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Cone: A Deep Sea Thriller
At first, it was hailed as a miracle of science.
In reality, it was a catastrophic mistake.
Dr. Elliot Alere never imagined his greatest achievement would become his greatest regret. Driven by ambition and the promise of medical breakthroughs, he accomplished the resurrecting an extinct marine predator—the cameroceras.
He believed the ancient cephalopod could unlock new frontiers in science.
Instead, he unleashed a monster.
When the creature escapes mid-transport, it vanishes into the waters surrounding Green Pastures, a quiet island off the West Coast. Over forty feet long, armed with ten muscular arms tipped with razor-sharp talons, and protected by a massive, cone-shaped shell, the beast wastes no time racking up a body count.
Haunted by guilt, Alere persuades his employer to mount a high-risk operation to recapture the creature. He joins forces with an idealistic marine biologist, a washed-up crab boat captain, and a group of ruthless trophy hunters.
The hunt proves to be the last for many involved, for nothing is safe from the creature’s mighty arms and the pointed tip of its immense CONE.
In reality, it was a catastrophic mistake.
Dr. Elliot Alere never imagined his greatest achievement would become his greatest regret. Driven by ambition and the promise of medical breakthroughs, he accomplished the resurrecting an extinct marine predator—the cameroceras.
He believed the ancient cephalopod could unlock new frontiers in science.
Instead, he unleashed a monster.
When the creature escapes mid-transport, it vanishes into the waters surrounding Green Pastures, a quiet island off the West Coast. Over forty feet long, armed with ten muscular arms tipped with razor-sharp talons, and protected by a massive, cone-shaped shell, the beast wastes no time racking up a body count.
Haunted by guilt, Alere persuades his employer to mount a high-risk operation to recapture the creature. He joins forces with an idealistic marine biologist, a washed-up crab boat captain, and a group of ruthless trophy hunters.
The hunt proves to be the last for many involved, for nothing is safe from the creature’s mighty arms and the pointed tip of its immense CONE.
- GenresHorror
355 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 1, 2025
324 people are currently reading
65 people want to read
About the author
Michael R. Cole
40 books118 followersMichael R. Cole is an author of creature horror and science fiction. He was born in Toledo, Ohio and grew up in lower Michigan. He has a profound love for monster movies and book as well as the action genre. In addition to writing, his hobbies include martial arts and fishing.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
December 30, 2025
An extinct cephalopod and the military industrial complex bring terror to a small island in the San Juans. A good range of characters and a fine setting.
January 4, 2026
This is a 3 star on the MONSTER-BOOK curve, meaning that when you read a book like this, you have to grade it differently than a more mainstream book. For me, these books are about creatures, action and fun while reading. If you go into reading a book like this thinking that you are reading Grisham or Asimov, then you will not enjoy this book and your grade will nowhere resemble mine.
It is a solid, fun read with an interesting creature that I have not read about before. The characters are solid but predictable and very cliche at times. The action/kills gets a little repetitive at times but it didn't bother me too much. I did find the 'DNA-in-resin' reasoning for brining this creature back to be a little lacking in originality but again, it was mentioned briefly as a way to move the plot to 'creature attacks' mode very quickly. Toward the end, the creature seemed a little too 'Jaw: The Revenge' for me in that the squid seemed to move past basic defensive/aggression tendencies and more toward exacting revenge on specific characters and even delighting in their destruction. That felt a little off.
I could have used a couple of simple illustrations in the beginning pages to help illustrate the creature a little better (I did not know that squids had hooks in their suction cups and had a hard time imagining that).
Overall, I enjoyed this book and I already have a few others by this author set aside because I love books about monsters and creatures and the like.
It is a solid, fun read with an interesting creature that I have not read about before. The characters are solid but predictable and very cliche at times. The action/kills gets a little repetitive at times but it didn't bother me too much. I did find the 'DNA-in-resin' reasoning for brining this creature back to be a little lacking in originality but again, it was mentioned briefly as a way to move the plot to 'creature attacks' mode very quickly. Toward the end, the creature seemed a little too 'Jaw: The Revenge' for me in that the squid seemed to move past basic defensive/aggression tendencies and more toward exacting revenge on specific characters and even delighting in their destruction. That felt a little off.
I could have used a couple of simple illustrations in the beginning pages to help illustrate the creature a little better (I did not know that squids had hooks in their suction cups and had a hard time imagining that).
Overall, I enjoyed this book and I already have a few others by this author set aside because I love books about monsters and creatures and the like.
January 14, 2026
Where to start? This book has many things going for it. A deadly ancient squid bent on feeding on humans as it escaped captivity, characters that feel fleshed out enough to add some emotional depth to the story, and multiple villains that makes me think of Jurassic Park or The Meg.
It keeps your attention the whole way through and while the tension does seem to fluctuate wildly between “Let’s grab a beer at a diner in a cozy small town “ to “Everyone is dying and the world will be flayed alive by this demigod squid”, it does stick a good landing while also concluding character arcs in a satisfying way.
That said, my god. The fetishized obsession with how many ways can a squid kill someone was just grotesque and absurd. Every time this thing attacks, it reads a new anatomy and physiology textbook based on the number of ways it finds to murder a human. It’s meant for shock value but by the end I was just disgusted. It’s a total shame as I think a more thrilling angle would be to hear reports of its destruction without the explicit need to detail everything.
If you are looking for a fun monster book with good characters and also some fun side ventures into climate science, this book is a good read. If you are at all squeamish or put off by mutilation, overtly violent death, or descriptions of a squid flaying people with its tongue, then definitely do not read it.
It keeps your attention the whole way through and while the tension does seem to fluctuate wildly between “Let’s grab a beer at a diner in a cozy small town “ to “Everyone is dying and the world will be flayed alive by this demigod squid”, it does stick a good landing while also concluding character arcs in a satisfying way.
That said, my god. The fetishized obsession with how many ways can a squid kill someone was just grotesque and absurd. Every time this thing attacks, it reads a new anatomy and physiology textbook based on the number of ways it finds to murder a human. It’s meant for shock value but by the end I was just disgusted. It’s a total shame as I think a more thrilling angle would be to hear reports of its destruction without the explicit need to detail everything.
If you are looking for a fun monster book with good characters and also some fun side ventures into climate science, this book is a good read. If you are at all squeamish or put off by mutilation, overtly violent death, or descriptions of a squid flaying people with its tongue, then definitely do not read it.
June 22, 2025
A stupid amount of funl
Cone, A deep sea thriller, tells the story of the struggle to kill a genetically engineered ancient cameroceres squid which escapes during transport from one research facility to another and the carnage it causes along the way. The protagonists are flawed and believable, the dialog had me laughing out loud at points, and the carnage of graphic, sparing no gore, exactly what one should expect from anything Cole, or anyone at Severed Press publishes. 4/5 stars!! Its not exceedingly intellectually stimulating, but its a lot of fun; perfect summer escapist reading, preferably on the beach...
Cone, A deep sea thriller, tells the story of the struggle to kill a genetically engineered ancient cameroceres squid which escapes during transport from one research facility to another and the carnage it causes along the way. The protagonists are flawed and believable, the dialog had me laughing out loud at points, and the carnage of graphic, sparing no gore, exactly what one should expect from anything Cole, or anyone at Severed Press publishes. 4/5 stars!! Its not exceedingly intellectually stimulating, but its a lot of fun; perfect summer escapist reading, preferably on the beach...
June 27, 2025
As scientists mess with nature, a cephalopod is engineered, when it escapes it goes on a murderous rampage. The scientist and a hunter go looking for it, teaming up with a marine biologist and disgraced crab fisherman. As the cephalopod proves to be highly intelligent, the casualties grow and alliances are broken.
September 3, 2025
Great book
When I started this book I thought it would not be my cup of tea. I thought I would read a bit to judge it better, I ended up reading the whole book. Really a great story with a great cast of characters. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. I recommend reading this to all that love fiction.
When I started this book I thought it would not be my cup of tea. I thought I would read a bit to judge it better, I ended up reading the whole book. Really a great story with a great cast of characters. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. I recommend reading this to all that love fiction.
June 26, 2025
Well Written
I thought the book was well written and had great characters. It was nice to read a book instead of a novella for a change. Seems like people do not wanna write books anymore just Novelas. This guy did a good job, creating the characters and the monster.
I thought the book was well written and had great characters. It was nice to read a book instead of a novella for a change. Seems like people do not wanna write books anymore just Novelas. This guy did a good job, creating the characters and the monster.
August 26, 2025
Movie-Worthy
This would make an excellent movie. The characters
were great, the plot was awesome, the pacing was perfect. It helps that the underwater boogeyman in this case is an animal most are unfamiliar with. Off to check out more of this author's work!
This would make an excellent movie. The characters
were great, the plot was awesome, the pacing was perfect. It helps that the underwater boogeyman in this case is an animal most are unfamiliar with. Off to check out more of this author's work!
December 14, 2025
If you are a Michael Cole fan then of course you will love this book. All the expected gore, an insane oversized creature and broken people doing the right thing. Love this creature - might be my current favorite. Another great sea horror from Mr. Cole!
July 8, 2025
Good creature book
The storyline is kinda rushed but fun to read. Not my favorite from Michael Cole but I still enjoyed it.
The storyline is kinda rushed but fun to read. Not my favorite from Michael Cole but I still enjoyed it.
July 30, 2025
Loved it!!!
December 18, 2025
tHIS AUTHOR IS FIXATED ON BLOOD AND GORE. A little is Expected but he iS VERY REPETITIVE; To me its a crutch USED BY POOR WRITERS. Read it if you wish.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 17, 2025
A good read. Somewhat fantastic story line, but still entertaining.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews