This is my first formal book review of The Deep by Alma Katsu. This article features both sections for readers and writers alike, with my review of the novel, and a small "Lesson in Craft" at the bottom. I hope you enjoy it, and more of my book reviews in the future.
Book: The Deep (on Bookshop)
Author: Alma Katsu (website)
My 5th book for 2026 was The Deep by Alma Katsu, a horror reimagining of the tragic Titanic sinking in 1912. I enjoyed this book very much and informally rate it, before going deeper, at ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐.
The Deep follows Annie Hebbley, an Irishwoman who has experienced both the sinking of the Titanic, and the sister ship four years later, the Britannic. During her time on the Titanic, Annie serves as a stewardess for the first class passengers. During her time on the Britannic, she's a nurse for the hospital ship during World War I. The story unwraps multiple perspectives on both ships, through Annie herself as well as first-class passengers like Mark & Caroline Fletcher, Welsh boxers Dai Bowen and Les Williams, and a servant boy called Teddy.
The narrative jumps between both 1912 and 1916 with the respective ships, and I found the pacing to be easy to follow, engaging, and interesting. Katsu's writing style worked well with the genre, the setting, and the atmosphere which followed the ship. With most readers (hopefully) knowing about the Titanic and its place in history, I felt like Katsu's writing really added detail, description, and context to the ship. In addition, as I didn't know very much about the Britannic, I felt like I learned a little bit more on the history. I'm following up with more evidence-based works.
Alma Katsu did though, do her best with the accuracy of the story. Many of the characters were real passengers on the Titanic, and other portions of the book felt immersive. The research done and details provided didn't make The Deep feel clunky or overworked. I felt educated and intrigued all at the same time.
So why am I determining The Deep as a "masterclass" specifically in historical horror? Haven't I only read a handful of them? Yes. But, I think historical horror is a subgenre that hasn't seen much light of day, and books like this are great ways to invite readers and writers alike to interact with historical genres.
I grew up disliking historical fiction very much. A lot of it felt boring, and if it wasn't boring, it was hard to read due to many historical instances being atrocities and terrible moments in time. The Titanic sinking for instance, is a tragedy and to think about it so much is difficult. Another one of Katsu's books is called The Hunger, which focuses on the Donner Party incident, involving lots of death and real-life cannibalism. It's another terrible horrific thing to happen.
For some odd reason though, in the past two years or so, historical fiction has become much more interesting, and especially when tied into horror. When individuals interact with subgenres like this, it invites discussion, challenges, and new perspectives to be stirred into the mix. I never enjoyed romance growing up, but exceptions have been made before.
I think Katsu's writing was that exception for me, for historical fiction, through The Hunger, and it continued to move as I discovered and enjoyed more historical horror.
So here is what I think worked completely for Katsu's retelling of the Titanic, and why I think it should matter when it comes to your own reading and writing:
What Worked in Alma Katsu's The Deep
1. The Integration of Real History and Supernatural Horror
The novel draws directly from the Titanic's and Britannic's sinkings. Rather than just using these as settings though, Katsu integrated the horror inside the story, with mechanics emerging from the different happenings on both ships. In addition, there's a sense of inevitability, since the novel is based on a true story, and we all know how that story ends.
The horror within The Deep feels inescapable, and while reading, you wonder who and if anyone is going to make it out, and how they might do it.
2. Atmosphere Over Jumpscares
There are several horror novels that use jumpscares, whether that makes sense to you or not. Many discuss Stephen King's novels as having "jumpscares", like The Shining or Salem's Lot, those moments being adrenaline that pumps when something is unsettling or startling. In some other instances though, it feels as if moments cause jumpscares by their build up and the information shared at the climax.
In The Deep, Katsu uses and leans on dread and psychological tension frequently. The main protagonist, Annie, is a completely unreliable narrator and when she notices something, it's startling and sometimes elicits a physical response. In addition, the two settings being so starkly different are unsettling and sharp. A luxury liner, deemed "unsinkable", and her sister, a hospital ship, who's begging not to turn out like the first.
While "jumpscare" moments aren't bad in horror, with King being one of the better horror writers in history, it's refreshing to read and let your own mind fill in the blanks and play tricks on you, rather than rely on the startling moments.
3. The Employment of Character-Driven Horror
Annie, being an unreliable narrator, is a great example of employing the character into moving the plot in certain directions. Almost every perspective we experience while reading Katsu's work, both The Deep and The Hunger, is not passive. It involves past experiences, trauma, and relationships with other characters to drive tension. The horror isn't just in the inevitability of a tragic moment, but also the guilt and obsession of humans and their human relationships.
Katsu specifically highlights emotional stakes in the novel, which become far more threatening earlier than the physical danger (like the ships sinking).
4. The Use of Dual Timelines
When "juggling" timelines in fiction (the action of switching between settings, timelines, narratives, etc), it's not how difficult it is, but instead on how to use them effectively. Katsu juggles us between 1912 and 1916, which keeps the pace interesting, moderate, and digestible. In addition, the juggling, while important for the pace, also withholds information from the reader until the time is appropriate.
While working with characters who are complex and difficult, going through traumatic things, juggling is a way to structure memory and trauma together, and integrate it into the current story. Memory and trauma are fragmented and sometimes hard to piece together; when our narrator is telling us about what they see, feel, etc., they might not give the whole story because they themselves haven't processed it either. Katsu uses this to her advantage in writing, to allow mystery within the novel.
5. The Use of Genre Blending, and Leaning Into It
Many of us writers can shy away from genre-blending because it's intimidating. It's a new pool of content, of readers, of ideas, and of tropes and rules within writing. It's stressful and sometimes, many stay in their lane. Alma Katsu employs the idea of blending in many facets of the novel. She blends a romantic tension through a small subplot here, gothic horror in the setting and the paranormal, and a historical realm that gives the story a specific charm. She doesn't ever slot The Deep into one genre though.
My favorite part about the blending as well, which I'm attempting to push into my own writing, is the avoidance of modern horror cliches. While not all cliches are bad, they certainly aren't created equal either. As trends come and go, stories and subgenres will come and go. Tropes will arrive, typically be milked dry, and leave the reader population to become sick of something and ignore it for years and years and years.
Katsu uses traditional gothic tropes with her writing of The Deep specifically, and it keeps it fresh and interesting. It's not the "fad" or "trend" of horror right now, and so the book is refreshing. Besides, I always think gothic horror will be exciting and different.
What Didn't Work in Alma Katsu's The Deep
So if I really loved this book so much, was there anything that didn't work for the book? Anything that could've been improved upon? Is this critique worth it, and would it be damaging to the author or help other authors with their own craft?
1. Pacing
I already said the pacing was done very well, and this isn't so much a critique of Katsu and her work, but instead of pacing in general. Slow and deliberate build up is sometimes delicious and really relies on the reader to stay interested for it to be enjoyed. This book was long, and the audiobook was about thirteen (13) hours. By the end, while I feel like Katsu was able to wrap things up effectively, it's an incredibly easy pitfall for newer writers.
My advice? Don't rush the payoff. Many readers don't appreciate the climax if it doesn't match the same energy of the tension earlier.
2. Underdeveloped Side Characters
This piece of critique comes from a place that was frustrated by the amounts of names and places thrown around. Secondary characters can function well within a novel, and like pieces of a machine, can be essential to the plot, subplots, main character's growth, or even the setting. We saw real people from the Titanic in the novel. That being said, secondary characters used only for plot devices, pieces in the greater machine, can make certain emotional beats a lot less impactful.
My advice? Determine the worth of this secondary character in both a mechanical perspective, and in a narrative perspective. Are they interesting, do they help usher the plot forward, and are they likable (enough) or unlikable (enough)? If they have a scene of their own, like many in The Deep, is their scene worth it and does it add something to the overarching theme, tension, narrative, etc.?
3. Ambiguity vs Lack of Resolution
This does not just apply in horror, but is common in horror when 'confusion' and 'ambiguity' are frequent flyers of the genre. Ambiguity is a strength, and sometimes shrouds the narrative in just enough mystery that readers are intrigued and keep reading more. When ambiguity crosses into a new realm of "unresolved" or "confusing" though, you lose readers, and you might even lose your own attention writing!
There are many "ends" that make up and weave a narrative. Many times, it's best to wrap up the lose ends and time them off. Sometimes, it's effective to leave one here or there. It's up to your best judgement to make these lose ends feel haunting instead of unsatisfying.
My advice? Think of it like crochet (I'll provide context, don't worry). When you're working up a crochet piece, it's a large knotted piece of yarn essentially. When you've finished a piece of the greater project, or the project itself, you cut off the yarn and are left with a lose end. What you decide to do with that end can impact the piece or whole of the project. How you decide to deal with it, whether it's to weave it in, cut it short, or another option is up to you, but sometimes it will cause just enough mystery to enjoy it, or the structure to collapse in on itself.
Really stuck? Get a second opinion! Most times, fresh eyes are the best medicine for writer's block.
Craft Lesson to Take from The Deep:
If I could send you away as a better writer with one single lesson from the book, it would be this:
Let History Do the Narrative Work
Don't treat your historical settings as decoration. Use them! Use the culture, the society, the atmosphere, and the events to your advantage. Ask yourself: If I removed the historical setting, would the story function the same, or similarly? If the answer is yes, integrate it more deeply and do more research. Research is your friend, and not just as a writer, but as a creator, a consumer, a reader, etc. Research always allows for knowledge and information to be injected into your work, and then shared with others.
But don't also forget to give yourself grace as a writer, or as a reader! Writing can be tough, but if I can do it, so can all of you :)
Happy reading and writing!
(my official review, in the form of a Canva infographic):
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