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Deep Madness: Shattered Seas
Minds. Seas. Dimensions.
All will Shatter Like Glass.
His muscles elastic and his mind fragmented, Connor Durham awakens on an unknown beach. In the distance before him is a black tower whose peak rises to meet the clouds. In the water behind him are beings who used to be human, their bodies warping and twisting into horrific new configurations. With nowhere else to turn, Connor runs for the tower.
In the Kadath deep-sea mining facility, Lucas Kane feels haunted. He dreams of lives he never lived and hears whispers from people who don’t exist. During his days, four grey figures vibrate in and out of focus behind him, their words mostly unintelligible mutters. But there’s something else, too, which he sees while both awake and a sphere, massive, metallic, and beautiful, which awaits him outside Kadath’s walls at the bottom of the ocean.
Separated by dimensions, these two men – and their unfolding stories – are intrinsically linked. As they descend deeper into the dark terrors of the unknown, they will draw inextricably closer together until, at last, both men find themselves trapped in the very depths of otherworldly madness.
Welcome to Shattered Seas.
Dive into your copy of Shattered Seas today!
Shattered Seas is a standalone novel set in the same universe as the critically acclaimed Lovecraftian board game Deep Madness created by Diemension Games. Set in the Kadath deep-sea mining facility, Deep Madness is a cooperative game of sci-fi survival horror for 1-6 players. Shattered Seas is a perfect entry point for the larger Deep Madness Universe, which includes the games Deep Madness and Dawn of Madness. Prior knowledge of Deep Madness isn't necessary to enjoy this book, but once you've finished it, you'll want to delve deeper. To learn more about the Deep Madness Universe, go to
All will Shatter Like Glass.
His muscles elastic and his mind fragmented, Connor Durham awakens on an unknown beach. In the distance before him is a black tower whose peak rises to meet the clouds. In the water behind him are beings who used to be human, their bodies warping and twisting into horrific new configurations. With nowhere else to turn, Connor runs for the tower.
In the Kadath deep-sea mining facility, Lucas Kane feels haunted. He dreams of lives he never lived and hears whispers from people who don’t exist. During his days, four grey figures vibrate in and out of focus behind him, their words mostly unintelligible mutters. But there’s something else, too, which he sees while both awake and a sphere, massive, metallic, and beautiful, which awaits him outside Kadath’s walls at the bottom of the ocean.
Separated by dimensions, these two men – and their unfolding stories – are intrinsically linked. As they descend deeper into the dark terrors of the unknown, they will draw inextricably closer together until, at last, both men find themselves trapped in the very depths of otherworldly madness.
Welcome to Shattered Seas.
Dive into your copy of Shattered Seas today!
Shattered Seas is a standalone novel set in the same universe as the critically acclaimed Lovecraftian board game Deep Madness created by Diemension Games. Set in the Kadath deep-sea mining facility, Deep Madness is a cooperative game of sci-fi survival horror for 1-6 players. Shattered Seas is a perfect entry point for the larger Deep Madness Universe, which includes the games Deep Madness and Dawn of Madness. Prior knowledge of Deep Madness isn't necessary to enjoy this book, but once you've finished it, you'll want to delve deeper. To learn more about the Deep Madness Universe, go to
- GenresHorrorScience Fiction
278 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 1, 2020
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25 people want to read
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November 20, 2020
Cover art by Christopher Shy / Cover design by Byron Leavitt.Shattered Seas is a toxic dose of Lovecraftian mythos, psychedelic team-exploration (reminiscent of Stark Trek voyages), and survival-horror melee (mutant creatures replacing zombies). It’s a maelstrom of fun if you enjoy horror adventure, losing your mind, and drowning.
Ever want to crack open the gateway into an Otherworld with a few friends? Perhaps you are ambitious and naively want to gain dominion of cosmic powers. Will you be comfortable with mutating forces transforming you into a tentacled mass? Start the madness by searching for the mystical Sphere buried in the ocean near the submerged Kadath Mining facility. Lucas Kane, a marine biologist, is one of your tour guides. Here he observes Kadath, a mining facility with organic qualities (excerpt):
“Kadath lit up below them drew his attention and caught his breath. The facility sprawled across the seabed like a sunken metropolis from another world, its illuminated structures pushing defiantly upward into the inky abyss. The station’s domes and towers seemed like the last bastions of light and reason still standing in an endless Stygian wasteland. It was hypnotic, dreamlike, and yet somehow inexplicably solid. Lucas could make out the shuttle tubes running between the three main domes, as well as to the smaller, squarer outposts and middle structures. He could even see the primary enclosed drilling site not far off from the main facility, connected to Dome Three by long, spacious tubes.”
This novel was inspired by Diemension Games' Deep Madness, a cooperative sci-fi/horror board game. The novel serves as a stand-alone book as much as it does a gateway into the game narrative. Non-gamers will enjoy it all the same since the key protagonists (Lucas Kane and Connor Durham) are freshly introduced, plus the story is a prequel to the story presented in the game. At the end of this article, there is an embedded movie overviewing the board game.
The cover features Lucas Kane (Christopher Shy artist)
Deep Madness was Diemension Games’ first title and raised over $4 million USD across two Kickstarter campaigns (from ~2018-2020). Byron Leavitt injected loads of narrative into the game, so Kadath and all its many inhabitants have curious backstories and strange intentions. With Shattered Seas Leavitt extends the world created by the Diemension Game team (with designers Roger Ho, Cherry Li, Chauncey, and Yichuan Wang) to whom Byron dedicated the book… in addition to the KS backers). There are also many illustrators and sculptors, including Chang Yuan, Stefan Kopinski, D.Rock-Art Studio and NWA Studio featured in the art book, that brought the world to life. The surreal aesthetic is captured well by Leavitt in the novel. Experience supernatural horror (excerpts):
“The walls of the corridor were changing around him. This alteration wasn’t like the red fungus he had seen earlier, either. This was something else. The only way he could describe this was… biomechanical, perhaps? It almost seemed that pieces of people had been used to help craft the walls. He saw faces staring sightlessly at him, arms and legs and torsos fused into the substance around them.”
“The being above him burned like flames, its massive body ethereal and translucent. It was roughly human in shape, except that it had multiple heads and sets of arms – and it was almost as tall as the cathedral. While much of its body shimmered and fluctuated, one thing Connor could make out for sure: its eyes were like miniature suns in its faces.”
Board Game Art
Shattered Seas is saturated with ghosts, possession, & body horror. Expect bloody action that tilts toward the fun side of horror.
You will observe the melding of multiverses as the forces of the Sphere are unleashed. The novel is much easier to digest than the game (which is very challenging and requires some commitment of hours per session and table-top real estate to accommodate the maps & pieces). Leavitt was challenged to write the novel as part of the second printing. He could have “phoned-it-in” and provide some shallow replay of a scenario. Instead, Leavitt went the extra mile to build on the lore.
Read the book, or play the game. Either way, you’ll want to do the other.
In a world as nutty as this, don’t expect all mysteries to be solved. However, it genuinely expands the story in a stand-alone fashion. We can avoid spoilers while covering the approach.
There are two main perspectives woven together. The first has Lucas Kane, a mysterious marine biologist, exploring in/around Kadath Mining Facility (yes, that is a call out to Howard Phillips Lovecraft’s “The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath”). The other has Connor Durham, a preacher from Ireland leading a small band on a strange, isolated zone we’ll just call Tower-Island.
The Leng Corporation funding Kadath, as well as the mysterious Golden Dawn cult, play roles as the fates of Connor and Lucas get intertwined. Strangely, the characters from the core box do not appear appreciably, but characters from expansions appear in dominant roles:, ie Regan & Meredith Waite from the Rise of Dagon set and Dr. William West from Oracle’s Betrayal.
One cooperative battle was an explicit, over-the-top melee paying homepage to the armory within Kadath:
“Ron grimly picked up the woman’s crowbar…[Gerald] threw the rivet gun aside in disgust... Gerald swung his axe….Lucas reached the beast and drove his scalpel… Ronald cracked its skull with the crowbar, then bludgeoned it over and over until it collapsed to the ground… his axe was still embedded in the third one...The girl pulled out a utility knife and jabbed it into the thing’s neck.”
Experience horror in deep waters:
“What do we do now?” It was the question they were all wondering, and, as such, no one had an answer when Connor finally asked it. Mitsuko sat curled up in the belly of the boat, rocking back and forth, while Min and Connor perched on either side of her. Their combined silence spoke volumes. “Connor…”
Hands breached the surface of the water. They writhed and flailed, grasping at the air as they sought for any purchase they could find. Some looked ruddy and perfectly normal, while others were pallid and rotting. And some were not human in the slightest. The hands grabbed the sides of the boat, their desperate grips wildly rocking the small craft and threatening to either capsize it or tear it completely apart. Mitsuko grabbed an oar and started beating the hands, while Min began trying to pry them off. “Connor, get us to the shore!”
Board Game Art
Wanting to tour Kadath yourself?
Shattered Seas book for Kickstarter backers: You received links eBook already. Hardcopies are en route now for a ~Nov/Dec 2020 delivery for most.
AudioBooks for Kickstarter backers: The two versions of the audiobook near Halloween (update 72). One is a simple voice narration and the other a “full-blown audio drama with a cast and sound effects and music”--listen to the outstanding demo from Soundbooth Theater.
Non-backers: Expect paperbacks, eBooks, and Audio of Shattered Seas to be available via standard sellers of games and books ~early 2021.
Get the game too! The third printing of Deep Madness is planned for 2021 via Kickstarter and will likely have all this content (get notified form on Dimension Games website). Check out Board Game Geek or local board game retailers for new/used copies.
Own the game already, but could use a guide to the narrative scenarios?
Check out this guide if you want to play in chronological order or to see how the novel characters fit in with scenarios (noted in purple): Deep Madness Scenario Guide - Chronology. Note, the Shattered Worlds special game scenario featuring Lucas Kane will be revealed with the delivery of the paperbacks.
The board game is very challenging, so consider some of the game variants (i.e., my household uses the "extra stamina" rule, so each character gets +1 action (for a total of four each). Touch base with fans if you need help. In addition to the Board Game Geek link above, there are two active Facebook groups to scope out, one being the official Deep Madness Game page and the other the Deep Madness Universe: Backers, Collectors and Fans page.
Deep Madness Board Game Overview (official blurb):
"Descend through the ocean depths into unbridled madness. Deep Madness is a cooperative board game of survival horror for 1-6 players. Journey with a team of investigators to the Kadath deep-sea mining facility, and discover the dark secrets lurking on the ocean floor. Something is down there, waiting for you: an ancient, incomprehensible power that channels your deepest fears and gives them flesh. With each successive chapter, the nightmare unravels before you, ratcheting up the tension through fiendish gameplay and a progressively psychedelic story. Fight to stay alive as you hold your breath through flooded rooms while throbbing madness devours the station around you. Flee from the squirming hordes of monsters clambering down the corridors, and face off against the horrific Epic Monsters as each round brings you closer to certain doom. The question is not if you will discover the truth buried within Kadath’s claustrophobic depths: it’s if you will survive long enough to tell anyone about it. Featuring 66 plastic miniatures in the base game alone (and over 259 across all of the expansions), Deep Madness is a tense, nail-biting experience you won’t soon forget."
YouTube link to Deep Madness board game overview
November 15, 2021
If you’re feeling Cthulhu-esque and need a deep-sea horror story, then this is the book for you! In the beginning, we have two groups of people in two separate places and over time their fates become entwined. Lost in a messed up place full of evil creatures, we have Connor (Irish priest), Min (warrior monk), and Machiko (stealthy botanist). Working at the deep sea station Kadath, we have ocean environmentalist Lucas, submariner Charles, and fixer Rachel. While one group simply tries to survive and escape, the other group tries to unravel the mystery of a giant squid-like creature barely caught on camera. Plus Lucas keeps hearing voices and seeing things that aren’t really there and that’s really making it hard to flirt with Rachel. So we obviously need to figure that out for the man so he can have a successful social life.
Machiko and Lucas were my favorite characters. Machiko is level-headed and she is often the one to remind her traveling companions to stay quiet or to keep moving. Connor had the hardest time getting into survival mode. In fact, he nearly got the three of them killed several times. I was surprised that Machiko and Min kept him around. Turns out they are just honestly nice people and weren’t keeping him to use as bait or sacrifice down the road (like I would be tempted to do). Lucas on the other hand is a little lost at first, being new to this deep ocean life and basically a corporate-owned city. Everything about Kadath station, from the engineering of the sewage treatment to the discos are run by the same company. So Lucas has to learn how to fit in. At first, I thought he was an OSHA inspector but it turns out he’s some kind of marine biologist and just wants to make sure Kadath isn’t negatively impacting the local wildlife. I think Lucas was saying he’s your ocean guy and not OSHA guy. But there was some confusion there for me at first. He’s much more exciting as an ocean guy instead of checking office room temperatures and oxygen levels in confined spaces.
The set up is a little slow but also fairly interesting. After all, we know there’s some big mystery about Kadath that Lucas is peeking into. Plus Connor just kind of awoke in this horrible place with dangerous, slimy monsters that can mimic humans. Once the set up is in place, the pace picks up. I love that the story keeps bouncing back and forth between these two sets of people. If one group is having a quiet bonding moment, the other can be running for their lives. Lucas does show some adventurous spirit by finding a way to hunt for his giant squid after being told no. Rachel is friends with Charles, who gets to go out daily in a little round sub to check the exterior of the city. He has a set path he’s supposed to travel, but he can expand it a little. No one will notice. Yeah, right! All three of them quickly learn that Judy Blake, corporate liaison, sees all and knows all. But she also is curious and authorizes them to continue with their search, offering to support them any way they need. Now this should have been a red flag, but Lucas is a bit gullible and takes people at face value. Plus he’s just happy to hunting deep sea monsters.
As the story progresses, these two worlds get closer and closer together until finally one character becomes the tipping point. It’s all very exciting but also pretty nebulous. A story that started off pretty solidly in the science fiction genre has now veered into the fantastical horror. Parts of it I liked, and I was already invested in the characters, but parts of it were just too easy to explain away, because, you know, Cthulhu-like monsters be that way. I did want something a little more defined near the end. Still, it was a pretty enjoyable suspenseful tale. 4/5 stars.
The Narration, Sound Effects, & Music: The full-cast narration was well put together. Each character was clear and easily defined from the others. For the most part, I liked the voices tho two were a bit over the top (Judy Blake and the evil Dr. William West). Most of the cast sounded like modern story-telling while those two voices sounded like a throw back to old timey radio shows. For the most part though, it all worked well. I liked the little bits of music between chapters. Most of the sound effects were good, but there were a few where I was trying to identify exactly what they were. Though to be fair, sometimes these effects were at a point in the story where a character is trying to identify a sound too. Still, I like my sound effects clearly identifiable so my brain stays on the story instead of caught up in trying to figure out what that sound is supposed to be. Aside from those few quibbles, it was a pretty good performance. Soundbooth Theater has a choice in narrations when you buy from their site directly – narration only or what they call a Deep Dive (with all the sound effects and music). I think this is a most excellent thing to offer listeners. 4/5 stars.
I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Soundbooth Theater. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.
Machiko and Lucas were my favorite characters. Machiko is level-headed and she is often the one to remind her traveling companions to stay quiet or to keep moving. Connor had the hardest time getting into survival mode. In fact, he nearly got the three of them killed several times. I was surprised that Machiko and Min kept him around. Turns out they are just honestly nice people and weren’t keeping him to use as bait or sacrifice down the road (like I would be tempted to do). Lucas on the other hand is a little lost at first, being new to this deep ocean life and basically a corporate-owned city. Everything about Kadath station, from the engineering of the sewage treatment to the discos are run by the same company. So Lucas has to learn how to fit in. At first, I thought he was an OSHA inspector but it turns out he’s some kind of marine biologist and just wants to make sure Kadath isn’t negatively impacting the local wildlife. I think Lucas was saying he’s your ocean guy and not OSHA guy. But there was some confusion there for me at first. He’s much more exciting as an ocean guy instead of checking office room temperatures and oxygen levels in confined spaces.
The set up is a little slow but also fairly interesting. After all, we know there’s some big mystery about Kadath that Lucas is peeking into. Plus Connor just kind of awoke in this horrible place with dangerous, slimy monsters that can mimic humans. Once the set up is in place, the pace picks up. I love that the story keeps bouncing back and forth between these two sets of people. If one group is having a quiet bonding moment, the other can be running for their lives. Lucas does show some adventurous spirit by finding a way to hunt for his giant squid after being told no. Rachel is friends with Charles, who gets to go out daily in a little round sub to check the exterior of the city. He has a set path he’s supposed to travel, but he can expand it a little. No one will notice. Yeah, right! All three of them quickly learn that Judy Blake, corporate liaison, sees all and knows all. But she also is curious and authorizes them to continue with their search, offering to support them any way they need. Now this should have been a red flag, but Lucas is a bit gullible and takes people at face value. Plus he’s just happy to hunting deep sea monsters.
As the story progresses, these two worlds get closer and closer together until finally one character becomes the tipping point. It’s all very exciting but also pretty nebulous. A story that started off pretty solidly in the science fiction genre has now veered into the fantastical horror. Parts of it I liked, and I was already invested in the characters, but parts of it were just too easy to explain away, because, you know, Cthulhu-like monsters be that way. I did want something a little more defined near the end. Still, it was a pretty enjoyable suspenseful tale. 4/5 stars.
The Narration, Sound Effects, & Music: The full-cast narration was well put together. Each character was clear and easily defined from the others. For the most part, I liked the voices tho two were a bit over the top (Judy Blake and the evil Dr. William West). Most of the cast sounded like modern story-telling while those two voices sounded like a throw back to old timey radio shows. For the most part though, it all worked well. I liked the little bits of music between chapters. Most of the sound effects were good, but there were a few where I was trying to identify exactly what they were. Though to be fair, sometimes these effects were at a point in the story where a character is trying to identify a sound too. Still, I like my sound effects clearly identifiable so my brain stays on the story instead of caught up in trying to figure out what that sound is supposed to be. Aside from those few quibbles, it was a pretty good performance. Soundbooth Theater has a choice in narrations when you buy from their site directly – narration only or what they call a Deep Dive (with all the sound effects and music). I think this is a most excellent thing to offer listeners. 4/5 stars.
I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Soundbooth Theater. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.
November 25, 2025
I don’t have much to say about this monstrous amalgamation of a novel, but…. no… absolutely not…
Read Sphere by Michael Crichton instead.
Read Sphere by Michael Crichton instead.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews