James A. Moore’s 2009 novel “Deeper” is about a yacht captain who is hired to take a research expedition made up of college volunteer divers to an underwater cave system to search for a rumored race of “fish-men” as well as- almost as a side-note, rumors of ghost sightings in the area. During this month-long expedition, the first mate catches one of these rumored fish-men and brings it aboard. The creature itself is dangerous, but it isn’t alone- or vulnerable on land.
I’m going to begin by saying that I am usually drawn very deep into Lovecraftian nods such as these. And the story’s homage is hardly subtle, as there are a number of references to Lovecraft’s fictitious “Miskatonic University,” the home of the Necronomicon and other dangerous texts, and the nearby town of Golden Cove was formerly named “Innsmouth,” another famous Lovecraft locale. And the motif of monsters rising up from chthonic rifts is common enough in stories inspired by the Master of Horror.
Unfortunately, “Deeper” didn’t add up to some more notable Lovecraftian horrors. Don’t get me wrong; it was an adequate novel with all the fixings: terrible creatures whose strengths outweigh their weaknesses, a cast of widely different characters in a painfully vulnerable predicament, and enough action to keep the pages turning. But the first thing which turned me off of “Deeper” was that it was written in first-person narrative. I’m not normally a fan of that as it is- unless the narrator is particularly gripping and eloquent- but in a Lovecraftian horror, a first-person narrator negates the premise entirely. When reading stories of this genre, often times you will find that the protagonist doesn’t survive the ordeal... or he is left raving mad in its wake. In first-person narrative, you know the main character survives and keeps his wits, as he is telling you the story himself. I feel like that was a terrible oversight.
My second gripe was that I didn’t particularly like the main character until about three quarters into the book. The only thing which kept me reading was the supporting cast of characters, who didn’t get as much spotlight as they deserved. The protagonist, Joe, was in my opinion a very stubborn an apathetic man. A very typical kind of man, who I can meet in real life without stepping into a book. Far too many times Joe did something bitter or unfavorable and blamed it on the fact that he’d been hired to pilot a boat, and nothing more. His interactions with the other characters always seemed to be the opposite of what a rational man would do. He often seemed to be deluding himself with excuses, rather than facing the fact that he was a bit of a prick. Once the action went full-force this was rectified, but only because he didn’t have time to express his views.
The supporting characters were never fully developed and the main human antagonist was painfully predictable, although I got the feeling that his big unveiling of his true self at the end of the book was supposed to be surprising to the reader. Furthermore, two small details were never concluded with the story... what had truly happened to one character who disappeared halfway through and then reappeared in the last chapter, unharmed and otherwise uninvolved in the goings on... and exactly who had piloted the yacht back with the main antagonist. As the reader, I expected that these questions answered themselves- that the ‘disappearance’ was a ruse and that the character had been on the other side of the whole thing. But this notion was never verified or even hinted upon other than the narrator not trusting him, without knowing why.
But my disapproval of these irksome holes, the underdevelopment of the side-cast, and general dislike of the protagonist, “Deeper” was at least well written. James A. Moore has proven himself to be an incredibly vivid writer and the fact that I made it all the way through the book when I didn’t like much about it is testament to the fact that he is talented. And it was a quick read, even though I found lots of places to put it down.
Because of Moore’s abilities as a writer, I’m certainly going to look into his other works in hopes of finding a book with a better protagonist and fewer plot holes. I’m sure that, although I am picky enough to find less enjoyment in “Deeper,” I will enjoy something else in Moore’s bibliography.
Due to the aforementioned gripes, I’m afraid this book will get a less-than-perfect rating, but please bear in mind that if Moore’s abilities as a storyteller weren’t so pronounce, I wouldn’t have made it halfway and wouldn’t even be able to give it a 1 out of 10. As it is, I’m rating James A. Moore’s “Deeper” 5 out of 10. A less picky horror fan will probably like it a great deal, especially if they don’t look into the protagonist’s poor attitude the way that I did, early on.
The P.S. Zone: “Deeper” ended in a half deus ex machina and I really hate that. I say “half” because, in hindsight, it was foreshadowed as a very subtle Chekov’s Gun... and it wasn’t exactly God from a machine. But it felt like a cheap ending to me. A creative mind like Moore’s could have come up with better. But again, I look deeply into these things. A less picky reader probably wouldn’t mind it a bit.
Stay Scared.
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