What do you think?
Rate this book
Redemption's Heir #2
Fathomless
In Anne M. Pillsworth's Fathomless, Sean dips even further into his magical destiny, but will blood prove thicker than the mysteries of Innsmouth's briny depths?
Sean Wyndham has tried to stay away from the lure of magic-the last time he tried to dabble in the dark studies, he inadvertently summoned a blood familiar, wreaking havoc on his town, and calling the attention of the Elder Gods. But now Sean has been offered the chance to study magic with a proper teacher, overseen by Helen Arkwright, a friend of Sean's father and heir to ancient order of much power, who protects New England from that which lurks in the coastline's unseen depths. But will learning theory be enough, when there is a much greater magical secret hidden in Helen's vaulted library?
Accompanied by his best friend, Eddy, and their enigmatic new friend Daniel, Sean wades out deeper into mystical legend and shadow. With hints and secrets buried long in family lore, they turn to the suspicious Reverend Orne once more for assistance. But as Sean deepens his understanding of his power, a darkness is waking...
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Sean Wyndham has tried to stay away from the lure of magic-the last time he tried to dabble in the dark studies, he inadvertently summoned a blood familiar, wreaking havoc on his town, and calling the attention of the Elder Gods. But now Sean has been offered the chance to study magic with a proper teacher, overseen by Helen Arkwright, a friend of Sean's father and heir to ancient order of much power, who protects New England from that which lurks in the coastline's unseen depths. But will learning theory be enough, when there is a much greater magical secret hidden in Helen's vaulted library?
Accompanied by his best friend, Eddy, and their enigmatic new friend Daniel, Sean wades out deeper into mystical legend and shadow. With hints and secrets buried long in family lore, they turn to the suspicious Reverend Orne once more for assistance. But as Sean deepens his understanding of his power, a darkness is waking...
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
318 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 27, 2015
275 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
September 16, 2016
Why is it so wrong to want to be a Deep One? H.P. Lovecraft's The Shadow over Innsmouth is all about the horror of how a bunch of townsfolk voluntarily decided to interbreed with fishmen in exchange for gold and fish. The focus of the narrator on the act of such "defilement" is such that Ruthanna Emrys claims to have completely forgot they also engaged in human sacrifice among other horrifically evil things. However, if you have the attitude of, "mating with fish men isn't my bag but to each their own" then the horror of the novella kind of loses its punch.
Indeed, the Deep Ones are the Lovecraft monster most likely to be redeemed nowadays with The Doom that Came to Innsmouth, The Litany of Earth, their sympathetic portrayal in Alan Moore's Providence and now Fatholmess. They are often considered to be individuals who were horrifically abused for no other reason than they were different and practiced a different religion than was acceptable in the 1930s.
I, for one, respect the fact the Deep Ones are a race of religious fanatics and evil sorcerers because, as Terry Pratchett says, "Just because someone's a member of an ethnic minority doesn't mean they're not a nasty small-minded little jerk." Except replace small-minded jerk with evil Cthulhu-worshiping cultist. After all, it's not like Deep Ones are GHOULS who I would totally join the secret underground society of in a heartbeat.
The premise is Sean Wyndham, teenage survivor of the Cthulhu Mythos in Summoned, is now studying with the Order of Al-Hazred. Unfortunately, the heir to infernalist sorcerer Reverend Redemption Orne has few friends in the organization as they believe him to be a threat. Sean has the benefit of his friend Eddie (a girl who prefers that to Edna) and their new friend Daniel who always wears turtlenecks. It doesn't take a Lovecraft scholar to guess what Daniel is in light of the title and he proves to be the most fascinating character in the book.
Anne M. Pillsworth makes a lot of really good decisions in this which both underline and play with many of the concepts within Lovecraft's own work. The original Deep Ones were metaphors against intermarriage between races and immigration. Daniel, by contrast, is a figure who immediately takes up with Eddie and we're meant to root for their relationship. I also like the fact Sean and Eddie have no interest in one another. Aside from Harry Potter, it's the rare story which doesn't end with the hero and the girl.
After reading Summoned, I wondered why everyone was down on Reverend Orne because all of the problems in that book were caused by Sean. It seemed like they were blaming him for all of Sean's mistakes. Here, the author gives a better reason for why we should terrified of the centuries-old wizard while also keeping a friendly face to Sean. I won't spoil the ending of the book but it was a huge shocker. I think the author does an immensely good job of balancing horror, adventure, and urban fantasy in her series.
The depiction of Innsmouth in 2016 is interesting. The undersea city of the Deep Ones is covered up by shoggoths, the Deep Ones maintain their homes to remain ignorable, and they go out of their way to make it a decent but boring place to live. They are not against humankind but they are also contemptuous of them. Daniel's mother hated her Deep One ancestry but eventually came to embrace it, not taking her son with her. Even so, the only Marsh family member we meet is an amusing older uncle rather than a sinister cult leader.
Lovecraft Purists will be annoyed by the fact the Deep Ones are portrayed as reasonably harmless. Personally, I've always thought my ideal treatment of them would be to keep all of their murderous religious fanaticism and supernatural powers while also making it so they're unduly persecuted by others. Then again, I tend to prefer Gray and Gray Morality to Black and White or Black and Black. You could have the Deep Ones working to overthrow Dagon and prevent Cthulhu's rise even as both sides work to wipe each other out.
I found Fathomless to be an exciting, entertaining, and enjoyable ride. I like the way magic, New England flavor, and Lovecraft lore are woven together. I think I would enjoy the series if it went a little darker but I enjoy it as is. It reminds me of Potter at its best and most serious, which is no small praise. I'm looking forward to the next installment of the series and heartily recommend these two books.
10/10
Indeed, the Deep Ones are the Lovecraft monster most likely to be redeemed nowadays with The Doom that Came to Innsmouth, The Litany of Earth, their sympathetic portrayal in Alan Moore's Providence and now Fatholmess. They are often considered to be individuals who were horrifically abused for no other reason than they were different and practiced a different religion than was acceptable in the 1930s.
I, for one, respect the fact the Deep Ones are a race of religious fanatics and evil sorcerers because, as Terry Pratchett says, "Just because someone's a member of an ethnic minority doesn't mean they're not a nasty small-minded little jerk." Except replace small-minded jerk with evil Cthulhu-worshiping cultist. After all, it's not like Deep Ones are GHOULS who I would totally join the secret underground society of in a heartbeat.
The premise is Sean Wyndham, teenage survivor of the Cthulhu Mythos in Summoned, is now studying with the Order of Al-Hazred. Unfortunately, the heir to infernalist sorcerer Reverend Redemption Orne has few friends in the organization as they believe him to be a threat. Sean has the benefit of his friend Eddie (a girl who prefers that to Edna) and their new friend Daniel who always wears turtlenecks. It doesn't take a Lovecraft scholar to guess what Daniel is in light of the title and he proves to be the most fascinating character in the book.
Anne M. Pillsworth makes a lot of really good decisions in this which both underline and play with many of the concepts within Lovecraft's own work. The original Deep Ones were metaphors against intermarriage between races and immigration. Daniel, by contrast, is a figure who immediately takes up with Eddie and we're meant to root for their relationship. I also like the fact Sean and Eddie have no interest in one another. Aside from Harry Potter, it's the rare story which doesn't end with the hero and the girl.
After reading Summoned, I wondered why everyone was down on Reverend Orne because all of the problems in that book were caused by Sean. It seemed like they were blaming him for all of Sean's mistakes. Here, the author gives a better reason for why we should terrified of the centuries-old wizard while also keeping a friendly face to Sean. I won't spoil the ending of the book but it was a huge shocker. I think the author does an immensely good job of balancing horror, adventure, and urban fantasy in her series.
The depiction of Innsmouth in 2016 is interesting. The undersea city of the Deep Ones is covered up by shoggoths, the Deep Ones maintain their homes to remain ignorable, and they go out of their way to make it a decent but boring place to live. They are not against humankind but they are also contemptuous of them. Daniel's mother hated her Deep One ancestry but eventually came to embrace it, not taking her son with her. Even so, the only Marsh family member we meet is an amusing older uncle rather than a sinister cult leader.
Lovecraft Purists will be annoyed by the fact the Deep Ones are portrayed as reasonably harmless. Personally, I've always thought my ideal treatment of them would be to keep all of their murderous religious fanaticism and supernatural powers while also making it so they're unduly persecuted by others. Then again, I tend to prefer Gray and Gray Morality to Black and White or Black and Black. You could have the Deep Ones working to overthrow Dagon and prevent Cthulhu's rise even as both sides work to wipe each other out.
I found Fathomless to be an exciting, entertaining, and enjoyable ride. I like the way magic, New England flavor, and Lovecraft lore are woven together. I think I would enjoy the series if it went a little darker but I enjoy it as is. It reminds me of Potter at its best and most serious, which is no small praise. I'm looking forward to the next installment of the series and heartily recommend these two books.
10/10
April 26, 2019
Very good continuation of this young adult trilogy as the kids head to Arkham to get some training for their magic and, of course, things get creepy and dangerous.
October 8, 2016
Here's a great Halloween read for you. I really, really loved Anne Pillsworth's
Summoned
, and the follow-up does not disappoint. What it does - and this is a good thing - is take the series in a direction I had not at all expected. The first book was out-and-out horror set firmly in the Cthulhu mythos by way of a teenage boy dabbling in magic that's way over his head. Fathomless remains in Lovecraft country, but eschews the shock and awe of horror for deeper levels of mystery and character development.
A year has passed since the events of Summoned and now our hero, Sean, is ready to start his magical training for real by spending summer break at Arkham University. There's a new kid who's studying magic as well, and who has a somewhat fishy relationship with seawater. Mysteries unfold about this new character and about Sean's own background, and the deeper he gets to unraveling them the less he knows who he can and can't trust in the magical community.
Two things in particular: I love how Anne writes teenagers, and I love how Anne writes magic. Her teenagers feel so much more authentic to me than most of the kids in teen fiction - they act like kids, for god's sake, and not like little adults, although you can definitely see them moving in that direction. (The closest comparison I can think of is Rowling's "troubled teen" version of Harry Potter from Order of the Phoenix, although toned town and more realistic.)
I love the depiction of the magical system in Anne's version of Lovecraft. It's not just hocus-pocus, but carries weight and has a personal cost to the practitioner. Nothing is as easy as waving a wand and saying some nonsense words. There's an actual sense of dread any time Sean tries to practice magic, that this might be the time that essentially does him in.
Anyway: good stuff. Looking forward to Unmortal . (Great title, by the way.)
A year has passed since the events of Summoned and now our hero, Sean, is ready to start his magical training for real by spending summer break at Arkham University. There's a new kid who's studying magic as well, and who has a somewhat fishy relationship with seawater. Mysteries unfold about this new character and about Sean's own background, and the deeper he gets to unraveling them the less he knows who he can and can't trust in the magical community.
Two things in particular: I love how Anne writes teenagers, and I love how Anne writes magic. Her teenagers feel so much more authentic to me than most of the kids in teen fiction - they act like kids, for god's sake, and not like little adults, although you can definitely see them moving in that direction. (The closest comparison I can think of is Rowling's "troubled teen" version of Harry Potter from Order of the Phoenix, although toned town and more realistic.)
I love the depiction of the magical system in Anne's version of Lovecraft. It's not just hocus-pocus, but carries weight and has a personal cost to the practitioner. Nothing is as easy as waving a wand and saying some nonsense words. There's an actual sense of dread any time Sean tries to practice magic, that this might be the time that essentially does him in.
Anyway: good stuff. Looking forward to Unmortal . (Great title, by the way.)
December 22, 2015
Is there anything nicer than Deep Ones? No. No, there is not.
Deep Ones with shoggoths?
Oh, all right, that's even nicer.
Deep Ones with shoggoths?
Oh, all right, that's even nicer.
July 27, 2015
Source: ARC
Rating: 4.7 stars, rounded up to 5
FATHOMLESS is the second offering from Anne Pillsworth in her Lovecraft-inspired REDEMPTION'S HEIR series.
In FATHOMLESS, the teen magician protagonist, Sean Wyndham, having amply displayed his powers and impressively demonstrated his inability to control them, is studying at Miskatonic University over the summer under the watchful eye of Order of Alhazred leader Theophilus Marvell with the aim of mastering his gift.
His non-magical best friend, Eddy (Edna) Rosenbaum, accompanies him as a summer intern at the University library. And, definitely not to be overlooked, the enigmatic wizard Redemption Orne has not let Sean escape his ken.
Another magical student, Daniel Glass, oddly damaged and oddly beautiful, adds mystery when he arrives at Miskatonic under unclear circumstances and conflict when Eddy falls in love with him.
Daniel is and isn't what he seems. That sea water is supposedly dangerous to him in his condition doesn't stop him from diving more strongly and deeply than humanly possible to rescue a distressed swimmer from Arkham Harbor during the three friends' outing at the beach.
The sea water doesn't kill Daniel, but it affects him in ways impossible for Sean and Eddy to ignore. The word "Innsmouth" surfaces (so to speak) when they interrogate Daniel, and people: we are off to the races.
It's some joyride. From the enchanted window in the Arkwright House to the Devil-ish Reef where Sean and Daniel meet their possible futures (and where Eddy proves once again that girls rule), Pillsworth's writing, with its quick pace, snappy dialogue and you-are-there imagery brings the reader from a chillingly inventive prologue to a stunning conclusion.
Except for that prologue and the last chapter, the story is filtered finely through Sean's point of view. You're wrapped up tight inside Sean's head, creating situations where sometimes you laugh, sometimes your throat tightens and sometimes you just want to cut off the kid's Adderall.
That last is a minor quibble. FATHOMLESS is a great summer read: too bad it isn't being released until October. The book's not all froth, however. In SUMMONED and FATHOMLESS, Sean does seem to be creeping slowly toward the lip of the Lovecraftian abyss. How far will he follow Redemption Orne on the path Orne is laying out for him? And if he follows to the end, will he embrace what he meets there?
I'm eagerly awaiting the next installment in Pillsworth's series. This inquiring mind wants to know.
September 23, 2016
I adored SUMMONED, and I love FATHOMLESS just as much! Sean and Eddy's adventure continues as they study magic with the powerful Order, along with a new friend, Daniel. This fast paced and original story hooked me from the first page to the last - I highly recommend it!
November 4, 2015
I was super excited to be offered the chance to review and host a giveaway for Fathomless by Tor Teen, so of course I accepted! I was initially unsure of what to expect from a book described as “Lovecraftian YA”, but the synopsis sounded pretty cool so I gave it a chance. I’ve not read any of Lovecraft’s works, but I am familiar with some of the content thanks to the great and bountiful internet, so I wasn’t completely in the dark to the references that were made. Fathomless is the second novel in the Redemption’s Heir series by Pillsworth and was quite enjoyable.
Sean Wyndham, the main character is a magically inclined teenager that had a complicated run in with Nyarlathotep (an Outer god) in the book Summoned. He’s travelled to Arkham to study with an order of magicians to grow his magical capabilities without accidently summoning horrible otherworldly beings. Accompanying him is his best friend Eddy (a girl), who was present when he summoned Nyarlathotep and didn’t run screaming at the site of him. She’s clearly a tough, level-headed girl and has a growing interest in studying magic, though she herself cannot perform it. Sean has some complicated family issues (you’ll see what I mean if you read it), which add a bit of excitement to the story, but the really interesting part involves Daniel, another magical student. You see, Daniel also has an interesting familial situation, but his is… amphibian in nature. I don’t want to spoil it, but trust me- it’s very interesting and Cthulu is mentioned.
The story is a fun read, with believable characters (magic aside), great writing, and the Lovecraft influence makes it stand out among its genre. I was expecting it to be much darker than it was based on the cover design- it looks like ghouls climbing from the ocean to rend their souls or something. I promise it’s much less sinister than that, though still dangerous. There were several exciting surprises that popped up throughout the storyline, all of which were fairly unexpected. I like the unexpected- it keeps things fresh and interesting and I can’t immediately predict how everything will tie up.
I would say that anyone looking for a fresh YA story should check out the series, because sometimes you just can’t take another fairytale retelling. I would like to continue this series if my TBR will allow, especially after the creep-tastic ending that involved exsanguination, tentacles, and ancestral disturbances. If that doesn’t pique your interest, nothing will.
Sean Wyndham, the main character is a magically inclined teenager that had a complicated run in with Nyarlathotep (an Outer god) in the book Summoned. He’s travelled to Arkham to study with an order of magicians to grow his magical capabilities without accidently summoning horrible otherworldly beings. Accompanying him is his best friend Eddy (a girl), who was present when he summoned Nyarlathotep and didn’t run screaming at the site of him. She’s clearly a tough, level-headed girl and has a growing interest in studying magic, though she herself cannot perform it. Sean has some complicated family issues (you’ll see what I mean if you read it), which add a bit of excitement to the story, but the really interesting part involves Daniel, another magical student. You see, Daniel also has an interesting familial situation, but his is… amphibian in nature. I don’t want to spoil it, but trust me- it’s very interesting and Cthulu is mentioned.
The story is a fun read, with believable characters (magic aside), great writing, and the Lovecraft influence makes it stand out among its genre. I was expecting it to be much darker than it was based on the cover design- it looks like ghouls climbing from the ocean to rend their souls or something. I promise it’s much less sinister than that, though still dangerous. There were several exciting surprises that popped up throughout the storyline, all of which were fairly unexpected. I like the unexpected- it keeps things fresh and interesting and I can’t immediately predict how everything will tie up.
I would say that anyone looking for a fresh YA story should check out the series, because sometimes you just can’t take another fairytale retelling. I would like to continue this series if my TBR will allow, especially after the creep-tastic ending that involved exsanguination, tentacles, and ancestral disturbances. If that doesn’t pique your interest, nothing will.
Read
March 22, 2016Sean Wyndham has tried to stay away from the lure of magic — the last time he tried to dabble in the dark studies, he inadvertently summoned a blood familiar, wreaking havoc on his town, and calling the attention of the Elder Gods. But now Sean has been offered the chance to study magic with a proper teacher, overseen by Helen Arkwright, a friend of Sean’s father and heir to ancient order of much power, who protects New England from that which lurks in the coastline’s unseen depths. But will learning theory be enough, when there is a much greater magical secret hidden in Helen’s vaulted library?
August 4, 2015
Read for SLJ review.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews