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What Dwells Beneath the Waves
Deep below the water, something waits.Journalist Moira Bell is in the Florida Keys to cover climate change, but her investigation soon reveals a series of unreported disappearances on Blackwell Key. Disappearances noteworthy only because the missing people always come back.Come back as something else.Moira ties the disappearances to Butch Blackwell, chief of police and direct descendant of the original settler of Blackwell Key. He’s hiding something on his private island, just offshore. With a massive hurricane approaching, Moira has little time.When Moira sneaks her way onto his island, she finds a dark obelisk. A bloody ritual. Worship of something beyond our world. Something long asleep.Moira must stop Butch before he awakens something that will undo the Earth.
- GenresHorror
236 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 22, 2021
About the author
Robbie Dorman
19 books92 followersRobbie Dorman believes in horror. Words of Christ in Red is his seventeenth and newest novel. When he's not writing, he's making cocktails, walking his dog, or playing video games. He lives in Florida with his partner Kim, their three cats, and the best dog in the world.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
July 1, 2025
What a great premise for an aquatic horror story. Great lore here and some solid visuals of the creatures, ie The Servants and the abyss that housed The One that Dwells Beneath the Waves. Sometimes the scariest things are the ones that you don’t actually see. All the characters were written well and the story just took its time getting to the end, fleshing everything out very well. Moira was a tenacious lead and Butch was a despicable creature, but you loved to see them spare witn one another. Now, on Moira, she had a ton of repetitive dialogue, which wore on me quickly. But her actions and interactions with everyone else made up for that particular shortcoming. It also had an open ending, which doesn’t always work, but with the magnitude of the forces at play here, made sense. This is my third book for this author and so far, so good.
January 8, 2025
Fantastic story and a new take on Lovecraftian horror.
May 23, 2026
We welcome the rising tide, the warming waters…
Well, I'm guessing many of you thought that this was a holiday weekend - Memorial Day in the USA and Pentecost in Europe (with apologies to any other continents who also celebrate either/or). Well, you're only partially right as I have decided that this is also a Double Dorman weekend in my, um, reading corner as I've been dying to expand my "read" list (as in past tense of same) of author @robbiedorman 's collection (update: it's gonna wind up bein' a TRIPLE Dorman Dose)! And wouldn't you know it, even before my wife has made it home from work to start the long(er) pause, I've already finished my first selection, namely, "What Dwells Beneath the Waves".
Their master had awoken, and with it, they were invincible, impossible, unending.
This book struck me as a kind of warmer weather (much!!!) partner to one of the books that got it all started for me, that is, "Underneath". Both books feature interesting and arguably (?) relevant (??) scientific issues as well as very strong female leads that wind up getting into a much bigger mess than they counted on when they signed up. In this case, Moira Bell is a reporter down from the cozy confines of NY City, researching for a book about climate change. She is here then to take the local pulse and get a feel for things on one of the tinier islands of the Florida Keys, namely Blackwell Key, that according to my research (listing 353 of same) is indeed fictional (noting another reference indicates there are, in fact, 800 Keys in all, though many may not be in the actual designated Florida Keys … um, what?).
It slept, frozen. Deep, deep down. And then it stirred.
Anyway, fictional or not, we learn that Blackwell Keys is a small, cozy wee island that has had its share of bad run-ins with hurricanes over the years. In fact, in this story, another Category 5 storm is heading right for them ("That little island is going to be wiped off the Earth, and I don’t want you to go down with it."), but nobody seems to really care much until it's actually there (that is an exaggeration… mostly…). Moira starts interviewing the locals about climate change with most reactions being well on the conservative side of the ledger, namely, standing by the assertion that "shit happens" and there's nothing really to be done about it. Or my own favorite: "… it won’t affect me. I’ll be long dead before it gets bad." Gee, thanks Grandpa, do I at least inherit your watch when you're gone?! I'll use it one day to buy food and fresh water! But we do find out a LOT more about why so many of the locals think this way, even if they're still struggling two years later to dig out and repair everything from Hurricane Irma in 2017, which was a very real and very deadly storm for the region and beyond.
The call of the abyss. I hear it sometimes.
Along the way some strange things start to happen to and around Moira. Now this is keeping in mind throughout that she had in fact drowned at one point as a young child - oh, it just boils my blood when parents let their kids swim unattended in areas where riptides are common! As such, she's not immensely comfortable with the ocean that she thinks of as a "tremendous yawning void of deep, dark water" which winds up being much more prescient than she could have imagined! Granted, she's capable of surviving if need be ("I’m a fantastic swimmer… I’m just terrified of the water.") but again, not a huge maritime fan. Though conveniently (?) she's also skilled in both self-defense and shooting a pistol. You know, if you're keeping score! She can hold her own is what I'm trying to get across albeit poorly so!
Whoever that is, it’s not my husband. And if it’s not my husband, who is it?
In terms of the extra weirdness, these events are accompanied with all kinds of trouble, including traumatic flashbacks happening - as well as a murder ("… she chopped him up, into just—just meat. Could barely tell it was human.") plus at least one inexplicable disappearance (and reappearance), though not necessarily in that order. Moira herself has lapses in her memory or some wonkiness with reality to handle ("… the deputies’ faces blurred in her peripheral vision…") as well as treating us all to a couple of really gnarly barf sessions, too. Needless to say, our intrepid reporter seems to have her hands full even if her stomach is often empty. It's not long at all then before she realizes almost nothing AND no one is as they seem. And none of it is something she can just ignore and wait until it gets better on her own if we want to continue that train of thought!
Most of the people here aren’t people at all. They’re those creatures. Voidborn.
Of course, in traditional Dorman fashion, a "normal" environment becomes very dangerous and even tainted by horrors unknown, as we accompany her and a few - VERY FEW - friends as they start to unravel the mystery of WTF is actually going on, including with a character by the wonderful name of Houseboat. Guess where he lives, go on, I dare you! But we start then to really get into some "Dawn of Time", "back before time had memory, before God was born", Chthulu-level bedevilment where Moira is even forced to - gasp - swim! And along the way she realizes just how interconnected her own near-death experience is to what's going on around her. It isn't too long then that we're busy fighting off hordes of monsters in the middle of a hurricane, hoping that we aren't sliced to death by terrible claws or jaws or even flying rooftops! Which I have seen in person before myself and trust me, it is not fun (my dad was famous for his stand of "dammit this is my holiday, we are NOT evacuating!" And then you see "stuff" floating by out the windows, including parts of the house you're staying in …).
It is inevitable. Soon, our Master will awaken, and transform the land.
And also in traditional Dorman fashion we are left with questions that open the door for even deeper discussions about just what happened or even what is left to come. With an "entity" that is poised to take over Earth and replace our world as we know it ("It won’t only kill humanity. It will kill life.") PENDING THE RIGHT CONDITIONS (think opposite of an Ice Age!), are we to believe then that the trumpian climate change deniers may have an even more nefarious purpose in mind, like "the water warm enough to weaken the threshold"? I mean, besides thinking with their d… um, I mean, genitalia and wallets? Or perhaps then all this utter stupidity made manifest that we continue to see walking around in red caps and drooling about tariffs isn't quite as deplorable as we thought? Maybe they're just humble servants for a Higher Power that comes from a very scary LOWER PLACE? Oh ha ha, I crack myself up!
I’ve heard that’s just more of that fake news…
Who knows? Maybe their ultimate Master comes from a place even as low as the "bottom of the world", which, unsurprisingly, might also be located in Florida? I mean, just think about the problems we'd have "if dozens of men, all situated in positions of power, leaders, politicians, and icons of industry—if all those men spent decades working at conflating profit with destruction" … um, oops? So yes, this was definitely a fun read and especially considering that by reading Dorman's NEWER offers, you can really see how much he continues to grow as an author. Sure, a few minor editing hiccups along the way were beheld but otherwise this is a genuinely entertaining story that moves as quickly as a Florida-based politician avoiding the press when asked about increasing public school and/or library funding… And with that, I move on to my next RD selection. Be prepared to look for it on your banned books list!
Well, I'm guessing many of you thought that this was a holiday weekend - Memorial Day in the USA and Pentecost in Europe (with apologies to any other continents who also celebrate either/or). Well, you're only partially right as I have decided that this is also a Double Dorman weekend in my, um, reading corner as I've been dying to expand my "read" list (as in past tense of same) of author @robbiedorman 's collection (update: it's gonna wind up bein' a TRIPLE Dorman Dose)! And wouldn't you know it, even before my wife has made it home from work to start the long(er) pause, I've already finished my first selection, namely, "What Dwells Beneath the Waves".
Their master had awoken, and with it, they were invincible, impossible, unending.
This book struck me as a kind of warmer weather (much!!!) partner to one of the books that got it all started for me, that is, "Underneath". Both books feature interesting and arguably (?) relevant (??) scientific issues as well as very strong female leads that wind up getting into a much bigger mess than they counted on when they signed up. In this case, Moira Bell is a reporter down from the cozy confines of NY City, researching for a book about climate change. She is here then to take the local pulse and get a feel for things on one of the tinier islands of the Florida Keys, namely Blackwell Key, that according to my research (listing 353 of same) is indeed fictional (noting another reference indicates there are, in fact, 800 Keys in all, though many may not be in the actual designated Florida Keys … um, what?).
It slept, frozen. Deep, deep down. And then it stirred.
Anyway, fictional or not, we learn that Blackwell Keys is a small, cozy wee island that has had its share of bad run-ins with hurricanes over the years. In fact, in this story, another Category 5 storm is heading right for them ("That little island is going to be wiped off the Earth, and I don’t want you to go down with it."), but nobody seems to really care much until it's actually there (that is an exaggeration… mostly…). Moira starts interviewing the locals about climate change with most reactions being well on the conservative side of the ledger, namely, standing by the assertion that "shit happens" and there's nothing really to be done about it. Or my own favorite: "… it won’t affect me. I’ll be long dead before it gets bad." Gee, thanks Grandpa, do I at least inherit your watch when you're gone?! I'll use it one day to buy food and fresh water! But we do find out a LOT more about why so many of the locals think this way, even if they're still struggling two years later to dig out and repair everything from Hurricane Irma in 2017, which was a very real and very deadly storm for the region and beyond.
The call of the abyss. I hear it sometimes.
Along the way some strange things start to happen to and around Moira. Now this is keeping in mind throughout that she had in fact drowned at one point as a young child - oh, it just boils my blood when parents let their kids swim unattended in areas where riptides are common! As such, she's not immensely comfortable with the ocean that she thinks of as a "tremendous yawning void of deep, dark water" which winds up being much more prescient than she could have imagined! Granted, she's capable of surviving if need be ("I’m a fantastic swimmer… I’m just terrified of the water.") but again, not a huge maritime fan. Though conveniently (?) she's also skilled in both self-defense and shooting a pistol. You know, if you're keeping score! She can hold her own is what I'm trying to get across albeit poorly so!
Whoever that is, it’s not my husband. And if it’s not my husband, who is it?
In terms of the extra weirdness, these events are accompanied with all kinds of trouble, including traumatic flashbacks happening - as well as a murder ("… she chopped him up, into just—just meat. Could barely tell it was human.") plus at least one inexplicable disappearance (and reappearance), though not necessarily in that order. Moira herself has lapses in her memory or some wonkiness with reality to handle ("… the deputies’ faces blurred in her peripheral vision…") as well as treating us all to a couple of really gnarly barf sessions, too. Needless to say, our intrepid reporter seems to have her hands full even if her stomach is often empty. It's not long at all then before she realizes almost nothing AND no one is as they seem. And none of it is something she can just ignore and wait until it gets better on her own if we want to continue that train of thought!
Most of the people here aren’t people at all. They’re those creatures. Voidborn.
Of course, in traditional Dorman fashion, a "normal" environment becomes very dangerous and even tainted by horrors unknown, as we accompany her and a few - VERY FEW - friends as they start to unravel the mystery of WTF is actually going on, including with a character by the wonderful name of Houseboat. Guess where he lives, go on, I dare you! But we start then to really get into some "Dawn of Time", "back before time had memory, before God was born", Chthulu-level bedevilment where Moira is even forced to - gasp - swim! And along the way she realizes just how interconnected her own near-death experience is to what's going on around her. It isn't too long then that we're busy fighting off hordes of monsters in the middle of a hurricane, hoping that we aren't sliced to death by terrible claws or jaws or even flying rooftops! Which I have seen in person before myself and trust me, it is not fun (my dad was famous for his stand of "dammit this is my holiday, we are NOT evacuating!" And then you see "stuff" floating by out the windows, including parts of the house you're staying in …).
It is inevitable. Soon, our Master will awaken, and transform the land.
And also in traditional Dorman fashion we are left with questions that open the door for even deeper discussions about just what happened or even what is left to come. With an "entity" that is poised to take over Earth and replace our world as we know it ("It won’t only kill humanity. It will kill life.") PENDING THE RIGHT CONDITIONS (think opposite of an Ice Age!), are we to believe then that the trumpian climate change deniers may have an even more nefarious purpose in mind, like "the water warm enough to weaken the threshold"? I mean, besides thinking with their d… um, I mean, genitalia and wallets? Or perhaps then all this utter stupidity made manifest that we continue to see walking around in red caps and drooling about tariffs isn't quite as deplorable as we thought? Maybe they're just humble servants for a Higher Power that comes from a very scary LOWER PLACE? Oh ha ha, I crack myself up!
I’ve heard that’s just more of that fake news…
Who knows? Maybe their ultimate Master comes from a place even as low as the "bottom of the world", which, unsurprisingly, might also be located in Florida? I mean, just think about the problems we'd have "if dozens of men, all situated in positions of power, leaders, politicians, and icons of industry—if all those men spent decades working at conflating profit with destruction" … um, oops? So yes, this was definitely a fun read and especially considering that by reading Dorman's NEWER offers, you can really see how much he continues to grow as an author. Sure, a few minor editing hiccups along the way were beheld but otherwise this is a genuinely entertaining story that moves as quickly as a Florida-based politician avoiding the press when asked about increasing public school and/or library funding… And with that, I move on to my next RD selection. Be prepared to look for it on your banned books list!
December 28, 2023
This is the second book I've read recently where climate change played some role in the plot.
The goods - I really enjoy how Robbie ties current issues into his horror novels. Agree with his politics or not (and I do), he doesn't sacrifice the quality of his story to get his point across. I've always believed that spec fic is an excellent way to have conversations about this sort of thing. That aside, Robbie - as always - has created some great characters. And he's put them in serious peril. The dangers inherent in living on the Florida Keys, hurricanes and rising sea levels, aren't the only things to be worried about. He's included a supernatural element to the risks the protagonist and some of her new friends face. I won't go into details beyond what the cover reveals but there are things in the water (and above the water) causing disappearances. And Moira Bell wants to get to the bottom of it all, without winding up at the bottom of the sea.
The Bads - Nothing really to report here.
Final Verdict - Robbie has pulled off another five-star book in my opinion. I'm a softy for creature features combined with smart commentary.
The goods - I really enjoy how Robbie ties current issues into his horror novels. Agree with his politics or not (and I do), he doesn't sacrifice the quality of his story to get his point across. I've always believed that spec fic is an excellent way to have conversations about this sort of thing. That aside, Robbie - as always - has created some great characters. And he's put them in serious peril. The dangers inherent in living on the Florida Keys, hurricanes and rising sea levels, aren't the only things to be worried about. He's included a supernatural element to the risks the protagonist and some of her new friends face. I won't go into details beyond what the cover reveals but there are things in the water (and above the water) causing disappearances. And Moira Bell wants to get to the bottom of it all, without winding up at the bottom of the sea.
The Bads - Nothing really to report here.
Final Verdict - Robbie has pulled off another five-star book in my opinion. I'm a softy for creature features combined with smart commentary.
January 5, 2025
Mostly Boring Story About a Woman’s Fear of Water
The beginning of this book is not very good or interesting, and focuses on a woman reporter who drives to the Florida Keys from Miami. Which is really a pretty simple effort, unless you’re the Main Character.
The Author concentrates far, far too much on the Main Character’s fears of the water — yet, The Author places her in the middle of the Florida Keys, surrounded by water, water, and more water, not to mention residents of The Keys who expect no other lifestyle.
If there is a Horror Story within this book, it is beyond my caring to find it … I read about 1/6 of the book, and can’t convince myself to stay interested enough to find out more.
My recommendation is to NOT start this Book, and to instead go find another that will immediately captivate you.
The beginning of this book is not very good or interesting, and focuses on a woman reporter who drives to the Florida Keys from Miami. Which is really a pretty simple effort, unless you’re the Main Character.
The Author concentrates far, far too much on the Main Character’s fears of the water — yet, The Author places her in the middle of the Florida Keys, surrounded by water, water, and more water, not to mention residents of The Keys who expect no other lifestyle.
If there is a Horror Story within this book, it is beyond my caring to find it … I read about 1/6 of the book, and can’t convince myself to stay interested enough to find out more.
My recommendation is to NOT start this Book, and to instead go find another that will immediately captivate you.
October 25, 2025
Thank you to Robbie for the signed copy.
The only annoying thing that stood out to me was the reuse of some words in close proximity to each other, but that was mostly just in the beginning. It was also a little odd that the main character was a reporter, but didn’t seem to care much for documenting the events that play out in the story.
I think the climax was written really well. The story kept mounting tension even as the events were unfolding.
The ending seemed written a bit like a creepypasta, with the dying villain’s overt, self-assured monologue. I don’t mind that at all, but it does make the writing come across as a bit juvenile.
Anyway I really liked the Houseboat character. I had a good time reading this!
The only annoying thing that stood out to me was the reuse of some words in close proximity to each other, but that was mostly just in the beginning. It was also a little odd that the main character was a reporter, but didn’t seem to care much for documenting the events that play out in the story.
I think the climax was written really well. The story kept mounting tension even as the events were unfolding.
The ending seemed written a bit like a creepypasta, with the dying villain’s overt, self-assured monologue. I don’t mind that at all, but it does make the writing come across as a bit juvenile.
Anyway I really liked the Houseboat character. I had a good time reading this!
June 1, 2025
"What Dwells Beneath the Waves" (2021) by Robbie Dorman is an entertaining novel about journalist Moira Bell, who travels to the Florida Keys to cover climate change. Instead, she uncovers a mystery surrounding townspeople who disappear for days, then return not quite the same. Eventually, she discovers the terrible truth involving shape-shifting monsters and a sinister plot to take over the world. The wild story actually works due to the portrayal of the main character’s bravery and determination as she works to thwart the plot. A couple of parts drag a bit, but overall an engagement read. Recommended.
June 21, 2025
Excellent Dime Store Horror Novel
I don't know if dime store horror novel is the correct term or not. For me it just means a creature feature type book that isn't trying to be something it's not. This book was well written, it has tension in the right places and doesn't get sappy with unneeded love interests. Cosmic horror mates invasion of the body snatchers, in a seaside village.
I don't know if dime store horror novel is the correct term or not. For me it just means a creature feature type book that isn't trying to be something it's not. This book was well written, it has tension in the right places and doesn't get sappy with unneeded love interests. Cosmic horror mates invasion of the body snatchers, in a seaside village.
February 4, 2025
Hallelujah!!
Finally a book I feel deserves a 5. I think I’ve only done that once before. I didn’t have to read half a book to get to the exciting stuff. The engaging characters were so real. There wasn’t a part in the whole book I began to fall asleep at. Exciting, absorbing….what more can one say. Many thanks to the author!
Finally a book I feel deserves a 5. I think I’ve only done that once before. I didn’t have to read half a book to get to the exciting stuff. The engaging characters were so real. There wasn’t a part in the whole book I began to fall asleep at. Exciting, absorbing….what more can one say. Many thanks to the author!
May 10, 2025
I enjoyed this book. I thought it was a little far-fetched at the end when the hurricane hits, but then, the creature is also way out there. Good characters that the reader can get to like. If you are looking for something to read, I can suggest this. If it is going to be added to a growing TBR list, pass it by.
December 23, 2024
Second book I've read from Robbie Dorman (Underneath), and once again, rather impressive. Storyline and characters were top notch and the book just flowed nicely. Good horror book and would make a good movie. Recommend.
May 15, 2026
Besides the environment propaganda it was ok. Too wordy in some parts. People get that the main character has a difficult time after the first couple of paragraphs. There is no need to drag it out over 4 pages, it doesn’t make it more exiting, only tedious.
August 31, 2023
Captivating and an easy read. Got a little confused in some places because of how it was written but overall a fun read
January 4, 2025
Fun Monster Read
Slow to start, but the last half went by quick! Loved the monster lore, and the cast of heroes in this story. Very atmospheric throughout
Slow to start, but the last half went by quick! Loved the monster lore, and the cast of heroes in this story. Very atmospheric throughout
January 21, 2026
solid premise, very detailed, could have been shorter.
March 28, 2026
This was OK, just kind of predictable for the horror genre.
March 31, 2023
A decent little Lovecraftian story.
June 4, 2023
I couldn’t put this book down! It was exciting from start to finish. I can’t wait to read another from this author!
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews