Curtis’s Reviews > The Deep > Status Update
Curtis
is on page 155 of 394
Almost impressive how much things get dragged out because of constant flashbacks. Entering lab/meeting its occupants lasts 50 pages! Some flashbacks necessary but other long ones only used to explain what something sounded like; easily trimmable. Plot too reminiscent of Solaris & The Abyss. Shame because core ideas seem to be interesting (Westlake's tapes have me intrigued!) but attempts to be cerebral not landing.
— 7 hours, 44 min ago
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Curtis’s Previous Updates
Curtis
is on page 95 of 394
Getting invested! Marked improvement once Luke gets to base & briefed on mission. Lead-up to this could've been cut down. Tragic backstory overload--how much baggage can you pack into a MC before 100 pages? Tension builds; mysterious deep sea feel played well. Feels like I can predict some things (words in blood obviously say 'Fig Men;' why can't Luke work that out when he was just thinking about it?) but intrigued!
— Sep 21, 2026 10:30AM
Curtis
is on page 39 of 394
Disease's rules seem lose; Cutter gets mixed up on how it works within 20 pages--or possibly a sign that narrator has the forgetting disease & will be unreliable as he forgets more? Lots of potential there. Dialogue, storytelling cornier than The Troop, w/ frequent backstory telling which doesn't blend well with present action. Ties into memory motif, w/ things protag. would rather forget. Intrigued by premise, tho!
— Sep 18, 2026 10:33AM