Deep Devotion

by M.C. Norris

Rising from the depths, a mind-bending monster unleashes a wave of terror across the American heartland. Kate Browning, a Kansas City EMT confronts her paralyzing fear of water when she traces the source of a deadly parasitic affliction to the Gulf of Mexico. Cooperating with a marine biologist, she travels to Florida in an effort to save the life of one very special patient, but the source of the epidemic happens to be the nest of a terrifying monster, one that last rose from the depths to annihilate the lost continent of Atlantis.

Leviathan, destroyer, devoted lifemate and parent, the abomination is not going to take the extermination of its brood well.

Genres: Horror, Science Fiction, Thriller

210 pages, Paperback

First published August 29, 2014

About the author

M.C. Norris is Kansas City's bestselling author of speculative fiction, with five novels published by Severed Press: DEEP DEVOTION (2014), KRENGEL & THE KRAMPUSZ (2014), THE DREAD OWBA COO-COO (2014), GOD OF THE DEAD (2015), and FALLING PREY (2015). The short stories of M.C. Norris have appeared in nineteen magazines, e-zines and paperback anthologies, including: DEAD BAIT, MADE YOU FLINCH, MALICIOUS DEVIANCE and NECROTIC TISSUE Issue #3. M.C. Norris also took fifth in Chizine/Leisure Books 13th Annual Short Story Contest.

Reviews

[❀ Crystal ✿ - PEACE ☮ LOVE ♥ BOOKS · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an OK read. The book would greatly benefit by being expanded and reworked. The writing is a bit choppy just like the transitions between characters. It was oddly confusing at times and I was just not overly impressed. The end also left a lot to be desired with the creature just letting them go smh. Plus because the book was so short I'm not sure why it was necessary to continually remind us the creature was pregnant and laid her millions/billions of young who will take over the ocean. This transition however will take ages and honestly given the state of our planet I'm not sure the ocean could sustain even more than one creature of this size. Not to mention it's future generations of humans who will have to worry. Think the book should have started then, with all the hatch-lings grown and making themselves known in the ocean.

[Kyle Farmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well written and researched. I'm not a huge fan of the sea monster genre, but this book isn't your typical monster book. I especially enjoyed the parts of the book written from the monster's perspective. I felt like that was a great twist that "humanized" the monster and provided a completely different viewpoint that added to the complexity of the story.

The characters were easy to like and relate to. That isn't always the case for horror novels! I can't wait to read more M.C. Norris books!

[Elisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite entertaining though I don't want to eat seafood for a bit...

[Roman Milner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much better than I expected. Clearly very well researched and probably the most interesting large monster I've ever read about. The twist is that, in Lannister-like fashion, the monster becomes a sympathetic character that we root for. The sections written from the monster point of view are just excellent. The ending though, ugh. This was a book building towards an earth shattering climax. Something really dramatic and scary. It wasn't. It was short and foofy. I'm all for character transformation but it just didn't work in this case. It was unbelievable and heavy-handed. Still, read it if you like horror, especially aquatic horror.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advanced reader’s copy of Deep Devotion in return for an honest review. This is a well written and entertaining story. It fits somewhere in the realm of The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King meeting The Host by Stephanie Meyer. Beware some scenes are so vividly described they may produce nightmares. I look forward to the digital release Labor Day. Enjoy!

[Amber Foster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

I love reading from the "monster" pov. It is so cool! And really, who is the bigger monster? Thiught provoking and profoundly satisfying (at least for me) its a fantastic read.

[Jacque Stengel · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's a reason I don't eat much seafood! Entertaining read... especially for those that love those sea monsters.

[BookzBookzBookz]

Deep Devotion, by M. C. Norris is the second book I own by this author. His first book, I reviewed just a few days ago, (Falling Prey, May 5th) was very interesting but left a slightly bitter taste in my mouth. I've been craving a monster story and I thought I'd try one more time with this book, just in case the first one was a possible fluke.

​The Synopsis:
Rising from the depths, a mind-bending monster unleashes a wave of terror across the American heartland. Kate Browning, a Kansas City EMT confronts her paralyzing fear of water when she traces the source of a deadly parasitic affliction to the Gulf of Mexico. Cooperating with a marine biologist, she travels to Florida in an effort to save the life of one very special patient, but the source of the epidemic happens to be the nest of a terrifying monster, one that last rose from the depths to annihilate the lost continent of Atlantis.
Leviathan, destroyer, devoted lifemate and parent, the abomination is not going to take the extermination of its brood well.

If that doesn't sound like a monster story- I don't know what is! This book is AMAZING! The concept and points of views, from Mitch (the Marine Biologist), Kate (the EMT) and the Parent (the Creature) are written so amazingly real- you can't do anything but read the freaking book from start to finish! I finished it in less than 36 hours - which include my showering and going to bed!

*For the full review: http://tinyurl.com/jotj224
**eBook/Book are from my personal libraries.

[Stasia Bruhn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a freebie book for me but it was quite good.I didn't want to put it down and I made it my goal to finish it this weekend:) A dying , ancient creature is under the sea making preparations for it's brood to come back . Quite accidentally humans have been infected with the parasites when they ate contaminated crab cakes..Somehow the crabs got infected and the people ate the crab cakes..Then with the creatures pretty much taking over their bodies they do anything they can to go back to the sea (their home/nest) This is deadly for the humans (who pretty much jump off bridges or just walk in the sea and drown) It was very suspenseful, thought provoking(what creatures lurk in the ocean that we don't know of, a bit scary(especially when I read a newsstory from a few days ago that I think in Florida some crab meat was contaminated and recalled) eeek!!But it made some good points humans have been destroying the earth and why do humans think we are the only ones who can feel love, loss, etc..pretty sure creatures feel this also..The ending well I don't think any ending would have satisfied me.I didn't want the creature to die yet I knew it was necessary . I still love the ocean and its mysteries...

[Mya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this giant monster wrecks havok on civilization book mainly because it gave the monster a voice, a nobility that your average B-genre material doesn't provide. The protagonist beast in this work has motivation, memories, love and understanding despite the horrors and death caused by it and it's children. It was a refreshing read, with a few swicky concepts (seriously, you may be put off from a certain type of food for a very long time. It had quality, horror notes and inspired some chills even in my hardened shell. The only issue that I had with the book (there weren't many) was with the ending which seemed less in line with horror than with an inspirational 'love will conquer all' drama. Yes there were some 'how did he not die' moments but over all a really enjoyable read.

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Halfway through the first chapter, I thought about tossing this book aside, especially after the ridiculous Engagement Scene in the restaurant after the immediate Save The Earth preachy tone that was set from the beginning. However, the plot became more interesting, & different from my usual fare; I was thinking it'd be similar to The Abyss, & was pleasantly surprised to find that it was. 3 stars - removing a couple for the terrible first chapter, a tad too much environmental preachiness, & a plot line that moved along a bit too quickly for my taste, especially when it came to developing relationships.

[Nadia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty gross. The characters were mostly not amazing - fairly 2D, I thought. The monster was pretty much the most interesting character, in fact. Reasonably thrilling and definitely gross. I was expecting more impact from a book like this, because I have a fear of deep water myself, but it was never that scary in my opinion. Some fun dialogue and a few characters that were likable if not astonishing.

[Sean Kidd · Rating 5 out of 5]

I plunged into M.C. Norris' world of fantasy sea terror and emerged a new fan. While I may never feel the same about seafood again, I certainly look forward to his future work. An exciting storyteller with an amazing eye for detail, painting the picture in your imagination. Now to finish this review and download his newest novel, Falling Prey. I'm looking forward to another excellent story. To finish, I highly recommend this novel. A must read. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Sean Ladieu · Rating 5 out of 5]

I plunged into M.C. Norris' world of fantasy sea terror and emerged a new fan. While I may never feel the same about seafood again, I certainly look forward to his future work. An exciting storyteller with an amazing eye for detail, painting the picture in your imagination. Now to finish this review and download his newest novel, Falling Prey. I'm looking forward to another excellent story. To finish, I highly recommend this novel. A must read. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of books about the sea. I'm also a fan of books with giant monsters. How about giant monsters that make little monsters that make people crazy? Yes please! M.C. Norris has brought a wonderful book featuring one of the coolest monsters I've ever read about. If you're a fan of any of these things, then do yourself a favor and check out this book. It is totally worth it.

[Seanna Yeager · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intriguing story of overcoming a paralyzing fear in order to save yourself and in the process possibly mankind.

I won a free ARC from a Goodreads contest, in exchange for an honest review.

[Kyle Michael Feezor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Parasite Fun

This was an interesting parasite aquatic horror novel. The characters were interesting and relatable. The novel is a solid short read.

[Alexandra · Rating 1 out of 5]

Eh! quick read could have used more background info on the creature.

[Steven · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gulf of Devotion

A good book with a really large sea monster. Just the way I like them. Well written and entertaining. I hope this book was just a beginning.

[Heath Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was an enjoyable creature feature. Nothing too original, but it kept me turning the pages.