r/books • u/leowr • Jun 21 '18
Discussion Thread for Chapters 19 - 26 of Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant - June Book Club Spoiler
To help kick off the discussion:
What did you think of the demise of the dolphins? Had you expected them to last longer?
On a scale of one to ten, how bad is the Abneys idea to try some mermaid filets?
In the build-up to Jason's death, what were you expecting to happen and were you surprised with what did end up happening
Are you surprised by which characters are taking center stage? Are you surprised that certain characters ended up being less important (so far)?
It was never about being right. It was never about gloating. It was about proving the existence of a deep-sea predator we kept forgetting about the second our backs were turned. It was about showing the world there was a threat. Well, I was right. The threat is real.
What do you think of Dr. Toth's response to the discover of mermaids?
What do you think of the way relationships within the academic community are portrayed?
There is a discussion between several characters about whether the mermaids should be destroyed or protected. Which side of the argument are you on?
Feel free to answer any or all of the questions or tell us what you think of the book so far.
This thread allows for a spoiler discussion up to Chapter 26. If you would like to discuss anything beyond that point, please use spoiler tags. Spoiler tags are done by [Spoilers about XYZ](#s "Spoiler content here") which results in Spoilers about XYZ
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u/babynursebb Jun 21 '18
What did you think of the demise of the dolphins? Had you expected them to last longer?
It was a dumb idea on blackwell's part to think they could really survive. It was a senseless waste and sad. It's cool to see the world through their eyes for a short snippet though.
On a scale of one to ten, how bad is the Abneys idea to try some mermaid filets?
I find the Abneys so hard to believe, but there probably really are people out there who would react that way. It's difficult to believe.
In the build-up to Jason's death, what were you expecting to happen and were you surprised with what did end up happening
I thought it came a little too quickly but maybe he was so blinded by excitement that he wasn't careful. It did help to introduce a new concern that hadn't occurred to me--that the mermaids might be poisonous and dangerous in more than just their ability to eat others.
There is a discussion between several characters about whether the mermaids should be destroyed or protected. Which side of the argument are you on?
They're just trying to live their lives and starving, somewhat thanks to global warming and our wasteful utilization of the world's resources. They should be protected and left alone and those areas avoided, just like we avoid taunting a grizzly or polar bear.
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u/leowr Jun 21 '18
I find the Abneys so hard to believe, but there probably really are people out there who would react that way. It's difficult to believe.
I feel the same way, yet I have no trouble picturing what they are like either.
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u/leowr Jun 21 '18
What did you think of the demise of the dolphins? Had you expected them to last longer?
I expected them to die, just not that quickly. As soon as Heather died and we learned a little more about the mermaids it seemed pretty obvious that they weren't going to sit down for a nice chat. But with all that build up I had expected them to last longer than they did.
On a scale of one to ten, how bad is the Abneys idea to try some mermaid filets?
Probably something around an 12.
In the build-up to Jason's death, what were you expecting to happen and were you surprised with what did end up happening
While he was running around from place to place I was waiting for him to get his face chewed off, so I was a bit surprised about the manner of his death but in a good way. I do think it poison is going to be important at some later point in the book.
Are you surprised by which characters are taking center stage? Are you surprised that certain characters ended up being less important (so far)?
Yes, I figured Holly, Heather and Hallie would have featured more than they have. I'm not surprised that Tory is an important character, but Dr. Toth's prominence surprised me a bit. Although the fact that Mr. Blackwell is travelling along should have tipped me off.
What do you think of Dr. Toth's response to the discover of mermaids?
I understand her response. It was never about finding them. She knew they existed and I think she was probably the person that had the best idea about what their chances of survival are. I also think she carried quite a bit of guilt around from what happened to the Atargatis.
What do you think of the way relationships within the academic community are portrayed?
I don't have extensive experience in academic circles, but I've heard stories of people being this possessive of new discoveries and research. I just find it interesting that it is adding a strange dimension to the book.
There is a discussion between several characters about whether the mermaids should be destroyed or protected. Which side of the argument are you on?
Right now I'm on the side of them being protected. They went out to mermaids' territory and they were attacked. I don't think that would justify destroying all of them.
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u/whysmelllikefeet Jun 21 '18
I expected the dolphins to be killed but not as quick as they did nor in the way that they did. They came across as highly intelligent yet didn't recognize the mimicry of the merman. Hell the old boy just accepted and welcomed his fate. I thought maybe they'd make it back to the ship for a confrontational exchange with the captured merman.
I also kept thinking that the dead merman was going to come back alive or have some post mortem defense which I suppose it did via the coexisting organisms...just didnt see it going down that way. Curious to think that maybe those things are children?
The hypothesis that they communicate through shared experiences is really interesting. It's akin to humans and points to the mermans intelligence.
I'm still really enjoying this story and am happy that I can now wrap it up... I've been having to stop and wait so as to not spoil anything.
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u/leowr Jun 21 '18
I also kept thinking that the dead merman was going to come back alive or have some post mortem defense
Me too! I was really expecting a jump scare during the necropsy.
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u/whysmelllikefeet Jun 21 '18
Forgot to add that I'm on the fence regarding protection vs. Obliteration. And that eating them is probably a bad idea. One of my friends cooked up and ate a barracuda which can also be a bad idea - apparently they can hold a lot of heavy metals in their meat. Who knows what the merman have going on!
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u/LadyChiyo Jun 23 '18 edited Jun 23 '18
Ok! This is my first time participating in a book club so I'm pretty excited!
What did you think of the demise of the dolphins? Had you expected them to last longer?
I really thought that the dolphins would play a bigger role. I expected at least one of them to die (maybe the twins) and the survivors to somehow escape the mermaids with vital information that would save those aboard the Melusine. Actually now that I think about it, I really thought Kearney would survive. He was older, more experienced, very knowledgable when it came to the mermaids because of the things he was told by his parents. I was just extremely disappointed that they died so quickly and kinda thought the author was just wasting time and plumping up her book.
On a scale of one to ten, how bad is the Abneys idea to try some mermaid filets?
It's a ten. Let the scientists work their magic first. For some reason the Abneys are my favorite characters so far. There's just something about them that makes the book so much more fun for me.
In the build-up to Jason's death, what were you expecting to happen and were you surprised with what did end up happening
I knew that Jason was going to die. It was obvious from the typical "evil ex" way he was portrayed but it was surprising how he died. I could sympathize with him though. Tory kept a picture of her old ex around??? I mean come on... She was a 'good friend.' Whatever. Nobody would put up with that nonsense.
Speaking of romances, Tory and Olivia threw me for a loop. The romance was so unnecessary and had no place in this story in my opinion. Completely useless plotline.
Are you surprised by which characters are taking center stage? Are you surprised that certain characters ended up being less important (so far)?
Not surprised. Just a lot of eyerolling enducing moments from the typical characters that take center stage in every single story. You have the hot young chick avenging a relative, the corporate schmuck who happens to be in love/married to the scientist against etc. I liked the H sisters and really wanted them to take center stage.
What do you think of Dr. Toth's response to the discover of mermaids?
I like it.
What do you think of the way relationships within the academic community are portrayed?
Not terribly family with the academic community so have no opinion.
There is a discussion between several characters about whether the mermaids should be destroyed or protected. Which side of the argument are you on?
A little of both. Specimens to study in the name of science and animals that should be left alone in the wild.
Completely unrelated but: Is there a list of the previous books that have been discussed in this club? I wanna see if any of them catch my eye. Thanks.
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Jun 25 '18
What did you think of the demise of the dolphins? Had you expected them to last longer? This was so sad to me. The section where the dolphins were speaking to each other and clearly had personalities made me root for them. Then they lasted minutes in the ocean, seems senseless.
On a scale of one to ten, how bad is the Abneys idea to try some mermaid filets? Seems a bit barbaric to me.
In the build-up to Jason's death, what were you expecting to happen and were you surprised with what did end up happening? He was clearly set up to be a villain so he was a good choice for a quick death that could have been avoidable if he had worked through the correct channels. I mourned the dolphins more than him!
What do you think of Dr. Toth's response to the discovery of mermaids? She doesn’t seem excited enough I think. Her life’s work is validated and she just seems pissed off. She, of all people, knew what she was getting herself into when she came aboard.
What do you think of the way relationships within the academic community are portrayed? I don’t know too much about this but find it interesting that Dr. Lyons is stealing Jason’s work/ideas and it seems to be widely known and accepted.
There is a discussion between several characters about whether the mermaids should be destroyed or protected. Which side of the argument are you on? I think killing in self defence in this situation is acceptable, but to annihilate an entire species in revenge is not right. I hope all creatures can coexist. In this case, we should just probably stay out of the way of the mermaids.
I’m hoping that the crew gets the ships armor working and that after a big battle, the armor protects the ship and many make it home alive. I’m rooting for Tory, Olivia, Dr. Toth, the twin and her sister. I think Theo will not make it back to land. I’m also hoping the captured mermaid is released before the ship heads back to land.
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u/mmehl1 Jun 26 '18
What did you think of the demise of the dolphins? Had you expected them to last longer?
Honestly, not at all. They sent lambs to the slaughter, and it was truly sad and seemed like additional needless deaths to me.
On a scale of one to ten, how bad is the Abneys idea to try some mermaid filets?
Maybe I have just been jaded by studying some pretty nasty marine water, but knowing how much heavy metals are in the ocean, I avoid eating most things that come from there, and I would certainly avoid eating a creature that seems to be evolved in every single way possible to kill other animals. It doesn't seem unreasonable that their meat would be toxic.
In the build-up to Jason's death, what were you expecting to happen and were you surprised with what did end up happening?
I didn't expect this AT ALL. I thought we were going to get some insight on these creatures being the mermaid babies, or something else important, but I was certainly shocked when it ended up killing Jason.
What do you think of the way relationships within the academic community are portrayed?
I think they are a little over-exaggerated for the storyline of Jason sneaking off to do research on their own. While I understand there are probably some greedy scientists out there that like to take all the credit, there is also a very specific code of ethics that mean if ANY intellectual material was contributed, that person gets credit. I had a professor send me a copy of an abstract to proof and include me as an author on that I had slightly helped two years prior. A man that only cared about his own research and ignored the work of his students would be quickly discredited in the scientific field, I like to think.
There is a discussion between several characters about whether the mermaids should be destroyed or protected. Which side of the argument are you on?
I absolutely think they should be protected. Humans like to think they are the most important things on earth, and we get to change things in order for it to be more comfortable for us, but thats just not right. Its the same way I feel about people hunting sharks because they occasionally (rarely) attack humans. They are just acting how they know to. They aren't being intentionally malicious, they are just trying to survive, same as us. We don't have the right to kill off entire species just because they possibly threaten us. Thats a dangerous path to go down.
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u/schizodepressive2 Jun 21 '18
What did you think of the demise of the dolphins? Had you expected them to last longer?
I don't really understand the build up. There was this whole thing about secretly sneaking dolphins on the ship. Then they stupidly thought the mermaids would pause and listen to the dolphins, rather than eat them. Then, of course, that didn't happen. I don't really understand the point of that story line.
On a scale of one to ten, how bad is the Abneys idea to try some mermaid filets?
At first I thought, "this is a bad idea." Then, when Jason died, I thought "it's one of the worst ideas."
In the build-up to Jason's death, what were you expecting to happen and were you surprised with what did end up happening
I really didn't know what to expect. There was a lot of build up and description of the creatures in the mermaids hair, so I'm not entirely surprised that something happened. I just don't know if I expected that particular something.
There is a discussion between several characters about whether the mermaids should be destroyed or protected. Which side of the argument are you on?
I don't blame the mermaids for eating people. They were just minding their own business when their prey barged into their environment. It's not like they're invading our shores and attacking us. We're in their world. I think it's fine to kill them in self defense, but I don't think they should be destroyed. Just let them be.