The Dead Sea

Shiver me timbers, and batten down the hatches as the seas are about to envelop us with the putrid smell of rotting sea weed, an eerie fog and constant terror, surely lives will be horribly lost. Tim Curran does what I think he does best, with this tenth anniversary Thunderstorm Book’s edition of what may be one of his best tales of the seas.“The Dead Sea” first appeared in 2007 from a small publisher and has since been produced by a number of other publishers. Tim said of the book “I wr [...]

A freighter bound for South America gets enshrouded in a fog bank and emerges in another dimension, a graveyard of ships choked with carnivorous weeds, tentacled nasties of all shape and size, and a mysterious entity that wants them all dead. But will the survivors of the initial shipwreck manage to avoid killing one another long enough to escape horrors beyond human understanding?Geek Alert: When I was a kid, I was way into cryptids, UFOs, and, of course, the mysteries of the sea. Since this bo [...]

this is a big, meaty slice of steaming cthulhu-horror goodness. somewhere near the sargasso sea, a sinister fog envelopes a ship, its crew, and an often ostentatiously manly group of contractors and deposits them in some horrible other-dimension. this new world is just that: "new" in the sense of a world that is pretty much a primal soup of creeping crawling flapping flying swimming life, almost completely fog-shroud, land nowhere in sight."He likened that sea to a petri dish, warm and wet and c [...]

This is the Thunderstorm S/L edition.Loved it as much as a re-read as I did the first time I read it! Curran's originality on a theme that has baffled people for generations is nothing short of genius. His research combined with his creativity made this novel stand out in many ways. To date, this is my absolute favorite of his novel-lengthed fiction. Solid 5 stars.Highly recommended!!!***This 2017 Thunderstorm edition has the bonus novella, WEEDWORLD***. No matter how often I read DEAD SEA, ther [...]

For someone who has been reading horror for decades, it takes a lot to scare me. Dead Sea is a claustrophobic story that has some of the most frightening scenes I've ever read; scenes that describe creatures from another dimension. And the great thing is that Tim Curran writes about them in a poetical way. I was reaching for this book at 2:00 a.m. several times because I couldn't wait to get back to the story and see where it could possibly take me.Dead Sea is about what happened to all those sh [...]

4.5* rounded up to 5.This was another hit from Tim Curran!A ship and her crew encounters a dense, endless fog. From there it's all downhill for them. There is no way for me to impart to you the descriptive skills of Mr. Curran. They are simply outstanding. He made me see creatures that I could never have dreamed up in a million years. After reading this book for a while, it took me a moment to adjust myself to real life when I looked up. He made me feel as I were in the fog myself.The atmosphere [...]

If you love monsters, don't even bother reading the rest of this review, just pick up this book. If you love survival at sea stories, don't read further, just pick up this book. Yes, I, too, like monsters and stories of survival at sea, but I don't like these tropes quite enough to overlook some of this book's shortcomings. I felt this had some pacing problems; the middle was particularly saggy, and the ending felt quite rushed. Key plot elements weren't introduced early enough not seem tacked [...]

I've read a ton of horror novels and I've seen it all: I've seen ideas hashed and rehashed by masters and hacks.Dead Sea did something that only a few have succeeded in doing.It scared the crap out of me.I love the sea. Every year we vacation to someplace warm where I can be close to it, where I can simply gaze at it, swim in it, or take a diving excursion. This year may be different, because each time I venture into its warm embrace, I don't think a second will pass that I don't think of the te [...]

If you asked me when I was a young boy what my favorite book was, I would without a doubt say Treasure Island. I've read it countless times, over and over again. I was at a perfect age to read that book, too; The most impressionable period, with the mind most bend to accepting the fantastic, allowing me to sail over the seas and far away while never leaving the comforts of my small bed. I still hear the tap tap tap of the blind man's cane, the Black Spot, Long John Silver and his parrot, the gra [...]

I want to thank my friend James for giving me a copy of this book. This book deserves much more exposure than it has, its author deserves a following of millions of rabid fans. This was my first Curran read and it has made him an instant superstar in my eyes. I have already grabbed a couple more of his books. I am going to write a longer review once my group is finished reading so I don't spoil anything for them, but I will say I freaking loved this!

A truly creepy tale that evolves like your worst nightmares, slowly and inexorably, shredding your sanity along the way. If Jaws didn't keep you out of the water, Dead Sea will.

This book was difficult to review. Many of Curran's skills are beyond masterful, with his descriptive talents and his ability to create and atmosphere of horror so overwhelming that it leaves his readers choking in tension and desolation topping the list. This guy knows horror - no doubt about it.Plus, he has written a book that takes place at sea, generally not a favorite setting for me (and a somewhat limited setting at that - despite the wide expanse of ocean, humans are generally confined to [...]

melissa413readsalotWow. This was one big creepy book at sea! The ship Mara Corday is on it's way to French Guiana bringing heavy equipment and other things for a crew to make an airstrip. Little do the poor men know they are going to get sucked into the Bermuda Triangle and other such horrors. The book has a really good scare factor going on, I mean your stuck in this glowing fog (sounds like the movie right?) and nothing on your ship works. You have no idea where you are or what is in front of [...]

Dead Sea was one of those books that was a perfect read for me. I have no complaints about it at all. I will say that the plot is a bit like The Mist by Stephen King, except with the cast of characters being caught in it on the ocean instead of in a supermarket, but this surpasses The Mist by 81 Miles, and I gave The Mist five stars! Anyway, this is one of the most atmospheric novels I have ever read and the author relies a lot on sound and smell to paint a picture of fear. Being nearly blind, I [...]

2.5*Oh man. I loved Hive and I really, really, REALLY wanted to love this book too. There were good things, but they were completely overshadowed by the bad.The biggest problem with this book is that there are 200 pages in the middle that should have been deleted. It was repetitive exposition that any decent editor should have caught and demanded be cut. I get that Curran probably had an entire catalogue of awesome monster sea creatures to throw at his characters and wanted to get in as much as [...]

4,25 stars - English hardcopy - Benjamin Thanks for the read - 🌷🌷🌷

"He stood there, watching that awful fog billow and surge. It was bad. By God, it was real bad. But Gosling was almost glad it was there, hiding things, masking others. For if it cleared, he was almost afraid of what they might see out there.And what might see them."This is my first book by Tim Curran - after this terrifying voyage on the sea, I'll definitely give more of his stuff a try and hope those books are as potent. He writes beautifully, drawing out the pacing when the tension is thick b [...]

A big thank you to Bill for borrowing me this great ride!And to Brenda for giving me another book as well and Kate for wanting to has no idea what great people it has roaming its pages :)If only I wasn't so greedy maybe I would have made it to something else than just Dead Sea.Don't read my reading progress, there are probably spoilersI was updating from my phone and I couldn't not comment some of the stuffd the app is very limited.This was a truly horrific read; it's a must for all horror fans. [...]

It's official, Tim Curran is one of the best horror writers working currently. The man takes no shortcuts. Uses no formulas. Just sheer creativity, wild originality and incredible writing. Dead Sea is an epic, it's sort of like War and Peace of horror at sea. Don't let the page count fool you, the tiny print makes this quite a lengthy read. Even laborious at times, though totally worth it. There is so much that's right with this book, but the best part has got to be the descriptions, there is su [...]

I really, really liked this book. I wanted to give it five stars, but I just didn't think that would be fair, for reasons I'll explain.The easiest way to describe this book is to think of THE MIST by Stephen King, except on water. That being said, it's not like this is a rip-off or derivative of that work. The basic plot is a ship sails into a thick mist in the Bermuda Triangle, and ends up in a monster infested alternate dimension. This new dimension is FILLED with dangerous creatures. I'm a hu [...]

Arguably, one of the most talented newer authors of cosmic horror, DEAD SEA is an epic, 534 pages of sheer mind bending horror that would surely satisfy the most ardent Lovecraftian.When a freighter bound for southeast Asia becomes lost in a nearly impenetrable and seemingly endless fog, the crew at first believes it's a navigational error, but the men soon believe it may be something more. Then one of the crew goes mad and vanishes overboardCombining the mythology of the Devil's Triangle and Sa [...]

I am terrified of deep water. I panic when I realize I can't touch the bottom. For me this only adds to the horror of this story. To call it scary is to mock it. Scary doesn't even come close to it.Every time I think it cannot get worse than what is happening, Curran throws in something new and even more terrifying. All that with a pockets of peace and conversation in between. When it hits, it hits harder than you expect. I could write all the things that appear in this book, and it still wouldn [...]

Dead Sea was an incredible blend of science fiction and horror with a sprinkling of mystery, action and humor to even things out. This book did have its faults, but the overwhelming fun factor easily vaulted me over those issues. Curran tackles quite a few types of horror, which I don't want to get into to avoid spoilers. Suffice it to say that if you're in the mood for a sci-fi-infused Lovecraftian creature fest, step right this way.

3.5 StarsGreat characterization. A truly meaty read that I found to be like a Porterhouse steak. So juicy and thick, but halfway through I was tired of chewing. Saks and some dialogue were just too much. I was seriously wishing someone would knock off Saks early on. His jokes became overly irritating and his bully persona made all the other good character lines not stand out.

Loved it as much as a re-read as I did the first time I read it! Curran's originality on a theme that has baffled people for generations is nothing short of genius. His research combined with his creativity made this novel stand out in many ways. To date, this is my absolute favorite of his novel-lengthed fiction. Solid 5 stars.Highly recommended!!!

This story is a horror lover's dream. You can almost feel the scene and atmosphere dripping and oozing like the nightmarish gelatin-like interdimensional sea. The author's various descriptions are awesome, giving you sketches that will last far beyond the reading. If you love strange sea monster stories, you've got to check this one out ASAP.It didn't help my psyche that while reading this the last few days there has been a dense, spooky fog enveloping our area. I kept expecting to see hungry, s [...]

Need some cash? A three week job. $15,000. Easy money. Until the freighter you are on sails thru the “Sargasso Graveyard” and is violently thrown into another dimension full of sea creatures that are starting to pick off the crew one by one. You’re not in Kansas anymore, Dorothy. Damn…should have stayed home.Tim Curran is a master. I am continually amazed at Curran’s ability to weave his dark and lyrical prose into atmospheric tales of unrelenting terror. His descriptions are vivid and [...]

Wow, it's tough to review and rate this book. Generally I liked it but it is WAY too long and in desperate need of an editor. Curran spends too much time describing the eerie fog and sense of doom over and over and over again to the point that it's no longer effective. I get it, I get it! The first half of the book dragged on endlessly but the second half, although still plagued with overdescription, picked up nicely and had some truly scary and creepy moments. Had this book been streamlined bet [...]

This would have made a fantastic book at half the length that it is now. It is a bit of a pity really, because it could so easily have been edited down to that - there are couples of chapters in the first part of the book that are so similar that you almost suspect that one is a re-write of the other and both have been included in the final text by mistake. Removing the surplus bickering and hurling of insults that goes on long after we got the point and are deadly tired of it would have saved a [...]

This book started out good but Is way too long.