Short Fiction Friday: Rolling in the Deep by Mira Grant

The Imagine Network made a name for itself with cheesy genre pics, which is why some were surprised by the "documentary block. " Some even predicted it would be the network's downfall. Padded with a generous amount of manipulated and outright fictional footage and "facts" the series, beginning with Loch Ness: A Historical Review, was a resounding success. Which is why a group of scientists, a performing troupe of mermaids, and crew found themselves on the Atargatis tasked with a search for proof of real, live mermaids.

The disastrously fated ship was set to travel to the Mariana Trench in search of the mythical creatures. Their footage was all that remained by the time the ship was recovered. Aired just once, the pieced together doc revealed tragic but still confusing occurrences on board the ship. 

Some have called it a hoax, but one thing cannot be denied: not one person on board the Atargatis has ever been recovered.

So I just found out that there's a sequel to this little novella due out this fall from Orbit! Squee!!!

Rolling in the Deep is pure fun. A story about killer mermaids has to be, right?

The story is framed as a documentary cobbled together from recovered footage found on the ship. Imagine Network interjects disclaimers and other bits not covered by the "footage." The scene is set, the characters are introduced, and the reader gets to sit back and watch (read) as it all begins to fall apart.

Grant, as you know, is the alter ego of Seanan McGuire, author extraordinaire! I will admit that Rolling in the Deep isn't as thought provoking or even tug at your heartstrings as McGuire's Wayward Children novellas. We also don't get to know our characters as deeply as in the McGuire tales or even the Grant full-length novels. That said, Rolling in the Deep wins for being, as mentioned, oh, so freaking fun! (I know I'm not the only one who needs some fun these days.) And if you're like me and suffer from water phobias (and strangely enjoy reading nautical based horror as a result) Rolling in the Deep will definitely set your hair on end!

Oh yeah, and let's reiterate the whole upcoming sequel thing... It takes place after the disappearance of the Atargatis when a team returns to the site of the incident. I'll be doing a post on that one tomorrow, but I'm definitely dying to get a chance to read more!