Rolling in the Deep

by Mira Grant

[Quirky Cat]

Rolling in the Deep is a novella, and the first in a series of the same name. The series is written by Mira Grant, whom is also known as Seanan McGuire (Mira Grant being the pen name in this case).
The series is about mermaids – but they’re not the type you’d expect to see in a typical Disney movie. These mermaids are predators. They’re the type that could survive in one of the harshest environments for thousands of years. They’re intelligent, hungry, and brutally efficient.
You may have heard Rolling in the Deep being mentioned in the news recently. It’s been optioned for a movie. I honestly think that it’ll make for a fantastic, if truly disturbing and terrifying film. I honestly hadn’t had a chance to read it before now, but I knew that I was going to have to read it before the movie came out. I’d suggest fans do the same!
You’ll notice that Rolling in the Deep is next to impossible to find in physical format. At least not without spending a small fortune on a used copy. It ran on a limited print, and is now basically available only in digital format. I know that’s slightly disappointing for the collectors out there (like myself) but maybe once the movie hits they’ll put the novella and the novel into one collection and sell that? I wouldn’t mind buying a second copy of either/both.



Rolling in the Deep was a fascinating and thrilling story. It’s exactly what I would have hoped for from the horror version of a mermaid tale. I was sucked in right from the start, and sincerely didn’t want to put it down until I finished. Seriously, I had to stop reading it at one point for a couple of hours and I got so cranky waiting to get back to it.
I don’t normally read horror novels, of any sort. I know I should read more of them, so I was happy to have the excuse in reading Rolling in the Deep. I am so incredibly happy that I gave the series a chance. I was hooked, like I said above. I actually went on and already read Into the Drowning Deep before I even bothered to sit down and write this review, so that should tell you something.
I really loved the way this novella started. The newsclippings and articles served multiple purposes, some obvious and some less so. Having them state from the beginning that no survivors were found certainly helped to ease the emotional blow. But that’s not all. The articles combined with the video footage were the way of explaining how the story continued – proof that there was enough information to be worth telling. I know that sounds like an odd thing to point out, but as someone who’s read a lot of Lovecraft and been bothered by the lack of survivors (how was the tale told, if nobody survived to tell it?) this felt really important and poignant for me.
Despite knowing the fate of the characters before we even met them, I found myself growing attached to some of them. That should say volumes about the way Mira Grant/Seanan McGuire writes her characters. I actively tried not to get attached – I didn’t want to be too upset when they were lost.
The way they mermaids were described and how they acted…it was absolutely perfect. I honestly have no complaints about the way they were portrayed here. Except perhaps to say that I wish this had been a full novel instead of a novella, but beggars can’t be choosers, right?
In short Rolling in the Deep was perfect, both as a twisted mermaid tale and as a horror novella. I really do hope that the extra attention it’s getting from the movie adaptation will encourage Mira Grant/Seanan McGuire to write a third part to the series…but I’m also just grateful for what we already have.


For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks