The first Nick Cutter book I read was The Troop, and it is still one of my favourite books to this day. I loved everything about that book, so I had really high hopes for this book.
Let’s start with what is this book about? A weird disease called ‘Gets (short for forgets) is spreading through the human population. People simply start forgetting small things at the beginning, like how to use a washing machine, the names of people, or how to tie your shoes, until you forget how to breathe or eat. You just simply forget how to live. But don’t worry. At the depths of the Pacific Ocean, a previously unknown substance with extraordinary healing properties has been discovered. They named it Ambrosia. The research lab is situated eight miles below the sea’s surface, and a select few individuals were sent there to find the cure. One of them is Clayton Nelson ( our main character’s brother). It is not known why contact with the team was lost after a specific time. Luke Nelson’s brother is one of them, and he is asked to go there and check on his brother.
So, our protagonist is Luke Nelson. He is contacted and asked to go to the Trieste (basically an underwater lab) as they received a message from there, where you can hear his brother, Dr Clayton, saying, ‘Luke, come home.’ As they have no contact with the crew, they ask Luke if he will go there and check what is going on. With him is Alice Sykes (she will be called Al). Unfortunately, Luke is not a character I cared about a lot. He was dull for me. He lost his son at the playground a few years ago, and his marriage was crushed because of this tragedy. Luke is a vet, and he is not so happy in his life. His relationship with Clayton is tense, to say the least. They had not spoken with each other for years at this point and barely cared about each other. We can see from all the flashbacks that it was like that since they were kids. Clayton was always a gifted scientist, and he never needed anyone or anything. He was literally a psychopath.
We don’t get a lot of information about Alice too. I am still not sure what she looks like. The only thing on my mind is that she is a woman, and she can pilot a submarine-like vehicle that takes them to the bottom of the Mariana Trench.
There were a few more scientists, but for me, they are a big blur, and still, I am not sure which one was who.
After these miserable characters, I found one that I was rooting for, and it was a dog named LB, who was literally to be used to test Ambrosia, so essentially a guinea pig in the experiment. She is the only character I was hoping would survive.
The plot was messy for me. I get it: scientists are looking for a cure for ‘Gets, but we have no information about how this disease was discovered, not even how they found out about Ambrosia. What is it really? How did they find it at the bottom of the Marinara Trench and know it can help? No answers.
The whole plot follows Luke, who, from the beginning, hears noises, sees things, has creepy dreams and sleepwalks. It goes throughout the entire book, and after a time, his running around the tunnels gets boring because there is no explanation for why these things happen.
We have a lot of flashbacks from Luke’s life with his son, especially when his kid was once sure there were things in his closet watching him. In short, Luke told him it was a ‘figment’, and his son said ‘Fig Men’, and that was it. Fig. Men were watching him. By the end of the book, we find out Fig Men are real, and they live at the bottom of this submarine lab. Why? How come? I have no idea! They are like aliens, but we know nothing more about them. Just that they watched Luke, and they got his son.
Luke merges with a monstrous version of his son that Fig Men created, and they let him go back to the surface.
What happens with Fig Men? No idea.
Were they free now? No idea
Did they conquer the world through Luke? No idea.
There were no answers to all the questions, so I couldn’t really care.
The dog, the only character I cared about… Did not make it.
2.5/5
I am losing hope of ever finding a good book again.
- Atmosphere and tension: This is the backbone of horror- how well the book builds a creepy, unsettling vibe. Does the setting (dark woods, haunted house, possessed people) pull you in? Does the book keep you on edge, dreading what’s next? A great horror book makes the air feel thick with unease. 0.5
- Characters and Relatability: Are the protagonists fleshed out enough to care about? Do their fears or flaws resonate? Weak characters can tank a story- nobody roots for a cardboard cutout. The best horrors make you feel their terror as if it’s your own. 0
- Plot Coherence and Pacing: Does the story hold together logically, even in its madness? Are twists earned, not just cheap shocks? Pacing matters too- too slow, and it drags: too fast, and the fear does not sink in. A tight, well-structured plot keeps the horror gripping. 0.5
- Fear factor and Impact: How much does it actually scare you? This varies by reader—some want visceral gore, others subtle dread—but the book should leave a mark, whether it is nightmares or lingering chills. It’s about emotional punch, not just jump-scares on paper. 0.5
- Writing Quality and Styles: Clunky prose or overdone cliches can kill the mood. Does the language flow, painting vivid images without bogging down? The best horror writers wield words like weapons, sharp and deliberate, ampifying the story’s power. 1