It is 1916 and Annie Hebbley, formerly a stewardess on Titanic, is in an asylum when we first meet her. However, her friend, Violet, is keen that she return both to the world, and to sea. It is WWI and Titanic’s sister ship, Britannic, is being used as a hospital ship. Encouraged back into the world, Annie finds the memories flooding back when she boards Britannic, which is identical to the doomed Titanic.

This novel looks at events in 1912 and 1916, with Annie recalling events from that time. Author Alma Katsu has done much to recreate the passengers from Titanic, and to give the reader a real flavour of life on the ship. There are famous names – Guggenheim, Astor and Duff Cooper among them. However, this is not a straightforward re-telling. Seances and mysterious events combine with the later storyline of war and trauma, to create a fascinating novel, with a wonderful setting.

This would be an good choice for book groups, as there is much to discuss – Titanic is always fascinating and there is also the WWI theme to add interest, alongside the supernatural storyline. I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.

2.5 stars

This seems to be the year where I read new books by favorite authors only to be left disappointed.

This is my 4th book by Alma Katsu’s but with this one I could not get on board.

The paranormal element felt shoe-horned into the story and I did not connect with any of the characters, particularly the main character, Annie. I found her overly dramatic bordering on hysterical most of the time.
Reading this was however not a complete waste of time. I did learn a few new things.

I did not know that the HMHS Britannic was the sister ship to Titanic and unbelievably also met a watery grave. Similarly, interesting was that the HMHS Britannic was used as a medical hospital during WW1.

The story however is mainly set on the Titanic, focusing on its guests and crew members with all the little dramas that unfolded leading up to 14 April 1912. I enjoyed Des and Dai’s stories of professional boxers and con men making their way to New York but the other stories were nothing more than rich people problems.

I wanted to love this book. I love Historical fiction and am really interested in anything Titanic related. However, I found this very slow and nothing was really happening. I DNF’d at 30% after having read other reviews that said the book didn’t pick up until 80%. I liked the writing style and the back and forth between time periods... but nothing happened! Such a shame as I thought this was going to be a new favourite.

Hi and welcome to my review of The Deep!

The Deep alternates between two storylines: one on board the Titanic in 1912, the other on board the Titanic’s sister ship Britannica, refitted as a hospital ship, in 1916. The Deep is the story of a stewardess on the Titanic, who falls head over heels, and rather inexplicably it would seem, for one of her passengers. It’s the story of a man with a bit of sordid past, trying to move past it by starting a new life in America with a new wife. It’s the story of a terrified and superstitious pregnant girl married to a filthy rich man who’s much too old for her. It’s a story of a con artist and the man he loves, even more than money. And it’s the story of a woman who survived the sinking of the Titanic only to still feel likes she’s drowning four years later while working as a nurse on the Britannica.

The Deep is the first novel by Alma Katsu I’ve read, although one of her previous novels, The Hunger, has been on my list for ages. As such, I went in with few expectations, simply because I had no clue what to expect, and I suspect it’s the lack of expectations that made me enjoy this novel as much as I have. I looked at some early reviews on NetGalley and going in with the wrong expectations seems to be a general theme with readers of The Deep. I can see how it may seem something it isn’t, giving you the wrong expectations, so I’m just going to go into a little more detail, because I can see how it could be a very disappointing read if you were expecting it to be something it isn’t.

Knowing that The Hunger is categorised as horror, I thought that The Deep might be horroresque as well. It’s not. As I have very eclectic tastes and was not particularly craving horror when I picked up The Deep, I didn’t care that there was little horror to be had, but if you’re thinking of picking this one up because you’re looking to be thrilled, chilled and shocked throughout, think again. Now, this doesn’t mean that there isn’t any paranormal activity, there is, but it stays in the shadows for the longest time. Whisperings, murmurs, seances, events and reactions that don’t quite add up, a subtle drumming from the sideline. If anything, this is a slow-burning ghost story, the full extent of which only becomes apparent in the final fifty pages or so. This didn’t bother me at all, I enjoyed the lingering sense of threat and dread in the sea air, and I didn’t mind waiting for things to come to a head, but I can imagine die-hard horror fanatics may be a little put off, and for me it never got even remotely scary.

Some readers picked up The Deep because it’s historical fiction set on the legendary Titanic. Of course it’s historical fiction, and of course it’s set, at least in part, on the Titanic, but the ship and its history are not characters in this novel. The ship is used to set the scenes, to create an atmosphere, a backdrop for its passengers, the main characters of The Deep. The same goes for the storyline on board the Titanic’s sister ship, Britannic. So if you’re expecting this to be a more or less detailed historical account of one or both ships, that’s not what this is. However, I do feel I’ve learned a thing or two, Ms Katsu has clearly done her homework and the history is there, woven delicately into the fictional story, just how I like it.

So, yeah, there is a whole lot going on in The Deep, it’s multifaceted and it can’t be crammed into one single genre box. There are perhaps a few too many subplots and side storylines muddying the waters, I wouldn’t have minded if it was a little shorter, just a tad snappier. However, I loved Alma Katsu’s writing and reading The Deep convinced me to get The Hunger off my list and into my hands ASAP, so I’ve finally bought a copy.

If you like your fiction with a bit of a paranormal angle and a historical background, then do check out The Deep!

The Deep is out next week, the eBook is out on 3 March and the hardback and audiobook are out on 5 March.

Many thanks to Bantam Press and NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

Alma Katsu has swiftly become one of my favourite writers. After loving The Hunger so much I was ecstatic to learn that her follow up was to be centered on the story of Titanic. I love the blend of historic fiction and the uncanny and genuinely can't think of another writer who has quite the same touch for this as Katsu. A stunning book once again.

I love the way Alma Katsu writes and after enjoying The Hunger, was looking forward to her new novel.
The Deep had me hooked from the very first page. It is a haunting, psychological reimagining of one of the tragic events surrounding the sinking of the Titanic and the ill-fated sailing of its sister ship, the Britannic. Told from the perspective of a young irish girl who was a stewardess on The Titanic, who survived and then managed to find herself on The Britannic as a ships nurse during the 1st world war. Lots of twists and turns and keeps you hooked until the very end.

An intricate story of hidden truths, destructive desires, and supernatural mystery. A horror story, but one where the menace is often hidden or dormant although it's always there. A tapestry of secrets supports a cast of interesting characters in an evocative historical setting. The Titanic is a key setting, but it's the characters who star.

I think we all know the details and events revolving around the tragic sinking of the titanic, but did we all know the horror aboard the ship, forget paint me like one of your french girls - how about people thinking they are cursed, is there a siren in the sea hunting people on board, did she bring the ice to make it sink?

Oh guys, this book - what can i say other than i absolutely loved it, im not one for historical fiction but Alma's writing draws you in, in a slow and steady pace, setting the scenes and feeding us character back stories spoonful after spoonful.

The Deep follows the story of our lead character Annie Hebbley, a stewardess that is serving aboard a current sister ship to the Titanic that is helping injured soldiers from the war, upon here we learn about the time Annie served aboard the first born sister the Titanic. Annie is a fantastic lead character and I pretty much gelled with her straight away, which I must say is an important factor in any given book.
Annie's demons are reveled to us bit by bit making the tension of the book an amazing piece of art!

The Deep has a little paranormal element to the story line and i'm sure people would like to see more of this but for me it was a perfect balance, as too much would have made it into a some what parody, but this given the year it is set in makes it believable.

I can't recommend this book enough and would like to thank Netgalley and Random House UK for my ARC.

Wanting to know more about the Titanic? grab The Deep, settle into a comfy chair and crack open the spine, you are in for a real treat!

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this very strange book

this is told with alternate chapters one being on the titanic and the other is the sister ship of the titanic 4 years later...the latter being used to pick up casualties from war

i did get a bit confused as some of the people are on both ships but once i got the gist of how it was reading there were some interesting little stories in there...the boxers pulling a scam, the millionaire who flirted with everyone and feeling of something not quite right with the ship as though it was haunted...

and the sea hag....

it all made for a strange reading...was it haunted, was there a sea hag and then the story moving on 4 years and where some of them were at that time..

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the opportunity to read this book. Honestly this book was not what I expected at all, but it didn’t disappoint. Very well written, brilliant story. Great characters, well thought out. Well done on a great read. 5 star worthy.

A wonderful tale combining both fact and fiction. The novel is a ghost story that follows a group of characters that not only survive the disaster of the Titanic but then meet again on her ill-fated sister ship the Brittanic.

We all know the fate of both the Titanic and Brittanic but this story gives an alternate idea as to the events leading up to the well known historical facts.

We see a number of events from the perspectives of different characters showing how differently two people can view the same conversation and what these misperceptions can lead to.

I would like to thank the publisher for sending me an advance copy of this book.
This is a really interesting take on the Titanic. If you like a really good ghost story and the Titanic this is a must read.
You can smell the sea air feel the freezing cold of the water.
If you enjoyed the hunger you will love this a bit less gory but a cracking read.
I would also check out the other books by Alma Katsu especially The Taker.

I devoured Alma Katsu's The Hunger in one sitting and so was thrilled to receive this on Netgalley. Her pacing is fantastic and she handled the non-linear nature of the narrative with incredible skill.

Enjoyable historical drama with spooky overtones. Katsu writes characters well and while this book was a little slow to get going, it builds nicely to a breathless climax. Here's the answers to questions that someone out there may have...

1. Is this about the Titanic? Yes, the Titanic is the key setting for the novel but the primary focus is on a group of characters on the ill-fated liner, as well as it's sister-ship The Britanic.

2. Is this a horror? No, I wouldn't say so. It's a historical drama which has elements which may or may not be supernatural in nature - only as the end of the novel approaches do we find out if there actually is any supernatural stuff going on.

3. I like Alma Katsu's The Hunger - how does this compare? Well, there are a lot of similarities. Both books deal with a historical incident viewed from the lens of a group of main characters, and in both cases there is the possible of something spooky being involved. I preferred The Deep slightly myself but both good books.

I found this quite a difficult book to "get into".
It is set on the Titanic and then on her sister ship The Britannic.
Annie Hebbley and her friend Violet are both maids on the Titannic where even after leaving Southampton mysterious and unexplained sightings occur and there is a sudden death of a small boy.
Four years later and Annie and Violet, having survived the Titannic and working as nurses on the hospital ship The Britannic and again Annie is troubled by mysterious goings on which she must overcome in order to find peace.

I loved The Hunger by the same author but this left me cold ( no iceberg pun intended!) I think the story of the Donner Party, starving and desperate, stranded in a vast, empty wilderness lent itself better to goosebumps and spine-tingling than a bunch of privileged toffs and con artists mingling at champagne cocktail parties on a luxury ship.

Spoilers ahead.

It was too overwrought for my liking, packed with with evil mermaids and lunacy and ghost-possession and addictions and affairs and scams and factory fires and passionate priests and several varieties of LGTBQ relationships thrown in, including a throuple (which smacked of zeitgeist exploitation) and heists and and media/prostitution scandal and date rape as well as two famous disasters at sea and a war. Any three of those I could cope with but all of them?

I really enjoyed 'The Hunger', Alma Katsu's novel about the Donner Party and so ws overjoyed when allowed to read her next novel 'The Deep'. Let me preface by saying I have no interest in the Titanic so was really surprised when I found I couldn't put this book down - gripping story, paranormal chills and a mystery that leaves you in suspense. My only issue is that a few plot points weren't closed by the end, however, i'm happy I read this and recommend if you enjoyed 'The Hunger'.

Enjoyable, well researched and with an increasing sense of foreboding, knowing the tragedy that befell both the Titanic and her sister ship Britannic, but I struggled with the characters, none of whom were particularly likeable, and it left me feeling quite adrift.
I wanted to love this as much as I did The Hunger, but it fell short.
However, I do think this story would benefit from a second reading so will give it another go at some point.
3.5 stars (but rounded down for the purpose of Netgalley and Goodreads).

The Deep started really well but unfortunately I lost interest reading about the passengers lives on The Titanic. Not for me at this time.

Firstly, thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK for a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This story is wonderfully written and descriptive, allowing me to build a picture of the Titanic and the Britannic in my mind’s eye. The setting was my favorite thing about the novel, being a fan of history and also the story of the Titanic. That being said, this book was not what I was expecting.
I think that the story should be billed as historical romance / mystery rather than focusing on the horror elements of the story, which were secondary to the above. This left me a little disappointed as I was hoping for more of a ghost story. This doesn’t mean the story was bad, just not what I was expecting. I also think that the story was too long and became over complicated.
Despite all of the above I did enjoy reading this and would recommend for readers of historical fiction rather than horror.