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Deep Shell
The world is made of meat.
Survivors of a galaxy-wide catastrophe have been living for decades on the back of a massive floating creature known as the behemoth, the only solid surface in an ocean world. Life is hard and grows even harder when power cells begin to fail and flesh-quakes start cracking the living shell.
Harkel is the surgeon, an expert in repairing the wounds on the shell. But now he must venture where nobody has ever dared to go - deep into the living meat, to find the secrets hidden at the behemoth's core. Secrets that could either save a civilization or send it to a cold and watery grave.
Survivors of a galaxy-wide catastrophe have been living for decades on the back of a massive floating creature known as the behemoth, the only solid surface in an ocean world. Life is hard and grows even harder when power cells begin to fail and flesh-quakes start cracking the living shell.
Harkel is the surgeon, an expert in repairing the wounds on the shell. But now he must venture where nobody has ever dared to go - deep into the living meat, to find the secrets hidden at the behemoth's core. Secrets that could either save a civilization or send it to a cold and watery grave.
- GenresScience Fiction
54 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 27, 2015
5 people are currently reading
25 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
January 4, 2017
This is the kind of book I wish there were more of being written. Not the genre, though any genre works, but the general idea of a complete story that doesn't require 300+ pages. There is a certain art to writing a complete story that takes about an hour to read and provides all the storyline and details needed to be "whole." Given all that, this is more like 3.5 stars, but I grade up and admire the brevity of the story.
The plot is simple. Decades ago, ships from space crash landed on an ocean planet and the survivors have been living on top of a giant shelled creature. Life has been meager. Harkel is a doctor whose job it is to repair cracks in the giant creature's shell. During one such procedure, he discovers a person living inside the creature (the behemoth as it is called). This discovery sets in motion a series of events that will change life on the behemoth forever.
As in all stories of this length, character development takes a back seat to plot. We learn about characters as events happen, and learn just enough to form our own opinions of what motivates them. As such, the pacing in this story is steady (though it could have been a tad faster for my tastes with a bit more emphasis on the people living inside the behemoth), and there are no unnecessary characters. The dialogue is, for the most part, believable. The resolution of the plot is a bit abrupt for my tastes and not entirely complete, but it is enough.
If the pacing had been a bit faster, a bit more attention paid to the people living beneath the shell, and one plot point altered (I won't say it here because I don't want to ruin the story), it would have been a solid 4.5 stars. As it is, this is a pretty good, though not great, story and worth the hour it takes to read.
The plot is simple. Decades ago, ships from space crash landed on an ocean planet and the survivors have been living on top of a giant shelled creature. Life has been meager. Harkel is a doctor whose job it is to repair cracks in the giant creature's shell. During one such procedure, he discovers a person living inside the creature (the behemoth as it is called). This discovery sets in motion a series of events that will change life on the behemoth forever.
As in all stories of this length, character development takes a back seat to plot. We learn about characters as events happen, and learn just enough to form our own opinions of what motivates them. As such, the pacing in this story is steady (though it could have been a tad faster for my tastes with a bit more emphasis on the people living inside the behemoth), and there are no unnecessary characters. The dialogue is, for the most part, believable. The resolution of the plot is a bit abrupt for my tastes and not entirely complete, but it is enough.
If the pacing had been a bit faster, a bit more attention paid to the people living beneath the shell, and one plot point altered (I won't say it here because I don't want to ruin the story), it would have been a solid 4.5 stars. As it is, this is a pretty good, though not great, story and worth the hour it takes to read.
August 30, 2017
Please write more! I really enjoyed this step into this world of meat, with its hierarchy and imminent anarchy. I'd love to read more of this and see what heppens next for Harkel and the others.
December 27, 2017
oh, wow! this was so good!! amazing writing, great characters, fascinating world building and riveting action. it was a great quick read, exactly what I was looking for. although I have to admit that I'm kinda sad that it was so quick I could easily read a whole series of books set in this world or to follow more on what happened after the end of the story... I want more!!!
November 11, 2020
Fascinating story...
That was fun. Just a fun little story to explore an interesting idea. My favorite aspect of speculative fiction. Nice work.
That was fun. Just a fun little story to explore an interesting idea. My favorite aspect of speculative fiction. Nice work.
April 12, 2015
Four decades ago, five space ships crash landed on planet of water. One sank into the depths of the vast ocean surrounding them while four landed on the surface of a massive animal they call the Behemoth.
Harkel’s job as a surgeon is the keep the Behemoth well. When the flesh cracks, forming dangerous lesions, it is Harkel who ventures literally into the beast to sew them back up. It’s a lonely job. His talents might be necessary, but they do not endear him to community he lives in.
And lately the job has gotten tougher. Fleshquakes are happening more often. As Harkel climbs down into the latest one, he has to rescue surface dwellers who have been swallowed up by the gash in the Behemoth’s outer layer. One, a woman, doesn’t want to be saved. Harkel tries to calm her down, but she pushes deeper into the Behemoth and disappears. When he files the report, the top brass turn up with an all new task for him.
The fifth ship didn’t sink into the water. It’s inside the Behemoth. And there were survivors. Take us inside to find them.
At first glance, this story sounded really farfetched and gross. They are living on the outside of a mammoth sea creature that never dives. Yuck. Once I started reading, I was pleasantly surprised. The author does a fabulous job of telling us exactly what we need to know to get through this crazy world he’s built for us. The medical and biological details as the surgeon Harkel does his job are spot on and none of those details are there to provide gratuitous gore. The direction the story took toward the end surprised me. I had one of those “Wow, that’s such a cool idea,” moments.
Well worth a read for fantasy and scifi fans.
Harkel’s job as a surgeon is the keep the Behemoth well. When the flesh cracks, forming dangerous lesions, it is Harkel who ventures literally into the beast to sew them back up. It’s a lonely job. His talents might be necessary, but they do not endear him to community he lives in.
And lately the job has gotten tougher. Fleshquakes are happening more often. As Harkel climbs down into the latest one, he has to rescue surface dwellers who have been swallowed up by the gash in the Behemoth’s outer layer. One, a woman, doesn’t want to be saved. Harkel tries to calm her down, but she pushes deeper into the Behemoth and disappears. When he files the report, the top brass turn up with an all new task for him.
The fifth ship didn’t sink into the water. It’s inside the Behemoth. And there were survivors. Take us inside to find them.
At first glance, this story sounded really farfetched and gross. They are living on the outside of a mammoth sea creature that never dives. Yuck. Once I started reading, I was pleasantly surprised. The author does a fabulous job of telling us exactly what we need to know to get through this crazy world he’s built for us. The medical and biological details as the surgeon Harkel does his job are spot on and none of those details are there to provide gratuitous gore. The direction the story took toward the end surprised me. I had one of those “Wow, that’s such a cool idea,” moments.
Well worth a read for fantasy and scifi fans.
September 2, 2015
A gritty and original tale from Irish author Paddy Kelly where survivors of several crashed spaceships live on the back an enormous animal floating in an alien sea. As they do their best to survive, they must also make sure the behemoth they live on does the same in the hope of someday being rescued. The story focuses on Harkel, a surgeon whose job it is to repair wounds on the animal as they occur. It’s a pretty hazardous task, but one that’s essential for the group’s survival. While on the job he makes a discovery that has huge repercussions for all who live there. The author has an interesting style and manages to fit enough background into this relatively short novella to explain what’s going on, while the main plot takes some unexpected turns along the way and as expected there is plenty of gore and action along the way.
I did feel at times that there could have been a little more character development, especially with the secondary characters, but that said, the sheer inventiveness of the premise is enough to hold the reader’s attention throughout and it’s a highly entertaining piece of sci-fi for those who are looking for something that’s a break from the norm.
I did feel at times that there could have been a little more character development, especially with the secondary characters, but that said, the sheer inventiveness of the premise is enough to hold the reader’s attention throughout and it’s a highly entertaining piece of sci-fi for those who are looking for something that’s a break from the norm.
May 17, 2016
Interesting concept
The behemoth had very little choice. The melding of the ship, forced the natural forces of it's nature to accelerate, much like we are doing the exact same thing we are doing to this planet. The story was a little abrupt from realization to trying to save the people that we now going to drown or come up into the atmosphere where the couldn't breath.
The more we disturb our own surface, we are doing the same thing with very little survival.
The behemoth had very little choice. The melding of the ship, forced the natural forces of it's nature to accelerate, much like we are doing the exact same thing we are doing to this planet. The story was a little abrupt from realization to trying to save the people that we now going to drown or come up into the atmosphere where the couldn't breath.
The more we disturb our own surface, we are doing the same thing with very little survival.
August 6, 2015
A weird creepy good scifi story.
December 31, 2015
This book is well-written and slightly addictive. Remind me why I stopped reading SciFi?
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews