| Title | : | Terror in the Trench: An Anthology of Aquatic Horror (Dead Seas Book 1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 233 |
| Publication | : | First published March 11, 2022 |
A submarine thought lost to the ocean reappears on the surface, now a vessel for more than just corpses. A journey to the Marianas Trench for rich delicacies brings only death and horror. Called to the sea by the mysterious Julia recording, a group of explorers discover something dangerous beneath the waves...
All this and more in this thrilling collection of stories from Laurel Hightower, Kay Hanifen, Joshua Marsella, Thomas Gloom, Mocha Pennington, Nicola Kapron, Nikki R. Leigh, Spencer Hamilton, Matthew Stevens, Megan Kiekel Anderson, Andrew Cull, Catarina Prata, Hannah Hulbert, Craig Wallwork, and Jack Harding.
Don't forget: every penny of profit goes right to The Shark Trust, an organisation promoting the conservation and protection of sharks, skates and rays. Your support is hugely appreciated.
Terror in the Trench: An Anthology of Aquatic Horror (Dead Seas Book 1) Reviews
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DISTRESS CALL by Laurel Hightower ☆☆☆☆
PROJECT WHALE SONG by Kay Hanifen ☆☆☆
THE ANGLER AND THE RAVEN by Joshua Marsella ☆☆☆☆☆
DEEP PURPLE by Thomas Gloom ☆☆☆☆
MELANCHOLIC BLUE by Mocha Pennington ☆☆☆
DEEPWATER SIREN by Nicola Kapron ☆☆☆☆
ESCARGOT, EXCEPT IT’S YOU by Nikki R. Leigh ☆☆☆☆
WEREWOLVES AND TENTACLES by Spencer Hamilton ☆☆
UNFATHOMABLE by Matthew Stevens ☆☆☆
LIGHT THE WAY by Megan Kiekel Anderson ☆☆
JULIA by Andrew Cull ☆☆☆☆
THE LAST DIVE by Catarina Prata ☆☆☆
PRESSURE DIFFERENTIALS by Hannah Hulbert ☆☆☆
THE MANY GHOSTS OF THE DEEP by Craig Wallwork ☆☆☆☆☆
THE END OF THE LINE by Jack Harding ☆☆☆☆
A mixed bag of aquatic horror creature feature short tales as expected, but this trilogy of Dead Seas anthologies was for cheap on kindle store, profits of this charity collection are going to The Shark Trust, an organisation promoting the conservation and protection of sharks, skates and rays, and I've found among these stories a few good authors to keep an eye on in the future.
A solid and entertaining summer read.
Final vote: ☆☆☆ 1/2 -
Wet and Horrific.
The Mariana Trench is the location of the little horror stories that are in this book.
The stories range from scary and mysterious to downright creepy and horrific.
There are lots of sea creatures and several sea monsters that are waiting to feast on the trespassers that ventures into the Trenches.
All of the stories are good and are waiting for you. -
The ocean is four things; big, wet, beautiful, and terrifying. This first collection from Dead Sea Press - which is also raising money for the Shark Trust along the way - captures all of those things wonderfully, and is another example of just how much incredible indie horror talent there is to discover.
As with any anthology, not everything here did the business for me - although I will say that this one’s hit rate was impressively high. From Laurel Hightower’s messed up ghost ship/creepy mermaid mashup Distress Call at the start, to Jack Harding’s downbeat ending of The End of The Line, there is a lot to love here.
My favourites were Melancholic Blue by Mocha Pennington, which was beautifully written, chilling, and haunting, and Julia by Andrew Cull, which was simply excellent - really assured and accomplished writing and a story that gets more disturbing as it goes on.
However, I also want to shout out some others that I enjoyed: Thomas Gloom’s Deep Purple was super creative, likewise Escargot Except It’s You by Nikki R Leigh. Spencer Hamilton’s decision to put a werewolf at the bottom of the sea was wonderful, The Many Ghosts of the Deep by Craig Wallwork was devastating and terrific, while Joshua Marsella’s The Angler and the Raven had the single best gross-out of the entire collection.
In short, this is a fantastic anthology that is well worth your time, and is the first of many charity collections from this new imprint. If the rest are as strong as this, we’re in for a treat! -
4.5/5 ⭐ rounded up.
Terror in the Trench is a great collection of short stories featuring seas and oceans that I really enjoyed! Here's a brief bit about the stories and my review for each;
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Distress Call - Laurel Hightower - The USS Ligeia disappeared in 1942, but it has returned and is sending out a distress call. Eccentric explorer Rick Atlas wants to explore but when he goes quiet, his employee, Sophie, grows worried... I like the concept of a long lost sub returning. Really works nicely. When Sophie enters the Ligeia it really hooks and makes you wonder what's real. My only wish it was a bit longer. 4.5 ⭐
Project Whale Song - Kay Hanifen - At Point Nemo, Dr Lindsay Abara is the lone survivor after a sonar attack. But what happened with Project Whale Song?... I liked Dr Abara and it was nice to see some deaf representation in horror! The way it's written, the story and the mystery are all so well done. Great twist to this one! 5/5 ⭐
The Angler and the Raven - Joshua Marsella - Fisherman's Island, Chesapeake Bay 1856. Jeremiah Hornsbury a loner by choice is working as an angler in the Bay. He's alone on the island? Or is he?... A very atmospheric story tale with the fog, sights and sounds. A familiar theme appears in this one but Marsella puts a great spin on it! Great ending! 5/5 ⭐
Deep Purple - Thomas Gloom - 72 Hours ago a cruise ship was meant to dock but disappeared. The US coast guard is sent to investigate but what awaits off the Texas coast?... A sunken cruise liner is a great touch. I like the idea that the Texan coast is like the Bermuda triangle in a way. What awaits in the ship and how it ended was great. But I still wanted a tiny bit more. 4.5/5 ⭐
Melancholic Blue - Mocha Pennington - Laslia, her partner Ricky, Ricky's brother Saul and Jennie are on a yatch in the Atlantic. But as they sail along, Laslia is plunged into darkness... I like how this one grows as a story. There's a great twist to this one that's hinted at through out. There's an unexpected element but one I thought was a great touch. 4.5/5 ⭐
Deep Water Siren - Nicola Kapron - Jack is diving deep in his sub. But strange flashes keep appearing before him and he wants to discover their source... A great story I really got lost in. The way it unfolds is wonderful and there's a great idea that's executed brilliantly. But again I wished for a longer end 4.5/5 ⭐
Escargot, Except It's Got You - Nikki R. Leigh - Maura married Natalia for purely selfish reasons. Maura wants her partner to grab a fabled Japanese Trench Snail to serve and be awarded a Michelin star. But nothing will stop Maura's desire... A dark tale which I really enjoyed. The more human, grounded nature of this one works. Then we go down to the Trench and things really go a bit different but brilliant! 5/5 ⭐
Werewolves and Tentacles - Spencer Hamilton - Anastasia is a " Void Hunter" who is being pursued by a werewolf in an underwater bunker. But outside something worse awaits... I have spoken with Spencer since reading this story and there is a lot going on but it's good and things are headed in an interesting direction 👀 one you have to focus on but very enjoyable. 4.5/5 ⭐
Unfathomable - Matthew Stevens - In the Carribbean, Professor Wade is diving in his sub, "Dorothy" into an underwater cave network. But what awaits him?... I like how are you eased into this one. The way it grows with what you see, hear and feel works. It ends on a great note, bleak but great. 4.5/5 ⭐
Light The Way - Megan Keikel Anderson - Deep beneath the surface, creatures look at the damage humans have done to the oceans... The realistic element of this one is great! I like how it examines the 21st century world and how we hear from the fish themselves. A different narrative but well done! 4.5/5 ⭐
Julia - Andrew Cull - On March 1st 1999, a very loud noise is recorded by NOAA in the Pacific and dubbed "Julia". Our narrator, Tom, heads to investigate the source... I got "Bloop" vibes from this one funnily enough. It's a great story and i don't want to say too much and drop big spoilers but I did really enjoy it. 4.5/5 ⭐
The Last Dive - Catarina Prata - Celia was on a dive with their partner Adam, but things go very very wrong... The opening lines for this hooked me. The mixing of the real and unreal works in this case. I felt sorry for Celia and disliked Adam greatly. The ending again was good but once more I feel more could have been squeezed 🤔 4.5/5 ⭐
Pressure Differentials - Hannah Hulbert - Tara and her crew are on the North Sea's floor looking for a new pipeline. But strangeness awaits... A bit of an odd tale but I did enjoy it! I was curious as to what was going on with Jonah as he was a curious figure. The ending was a bit funny and I had to reread it to be sure I was right on it but another good story 4.5/5 ⭐
The Many Ghosts of the Deep - Craig Wallwork - You are on a plane crash in the ocean. But that's only the start of your issues... Normally I'm not big on second person narratives but this one worked. You become engrossed with this story and really get into the mindset of it all. Very well done. 4.5/5 ⭐
The End of the Line - Jack Harding - An old man in his boat on a cold January's night was sold magic worms to fish with. Will the ragworms help him?... The main character Peter and his Alzheimer's worked as you were unsure what's real and what's fake. A very Bradbury esque story opener which sets the scene nicely. A nice twist in this that I enjoyed! I think this could have been longer again but it was still well done 4.5/5 ⭐ -
Dead Sea press kicks off a series of charity anthologies with Terror in the Trench. Anthologies can be a bit of a mixed bag, but I was excited for this one because of the theme. I think that despite the beauty and wonder of the ocean, it is also a horrible, unknowable place. Familiar names in this anthology led me to believe that it was in good hands, and I must say, it did not disappoint.
My favorite stories here were
Distress Call by Laurel Hightower
The angler and the raven by Josh Marsella
Julia by Andy Cull
The end of the line by Jack Harding
definitely check this one out, all proceeds go to the shark trust. -
aquatic indie horror collection
If my fear of water wasn’t already bad enough, it sure is going to be worse now after reading the first volume of this series of aquatic horror by some of the best in the indie horror scene, and some (to me) new names that definitely proved their worth! I am keen on continuing the series now and I also want to see another anthology rise from this series: Sky horror! Where each story is about something in the vast skies, alien visitors or any other kind of aerial horror… (I suggested it on Twitter, so who knows)
A strong collection of stories, each written in the writers’ individual voices and with their own take on aquatic horror! I’m a fan!
http://looneybooks79.blog/2022/08/06/... -
This is a good little collection of sea horror. I got this book in a monthly subscription, it’s not my favourite theme, while the stories were good I do find them repetitive with similar story lines. On a whole I did enjoy the book but I kept having to break in between stories. And another bonus about the book is that it is for charity and all profits are donated to The Shark Trust.
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Great book for a great cause
There's a lot to like about this book. The first being that 100% of the profit is donated to The Shark Trust which is a UK charity that promotes conservation of sharks and rays.
Laurel High tower got things going with a bang in Distress Call. Another favorites was Escargot, Except it's You by Nikki R. Leigh where a woman is willing to go to any lengths to get a deep water snail from the Mariana Trench for her culinary ambitions.
The Many Ghosts of the Deep by Craig Wallwork was an intense ride that will be especially effective for parents. This one really made an impact and had me reeling.
Finally Jack Harding finished things out with The End of the Line. This one was relaxing, weird, and very well written. It gives a look at things possibly to come if we don't pull together to fix the way things are heading. -
Even though I might be biased, the authors with whom I share the table of contents are incredible and for sure you will find a story that will make you fear the deep blue ocean... or even yourself.
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Awesome little book of short, terrifying stories from the deep! There’s something unnerving about the unknown and a lot of the stories focus on using your own imagination. A great book when you want to read a quick story on the go
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A really entertaining collection of underwater themed horror
Distress Call - Sophie goes looking for her employer on a recently surfaced lost submarine, she finds more than she expected 5/5
Project Whale Song - An experiment in using a new type of Sonar mapping wakes up something far beneath the ocean 5/5
The Angler and the Raven - A survivor from a cargo ship disaster meets the consequences of his actions 4/5
Deep Purple - A missing cruise ship reappears, does something nasty lurk inside? (yes, the answer is always yes) 5/5
Melancholic Blue - Committing a murder on a yacht leads to unexpected terrors 4/5
Deepwater Siren - Deepsea Submarine sees lights lower than should be possible 4/5
Escargot, Except it's You -An obsession with underwater Snails, leads to death and despair 5/5
Werewolves and Tentacles - Superheroes, Underwater terrors and a Werewolf collide 4/5
Unfathomable - A Scientist with a superiority complex meets his match in an underwater cave 4/5
Light the Way - The anglerfish will have its revenge 3/5
Julia - A strange noise from the depths seems to be calling to man who lost his wife and daughter in boat accident 5/5
The Last Dive - A couple prepare for their final dive together, in more ways than one 3/5
Pressure Differentials - A deep sea drilling expedition meets a underwater terror 3/5
The Many Ghosts of the Deep - A plane crash and a sea serpent, a mother tries to keep her daughter alive. I loved the ambiguity with this one 5/5
The Many Ghosts of the Deep - An old man trying to catch some fish, but things take a turn for the strange in the Lovecraftian tale 5/5 -
Terror in the Trench - 5/5
Edited by Jay Alexander
This most definitely was an anthology of aquatic horror. Having read BITTER CHILLS and WELCOME TO THE FUNHOUSE, I knew this was something I just could not miss!
You can read about the somewhat supernatural happenings in DISTRESS CALL, quickly followed by the desperate transcript of a lone scientist in PROJECT WHALE SONG. THE ANGLER AND THE RAVEN is set in 1856 and tells the tale of a haunting. A missing cruise ship which suddenly just reappears in DEEP PURPLE. A somewhat odd tale of murder in MELANCHOLIC BLUE. A deep sea exploration gone wrong in DEEPWATER SIREN. ESCARGOT, EXCEPT IT'S YOU, is the fun story of a chef who feels their success is at the bottom of the Japan Trench. Two terrifying monsters attack in WEREWOLVES AND TENTACLES. Another deep sea exploration gone wrong in UNFATHOMABLE. A story set in a futuristic time, highlighting the perils of man in LIGHT THE WAY. The story of JULIA - a grieving mans second chance. THE LAST DIVE - a story of a diver who made the wrong decision. The terrifying story of sensory deprivation in PRESSURE DIFFERENTIALS. A plane crashes into the ocean in THE MANY GHOSTS OF THE DEEP. And lastly, the sad story of an elderly gentleman in THE END OF THE LINE.
If you love creature feature horror and you love deep sea terror - this is definitely a book for you! -
Wow, where do I begin. This is a BEAUTIFULLY crafted anthology of aquatic horror. I’m rating this a 4.5/5 but I’m rounding up to 5! These were all so good, kept me spooked from story to story. I have an irrational fear of open bodies of water so this book unlocked a whole different kind of goosebumps for me but like, I love it. Can’t wait to read the next one!
🦈 Distress Call by Laura Hightower - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🦈 Project Whale Song by Kay Hanifen - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🦈 The Angler And The Raven by Joshua Marsella - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🦈 Deep Purple by Thomas Gloom - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
🦈 Melancholic Blue by Mocha Pennington - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
🦈 Deepwater Siren by Nicola Kapron - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🦈 Escargot, Except It’s You by Nikki R. Leigh- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🦈 Werewolves And Tentacles by Spencer Hamilton - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🦈 Unfathomable by Matthew Stephens - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🦈 Light the Way by Megan Kiekal Anderson - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🦈 Julia by Andrew Cull - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🦈 The Last Dive by Catarina Prata - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🦈 Pressure Differentials by Hannah Hulburt - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🦈 Many Ghost Of The Deep by Craig Wallwork - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🦈 The End Of The Line by Jack Harding - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Also let me not forget to mention that the best part about this whole book, is the proceeds are going to The Shark Trust. So go buy to protect the wild life in our waters! -
Seeing that the profits from this book went to the Shark Trust and that it was an anthology of sea-based horror short stories made it an easy day one buy!
The stories are spread out to cover many different parts of the genre! Cosmic Horror! Creature Feature! Ghost Story! End of Life Stories! Ending of the world stories! And what the hell a Werewolf story too!
It’s amazing work that these writers and editors have done in getting this anthology series going and I can’t wait for the rest!!!! -
A solid collection of ocean-themed short stories that seemed to really hit its stride in the second half.
Greats include:
- Unfathomable by Matthew Stevens
- Julia by Andrew Cull
- The Last Dive by Catarina Prata
- Pressure Differentials by Hannah Hulbert
Best of the collection includes:
- Light the Way by Megan Kiekel Anderson
- The Many Ghosts of the Deep by Craig Wallwork -
Anthologies are always difficult to review. More so than short story collections. You're bringing together several authors with their own styles, often under one umbrella theme that means repeated elements are likely to be encountered.
So when you pick up a book promising aquatic horror, don't complain if all the stories are aquatic.
Fortunately, there is a fair amount of variety on show here. We've got ships, dives, submarines, fishing...it's not limited entirely to terrors in subaquatic trenches. And every author brings something fresh, even if settings may be similar.
I don't think there were any stories in here I disliked. They all had something that kept me interested. My only real complaint was that some could have been a bit longer to really flesh things out, but that's not necessarily a bad thing about a story.
Of course, though, some stood out more than others. My top picks are:
Melancholic Blue by Mocha Pennington
Deepwater Siren by Nicola Kapron
Julia by Andrew Cull
The Last Dive by Catarina Prata
Pressure Differentials by Hannah Hulbert
I'm not sure I can justify marking this down for any reason. It's a shame this isn't in print anymore - I can only hope that the authors in here can find new homes for their stories, as they're certainly deserving of being read. -
A fun anthology of ocean-based horror short stories. The quality ranges pretty dramatically, but as someone who often craves some get-under-your-skin oceanic scares, this scratches the itch. About half of the 15 stories included here are good, while the other half range from “eh” to “yikes.” Thankfully, most of the stories I didn’t like were also on the shorter end.
Considering how cheap these anthologies are—I also picked up the next two volumes—and that all the profits go to The Shark Trust, a charitable organization, this is an easy title for me to recommend. As long as you’re okay with some grisly, always unsettling, and often dour stories about how beautiful/terrifying the promise of the ocean is, of course. -
Terror in the Trench: An Anthology of Aquatic Horror edited by Jay Alexander is a collection of chilling tales all centered around the horrors that await below the surface of the waters.
This collection was fun! I have always been drawn to ocean horror being someone who grew up on an island where I saw the ocean every day, so I was wicked excited to give this one a read!
Overall this is a fun collection of tales! I had so much fun reading most of the tales and it was great to see some familiar names as well as some new-to-me authors! I really enjoyed the collection overall, even if a few of the tales didn’t hit the mark for me.
This is a great read for fans of ocean horror!
Check out my full review here:
https://www.ericarobynreads.com/terro... -
I think I knew I was going to love this book before I even opened it. I loved this. I love that the proceeds go to a wonderful cause. I love the variety of horror stories included. Everything about this book made me smile. I highly recommend grabbing a copy. For a spoiler free more in depth review, click the link.
https://robinknabel.squarespace.com/r... -
A good collection of short horror story’s. There was quite a range from monsters to emotional horror. I would say that none of the books have scared to me to not want to go in the sea again or go to bed tonight but they were fun.
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Aquatic horror at it's best
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A fantastic collection of ocean themed horror stories. These gave me such a feeling of claustrophobia while reading them!
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Finally got around to reading the first book in this anthology series. Fantastic collection of sea themed horror goodness from some great authors including our very own @rocket.man.reads with a stonking story to end the collection with a bang. Support Indie authors and grab yourself a copy.
. -
This was my first time reading an anthology and I loved it! Jay did such a good job of compiling the stories for this book and they all blended well with each other! Now for my favourites!
The first was Werewolves and Tentacles by Spencer Hamilton. The combination of supernatural and eldritch tentacle monster really worked for me! I loved the concept of the Void Hunters and would love to see this expanded out into its own book or series (if it hasn't been already). That being said, I did feel like I was missing some information when I was reading, that maybe I had skipped a chapter somewhere, but it was still a great story!
Second, Unfathomable by Matthew Stevens. I've never ewad anything like what Mr. Stevens brought to the table! What those creatures were doing with the bodies....absolutely genius! I connected so much with the Professor and I felt really bad for him in the end, it was a shame what happened to him. Fantastic story though!
Honorable mention: Distress Call by Laurel Hightower. What a beautiful way to start a book. This story had me claustrophobic and gasping right from the start! I couldn't think of a better way to start an underwater horror anthology than this!
Overall, a great set of stories. I had some that I wasn't as in love with but none that I absolutely couldn't stand. They were all interesting stories and I can't wait to read what Jay has compiled next and support some of these amazing authors! And, of course, I'm always happy to help support amazing charities like The Shark Trust! -
Book 55: TERROR IN THE TRENCH (ed. Jay Alexander). All profits from this first anthology by the recently established Dead Sea Press are being donated to the Shsrk Trust, ditto those generated by the follow-up volumes ‘Shadows Beneath the Surface’ and ‘Death in the Deep’. The Shark Trust are doing some incredibly important work, focusing primarily on species protection, fisheries management and responsible trade. Their website, sharktrust.org, is well worth visiting. If you have £7.99 spare, please consider supporting them by picking up a copy of ‘Terror in the Trench’. Four of the fifteen stories are genuinely terrific, and while the rest might be something of a mixed bag, there’s nothing on offer that lets the side down.
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A charity anthology about oceanic horror can’t really lose in my books! This was a delight to read and I commend him the creativity and sheer span of variety held in the stories (underwater werewolves is for sure not a subject matter I ever thought I would have the luxury of reading). My favourites were Julia, Deepsea Siren, and Escargot, Except It’s You - can you see a pattern of loving Lovecraftian style giant monsters? Of course Terror in the Trench suffers the short story collection curse in that not every story will be for everyone but ultimately the theme is a goldmine and the cause is a great one. Definitely adding some authors from this to my watchlist. Great job, guys!
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Sometimes maybe good sometimes maybe shit.
With all short story collections, you are going to get gold within a pile of shit. Even the forward in the book says you will love and hate some of the stories as they are on a large scale range of ideas and writing styles.
They really saved the best till last in this because the first 3 stories nearly made me not carry on, very poor and boring. However, as you go on they get better till the last 3 really got me invested and brought this book up way more.
Worth reading as each story is short so easy to get through and the last few are gems. -
Great Collection of Aquatic Horror
The deep sea is a perfect setting for horror stories in my opnion. The stretches of dark blue water, the depths to which humans have never plummetted, the mysteries we have never solved, the dead who linger beneath the waves, and the creatures who call this strange dark world their home.
While all stories hit differently (some favorites and others just a fun read), this was a fun anthalogy with a setting I love. Can't wait to read the rest of this series! -
The first book in the series, Terror in the Trench is a fantastic collection of underwater fright. These shorts run the gambit of scary, strange, eerie, and more. Absolutely worth your time to discover the monsters and creatures of the deep! Don't tread water on the authors featured here, pure horrific talent!
