The Leviathan

by P.K. Hawkins

Dr. Markowitz thinks his days of deep-sea diving are over. He's perfectly happy to let his apprentice, Dr. Applebaum, take over the mantle of the world’s number one deep sea explorer. But when Applebaum's sub mysteriously vanishes on a dive into the very deepest parts of the ocean, the terrifying evidence that is left behind is enough to force Markowitz into one last dive.

The last images that Applebaum's sub sent up to the surface suggest there may be something monstrous down there, a deep sea fish beyond the size of anything Markowitz has ever seen in all his days of ocean exploration. And even more horrifying, those last images suggest Applebaum and his sub may have been swallowed alive.

But if Markowitz doesn't act fast, Applebaum won't be alive for long.

Genres: Fiction, Horror, Monsters, Thriller, Adventure, Action

118 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 21, 2022

Reviews

[Peter Topside · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve read a huge amount of scary deep sea adventures. Mostly involving sharks, but there’s been some other adversaries mixed in there. And they all sort of read the same way. This was my first anglerfish. Well anglerfishes. That sounds off. Oh well. And it was somewhat serious, as the stakes were high, but it was really the banter among the crew mates that stole the show. Markowitz and Applebaum have this ongoing kindred connection, and then Gorky and everyone else just made this rather simplistic premise into something memorable. There were a handful of jokes and nonstop lighthearted back and forths, all mixed in with the unsettling situation that both submersibles found themselves in. And the ending sequence was intense! This wasn’t so much a horror story as it was more science fiction, but I enjoyed it just as much. But just a really fun adventure that fans of various genres will enjoy. And as a heads up, the first page has so many run on sentences that I dropped my Kindle several times trying to get through. Don’t let that sway you, as the writing quality drastically shifts for the better and finds its flow shortly after.

[Terry and dog · Rating 4 out of 5]

What absurd and entertaining deep sea story! I adored this. The situation these scientists find themselves in is wild. How they get themselves out of it is even wilder. I really liked the characters and sea creatures. I suggest if you read this book, just go with the flow and enjoy the ride.

[chucklesthescot · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dr Markowitz is supervising the launch of a mini-sub to explore a new area of trench, allowing his assistant and friend Dr Applebaum to do the dive. But when the sub encounters a deadly species of deep sea fish and damage is sustained, Markowitz is faced with the choice of a potentially suicidal rescue attempt or abandoning his friend to die.

This was a good sea monster tale, the type I really enjoy. A tense underwater adventure where things are continually going wrong, a massive sea monster fish that is causing all kinds of chaos, and a team of scientists trying to find a way to survive the sea, failing technology and a really big beastie. I liked the adventure itself and getting the chance to read about a completely different kind of monster, that is basically just doing what it normally does.

The characters were also interesting. The captain of the boat who thinks the scientists are a bit crazy, the intelligent intern who is amusing when she starts to babble under stress, the sub pilot who is the tech guy and the two scientists who have been friends for years. I liked the bond between the men and the willingness to risk their own lives to save the other. For a short book, there was some pretty decent character development through the story.

OK lets be honest, the story is a little far-fetched in places but I don't mind that if I'm also being entertained by it. I did find this book entertaining and it kept me wanting to read it and see what happened. You could imagine this being turned into a pretty crazy film for fans of creature features. There's something eerie, exciting and deadly about the thought of being trapped under the sea with weird deadly monsters trying to eat you.

A fun quick read.

[Watermelon Thresher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating this book 3 stars.

It was a very short and fun read. The ending was very unbelievable. Even for creature feature standards, I felt a little bit underwhelmed by the victory as we kind of miss some of it from the characters passing out and then waking up in the hospital. Yeah they got to the surface but then the second sub was swallowed. We miss them actually getting out of the fish. But if you don’t over think it (like I always do) then it is a unique solution and enjoyable.

My main complaint would be that characters seem to think the exact same way.

They often “know” what another character is going to say before they say it. Or they don’t even have to say what they are thinking because the other character also has come to the same conclusion.

A source of tension in the book was that the radio wasn’t working in 1 of the subs so the characters couldn’t easily communicate and they had to come up with other ways to communicate. Which was pretty cool. But it kind of fell flat when the 2 main characters would come up with similar ideas, realise the same problems at the exact same time and also be able to guess what the other character would do because they “Just know each other so well”.

It’s not too much of a problem though. It just causes the occasional eye roll.

Overall it is quick, fun and interesting.

[Jiamelishua Ammons · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful!!

A truly wonderful, exciting, story that truly kept me enthralled reading each page. Each character was interesting and the sea creature fascinating. I did not want the tale to end but when it did; it was worth the wait. I can definitely see this as a continued tale introducing more fascinating deep sea creatures and breathtaking adventures.🤗

[A R · Rating 5 out of 5]

haha, this was a fantastic short and light read. More comedy than horror and very enjoyable as a distraction between other titles.

An absurd situation with even more absurd solutions and problems following.

5 stars!

[wayne peters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review of this book.

This book was awesome!! It gave he reader not only a story, but also wisdom on what they were reading about. The author did not talk down to the reader, but to the reader. He gave explanations about what was going on and why it was occurring.

[Deb Starzl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice read

I enjoy sea monsters of any kind!! Good book! Want to read more creatures and monsters of the deep! Thanks

[Ifor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Daft but worth it

This was one of the daftest books I’ve ever read! Still, it was worth it. Some will raise a smile

[Scooby2]

Picked this one up since it features an Anglerfish, not something featured in books often, but was ultimately disappointed. The plot was too far out there, even for a "B-book".

[William Shearer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short, sweet and fun characters

[Veronica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really good short, fast, intense read. Plenty of action and fast thinking for survival.

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Standard creature feature

A quick read but one that - miraculously for this genre - maybe jumped the shark a little too far?

Fine if you are a BMovie creature fan, but there are more interesting / fulfilled stories out there in the same vein.