Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #521065 in Books
• Published on: 2007-11-27
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 342 pages

Customer Reviews

CRIBBAGE ANYONE? CRIBBAGE.
With nearly every turn of page in THE DELUGE I felt I should have had a lawyer right beside me, because this book is one of the clearest cases of cribbing I've read in a long time. I was fearful that having paid for the book I might be considered an accessory. What started out as a good idea, and well played first off, quickly became a numbers racket as Morris leads us down a path so well laid out, so well worn, and so well travelled by so many others, you can't help but scratch your head and wonder if this book was actually written, or just pages ripped from others novels pasted together.

I'll admit, it's a little tough to come up with an orignal idea when it comes to the end of the world and I can forigve THE STAND vibe (simply substitue water for plague), it's only natural that King's ghost hovers over these pages (as well as a Clive Barker quote on the cover that is actually very sad... remember when Barker was the NEXT heir to the crown of horror?, bygone days) but Morris doesn't stop there. From DAWN OF THE DEAD, THE MIST, INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS, THE DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS, DOCTOR WHO to perhaps the biggest lift being from WHO GOES THERE? by John W. Campbell (fimled as both THE THING: FROM ANOTHER WORLD and remade simply as THE THING), this book tries hard to be more than the sum of its parts, but you can't help but see the poorly fitted joins as Morris moves us from his one original idea... a delgue, into a slow moving, boring cross country trip from London to Scotland with every tripwire, booby-trap, plot twist and shock telegraphed well in advance.

There is a minor shock as the book moves from its post waterlogged world into Wyndham territory when we learn that the water not only washed away human society but also uncovered either an alien plot, or, creatures from below the surface of the Earth. The book never makes it clear and Morris teases the idea all the way through to the ending of the book, which is no ending at all... it, like DAWN OF THE DEAD and THE MIST, simply comes to a stop with whatever happens next being left to the reader's imagination.

Also, I'm not sure what Morris was thinking when he spends the last third of the book in a complete rush, suddenly pulling out all the stops in an alien/earth-slug/last standing human war that goes nowhere, kills nearly everyone and then fails to resolve anything. Until that point, the books is peppered with moments of violence (some very graphic and I have to admit, well written) and loss that tries your patience and leaves you wondering why not cut to the chase sooner once the alien/earth-slugs appear. It's almost like he had two half novels he couldn't finish and instead of choosing one, he married both of them together.

Frustrating. Difficult and a cheat up till the very last page, which is strange because Morris can write. There are moments that are done very well (sometimes for a second or third time depending on what idea he is emulating), but it's never enough to cover the obvious homage's to larger and better books.

Sink, don't swim, with THE DEUGE.

The Deluge is all wet.
This book promises an exciting thrill ride through a flooded planet, presumably with monsters and the trials of a post-apocalypse civilization to trouble our survivors. What it delivers is, sadly, more of a muddy mess, hampered by a lack of satisfying answers, shallow characterization, and action sequences which quickly devolve into murky confusion. I left this book with the names of the characters already fading from my mind -- never a good sign. It's good escapism for an afternoon, but it's never going to be a classic, and honestly, there's better escapism out there.

Fantastic Idea, Average Delivery
I ran out and bought this book as soon as I read the premise, but ultimately, was slightly disappointed in the outcome. Although the quality of the writing was smooth and the action moved along fast, I would have liked to have seen the survivors deal with the flood element a lot more. Instead, the water disappears less than 50 pages into the book. I also felt the character development was a little light and I was troubled with some inconsistent logic when fighting the enemy towards the end. My only other complaint was that I would have liked a few answers as to the origin of the flood and the evil that it brought forth. I'm not saying I need everything tied up perfectly, but a little more information and details about the enemy would have been nice. Also, I thought the author took the easy way out with the ending he chose. If you enjoy apocalyptic fiction -- don't get me wrong -- this is a solid read, but ultimately, nothing you haven't read before.