. Butera’s debut is fast-paced, terrifying, and unforgettable. It's a haunting descent into fear and survival.
I had the honor of meeting the author a month before release at the bookstore and the way his wife talked about him with such passion and adoration made me want to read the book so bad. I was pleasantly surprised by how good it is. I told him he needs to write a romance next because the scenes where the main character is reminiscing about his wife are SO beautiful.
I had the honor of meeting the author a month before release at the bookstore and the way his wife talked about him with such passion and adoration made me want to read the book so bad. I was pleasantly surprised by how good it is. I told him he needs to write a romance next because the scenes where the main character is reminiscing about his wife are SO beautiful.
August 12, 2025
I suggest reading it if you like psychological thrillers, isolated settings, thrillers that make you feel physically tense the entire time, and sci-fi. #ad
This is a quick psychological thriller with short chapters that had me holding my breath from start to finish.
The book deals with the themes of isolation, loneliness, and guilt as our protagonist struggles to survive inside the tunnel. Be careful reading this one if you’re claustrophobic!
I really liked how all the pieces of the puzzle came together in the end. This book reminded me a bit of Dark Matter (which I loved), so if you like the genre, I highly recommend it.
Thank you Podium Entertainment and Chris Butera, this is my honest review! ❤️
This is a quick psychological thriller with short chapters that had me holding my breath from start to finish.
The book deals with the themes of isolation, loneliness, and guilt as our protagonist struggles to survive inside the tunnel. Be careful reading this one if you’re claustrophobic!
I really liked how all the pieces of the puzzle came together in the end. This book reminded me a bit of Dark Matter (which I loved), so if you like the genre, I highly recommend it.
Thank you Podium Entertainment and Chris Butera, this is my honest review! ❤️
August 29, 2025
Yes, the Darkest Deep is a stunning, one-man, page-turning thriller set in a claustrophobic, near future, high tech tunnel. I expected that. What I didn't expect was a vulnerable portrait of anxiety and shame- a modern day folktale about what happens when we let the false promises of ambition and manhood go too far.
Turns out, the Steal Glass Ocean tunnel is a vehicle for an unrelenting story as well as a sprawling (albeit, cylindrical) landscape for deep, subconscious questioning and conflict.
This book is beautifully disturbing and unflinching in its commitment to thrill the reader.
It made me scream. It broke my heart. It put me back together.
I was terrified. I was understood.
Who knew a horror/thriller novel set 150 feet below sea level could handle the fears and foibles of the human mind with such tenderness and care.
I couldn't recommend this book more (and not just because the book is dedicated to me).
Also, this book desperately needs to be movie.
Turns out, the Steal Glass Ocean tunnel is a vehicle for an unrelenting story as well as a sprawling (albeit, cylindrical) landscape for deep, subconscious questioning and conflict.
This book is beautifully disturbing and unflinching in its commitment to thrill the reader.
It made me scream. It broke my heart. It put me back together.
I was terrified. I was understood.
Who knew a horror/thriller novel set 150 feet below sea level could handle the fears and foibles of the human mind with such tenderness and care.
I couldn't recommend this book more (and not just because the book is dedicated to me).
Also, this book desperately needs to be movie.
August 23, 2025
The premise of this book was awesome. I give authors major props for choosing a claustrophobic setting where you have to REALLY rely on good storytelling to keep the reader engaged since the setting cannot change. Unfortunately this story was SO flat. I didn't have any indication the twist was going to happen and I sort of wish there were a few more clues because it felt like it came out of NOWHERE. I think it was a genius ending and conclusion, but the suspense wasn't there -- and this book NEEDED the suspense. The small chapters of the backstory came at the wrong times and focused on the wrong things. If you don't tell your readers everything because you want to create this unreliable narrator, then you actually need to make them unreliable. We had no reason to believe Ben wasn't who he said he was, and that was the fault of this story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 12, 2026
I hate writing bad reviews. As an author of a bad book myself, I know how much love and effort go into it.
But on a whole this just doesn't work. The premise itself is interesting, but wholly unplausable. Even outside of the bouyancy and plate tectonic issues, the biological factors are too great to overcome. And in the book itself the near-infinite battery of the ipod was strange.
But from the beginning, the environment, the context just isn't described well enough in detail to put you inside the story, which is necessary to feel the dread and insanity of the protagonist.
But on a whole this just doesn't work. The premise itself is interesting, but wholly unplausable. Even outside of the bouyancy and plate tectonic issues, the biological factors are too great to overcome. And in the book itself the near-infinite battery of the ipod was strange.
But from the beginning, the environment, the context just isn't described well enough in detail to put you inside the story, which is necessary to feel the dread and insanity of the protagonist.
August 20, 2025
The Darkest Deep is a relentless, 275-page claustrophobic panic attack that I wasn't able to put down. Part psychological techno-thriller reminiscent of Michael Crichton, part terrifying examination of the human psyche's fragility reminiscent of my most intrusive thoughts, it's a tightly paced page-turner from the very start and one hell of a debut novel from Chris Butera. I can't wait to see what he does next.
September 28, 2025
anywhere:
⸻
The Darkest Deep was an absolute thrill to read. From the very beginning, it hooked me with and I found myself racing through the pages because I couldn’t wait to see what happened next. The story was gripping and exciting all the way through, keeping me on edge in the best way possible.
I am already eager to see what he writes next. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys a fast-paced, suspenseful story!
⸻
The Darkest Deep was an absolute thrill to read. From the very beginning, it hooked me with and I found myself racing through the pages because I couldn’t wait to see what happened next. The story was gripping and exciting all the way through, keeping me on edge in the best way possible.
I am already eager to see what he writes next. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys a fast-paced, suspenseful story!
November 9, 2025
I love a good mystery that keeps you guessing until the end and this book was exactly that!! This is such a fun read that effortlessly absorbs you into the emotional, chaotic world of the main character. A combination of gasps, laughs, heart-racing moments, emotions, and genuine curiosity kept me engaged and excited to continue reading to see what happens next. I also loved the shorter, digestible chapters. Highly recommend!!! 10/10!!
August 20, 2025
What starts as a man's journey seemingly to escape his past goes full tilt into a psychological thriller full of incredible surreal imagery that made me shirk my responsibilities so I could see how the tale ends. You wont be able to put the book down, eager to get to this ending that Butera absolutely lands perfectly.
January 1, 2026
3.8 rounded up
This was a supremely atmosphericstory. I really loved the feel and potential of danger and dread when it started. I found the story to be engrossing. Characters could have used a little more fleshing out, and it did seem a bit long in parts and I may have skimmed a bit in the middle but don't think I missed much. I liked the "twist" and ending , so it was very enjoyable in all.
This was a supremely atmosphericstory. I really loved the feel and potential of danger and dread when it started. I found the story to be engrossing. Characters could have used a little more fleshing out, and it did seem a bit long in parts and I may have skimmed a bit in the middle but don't think I missed much. I liked the "twist" and ending , so it was very enjoyable in all.
August 11, 2025
I loved this book! The idea of a tunnel connecting New York to London works. The fear and anxiety builds and builds throughout to a great pay off. If you love psychological thrillers, horror, and creature features this is the book for you!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 19, 2025
A good read, some nice psychological drama. But what the author could have used was a technical adviser to explain the physics of vacuum to him. As someone who works with large vacuum chambers every day, there were some glaring errors that really took me out of the story.
October 9, 2025
Very well written and atmospheric novel. I was relieved when it was over, but not because it was bad. Not just a horror novel, but an excellent novel about dealing with unimaginable tragedy and the everyday pressures of attaining success in work and life.
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