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The Black #1
The Black: A Deep Sea Thriller
Under 30,000 feet of water, the exploration rig Leaguer has discovered an oil field larger than Saudi Arabia, with oil so sweet and pure, nations would go to war for the rights to it. But as the team starts drilling exploration well after exploration well in their race to claim the sweet crude, a deep rumbling beneath the ocean floor shakes them all to their core. Something has been living in the oil and it’s about to give birth to the greatest threat humanity has ever seen.
The Black is a techno/horror-thriller that puts the horror and action of movies such as Leviathan and The Thing right into readers’ hands. Ocean exploration will never be the same.
The Black is a techno/horror-thriller that puts the horror and action of movies such as Leviathan and The Thing right into readers’ hands. Ocean exploration will never be the same.
First published January 1, 2014
366 people are currently reading
2130 people want to read
About the author
Paul Elard Cooley
34 books249 followersPaul E Cooley is a full-time writer and Parsec Award Winning podcaster from Houston, Texas. In 2009, he began producing free psychological thriller and horror podcasts, essays, and reviews available from Shadowpublications.com and iTunes.
His stories have been listened to by thousands and he has been a guest on such notable podcasts as Podioracket, John Mierau‘s “Podcast Teardown,” Geek Out with Mainframe, Shadowcast Audio, and Vertigo Radio Live. In 2010, his short story Canvas and novella Tattoo were nominated for Parsec Awards. Tattoo became a Parsec Award finalist. He has collaborated with New York Times Bestselling author Scott Sigler on the series “The Crypt” and co-wrote the novella “The Rider” (projected to release in 2014). In addition to his writing, Paul has contributed his voice talents to a number of podiofiction productions.
He has two Amazon best-selling series: The Black and The Derelict Saga.
He is also a co-host on the renown Dead Robots’ Society writing podcast.
His stories have been listened to by thousands and he has been a guest on such notable podcasts as Podioracket, John Mierau‘s “Podcast Teardown,” Geek Out with Mainframe, Shadowcast Audio, and Vertigo Radio Live. In 2010, his short story Canvas and novella Tattoo were nominated for Parsec Awards. Tattoo became a Parsec Award finalist. He has collaborated with New York Times Bestselling author Scott Sigler on the series “The Crypt” and co-wrote the novella “The Rider” (projected to release in 2014). In addition to his writing, Paul has contributed his voice talents to a number of podiofiction productions.
He has two Amazon best-selling series: The Black and The Derelict Saga.
He is also a co-host on the renown Dead Robots’ Society writing podcast.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 212 reviews
June 11, 2024
The Greed.
The Black is a book about man’s greed and desire for oil.
An oil rig is thousands of miles away from the land, existing in the ocean. It’s job is to explore the sea, 30k below.
With a crew of 80 men and one woman, the rig is full of experts who know their jobs, well.
Unfortunately, nobody knows that they have upset an ancient life form that doesn’t like being disturbed.
The black mass is a dangerous menace that has a mind set on destroying the rig.
Will the people in the rig, get the black mass and destroy it? Or will it destroy them, instead?
Four stars. 💫💫💫💫
The Black is a book about man’s greed and desire for oil.
An oil rig is thousands of miles away from the land, existing in the ocean. It’s job is to explore the sea, 30k below.
With a crew of 80 men and one woman, the rig is full of experts who know their jobs, well.
Unfortunately, nobody knows that they have upset an ancient life form that doesn’t like being disturbed.
The black mass is a dangerous menace that has a mind set on destroying the rig.
Will the people in the rig, get the black mass and destroy it? Or will it destroy them, instead?
Four stars. 💫💫💫💫
April 26, 2017
After reading the first half of this novel - I now feel as if I know enough about living/working on an oil rig...which has probably increased my vocational prospects. Personally, I liked the slow set-up because, when it finally did kick into gear, it didn't let up.
The crew of the 'Leaguer' exploration oil rig, think they've hit the jackpot, when they find what they believe to be an oil field larger than Saudi Arabia. But what they believe to be oil (Black Gold) is something entirely different - and it's not long before all hell breaks loose.
This was an enjoyable and fun book - that I'll probably read again, sometime.
The crew of the 'Leaguer' exploration oil rig, think they've hit the jackpot, when they find what they believe to be an oil field larger than Saudi Arabia. But what they believe to be oil (Black Gold) is something entirely different - and it's not long before all hell breaks loose.
This was an enjoyable and fun book - that I'll probably read again, sometime.
April 18, 2025
This novel is a creature horror inspired by some of the old classic films like The Thing or The Blob taking place on an offshore oil drilling rig. Having recently watched Deep Water Horizon I was mentally prepared for the dangerous and grueling nature of ocean oil rigs.
The first 100 pages or so are highly technical and almost started to lose me but then the creature boarded the ship and the action is relentless until the ending. I definitely plan on reading the other two books in the series so I can get more of this monster that has a presence deep in the ocean and above ground at the same time. Well worth the read for a new update on a classic trope.
The first 100 pages or so are highly technical and almost started to lose me but then the creature boarded the ship and the action is relentless until the ending. I definitely plan on reading the other two books in the series so I can get more of this monster that has a presence deep in the ocean and above ground at the same time. Well worth the read for a new update on a classic trope.
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May 27, 2015My book, so I'm not giving it a rating.
October 10, 2015
Halfway decent adventure story. If you're familiar with THE THING and it's relatives, you should be familiar with this as well. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but not all that good either. I had a tremendous sense of deja vu. Book 2 doesn't appeal to me.
December 12, 2016
Survival horror is most definitely my sub-genre of choice. Give me a group of characters trapped in a setting and being picked off by something nasty (read: horrible or monstrous) and I'm generally happier than the proverbial pig in its own waste. But that's not to say I'll accept any lazy or badly-plotted entry into this sub-genre. Nor do I abide horrendously paced efforts. And whilst Paul Cooley's The Black is most definitely not lazy nor badly plotted, it is unfortunately an absolute chore to wade through for its first half.
Cooley opts to provide ample evidence that he knows his stuff about deep sea oil exploration and drilling. And there is not a reader who could challenge him on this. But the level of technical detail he furnishes The Black with comes at a considerable price. For one, with one or two exceptions, the characters are very thinly sketched in; for two, nothing of consequence happens plot wise until the half way mark of the novel.
Several times I was tempted to put this one down and chalk up my first DNF for the year. Somehow, however, I always managed to talk myself into continuing. And I'm glad I did. Because the second half of the Black is filled with some thrilling scenes, a great threat (think The Blob on a rig with elements of The Thing thrown in), and a number of memorable character deaths. Which is to say, it was a shit-tonne of fun. So much so that I found myself lamenting the pages wasted so much on technical detail. This fact is only hammered home through the last 20 or so pages, when everything happens so ludicrously fast, I was left almost gob-smacked. Did X really die? What about Z? And what does this mean for W and Y? Ahhh!
Maybe this was Cooley's plan all along, as I see sequels have been published. But then they look more like they're occurring simultaneously to events in this novel. Ah well. Maybe, one day I'll find out. Maybe. But here's to Cooley having learned to better pace his novels, because this one was seriously a book of two halves: 1 star for the first half and 4 for the second half making for a total score of ...
2.5 Listing Oil Rigs for The Black.
Cooley opts to provide ample evidence that he knows his stuff about deep sea oil exploration and drilling. And there is not a reader who could challenge him on this. But the level of technical detail he furnishes The Black with comes at a considerable price. For one, with one or two exceptions, the characters are very thinly sketched in; for two, nothing of consequence happens plot wise until the half way mark of the novel.
Several times I was tempted to put this one down and chalk up my first DNF for the year. Somehow, however, I always managed to talk myself into continuing. And I'm glad I did. Because the second half of the Black is filled with some thrilling scenes, a great threat (think The Blob on a rig with elements of The Thing thrown in), and a number of memorable character deaths. Which is to say, it was a shit-tonne of fun. So much so that I found myself lamenting the pages wasted so much on technical detail. This fact is only hammered home through the last 20 or so pages, when everything happens so ludicrously fast, I was left almost gob-smacked. Did X really die? What about Z? And what does this mean for W and Y? Ahhh!
Maybe this was Cooley's plan all along, as I see sequels have been published. But then they look more like they're occurring simultaneously to events in this novel. Ah well. Maybe, one day I'll find out. Maybe. But here's to Cooley having learned to better pace his novels, because this one was seriously a book of two halves: 1 star for the first half and 4 for the second half making for a total score of ...
2.5 Listing Oil Rigs for The Black.
January 13, 2024
Fun creature feature that reminded me of Slimer. The Black takes place largely on an exploratory oil rig somewhere off the coast of New Guinea. The novel starts by introducing the 'science team' of engineers and such making their way to the rig along with the boss man and crew at the rig itself. A while back NOAA used the science team to help map out a newly discovered deep trench (deemed M2) and the team suspects a mother lode of oil down there; the problem-- it is 30,000 down at the bottom of the trench.
An up and coming oil company, PPE, commissioned the new rig and hired the science team as they have ROVs that can go that deep to help with the drilling. The tale starts off a bit slow as Cooley spends some time on the science of the dig itself, the rig, and so forth. I really liked this bit, but then, how things work always fascinated me. Anyway, once the dig gets going the first drill site seems to yield some amazingly pure crude ('light and sweet'); the team does some initial testing of it and sends a barrel off to Houston for deeper analysis. Then the smelly stuff hits the spinning blades! Cooley's 'monster' is OTT, but pretty spooky nonetheless. The 'oil' may look like crude, but seems to absorb just about anything, making it bigger, and hungrier!
While this might not be a masterpiece of literature, The Black is a lot of fun. After the rather slow-burn start, this just takes off at the halfway point and Cooley keeps the pedal to the metal for the rest of the book. The characters are rather thin, but most of them just end up being fodder for the monster anyway. Good stuff, and looking forward to the next in the series. 3.5 stars, rounding up!
An up and coming oil company, PPE, commissioned the new rig and hired the science team as they have ROVs that can go that deep to help with the drilling. The tale starts off a bit slow as Cooley spends some time on the science of the dig itself, the rig, and so forth. I really liked this bit, but then, how things work always fascinated me. Anyway, once the dig gets going the first drill site seems to yield some amazingly pure crude ('light and sweet'); the team does some initial testing of it and sends a barrel off to Houston for deeper analysis. Then the smelly stuff hits the spinning blades! Cooley's 'monster' is OTT, but pretty spooky nonetheless. The 'oil' may look like crude, but seems to absorb just about anything, making it bigger, and hungrier!
While this might not be a masterpiece of literature, The Black is a lot of fun. After the rather slow-burn start, this just takes off at the halfway point and Cooley keeps the pedal to the metal for the rest of the book. The characters are rather thin, but most of them just end up being fodder for the monster anyway. Good stuff, and looking forward to the next in the series. 3.5 stars, rounding up!
December 11, 2018
I’m not sure what I thought this was going to be, but it was pretty damn good. A nice little creature feature set on an exploration oil rig. This oil find could be huge. Maybe the biggest ever. More big dollars for big oil, because we all know they need more dough.
Unfortunately, they found more than just oil. Now they will be lucky to get off the rig alive.
The beasties were cool and there were a few really awesome “kills”. I am definitely looking forward to the next in the series.
Unfortunately, they found more than just oil. Now they will be lucky to get off the rig alive.
The beasties were cool and there were a few really awesome “kills”. I am definitely looking forward to the next in the series.
March 20, 2018
The exploration rig Leaguer, thinks they've discovered something special where they are digging for oil, and they have, but it's not what they think and things are about to take a turn for the worst.
Plot wise, it took me a while to finally get into this book, but when I did, I ended up really enjoying it. For the first third of the book, the author puts a lot of effort into setting up the drilling rig and the ins and outs of life on the rig. While this was slow going, I think it was necessary to get a proper sense of the isolation and danger they are in when things start getting bad. Once they bring up the first sample of the oil, things start progressing faster and faster and it was pretty much non stop from there.
There were quite a few characters in this, but they were all well written and developed. There are a team of scientists on the rig and you get a sense of how the normal riggers feel about them. There is tension and apathy between the two groups, which makes it hard to work together. Working in close quarters is hard but it gets harder once they realise what is happening!
In all, this was a good read. Once it got going, it was fast paced, intense and thrilling. I rather enjoyed that we don't get a proper explanation of the creature, what is was or where it came from, because it let me make up my own mind! I presume we may get more info in future books though!!! I'm looking forward to book 2 to see what the author will do next!
The author narrated this himself and he did a good job with it. He read it well and gave enough inflections and cadences to bring the story to life, but it was the characters that let him down! He didn't differentiate them enough and I found myself confused at times over who was talking. Overall though, I was impressed with his narration.
Plot wise, it took me a while to finally get into this book, but when I did, I ended up really enjoying it. For the first third of the book, the author puts a lot of effort into setting up the drilling rig and the ins and outs of life on the rig. While this was slow going, I think it was necessary to get a proper sense of the isolation and danger they are in when things start getting bad. Once they bring up the first sample of the oil, things start progressing faster and faster and it was pretty much non stop from there.
There were quite a few characters in this, but they were all well written and developed. There are a team of scientists on the rig and you get a sense of how the normal riggers feel about them. There is tension and apathy between the two groups, which makes it hard to work together. Working in close quarters is hard but it gets harder once they realise what is happening!
In all, this was a good read. Once it got going, it was fast paced, intense and thrilling. I rather enjoyed that we don't get a proper explanation of the creature, what is was or where it came from, because it let me make up my own mind! I presume we may get more info in future books though!!! I'm looking forward to book 2 to see what the author will do next!
The author narrated this himself and he did a good job with it. He read it well and gave enough inflections and cadences to bring the story to life, but it was the characters that let him down! He didn't differentiate them enough and I found myself confused at times over who was talking. Overall though, I was impressed with his narration.
December 28, 2014
The Black is a suspense/horror novel along the lines of Relic or The Thing. The suspense builds steadily through the first half of the book so that by the time all hell breaks loose you're hanging onto the edge of your chair and holding your breath. When everything does go to hell and bad things happen (and trust me, some REALLY bad things happen), all the reader can do is pray that the character they want to survive actually does, and turn the pages even faster.
This book moves! It's a blazingly fast read without ever feeling rushed. There are scenes I've gone back to reread just because they are so beautifully written. When I finished it, I wanted to read it again just so I didn't have to say goodbye to these wonderful characters.
This book moves! It's a blazingly fast read without ever feeling rushed. There are scenes I've gone back to reread just because they are so beautifully written. When I finished it, I wanted to read it again just so I didn't have to say goodbye to these wonderful characters.
June 19, 2018
It looks as if the writer looked into the science of deep sea drilling (I’m assuming) as his covering of it seems very detailed, but other than that, this book just goes all wrong.
None of the characters really capture you and are pretty much dull, all around. One of the leads, nicknamed “Catfish” (Catfish? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯) is as vanilla as they come. A tortilla analogy is used for our one hispanic-american character, our female lead is hapless and weak (girl power?), and her ass is described as perfect, for no apparent reason, whatsoever. No one develops through the story, either.
It takes forever to get to the creature in the story (we visit the omelet bar in the mess hall, twice before we really get to the creature, and not it’s quick, initial cameo) and as great (and damn unlikely) as an omelet bar would be on an oil rig, I’m not sure you would even want to eat there because we are told, again, for no apparent reason, the old sous chef who was fired, was f***ing a dead ham, even after it began to rot (yes, you read that right). So I figured the head chef might be bigger in this story, but he’s a useless character.
Then there’s the repetition of everything:
People slapping each other (physically) back to reality
Everyone thinks the next person is a “prick”
Everyone pisses their pants. Like, piss actually comes out...non-figurative.
Then this book just sort of ends.
This book was just awful
None of the characters really capture you and are pretty much dull, all around. One of the leads, nicknamed “Catfish” (Catfish? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯) is as vanilla as they come. A tortilla analogy is used for our one hispanic-american character, our female lead is hapless and weak (girl power?), and her ass is described as perfect, for no apparent reason, whatsoever. No one develops through the story, either.
It takes forever to get to the creature in the story (we visit the omelet bar in the mess hall, twice before we really get to the creature, and not it’s quick, initial cameo) and as great (and damn unlikely) as an omelet bar would be on an oil rig, I’m not sure you would even want to eat there because we are told, again, for no apparent reason, the old sous chef who was fired, was f***ing a dead ham, even after it began to rot (yes, you read that right). So I figured the head chef might be bigger in this story, but he’s a useless character.
Then there’s the repetition of everything:
People slapping each other (physically) back to reality
Everyone thinks the next person is a “prick”
Everyone pisses their pants. Like, piss actually comes out...non-figurative.
Then this book just sort of ends.
This book was just awful
August 21, 2017
I was surprised. I was looking for something different for my Aug KOLL. I was actually tired of zombie stories and took a chance on this horror/thriller. I liked it. If you liked the 80's version of "The Thing" then this tale is right for you. Horror on an isolated oil-rig out in the deep sea. Where are you going to go?
As a special twist, there are 2 other books in the series that take place elsewhere that tie into this story.
. Seems the crew of the oil-rig sent off a barrel of oil to Houston to test the sample. And then Houston is quarantined! Might have to make that book my Sep or Oct KOLL! Lots of gruesome horror. The characters are well told and no one is a total idiot. Just trying to stay alive!
And not to be a prude or anything, but the author sure liked to use the "Godd*mned" word a lot. Mind you I love Pulp Fiction and the cussing was not an issue, but over and over at times, on the same page, let alone the same paragraph. Seemed to be his favorite cuss word by far. There are times I have read a book and never noticed the swearing or like the first 20 minutes of Pulp Fiction laughed my head off, but it was hard to ignore here. I still like the book, but just saying.
As a special twist, there are 2 other books in the series that take place elsewhere that tie into this story.
. Seems the crew of the oil-rig sent off a barrel of oil to Houston to test the sample. And then Houston is quarantined! Might have to make that book my Sep or Oct KOLL! Lots of gruesome horror. The characters are well told and no one is a total idiot. Just trying to stay alive!And not to be a prude or anything, but the author sure liked to use the "Godd*mned" word a lot. Mind you I love Pulp Fiction and the cussing was not an issue, but over and over at times, on the same page, let alone the same paragraph. Seemed to be his favorite cuss word by far. There are times I have read a book and never noticed the swearing or like the first 20 minutes of Pulp Fiction laughed my head off, but it was hard to ignore here. I still like the book, but just saying.
August 22, 2021
I like that the author took time to lay out how the world of an oil rig is. I read some reviews that thought that was too much but for me it was important. We also meet our cast of interesting characters and then the story just builds and builds from there. My only knock was the overuse of certain phrases and adjectives.
April 3, 2018
With elements of "The Thing" and "The Blob" Mr. Cooley still manages to pull off an original work that is just as scary if not more so than either. Set on an oil rig, this story follows the unearthing of a deadly substance/organism that is definitely not going to go into any automobile. I love creature features and the formulas with which many follow: discovery, terror, the plan and destruction and to be honest, while I am writing this review, I have already read the other two books in the three part series, but this first book really set the stage for further chaos to ensue. While the characters are at times confusing and interchangeable, the creature is highly defined and yeah, steals the show. If you are into roller coaster rides of bio terror, then certainly check out this book! While it was casual in its movement towards bone-chilling, OMG, what the hell horror-- once you are there, you can't do anything but strap in and enjoy the ride. To say that the Black will consume you could be a bad pun, but when even a tiny pin prick of contact can ruin a human, the phrase is apropos! Seriously, the entire series should be on film!
July 9, 2016
Drilling exploratory wells in the deep ocean in search of a lucrative oil field, the crew of the platform Leaguer unearth a hidden horror instead.
This is a lean, fast-moving novel that reads like a well-made horror film. The setting is unique and well-realized; Paul Cooley appears to have done his homework well. Cooley suffers a bit due to the eternal and perhaps unavoidable dilemma of the horror novelist--the more skillful the buildup, the more difficult it will be to satisfy reader expectations when the nature of the threat is finally revealed. This novel has a very effective buildup before settling into a pretty standard but well-done riff on “The Thing’ and “The Blob.”
I listened to the free podcast version that is narrated by Cooley himself. He is a very good reader and provides some interesting commentary as well. The second book, “Arrival,” is also there and he is a few chapters into the third book in the series, “Outbreak,” as I write this. Highly recommended. I’m going to be buying one of his other works on Kindle as payment for the enjoyment he provided.
This is a lean, fast-moving novel that reads like a well-made horror film. The setting is unique and well-realized; Paul Cooley appears to have done his homework well. Cooley suffers a bit due to the eternal and perhaps unavoidable dilemma of the horror novelist--the more skillful the buildup, the more difficult it will be to satisfy reader expectations when the nature of the threat is finally revealed. This novel has a very effective buildup before settling into a pretty standard but well-done riff on “The Thing’ and “The Blob.”
I listened to the free podcast version that is narrated by Cooley himself. He is a very good reader and provides some interesting commentary as well. The second book, “Arrival,” is also there and he is a few chapters into the third book in the series, “Outbreak,” as I write this. Highly recommended. I’m going to be buying one of his other works on Kindle as payment for the enjoyment he provided.
June 12, 2016
Cooley's The Black has all the elements of my favorite movies & novels; an isolated location, an alien terror, and the fight for survival. Expertly researched and compelling from the first page to the last. Within minutes of finishing it, I immediately started his sequel The Black: Arrival.
October 3, 2014
As a fan of sea-based horror, Paul E. Cooley's The Black sounded like it would be right up my alley. And, boy, did it not disappoint!
The first third of the book, which is virtually all of Part I of the title, was a slow, deliberate set-up. Cooley spends plenty of time familiarizing readers with life on an experimental rig, the Leaguer, the technology used in the hunt for oil, and establishing the central human conflicts amongst his cast as his team of scientists deal with the rig chief, Vraebel.
The more scientific explanations rang true enough for me, and never felt like a massive, unnecessary bit of infodump. In fact, the exposition is necessary and helps to build up a nice bit of tension as chief engineer Thomas Calhoun and his team discover the oddities lurking beneath the sea. Their first sample of oil is clean and perfect, too much so, and strangely free of water. The tube worms encircling the ocean floor are arranged in unusual patterns, and their size seems to indicate an evolutionary throwback. The mysteries grow until Leaguer is hit by a massive air bubble that rocks it on its ballasts and one of the submersible surveillance drones employed by the rig is found inexplicably damaged at sea.
Part I of the title requires a bit of patience, which may depend on a reader's interest in oil drilling and rig life. Personally, I found myself wishing for a quicker pace through this segment, even though it serves as a required introduction to establish the central threat. The piling on of problems is certainly interesting, and Part I closes out with a wonderful "oh shit" moment that makes you realize the real predicament is only just now hitting, and that Cooley ain't playing around here. From there, The Black gains a lot of momentum, until it achieves a break-neck pace to carry it all home with an exciting finale.
The action is well done, and Cooley does excellent work describing the nasty encounters between the creature and the men of the Leaguer. As for the creature featured here, it's certainly a plausibly dangerous beast. While The Black is billed as a techno-horror, Cooley doesn't dwell on inventing scientific rationales to justify the creature's existence, sticking to a bare-bones "it's here, now deal with it" approach that I enjoyed.
Ultimately, The Black is a stylish, well-executed horror thriller that presents a grounded nature of evil set against a detailed and well-developed locale with a solid cast of characters to root for. There are a few plot threads left dangling, which may be the focus of a "sidequel," per Cooley's blog, and which could land sometime in 2015. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but if it goes in the direction I think it will, I'll definitely be checking it out.
The first third of the book, which is virtually all of Part I of the title, was a slow, deliberate set-up. Cooley spends plenty of time familiarizing readers with life on an experimental rig, the Leaguer, the technology used in the hunt for oil, and establishing the central human conflicts amongst his cast as his team of scientists deal with the rig chief, Vraebel.
The more scientific explanations rang true enough for me, and never felt like a massive, unnecessary bit of infodump. In fact, the exposition is necessary and helps to build up a nice bit of tension as chief engineer Thomas Calhoun and his team discover the oddities lurking beneath the sea. Their first sample of oil is clean and perfect, too much so, and strangely free of water. The tube worms encircling the ocean floor are arranged in unusual patterns, and their size seems to indicate an evolutionary throwback. The mysteries grow until Leaguer is hit by a massive air bubble that rocks it on its ballasts and one of the submersible surveillance drones employed by the rig is found inexplicably damaged at sea.
Part I of the title requires a bit of patience, which may depend on a reader's interest in oil drilling and rig life. Personally, I found myself wishing for a quicker pace through this segment, even though it serves as a required introduction to establish the central threat. The piling on of problems is certainly interesting, and Part I closes out with a wonderful "oh shit" moment that makes you realize the real predicament is only just now hitting, and that Cooley ain't playing around here. From there, The Black gains a lot of momentum, until it achieves a break-neck pace to carry it all home with an exciting finale.
The action is well done, and Cooley does excellent work describing the nasty encounters between the creature and the men of the Leaguer. As for the creature featured here, it's certainly a plausibly dangerous beast. While The Black is billed as a techno-horror, Cooley doesn't dwell on inventing scientific rationales to justify the creature's existence, sticking to a bare-bones "it's here, now deal with it" approach that I enjoyed.
Ultimately, The Black is a stylish, well-executed horror thriller that presents a grounded nature of evil set against a detailed and well-developed locale with a solid cast of characters to root for. There are a few plot threads left dangling, which may be the focus of a "sidequel," per Cooley's blog, and which could land sometime in 2015. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but if it goes in the direction I think it will, I'll definitely be checking it out.
August 5, 2015
"The Black" takes place on an oil rig called The Leaguer. Its a new drill site that all testing says is the jackpot of oil. As the crew continues preparing to extract the oil that is believed lead them to a big pay day, changes in the geography of the ocean floor are noticed. The sample oil that had been collected looks too good to be true on paper and is sent to a lab on land to reevaluate. In the mean time the oil rig crew finds out the "oil" is incredibly dangerous for everyone...
Paul Cooly is excellent at painting a picture in your mind. I was able to draw up an image of the rig structure, the crew, and their role. At one point in reading "The Black" I felt a little overwhelmed trying to keep up with the build up of the characters and the acrononyms, and some science things that went over my head a bit. In hindsight, I'm not sure if that was an issue with the book or with me (with me possibly because my "go to" is romance novels which dont typically intellectually challenge me and this book did). But once all the information, that I at one point thought was filler and was overwhelming, started to come together to create the plot...OMG...the suspense just kept building up and I was not at all disappointed. To my understanding the sequel, "The Black:Arrival" continues on land and picks up at the point that the oil sample arrives at the lab. I'm curious to see that outcome and how far the affects of the oil go...
I'm not a sci-fi buff...but Paul Cooley is slowly making me a convert. Ive read "Closet Treats" and "Mimes" (reluctantly read this...I dont like clowns or mimes...**shiver**) and I really enjoyed them more than I ever thought I would. Please check out all his work!
Paul Cooly is excellent at painting a picture in your mind. I was able to draw up an image of the rig structure, the crew, and their role. At one point in reading "The Black" I felt a little overwhelmed trying to keep up with the build up of the characters and the acrononyms, and some science things that went over my head a bit. In hindsight, I'm not sure if that was an issue with the book or with me (with me possibly because my "go to" is romance novels which dont typically intellectually challenge me and this book did). But once all the information, that I at one point thought was filler and was overwhelming, started to come together to create the plot...OMG...the suspense just kept building up and I was not at all disappointed. To my understanding the sequel, "The Black:Arrival" continues on land and picks up at the point that the oil sample arrives at the lab. I'm curious to see that outcome and how far the affects of the oil go...
I'm not a sci-fi buff...but Paul Cooley is slowly making me a convert. Ive read "Closet Treats" and "Mimes" (reluctantly read this...I dont like clowns or mimes...**shiver**) and I really enjoyed them more than I ever thought I would. Please check out all his work!
August 8, 2015
This book is very hard for me to review as I have had mixed emotions through the entire book. I've had several discussions about it and needed some time to think, grow and learn. I hope I do this review justice by explaining myself well. Here goes nothing. At the beginning specifically the first quarter of the book I found myself having a hard time adjusting to the specific writing style used. One of the parts that I struggled with was the switching back and forth between characters who had different ranks within a single chapter. What caused a stir in my brain was one character would have their given name and then a nickname used by someone else, therefore when I'm setting up the image of these characters in my head I had a hard time keeping up with who was who by given name or nickname. It was hard for me to read and picture this person unlike in the real world I can easily look at someone and know their real name vs. nickname. It all just depended on who was the active character at the time. The second thing I had a hard time with was some of the abbreviations, jargon and technical terms. As I continued I got used to the lingo and was was able to press on and was challenged to do some research of my own. Midway through the book things really started picking up and became very enjoyable. The suspense was on point and Cooleys magic began to show. The creature was all that you wanted it to be...mysterious, creepy, unforgiving, dangerous and destructive. By the end I really began to appreciate the first 30% of the book that I had previously disliked, I was able to appreciate the setup and how what I thought was just filler became relevant and important.
October 9, 2014
When a team of black gold diggers discovers an oil field rivaling Saudi Arabia in size beneath the ocean's surface, all anyone can think about is how rich it's gonna make them, but there's something down there in the deep, something terrifying this world can't even begin to prepare itself for.
I'm going to give it to you straight: this book starts off slow as Cooley eases us into the lives of the central group of characters, familiarizing the reader with oil rig procedures, lifestyles, routines, rivalries and personalities. By the time we strike oil it's as if the people in this story are friends and neighbors we only see every few months when they come back to land to spend that sweet oilfield cash. Once everyone's firmly established and the suspense starts to build, Cooley brings on the darkness in ways that are sure to give you nightmares. After all, there's nothing more terrifying than being trapped somewhere with a monster, unless, of course you're out to sea and there's no telling when, or even if, you'll see land again.
The action, once it kicked in, was well-paced, the monster was effectively creepy and the deaths blissfully gory. I could actually see this unfolding scene by scene like a horror/suspense film, which is always a nice touch when you're reading a book. Cooley is a powerful writer, and I have to say this is some of his strongest writing yet.
I'm going to give it to you straight: this book starts off slow as Cooley eases us into the lives of the central group of characters, familiarizing the reader with oil rig procedures, lifestyles, routines, rivalries and personalities. By the time we strike oil it's as if the people in this story are friends and neighbors we only see every few months when they come back to land to spend that sweet oilfield cash. Once everyone's firmly established and the suspense starts to build, Cooley brings on the darkness in ways that are sure to give you nightmares. After all, there's nothing more terrifying than being trapped somewhere with a monster, unless, of course you're out to sea and there's no telling when, or even if, you'll see land again.
The action, once it kicked in, was well-paced, the monster was effectively creepy and the deaths blissfully gory. I could actually see this unfolding scene by scene like a horror/suspense film, which is always a nice touch when you're reading a book. Cooley is a powerful writer, and I have to say this is some of his strongest writing yet.
March 26, 2020
Well... this book took me almost a month to finish it. That really doesn't look good...
To begin with The Black is about a crew on the exploration rig Leaguer with the one task to drill for oil underneath the sea floor. After their first drilling they find something that looks like oil but it isn't. So there starts the real plot.
There are many reasons for my one star review: First of all I never grew attached to the characters. Sometimes they are mentioned by their last name, sometimes by their first name. The perspective doesn't matter. So the first 30% of the book I struggled to find out which first name and last name belonged together. It didn't help that even characters refered to other characters sometimes by their last name and other times by the first name.
After this part there was the first drilling part, really unspectacular. The action starts after the first drilling, mere 50% in the book. So I thought, well, okay, I will read through this, it might still be good in the end. But no, I never read a book where the mystic and dangerous creature (or what to call it) is so boring. I didn't matter to me if it killed anybody or how it did that. The atmosphere where the peolpe are trapped on board the rig and are desperate, sadly never got to me.
To begin with The Black is about a crew on the exploration rig Leaguer with the one task to drill for oil underneath the sea floor. After their first drilling they find something that looks like oil but it isn't. So there starts the real plot.
There are many reasons for my one star review: First of all I never grew attached to the characters. Sometimes they are mentioned by their last name, sometimes by their first name. The perspective doesn't matter. So the first 30% of the book I struggled to find out which first name and last name belonged together. It didn't help that even characters refered to other characters sometimes by their last name and other times by the first name.
After this part there was the first drilling part, really unspectacular. The action starts after the first drilling, mere 50% in the book. So I thought, well, okay, I will read through this, it might still be good in the end. But no, I never read a book where the mystic and dangerous creature (or what to call it) is so boring. I didn't matter to me if it killed anybody or how it did that. The atmosphere where the peolpe are trapped on board the rig and are desperate, sadly never got to me.
September 6, 2016
I love the movies The Abyss, Leviathan and Deepstar Six. There just aren't enough deep sea horror movies or books for me out there and then this one comes along out of nowhere. I really enjoyed this book, which involves of course, deep sea oil drilling. The difference with this one and anything else I've seen or read before is that the adversary is really not clearly defined, and always makes you want to know more.
Mr. Cooley writes very well and this book is a ride when it gets started. I don't mean its boring up until the bad stuff starts happening. The science and character interactions alone made me jump right into this book. It is a really good addition to I believe is a sorely sparse idea, as far as fiction goes. Well done Sir!
Danny
Mr. Cooley writes very well and this book is a ride when it gets started. I don't mean its boring up until the bad stuff starts happening. The science and character interactions alone made me jump right into this book. It is a really good addition to I believe is a sorely sparse idea, as far as fiction goes. Well done Sir!
Danny
July 19, 2025
I would like to preface by saying this is an amateur review- my first one ever, and I will not be giving any effectively critical analysis within my feedback.
The Black highlighted two of my interests: eldritch horror and oil rigs. However, the atmosphere developed through describing the characters and environment succeeded the horror of the “monster” involved in the story. It felt like the author had done intensive research- if not, may have worked on a rig before. I could this story as a reflection of what the imagination may linger towards during a bad week on an oil rig, and maybe even the disgust towards handling crude oil.
The Black also felt like an analogy towards the BP oil spill in 2010. Like how Godzilla reflects nuclear detestation, the “monster” involved in this story reflects the destruction of life as consequence of human intervention.
Overall, the story was enjoyable, and had me coming back to it throughout the week. I felt left with more to be desired in the horror aspect- maybe more creative ways in which characters were terrified or “taken”, but the plot had a consistently healthy flow, and the characters themselves felt very human. I would recommend this to any modern eldritch enjoyer.
While I no longer consider myself a huge fan, I think any SCP consumer would also enjoy this story.
The Black highlighted two of my interests: eldritch horror and oil rigs. However, the atmosphere developed through describing the characters and environment succeeded the horror of the “monster” involved in the story. It felt like the author had done intensive research- if not, may have worked on a rig before. I could this story as a reflection of what the imagination may linger towards during a bad week on an oil rig, and maybe even the disgust towards handling crude oil.
The Black also felt like an analogy towards the BP oil spill in 2010. Like how Godzilla reflects nuclear detestation, the “monster” involved in this story reflects the destruction of life as consequence of human intervention.
Overall, the story was enjoyable, and had me coming back to it throughout the week. I felt left with more to be desired in the horror aspect- maybe more creative ways in which characters were terrified or “taken”, but the plot had a consistently healthy flow, and the characters themselves felt very human. I would recommend this to any modern eldritch enjoyer.
While I no longer consider myself a huge fan, I think any SCP consumer would also enjoy this story.
September 1, 2025
The Black is a solid work of horror literature that introduces a simple premise and executes to great effect. Dealing with themes of bodily corruption and fear of the unknown, if you are into Lovecraft’s works, The Thing, Dead Space, or Vandermeer’s Annihilation, then this captures much of the same tone and imagery.
It has a relatively slow, but deliberate build-up as we follow a core cast of characters juggling work bureaucracy and interpersonal relationships, which unravel overtime as the central conflict arises: A strange liquid that infects and converts the oil rig crew into amorphous abominations.
While the characters aren’t particularly deep and can be a turn-off, I believe this likewise makes them compelling as you are following a cast of every-men who are just trying to get through their shift while eldritch forces stir in the background. The most notable, and relatable, is Shawna who is essentially the heart of the book as she uncovers the secret of her oil station’s trench while contending with the hot headed men surrounding her. This all culminates in a story that is as grim as it is entertaining.
Disturbing, exhilarating, and punctual, The Black is a great in-and-out horror reading experience
It has a relatively slow, but deliberate build-up as we follow a core cast of characters juggling work bureaucracy and interpersonal relationships, which unravel overtime as the central conflict arises: A strange liquid that infects and converts the oil rig crew into amorphous abominations.
While the characters aren’t particularly deep and can be a turn-off, I believe this likewise makes them compelling as you are following a cast of every-men who are just trying to get through their shift while eldritch forces stir in the background. The most notable, and relatable, is Shawna who is essentially the heart of the book as she uncovers the secret of her oil station’s trench while contending with the hot headed men surrounding her. This all culminates in a story that is as grim as it is entertaining.
Disturbing, exhilarating, and punctual, The Black is a great in-and-out horror reading experience
October 13, 2020
Trapped on an oil rig, with an organism - the Black, that dissolves everything it touches except metal and glass, including people. They found it at the bottom of a trench while drilling for oil. The problem with dangerous unknown creatures is that they are so unbelievable. Every time something unusual and dangerous happens, they can't believe it is possible. Thus, the creature manages to get on board and kill 75% of the crew before someone actually believes. The only thing they can use against it is light, and that makes night the most dangerous time of all...
I enjoyed this book and the feeling of terror and claustrophobia it created. This monster is terrifying, fast, and utterly deadly. Once it touches you, there is no escape.
I enjoyed this book and the feeling of terror and claustrophobia it created. This monster is terrifying, fast, and utterly deadly. Once it touches you, there is no escape.
January 28, 2025
Station 3 by the author is a favourite book of mine.
I hoped i would enjoy more books from him but i just couldn't get into this one.
The first half dragged with lots of technical details, so it lacked any sort of atmosphere. By the time the action started, my heart just wasn't in it.
I listened to it on audio, and while i know Joe Hempel to be a fantastic person and a great narrator, i find his voice doesn't scream horror to me. My listening ended up patchy - mostly my fault -, so i totally lost track of what happened to whom.
I probably will pick up the second book on kindle to see if it works better for me.
I hoped i would enjoy more books from him but i just couldn't get into this one.
The first half dragged with lots of technical details, so it lacked any sort of atmosphere. By the time the action started, my heart just wasn't in it.
I listened to it on audio, and while i know Joe Hempel to be a fantastic person and a great narrator, i find his voice doesn't scream horror to me. My listening ended up patchy - mostly my fault -, so i totally lost track of what happened to whom.
I probably will pick up the second book on kindle to see if it works better for me.
August 5, 2025
Das Buch ist sehr unterhaltsam und liest sich gut, auch wenn der Einstieg etwas schwerfiel. Man wird am Anfang etwas überrumpelt, kann man sich entwirren ist es aber spannend und interessant.
Leider erfährt man nicht viel mehr zu dem Auslöser der Geschehnisse, sondern nur ein paar Details, die kein ganzes Bild zulassen. Ich würde sehr gerne wissen, womit wir es zu tun haben, aber wahrscheinlich war dieses Unwissen als Verkaufsargument für den zweiten Teil bestimmt.
Leider erfährt man nicht viel mehr zu dem Auslöser der Geschehnisse, sondern nur ein paar Details, die kein ganzes Bild zulassen. Ich würde sehr gerne wissen, womit wir es zu tun haben, aber wahrscheinlich war dieses Unwissen als Verkaufsargument für den zweiten Teil bestimmt.
September 28, 2018
3.5 stars rounding down. Weirdly enough, I preferred the first half of this book, before the action started. The characters were interesting, and the exploration rig as the location worked really well.
March 11, 2024
Was not expecting this to be as good as it was!!
August 17, 2025
3.75! Just cause that feels right
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