The Deluge (Leisure Fiction) [Mass Market Paperback]

Mark Morris (Author)

Book Description

Series: Leisure Fiction | Publication Date: December 2007

No missing pages, Water Damage, or stains. Spine shows creasing. This is a readable copy.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 342 pages
• Publisher: Leisure Books (December 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0843958936
• ISBN-13: 978-0843958935
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,350,561 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars CRIBBAGE ANYONE? CRIBBAGE., March 17, 2008

By 

Thomas E. O'Sullivan - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Deluge (Leisure Fiction) (Mass Market Paperback)

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.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars The Deluge is all wet., December 27, 2007

By 

S. McGuire "urban fantasy girl" (Northern California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Deluge (Leisure Fiction) (Mass Market Paperback)

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.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Idea, Average Delivery, January 7, 2008

By 

William M Miller (Bronxville, NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Deluge (Leisure Fiction) (Mass Market Paperback)

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.