A thrilling retelling that follows a fictional survivor of the Titanic as she finds herself as a war nurse on Titanic’s sister, HMHS Britannic.

READ IF YOU…

• Want a spooky, supernatural Titanic retelling
• Like historical settings

Title: The Deep | Author: Alma Katsu  Rating: 4/5

There’s nothing like a good story filled with rich settings. And with the maiden voyage of Titanic II set to sail in 2022, and High Seas showing on Netflix, a good doomed ship-at-sea story is what I needed.

I had high expectations for The Deep, and it delivered. The story follows a fictional survivor of the Titanic, Annie, as she finds herself several years after Titanic’s sinking on the HMHS Britannic, this time as a nurse for wounded World War One veterans.

Plagued by the demons of her doomed first and near fatal journey across the Atlantic, Annie comes across an unconscious soldier she recognises while doing her rounds. It is the young man Mark. And she is convinced that he did not – could not – have survived the sinking of the Titanic . . .

What I loved was the supernatural retelling of the Titanic, which added a dreamier quality to the tragedy. A spirit may be plaguing the ship and its occupants. People are ending up dead, suffering seizures when they never had before, or going mad.

The story showcases the opulence of the Titanic, in contrast to the hospital sterility of the Britannic. And without fail, relationships are made and broken on both ships, ad not just through death.

There’s intrigue, a sort of whodunit on a ship out at sea, but without necessarily being a mystery. It’s far too paranormal for that, but not in a way that diminishes the story. I don’t typically like paranormal stories, but The Deep took the supernatural to a higher level, without cheapening the effect.

The characters were deep as well – each had their own backstory, and for several of them, we get into their minds as they each have their own vignette, with the story flipping between past and present.

The writing is skillful, with the perspectives shifting in an effortless way, easy to follow, and crafting a polished story. Highly recommend it as a good story with to curl up with, with the lights dim, and the fireplace going. Not necessarily frightening, but it’s tense, and keeps you flipping the pages.