The Luminous Dead: A Novel

Product Information

Follow Ariadne’s thread into the commodity supply chain as far as it goes, stopping only at the colonies, where mines and sweatshops hide in plain sight. This tether is inconspicuous, and every other year the giant-like tech companies are either in the news or on the trigger-end of an ethical lawsuit. In 2019, Apple, Google, Dell, Microsoft, and Tesla were asked to explain their involvement with Glencore, a UK-based mining company that employed children in their cobalt mines. More than 70 per cent of cobalt is mined in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), used to mass-produce lithium batteries; worker and human rights abuse, coerced child labor, political corruption, and environmental destruction is linked to this extraction.

The Luminous Dead, A Novel by Caitlin Starling - Booktopia The Luminous Dead, A Novel by Caitlin Starling - Booktopia

It may be sci-fi...but I found this book much more claustrophobic and psychological horror. I felt Gyre's claustrophobia, not within in underground tunnels but within the suit that kept her alive. The detailed descriptions of being physically attached to an outside source was horror for me. There was a line in which Gyre stated that she wished she could rub her eyes or touch her fingers together, and I wanted to crawl out of my skin at the thought. An investigator must solve a brutal murder on a claustrophobic space station in this tense science fiction thriller from the author of Salvation Day. The lining of the suit can shift to provide various stimulation. There's also a vibration function." Em fidgeted again, squirming in her chair, as Gyre started to laugh. Em said, clipped, "The suit is designed to provide a range of experiences." Language: English Words: 4,511 Chapters: 1/1 Collections: 1 Comments: 8 Kudos: 49 Bookmarks: 2 Hits: 353 What ??? All that and then they are ... just ... really ?! They are both completely nutters and need to go build spore castles together and drink tea. Egads. Jane Shoringfield sees the world in numbers, patterns, and logical projections, and by her math, she needs one thing above all else: a husband who wants a marriage of convenience. At the top of her list is Augustine Lawrence, a young, reclusive doctor. He agrees to her proposal, with only one requirement: she must never visit Lindridge Hall, his ancestral, crumbling house several miles out of town. He is compelled to return there each time the sun sets, despite night calls and ailing patients, but Jane must never accompany him. He says it's just because of disrepair brought on by a country doctor's salary, but on their wedding night, an accident brings her to his door past sundown and she finds him changed. Gone is the bold, courageous surgeon, and in his place is a confused, fearful man.The tears were already there, waiting. “I don’t want to do anything for you right now,” she whispered, but she sank to her knees all the same. The last thing she wanted was to serve at Em’s will, but at the same time, it was such an easy win. Follow the command, feed her growling, taut stomach. If she followed every command Em laid out, wouldn’t it take her out of here? (c) At this point I'm like: Yes, Gyre, maybe you do need to follow your guide and employer advice. By morning, Augustine is himself again, but something is deeply wrong at Lindridge Hall. At night, strange figures stalk the halls, and Jane catches glimpses of a beautiful red-eyed woman in the mirrors and windows of the house. Augustine claims she was a patient of his who died two years before, but unexpected house guests tell a different story: her name was Elodie Lawrence, and Augustine believes he killed her. Do not read the GR book blurb, as it does give far too much away, including one plot point that happens two-thirds of the way in. I read an early copy--hopefully very early--so I look forward to re-reading a print copy that might have even more polish. Just for me--for heaven's sake, do not read the spoilers if you intend to read--

The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling | Goodreads The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling | Goodreads

On the other hand, Gyre’s employer, Emogene or Em, is a disembodied voice in Gyre’s ear. Em is always there, always watching, surveilling Gyre as her sole handler. She speaks in terse and colourless instructions when she deems it necessary. She moves and guides Gyre’s body like a puppeteer. Within the isolation of the cave, it is her voice that booms, her absence that is spectral, her demands that are given form like an eidolon. The entire story takes place in a generic, Earth-like cave system and is very repetitive as the caver ferries supplies from one camp to the next, climbing up and down walls, along ledges, squeezing through passageways, swimming through sumps--retreading over the same ground time and again. All the while complaining about her powered suit that prevents her from touching her own skin, but, more importantly, protects her from an alien environment and a tunneler that'd sooner see her dead than complete her mission. Em is a handler. That means being a completely useless, unprofessional head of ops who is prone to emotional outbursts, yelling, and convenient bouts of absence when things get tough. You won't be having sex with me, Gyre," Em said. "I'm only the one pushing the buttons." Language: English Words: 1,702 Chapters: 1/1 Collections: 1 Comments: 8 Kudos: 34 Hits: 295 A haunting Southern Gothic from an award-winning master of suspense, A House With Good Bones explores the dark, twisted roots lurking just beneath the veneer of a perfect home and family.

The best word to describe this novel is claustrobic. Blending together science fiction with elements of light horror, this story offers an atmospheric, yet gripping, reading experience. Gyre knows just how far she can push her suit. It's what's keeping her alive. In the sump between Camp Five and Camp Six, instead of rushing out to fall short of the cache, she drops the line. She knows how far she can push her suit and this is too much. Gyre is a caver. That means being an inexperienced cave climber/diver who lied on her resume, prone to fits of hysteria and not listening to anybody and also swearing a lot. What’s more, I feel the publisher description has done the book a great disservice by comparing it to The Martian and Gravity, because the reality, as I found out, was much different. For one thing, the “intensive drive” that was promised was virtually non-existent. A heart-pounding thriller this was not, so don’t be expecting anything like The Descent. I just can’t emphasize enough the slowness of this book, even though, in all fairness, I have no doubt the measured pacing here was entirely intentional. The plot featured here is the kind that relies heavily on character development and relationship building, a process that understandably cannot be rushed.

Books — Caitlin Starling Books — Caitlin Starling

Survival and cosmic horror collide in this new series, perfect for fans of LOST and House of Leaves. The contours of horror in the novel are uncanny valleys, figural resemblances that arouse unease in the protagonist. Monsters of technology, technology that belongs to the monsters. There’s a tautology to the representations within these reaches; a repetitive insistence. A traumatic memory, as it must, repeats itself. In each iteration, it is a horrific representation that makes Em/Gyre anew. Sometimes it is ghostly in its presence, sometimes it haunts through absences. Sometimes it keeps each iteration bound within their contractual agreement, within law. Sheehan, Jason (April 7, 2019). "Monsters Imaginary And Real Haunt The Caves Of 'The Luminous Dead' ". NPR.org . Retrieved 2020-12-24.speaking of those scary parts: going into this, i 100% expected the claustrophobia to be ramped up to a hundred. i mean, cramped caves, so deep underground? sounds perfect! Occupational hazards are common enough to be calculated into the cost of mining explorations—a quantifiable number is all that Gyre’s life will amount to if she doesn’t make it out alive. Technological advancement affords her some safety: an impenetrable suit that feeds and nourishes her with relative ease, and a support and maintenance team that guides her through the circuitry of her suit. But the technology is invasive, causes dissociation, and is optimized to make the most of her labor. Gyre is trapped within a suit that is physically controlled by her employers: she is moved at will and injected with serotonin, adrenaline, and poison. Her ears register the disembodied voice of her employer, goading and manipulating her to finish the job she set out to do. The violence and horrors that Gyre experiences are both epistemic and archival. The history of the cave haunts Gyre. Elusive references to a past knowledge lead to Gyre losing her way. The continued persistence of Lethe, demanding that she forget the earthly things, makes her desire corporeality instead. Towards the end of the novel, Gyre is digging into the entrails of a corpse before following the figural images in her line of vision.

War of Images, Images of War: Technology and Labor in Caitlin

Considering the limited setting, limited dialogue, and repetitive scenery, the pacing is great. I never felt disengaged, and even found myself fighting not to glance ahead to relieve some of the narrative tension. Gyre's trip down into the belly of the beast is gripping and filled with many moments of psychological problems and survivalist dilemmas. Gyre: “Damn right you are, and I’m not about to let this happen to anyone else. To do that, I’m going to go ahead now and do something stupid.” A young woman discovers a strange portal in her uncle’s house, leading to madness and terror in this gripping new novel. Gyre constantly battles the elements - almost drowning multiple times, having her batteries run out on her, coming upon missing staches. It’s an incredibly tense read that will have you sweating in fear.At least, for now. Language: English Words: 3,826 Chapters: 1/1 Collections: 1 Comments: 4 Kudos: 12 Bookmarks: 1 Hits: 103 NASA may have marketed the film based on The Martian, but mining monopolies like Glencore or BHP are unlikely to ever sponsor Starling. There are two monsters within the cave, one named as such, the other insulted with this epithet. The Tunneler is a creature that bores through the cave, creating new paths and killing everything in its wake. This monster is organic and ancient, with many eyes and an uncanny ability to sense other forms of life. It represents natural disasters, an occupational hazard that all cavers deal with. After some reflection; I can see how this evoked some body horror and definitely some environmental horror on many levels. The main character volunteered for a dangerous (but high-paying) job, previously failed to the detriment of others. She is left in the hands of one person; a stranger, not a team as is usual, and that person she must trust with her life. She isn't told the truth and does not tell her employer the truth either. A searing and earnest horror debut about the demons the queer community faces in America, the price of keeping secrets, and finding the courage to burn it all down.