A Plagued Sea

by Kim Bo-young, Sophie Bowman (Translator)

First the flood
Next the sickness
Last the change

Visionary Korean author Kim Bo-Young unleashes a Lovecraftian nightmare of infection, transformation, and abomination.

While waiting for a train to Haewon, an isolated Korean seaside village, bodyguard Mu-young gets a disaster alert on her phone. TVs throughout the station report breaking news of a massive earthquake on the eastern coast. Despite the danger, Mu-young boards the train with her niece: she’d rather face the earthquake than leave the girl in her mother’s care. That choice haunts her for the rest of her life.

Three years later, Haewon Village is home to horrors. The earthquake unleashed an ancient plague that transforms its victims into fishy monsters, and the government’s lockdown has cut off any hope for help. Mu-young’s niece is dead, and all that’s left for her is to hunt villagers who break isolation. When an officious bureaucrat from Seoul arrives in the village, he stirs up even deeper trouble. Will Mu-young survive? Does she even deserve to?

Genres: Horror, Science Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy, Dystopia, Novella, Adult

112 pages, ebook

First published May 30, 2020

About the author

Kim Bo-young (Korean: 김보영; born 1975) is a South Korean science fiction writer based in Gangwon Province, South Korea. In addition to her novels and short story collections, she has worked as a script advisor for Bong Joon-ho's Snowpiercer in 2013.[1] She is the first Korean science fiction author to be published by HarperCollins.

Reviews

[Becky Spratford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review in the June 2026 issue of Library Journal

Three Words That Describe This Book: Lovecraft retelling, immersive fear, sea soaked horror

Draft Review: What if Lovecraft’s “The Shadow Over Innsmouth” (1931) took place in an isolated, Korean, seaside town in 2020 where Muyong (our narrator) has been trapped for three years? During a holiday with her young niece, an earthquake revealed a volcanic island thrust from the seafloor and a strange disease started spreading, killing some and turning the infected survivors into fish-like creatures. The government has closed the town off from the rest of the world. But when a professor of infectious disease enters town, the truth of what has really been going on and who is responsible for it starts to emerge and the revelations are terrifying and violent. Bo-young’s novella casts a spotlight on the horrific ways humans have always treated the victims of disease (eg. leprosy, AIDS, COVID-19) while she also grapples with Lovecraft’s version of cosmic fear, of facing a monster that is so evil and cares so little for the insignificance of humanity, that they stand helpless against it. But in her version, hopeless does not equal powerless.

Verdict: Not only a stellar example of the enduring power of Lovecraftian Horror across time and place, but also a direct assault on the racism and misogyny of its creator as seen in titles like House of Bone and Rain by Gabino Iglesias, The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle, and Winter Tide by Ruthann Emrys.


An excellent example of the enduring power of Lovecraftian Horror: Facing a horror that is full of malice, does not care one bit about the insignificant humans, and the narrator knows they are completely powerless. How do you respond?

Being helpless but not powerless-- the author discusses wrangling with this distinction as she wrote in the author's note.

She also makes some of the quiet parts of The Shadow Over Innsmouth-- loud. I appreciated that as will many in a modern audience. I am getting ahead of myself though.

Stellar retelling of the Lovecraft novella The Shadow Over Innsmouth but set in a seaside town in Korea. It has a the same themes-- the town has been isolated because of an earthquake and an ensuing infection of the people who were there after. For the last 3 years everyone in the town has been forced into a quarantine.

We have 2 outsider perspectives here-- one, our narrator Muyoung Seo has been on the ground since the quarantine- a trapped tourist, but as a trained security guard she has spent those three years enforcing the quarantine for the limited police force. She is an outsider with some inside friends. She has lost her niece to the infection.

The other, a visiting professor of infectious disease-- he is more the traditional Lovecraft narrator here. We only hear his POV in 2 letters. One at the start of the novella and one at the end.

Otherwise, readers are following Muyoung as she is figuring out what is going on-- really-- the professor visiting-- the first visitor in the town in 3 years is seen through her eyes and relayed to us.

As the villager turn to attack the professor-- they also turn a little on Muyoung as well. But because Muyoung has some personal connections to the infected humans she makes different choices.

I don't think any of this is a spoiler because the story this is all based on is 95 years old.

Both are led to make different choices as they learn the truth. And the idea of is all of this true or is it in their heads and they are going mad in different ways-- it's all here. And here the human horrors of prejudice are not shared by the author-- rather she is speaking out against that and instilling a lot of sympathy for the infected villagers for being treated badly for something that is no fault of theirs.

The professor is an excellent addition to the novella. It connects it to the source material very firmly, while still allowing a new version to emerge. Without him, those 2 letters, and his visit thru Muyoung's eyes, this is not a 5 star read.

Readers will clearly draw connections to this story and COVID-19 quarantines and how people are treated when sick, how those who get an illness are often blamed that they deserved it. Also how quarantines are unfairly placed. I thought about AIDS victims as well because there is a lot of talk here about the village not being worth finding a cure, they should just stay isolated forever or even worse, be killed.

A lot packed into this one sitting read. So thankful Tor Nightfire got it translated into English.

Level of Victor LaValle's The Ballad of Black Tom of Lovercfrat literal retelling. It is hard to do well. To capture the cosmic fear, the monsters, the original racism and turn its on its head, and to make a 1931 story resonate so clearly today. Almost 100 years later.

Other Lovecraft retellings by people Lovecraft himself would have hated that are at this level-- House of Bone and Rain by Gabino Iglesias and Winter Tide by Ruthann Emrys-- those connect more directly to The Shadow Over Innsmouth specifically.

[Marcus (Lit_Laugh_Luv)]

Translated cosmic horror...novella...she is meant for me i fear

[Ilaria_ws · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strano, a tratti molto inquietante.
Un mix ben riuscito tra horror e fantascienza, una narrazione fluida.
Mi è piaciuto molto. Unica pecca, avrei voluto fosse più lungo.

[Steph | bookedinsaigon]

My god-tier favorite sci-fi author has a new book coming out in English--brb, just going to be insufferable and reread the synopsis endlessly until Summer 2026!!

[Sara O. · Rating 2 out of 5]

A decent action horror book, but devoid of any type of psychology. It's completely empty of feelings or emotions. You should read it if you like Lovecraft's works, especially Innsmouth and Cthulhu.

—

Un libro horror action decente, ma privo di qualsiasi tipo di psicologia. È completamente vuoto di sentimenti ed emozioni. Dovreste leggerlo se vi piacciono i lavori di Lovecraft, specialmente Innsmouth e Cthulhu.

[Giorgia Pascali · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yun-hui ha proprio detto "tra un uomo (mio marito) e un orso (letteralmente il mostro della palude) scelgo l'orso" e buon per lei.

[Chiara Carnio · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kim Bo-young, in questo suo breve romanzo horror-fantasy, rende omaggio a Il richiamo di Cthulhu, riprendendo le atmosfere lovecraftiane in una riscrittura che vede l’orrore cosmico provenire dagli abissi marini.
Ora, io non ho letto il ciclo di Cthulhu e non sono in grado di valutare la qualità della riscrittura, meglio così perché non sono appassionata di queste forme narrative.
La storia inizia con un terremoto e relativo tsunami che sconvolgono gli equilibri di un isolato villaggio di pescatori. Col maremoto si scatena una terribile epidemia - il morbo del Mare dell’est - che trasforma i contagiati in orrende creature dalle sembianze ittiche. Il villaggio è in isolamento e Seo, arrivata a ridosso della catastrofe, rimane intrappolata nel posto, chiuso al mondo esterno. Essendo sana si ritrova a dare la caccia ai contagiati che violano l’isolamento.

Il romanzo è stato scritto nel 2020 e, a detta dell’autrice, non c’è nessun riferimento alla pandemia. Mah, io nutro qualche dubbio in merito perché ci ho letto (o ci ho voluto leggere) qualche lieve critica al sistema della gestione del Covid. Però io sono un po’ una c@g@c@xx1.
La narrazione si completa con l’evoluzione del personaggio di Seo che da odiata esecutrice di ordini superiori, fredda e violenta, annichilita dalla situazione e da una perdita personale, diventa una sorta di salvatrice.
L’orrore cosmico, qui, va oltre la comprensione umana, si ammanta di ignoto e di ambivalenza, spaccando a metà la concezione del diverso, sondando la dedizione di alcuni uomini ad una divinità mostruosa portatrice di un male assoluto.
L’ambientazione è cupa e putrescente, la paura si trasforma in terrore, e il terrore sembra quasi annidarsi dalla parte sbagliata.
Non è particolarmente inquietante, è molto fantasy o forse sarà che il fantasy, per quanto oscuro e malvagio possa essere…, rimane fantasy (e mi fa un po’ sorridere).

Kim Bo-young è una delle più quotate scrittrici sudcoreane di fantascienza, ha collaborato anche col regista Bong Joon-ho, quello di Parasite. Pur amando in generale la letteratura sudcoreana, questo lavoro mi ha lasciata un po’ tiepida. Credo che riproverò col suo L’origine delle specie, ma solo perché c’è un po’ di fisica quantistica.

[Francesca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Romanzo in cui l’orrore cosmico incontra un dolore umano viscerale. La storia si apre con la guardia del corpo Mu-young che prende una decisione fatale: salire su un treno diretto all’isolato villaggio costiero coreano di Haewon durante un’allerta per un massiccio terremoto, privilegiando la sicurezza della nipote rispetto all’ordine di evacuazione ufficiale. Tre anni dopo il disastro, Haewon è isolato da un lockdown governativo. Il terremoto non ha causato solo danni strutturali; ha scatenato un’antica piaga che trasforma le sue vittime in mostruosità grottesche e pesciformi. L’atmosfera è densa di decadimento, riecheggiando un terrore lovecraftiano, ma radicato nella realtà coreana.

La prosa cruda rende l’orrore non solo fisico, ma un terrore psicologico. L’arrivo di un burocrate invadente da Seoul non fa che acuire il conflitto interno, rappresentando la corrotta indifferenza del mondo esterno.

Una interessante storia di angoscia esistenziale.

[Ali · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

‘A Plagued Sea’ is about ~120 pages and I fully recommend it as it’s a quick read. So creative and disturbing, very Cthulhu and cosmic horror coded.

The book starts with a prologue, our main character, Seo Muyoung, is taking her niece on a trip to Haewon (a sea side village). Following an earthquake, flooding and changes in the environments, a plague like disease that changes the body to resemble something more fish-like and alters the mind descends (called East Sea Disease). The village is cut off from the rest of the country and left in isolation, the story picks up 3 years later as Muyoung works to keep people from breaking their isolation.

Then a stranger comes, one of the first outsiders and claims to be a researcher for diseases. And soon Muyoung learns there’s more than just a disease at hand.

But man this was well done, the descriptions were so good that I was grossed out a bunch. Plenty of in depth descriptors on rotten fish, garbage, decaying houses, and bodies (human or not). I immediately felt the atmosphere of a trapped village lost in time and in sea water with garbage and decay, and something evil preying on it.

As the story progressed, I had just thought “WTF” during a few of the reveals. This was a fascinating and loved the Lovecraftian-ness as I hadn’t realized there would be Cthulhu tie ins.

*ARC courtesy of netgalley*

[Carlos]

Leído en coreano. El título original es <역병의 바다>.

Un tributo a Cthulhu, narrado desde el prisma de la cuarentena del COVID-19. Los personajes me parecieron un poco planos, pero la ambientación me resultó lo suficientemente entretenida. Me parece que fue una buena elección para empezar a adentrarme en las obras de Kim Bo-young en su lengua original, pero no creo que ella misma la tenga en muy alta estima dentro del resto de su obra. Se nota que es algo simpático hecho para un proyecto de novelas coreanas inspiradas por Lovecraft. De todas formas, espero que tenga mucho éxito y que genere más interés en la traducción de la autora.

[Louisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Honford Star for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A Plagued Sea is a short, sharp take on Lovecraft’s The Shadow over Innsmouth, transposed to a desolate Korean port. I wasn't familiar with Lovecraft's story before reading, so this was a new narrative to me.

The book immediately sets a scene of despair and eerie horror, an atmosphere which is kept throughout. You can smell the rotting fish and the vision of poverty and an abandoned people, and feel the weight of their quarantine and isolation. We slowly learn more about what is really happening through our protagonist, Muyoung, who is dedicated to keeping others safe after losing her niece.

The writing, and of course translation, is great at building tension as we get deeper into the story and it becomes an immersive experience - exactly what you want from such a short book. I recommend reading this in one sitting if you can, to really be in Haewon with Muyoung. I enjoyed the Author's Note too, which explores some of the themes a bit more and posits something interesting about Lovecraft himself. 4 stars.

[SAM · Rating 3 out of 5]

The plot was initially intriguing, and the story felt very original, but it wasn’t able to hold my attention through the second half. I also couldn’t really connect with any of the characters, which is a key aspect of storytelling for me. There seemed to be themes surrounding race and class, but I didn’t feel they were developed deeply enough within the narrative. Overall, an interesting read with some compelling ideas, but ultimately not one of my favorites.

[ash · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome read! I was able to snag this ARC from the bookstore where I work, and I’m so glad I did. I love shorter books, especially when they’re horror—it takes skill to do them well, without feeling rushed or overbearing, and this book manages just that. Creepy, descriptive, and to the point: I’d love to see this adapted one day. :)

[nerzola · Rating 3 out of 5]

Una revisitazione di Lovecraft che presenta degli spunti interessanti, ma finisce per non approfondirli mai. Una lettura che consiglierei a chi vuole qualcosa di scorrevole e atmosferico.

[Eva · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️
*thanks to NetGalley and Tor for this ARC*

[Mela · Rating 3 out of 5]

L'approccio genetico di questa autrice mi è piaciuto in altri suoi libri, come in "L'origine delle specie", ma questo retelling dell'universo lovecraftiano non mi ha entusiasmata come mi sarei invece aspettata.
È scritto e tradotto bene, ma ho la sensazione che, essendo un lavoro prima commissionato e poi creato, sia stato fatto un lavoro di "svecchiamento" del mito di cthulhu; piuttosto mi sarei aspettata una lettura in chiave asiatica, se non puramente coreana, della stessa storia. Nonostante questo è molto scorrevole, è una lettura molto breve e abbastanza piacevole.

[Rhea · Rating 3 out of 5]

’A Plagued Sea’ promises a deeply unsettling dive into cosmic dread, drawing heavy and obvious inspiration from H.P. Lovecraft’s classic The Shadow over Innsmouth. It sets out to build a world steeped in isolation, eerie landscapes, and visceral discomfort. Unfortunately, while the ingredients for a stellar piece of nautical horror are all present, the final execution leaves much to be desired. What should have been a suffocating, atmospheric nightmare ultimately feels like a detached list of events rather than an immersive horror story.

What didn’t work for me:

- A disconnected protagonist & fragmented narrative:
The primary hurdle in A Plagued Sea is the main character, especially since it’s written in 1st person. A great horror story relies heavily on the reader anchoring themselves to the protagonist's psyche, but here, the MC feels entirely far from me as a reader. Because it is so difficult to connect with her, the stakes never feel personal, and her safety never feels urgent. In addition to this issue is the narrative structure itself, which feels somewhat fragmented. Rather than a cohesive story driven by a natural narrative pull, the book often feels like a collection of chopped-up scenes and events thrown at the reader.

- Syntax, Translation, and the death of pacing:
The fundamental flaw of the book lies in its mechanics—specifically, how the sentence structure utterly dismantles the narrative flow. True cosmic dread requires a hypnotic, creeping rhythm to build tension before pulling the rug out from under the reader, and yes, dare I say, verbose paragraphs are probably a must for lovecraftian atmosphere, it’s part of the recipe which truly grips you by the throat and never lets go. Here, that rhythm is completely missing, a flaw that might be a symptom of the Translation?

The prose suffers from an agonizingly static syntax. Instead of fluid, evocative paragraphs that build atmosphere naturally, the text reads like a literal translation of a checklist. Sentences are structured as blunt, isolated declarations of facts: the sky was brightening…, the horizon burned scarlet…, the streets were…, the air was rotten, flocks of white birds…, etc. Because the prose relies on this repetitive, staccato delivery, the pacing slows and increases at the same time in the first half of the story, if that makes sense. You don’t get lost in the world; you are simply conscious of reading a series of sentences.

- Atmosphere defeated by description:
A Plagued Sea tries desperately to replicate Lovecraftian horror through pure sensory overload—aiming to make the reader taste the rot, smell the decay, and see the deformed villagers. However, because of the mechanical sentence structures mentioned above, these details fail to evoke any real emotion or goosebumps. Descriptions should weave a dark spell around the reader, but because they are listed rather than narrated, they feel clinical and disgusting without actually being scary.

- The problem with scale:
One of the greatest triumphs of The Shadow over Innsmouth is its profound sense of isolation. A Plagued Sea completely dispels that necessary claustrophobia by crowding the canvas. There are simply too many characters and moving parts, which completely derails the lonely, trapped feeling essential to cosmic horror.

There is a silver lining though

The book does finally find its footing around the halfway mark. Once the story transitions from static world-building into actual movement, the pacing tightens up significantly. The clunky structure matters less once the plot shifts into a more personal chase. For a brief period, you finally get a glimpse of what the book could have been: a blood-pumping nightmare of being completely alone in a hostile, changing world.

'A Plagued Sea' boasts a fantastic premise, but the execution fails to deliver the psychological and atmospheric depth required of true Lovecraftian horror. Botched by a rigid sentence structure and a rather missing MC for the first half of the book, it does evolve into a decent, fast-paced survival story by the end, but it misses the mark on true cosmic dread.

Many, many thanks to Bo-Young Kim, Honford Star, and NetGalley for the ARC. This is a voluntary review, reflecting solely my opinion.

[Luca Gelmini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Il mare infetto di Kim Bo-Young ci trascina in un mondo in cui il mare non è più solo un elemento naturale, ma una presenza ambigua, contaminata, quasi senziente. Un luogo di confine dove l’ignoto prende forma attraverso creature, mutazioni e una realtà che sembra scivolare continuamente fuori asse. Al centro della storia troviamo una cacciatrice di mostri, figura solitaria e funzionale, che si muove in un universo narrativo essenziale, spoglio, dominato da una costante sensazione di minaccia.

È un libro che, soprattutto nelle prime pagine, richiede uno sforzo: entrare nella mente dell’autrice non è immediato. La scrittura è asciutta, poco accomodante, e il lettore deve accettare di perdersi per un po’, di non avere subito appigli emotivi o narrativi. Superate però le prime 40–50 pagine, la storia inizia a prendere forma e a rivelare la sua vera natura: una fantascienza dai tratti horror, capace di evocare un senso di inquietudine profonda, quasi esistenziale.

Quello che colpisce di più è proprio ciò che il libro suggerisce più che ciò che mostra. “L’𐌉𐌍𐌒𐌵𐌉𐌄𐌕𐌵𐌃𐌉𐌍𐌄 nell’ignoto” di cui parla l’incipit non è solo una dichiarazione d’intenti, ma il vero motore del romanzo: tutto appare surreale, come un sogno febbrile, eppure terribilmente plausibile. È una lettura che richiama, per atmosfere e concetti, un certo tipo di fantascienza alla Black Mirror, dove l’orrore nasce dall’idea che ciò che stiamo leggendo potrebbe non essere così lontano dalla realtà.

Il motivo delle quattro stelle sta proprio qui. Il libro affascina, intriga, lascia immagini potenti, ma lo fa con una rapidità che a tratti spiazza. Le descrizioni dei mostri, dei personaggi e delle azioni della protagonista sono ridotte all’essenziale; tutto accade molto in fretta, forse troppo. Quando si arriva alla fine, la sensazione è quella di voler restare ancora un po’ in quel mondo, di desiderare più spazio, più tempo, più carne narrativa. Con una maggiore espansione, Il mare infetto avrebbe potuto facilmente raggiungere la perfezione.

Resta comunque una lettura fortissima, originale, capace di distinguersi nel panorama contemporaneo. Merito anche di ADD Editore, una realtà che continua a portare in Italia libri particolari, scomodi, non allineati, e proprio per questo preziosi. Il mare infetto è un romanzo che non si dimentica facilmente: breve, 𐌃𐌉𐌔𐌕𐌵𐌓𐌁𐌀𐌍𐌕𐌄, affascinante. Imperfetto, sì, ma profondamente necessario.

[Natasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Read ARC from NetGalley) I'll start by saying I have not read much Lovecraft. I started reading from a collection of his short stories years ago, but never finished. I knew this story was Lovecraftian, but apparently (according to the Author's Note) it's part of a project to reimagine some of his stories but in a way that fits a modern context. I love that idea, and might reread it once I read the Lovecraft stories this is based on. That said, my biggest complaint is the story didn't make me feel much. I don't know if it's partly a translation issue or cultural one, but I just didn't feel attached or involved in the story. I did enjoy the bit just before the end, but was still a little confused at the actual end. I also didn't feel much fear/horror, though I enjoyed the descriptions of the "monsters." The book is pretty short so I don't want to say too much, but basically there's a deadly infection after a natural disaster and you follow a day in the life of an immune survivor. But, this day isn't actually very ordinary... I enjoyed the government/institution being evil or covering up things, and I really liked when we learned more about the monsters. I love the monsters and wish we focused more on them and expanded on the ending a bit. But overall, I enjoyed the story enough and feel like I'll appreciate it more with the additional context of the original stories. I liked the sci-fi elements, but did not personally see it as very horror-y

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to Tor and NetGalley for this Advanced Reader Copy.

3.5/5 Stars.

I quite enjoyed this Lovecraftian novella that was a new take on the classic The Shadow over Innsmouth. I believe my favourite part of this was the vivid descriptions of the village that we got throughout. After my second time having COVID, I never actually fully recovered my sense of smell—either I have to be up close to something or it has to be an insanely strong emitter of the odor—and I must say this is the first time I think I would be glad of such a curse: the descriptions of the scenery and the smells that accompany them were truly conjuring up something awful in my imagination. This is, of course, exactly what you want from this type of literature. The one thing I will say, and I can never tell if this is intended or not, is that I found myself rooting against the main character, Muyoung, due to her treatment of others she never tried to understand. I normally tend to struggle more with pieces where I cannot relate much with the characters, but this was the perfect length that it did lead me to struggle at all. It was a nice Lovecraftian tale that had all the key elements that leave you thinking at the end.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Man, I just fuck with stories that come out of Korea.

I find that sometimes, and this may be the case here, the prose in translated works can feel a little stiff. That said, it didn’t really bother me, but it feels worth mentioning.

This novella was awesome. It deals with grief and loss, and with the things we do when we believe our choices have caused irrevocable harm to someone else. It also asks what it means to be an “other” in society. While it is not directly a story about the Covid-19 pandemic, much of the horror comes from an under-understood disease and the isolation that comes with quarantine.

There’s also a lot of Lovecraft and cosmic horror in here. As I was reading, I kept saying to my wife, “Lots of Call of Cthulhu influence. Definitely some The Shadow over Innsmouth. Maybe a smidge of The Dunwich Horror.” After reading the acknowledgments, I found out how on the nose I was with those callouts.

All in, this is a very quick and easy read. There’s a good amount of horror outside the existential dread usually found in cosmic horror, but when that dread seeps in, it works well. If you’re a Lovecraft fan, which I am, this is worth your two or three hours.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

[Meenu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Honford Star for this ARC.

We follow Seo, who gets trapped in this little seaside village where she had originally planned to only visit. Three years later she's stuck here in an unending quarantine acting as law enforcement to keep the now infected who are deformed and barely human.

This story drops you in the middle of a near cosmic horror story, the horror has been creeping up into you for a while

This is excellent for those who enjoyed Shadows of Innsmouth and other lovecraftian work.

I love how the author is able to frame the story so fully. Despite how short the story is, it delivers in a one-two punch what needs to be said.

**This story is part of a project with a group of Korean speculative fiction writers reimagining the works of horror master H.P. Lovecraft project, released in 2020 in the original Korean, the translated works are now available, I highly recommend another in the series, Alien Gods by Lee Suhyeon

~ Great work with the translation as well to Sophie Bowman ~

[Katrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Plagued Sea by Kim Bo-Young is a novella that does draw a lot of inspiration from Lovecraft's The Shadow over Innsmouth, but aside from a few parallels, it really is its own beast and fitting for the modern age.

The story follows Mu-young whose last-minute choice to board a train condemns her and her niece to a lifetime in Haewon Village after a natural disaster unleashes a deadly disease, which, at best, causes mutilation in its victims.

Bo-Young created a disquieting, nightmarish atmosphere which felt claustrophobic at times and worked well within the context of the story. The descriptions of places as well as the deformities of the victims of East Sea Disease were vivid and stomach-churning.

While admittedly, I did feel that some more emotional moments were lost in translation, the story was strong enough to make up for it.

Worth a look.

With thanks to Honford Star Ltd for the ARC.

[Aly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fear. The horrifying fear that squeezes hearts out of shape and makes flesh shudder, day after day, with each and every step. - A Plagued Sea

A Plagued sea was an outstanding homage to Lovecraft and cosmic horror. It was absolutely filled with Lovecraftian horror themes, and it was a perfect blend of that cosmic horror with Korean culture. As a translated book, this was absolutely phenomenal.

The descriptions of the people were extremely good, often times to the point where I was imagining almost impossible things and being grossed out immediately. The atmosphere was detailed, and it was easy to throw myself into the book, imagining that I too was there, looking at the things that our protagonist was. As the story continued, there were a lot of times that it took a turn, and I found myself reeling from what was happening.

I definitely will be adding this to my Cosmic Horror collection.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher for an ARC to review!

This short horror novella packs a lot into it! There’s the memory of COVID lockdowns. There’s the fear and uncertainty around a virus that is new. There’s grief. There’s fear.

Muyoung is a protagonist that gives the reader someone to root for. I liked how she is a strong female character without being too stereotypical. The uncertainty happening around her on one fateful day is like the best murder mystery and sci-fi plot put together.

Also - the translation! There are some passages that made me ache with sadness (“Where did my child learn to die? Who taught her that one day, life ends and never comes back?”). Korean prose can be more to the point than English, but the translator truly made the beauty of the text pop through all the horror.

[Vampyre · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is without a doubt 5*. It’s hard for me to write a review because it’s such a short story, and yet jam packed with substance! If I say more it just gives away the story too easily.

Drawing from the parallels of the COVID pandemic, this translated story deals with themes of collective trauma and grief, and the ways in which humanity tries to heal in the wake of Us vs Them mentality. It teaches us a clear lesson of empathy and understanding. The novel ends with an unanticipated survivor and can easily be read in less than 24 hours.

My favorite quote:
“The residents of this village became ugly. But there is no correspondence between ugliness and evil. One is no indication of the other.

Lastly, thanks again to Tor and Shelf Awareness for my ARC. This book is proof that humans are the true monsters in our world!

[Sandrine · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I enjoyed this novella, I have a difficulty with classifying this as a horror. I didn’t feel the tension or fear while reading. Perhaps because the narrator wasn’t scared ? It was just business as usual for them so that didn’t cultivate those feelings. However, it was a good story. I liked the idea of a village after a natural disaster. There’s clearly things that are happening in this village. The arrival of the stranger put the events in motion. I think this story might have benefited from being longer. It could’ve made me feel more tension/fear. But, I was very intrigued while reading. I really liked the ending, it was a good plot twist and surprising!
Overall, this short novella is worth a read for its atmospheric vibes, but its not very horror y.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an arc of this book, opinions are my own.

[Ashe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Honford Star Ltd and NetGalley for an e-copy arc!
This was a very quick read and the idea of the story seemed pretty awesome. A Lovecraftian disease that sprung up from the depths of the ocean to plague a small South Korean town.
There's nothing wrong with this story - it was a pretty good (kinda average) horror story. Kim Bo-young painted a terrifying scene of a rundown, desolate place and really hammered in the East Sea Disease and all of the effects.
The main thing is: I wish we could have had more time in this world with the main protag and able to see more Lovecraftian horrors instead of the last 5%.
If you are looking for a quick read to fill the time or need a quick horror novella for a reading challenge, this is a good book to fill that slot.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once upon a time (really back in January) I had this authors short story collection recommended to me. I checked the book out of my local library and proceeded to ignore it. Not exactly my proudest moment as a reader tbh. After reading A plagued sea I may re prioritize those stories. A Plagued Sea is Lovecraftian horror with fish people. It also has shades of noir in there as well. The creeping horror and sense of dread is excellent. For someone who initially doubted if they could carry the torch of Lovecraft and write in that manner I’d say that those doubts were definitely unfounded.
Note: If COVID -19 or COVID parallels in fiction stories stress you out then maybe skip this one.

Thanks to NetGalley, Honford Star/ Tor Nightfire for the e-arc!

[Tilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5
I went into this book mostly blind, I saw it on NetGalley and loved the cover and title and I thought it sounded cool. I’m glad I went into this blind as I enjoyed this short read.
I don’t read many Lovecraftian stories but the premise of this novella felt very unique. I loved the first few chapters as an introduction to the story and was very excited to see where it would go.
I do, however, wish that this was longer, especially for the main characters sake, after reading this I still don’t really know who our main character was. I was unable to connect with her which made me feel emotionally distant from the story and took me out of reading multiple times.
Despite my wishes for a longer story, this is such a quick and unique read that I definitely recommend it.