The Ocean Dark

by Christopher Golden, Kealan Patrick Burke (Illustrator)

In the uncharted waters of the Caribbean, far from the usual shipping lanes, lies a mysterious island surrounded by a graveyard of sunken ships--an island so remote that it's the perfect rendezvous point for a handful of Central American arms dealers and the Antoinette, a gun-smuggling cargo ship out of Miami. Amid the wreckage of ships new and old, the crew of the Antoinette--and the undercover FBI agent on board--enter what looks like a haven for modern pirates, only to discover that it hides something far more terrifying.In Washington, two Department of Defense scientists might understand what is about to happen. On an FBI ship monitoring the Antoinette's illegal trade, armed agents might be able to intervene. But this assumes that the Antoinette's crew survives their first encounter with a creature virtually unknown to man, yet whose eerie songs nevertheless echo down the corridors of mankind's darkest legends.

Genres: Horror

456 pages, Paperback

Published October 3, 2018

About the author

CHRISTOPHER GOLDEN is the New York Times bestselling, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of such novels as Road of Bones, Ararat, Snowblind, Of Saints and Shadows, and Red Hands. With Mike Mignola, he is the co-creator of the Outerverse comic book universe, including such series as Baltimore, Joe Golem: Occult Detective, and Lady Baltimore. As an editor, he has worked on the short story anthologies Seize the Night, Dark Cities, and The New Dead, among others, and he has also written and co-written comic books, video games, screenplays, and a network television pilot. Golden co-hosts the podcast Defenders Dialogue with horror author Brian Keene. In 2015 he founded the popular Merrimack Valley Halloween Book Festival. He was born and raised in Massachusetts, where he still lives with his family. His work has been nominated for the British Fantasy Award, the Eisner Award, and multiple Shirley Jackson Awards. For the Bram Stoker Awards, Golden has been nominated ten times in eight different categories. His original novels have been published in more than fifteen languages in countries around the world. Please visit him at www.christophergolden.com

Reviews

[Madelon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Under a patina of mundane criminality lies something darker. In THE OCEAN DARK, Christopher Golden takes us by the hand and leads us down the primrose path of crime on the high seas to a place where we come face to face with a legend origin in the flesh.

About 71% of the earth is covered in water. Idyllic, tropical beaches draw millions of people to the shore each year. The islands of the Caribbean are likened to paradise. With all that water around us, is it any wonder that discoveries of new species occur most often in the watery realm?

The characters in this book are neither good guys nor bad guys. There are three distinct groups. First, the criminals who range from those who just keep their heads down and don't want to know what's happening to the hotheads that actually interfere with the action. Second, there is law enforcement. Again, a range of personalities much like you would expect when reading about the FBI and Homeland Security. Last, the government employees that are scientists who report to the Department of Defense. The convergence of these groups, done with adept writing, makes for a book that is hard to put down.

When you reach somewhere around the halfway mark in the book, give or take a page or two, the dread builds to a crescendo that makes you breathe a little faster, makes your heart pound a little harder, and makes your fingers itch to turn the pages a quickly as possible. This kind of writing is essential to any tale of terror. It demands hints and inuendo that suggest what might be on the horizon without ever making the big reveal. When that moment arrives, it's no holds barred, flat out action.

True suspension of disbelief happens without cognizance. You are absorbed in the action and invested in the lives of the people about whom you are reading. You have slipped into their reality and care about what transpires. These are the elements that recommend THE OCEAN DARK.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

First published in 2010 under the name Jack Rogan

I tend to gravitate towards books about the deep seas and books about monsters and this books blends the two in a very readable way.

This book was originally published back in 2010 under the pseudonym Jack Rogan and is actually by Christopher Golden, a favorite author of mine.

This book had a few separate but connected stories in it. It starts out with a container ship, gunrunners, and a very small, remote Caribbean island.

Then it segues into a monster book and then on to monster hunters in the employ of the Department of Defense. Then it brings all the pieces together.

I loved all the parts of the book. I loved the characters, the storyline, the monsters, and I was glad there was an epilogue.

I highly recommend this book to all monster fans out there.

[Nubia Loya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Science Fiction, Action and Terror

This book was great! It was a mix of science fiction, action and terror rolled into one. I really enjoyed the characters and felt they were fleshed out pretty well. I also enjoyed the way the story evolved from the gun runners to the government-run monster hunters. Can’t wait for a sequel!

[Ary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining enough

[[michele] · Rating 4 out of 5]

God do I need this to be a movie. So good.

[kenneth L. Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a rush!

This one will keep you engaged from start to finish and saddened when the journey is over. You will want more, I sure did!

[Judith Trail · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has all the delicious creepy horror of a Christopher Golden novel. A seldom written about monster discovered in a plausible manner. Lots of creepy monster violence. Characters that are developed way beyond stereotype so that you care about their fate. Good detail about technical items, an exotic setting and a throat-grabbing ending. Why the 3 rating? Throughout the book, as part of building the background of the characters, there were diversions that explained their personal relationships, their family situations; those things that make a character come alive. However, in this case, Golden just got repetitive about several of these backstories without adding anything new. For example, Captain Gabriel has a troubled marriage. The flashbacks on this just repeated information about the situation. It became a topic that appeared frequently in the end of the book where it was crucial for the pace to keep building, but instead we (the readers) were dumped back in the swamp of the bad marriage. It did not help that the reason for the trouble was a cliche: does a man love the "sea" more than his wife? It was really a problem an editor should have remedied. Similarly, there were repetitive passages in which the characters reflected on their problems. Once is enough: I can remember that a character is bothered by a certain past event, I do not need constant reminders. Trimming out this fat would have made this thriller even more thrilling. I expect a lot from Golden, as his other novels just hit the gut and keep on hitting until the end. No fat, all muscle.

[Nicola Carstens · Rating 5 out of 5]

James Rollins is one of my all-time favorite authors, so imagine my surprise to find another author who not only writes similar books, but is an incredible wordsmith to boot! I'm beyond thrilled. This book is slated as a horror, but I found it more alternative history / suspense / thriller, and I absolutely loved it. Fortunately for me, Christopher Golden has a LOT of books, so I'm finding that all I want to do is read right now (too many books, too little time).

And that's not even to mention that in my opinion, Buffy was one of the best TV series of all times, and Christopher Golden has written a number of books for Buffy, that fit into the series. I'm not sure yet if I plan on reading those, but I'll see after I've finished every. single. one. of his novels LOL.

[Judy Pancoast · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took maybe a bit too long getting to where it was going, but I’m so glad I didn’t give up because the whiz-bang last third was white knuckle. Golden has cooked up some terrifying creatures and all that time building up characters paid off in our investment in them as they fought for their lives. A solid thriller.

[Tracy L. Mateer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable

This book has it all…FBI, DARPA, DOD, NSA, Coast Guard, Navy…wow. This books starts off and never stops. Just when you think you’re near the end, something else happens to ratchet up the excitement. Hate to say this, but there typos and incorrect words but didn’t detract from the story.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great entertainment. Seems like it took a long time to really get into the action. Good characters that the reader can have feelings for. It is a big book. Took me a few days to read it. I can recommend it. I look forward to reading more of this author's books.

[Alaina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mysteries under the water

It took me a bit to get interested in the story;so glad I stuck with it. It is an intriguing read that would make a pretty cool movie.

[Richard Barber · Rating 4 out of 5]

You want horror, you got horror!

I was in the mood for a straight down the line horror novel, and Christopher Golden did not disappoint.
A great story.

[Mary Moran · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is somewhat of new author for me and I have read three and all are serious page turners. I highly recommend.

[Brett Grossmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Writer could have split this story and sold two books. Instead you can more than you paid for. By a lot. Stay Golden!