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Thursday, August 19, 2021

To the Center of the Earth

In 1485, Arkady Saknussov, a Russian alchemist and explorer, supposedly found his way down to the hollow center of the earth. In 1972, a group of Russian cavers decided to follow in his footsteps, venturing into Krubera Cave, one of the deepest caves on earth. Only one, Katya, made it back out alive. After spending almost a year underground. And her talk of a strange world with a red sky and a multitude of monstrous creatures landed her in a mental asylum.

But Mike Monroe believes her story. Of course, he's always believed in the possibility of a hollow center deep inside the earth. And now he's got Katya's own diary as his guide. He and his friend Jane Baxter along with four other cavers head into Krubera Cave on an expedition reminiscent of Jules Verne. Only what they encounter living in Krubera's depths just might kill them. Especially when their way out gets caved in. 

Greig Beck's To the Center of the Earth is a fast-paced, entertaining ride. There's suspense, adventure, large carnivorous plants, and gigantic insectoid monsters. I've always loved expedition stories that take place in deep, unexplored caverns and caves. That cave environment is so foreign and primordial, and the world Beck creates deep beneath Krubera Cave is evolutionarily freakish and inventive. And also very deadly. Though there were things that happened to some of the characters that made me cringe and want to close my eyes, I really enjoyed this one. Beck's books are always a lot of fun. I can't wait to check out the sequel. 

Happy Reading!

Similar reads:
Blind Descent and Beyond the Deep (Two awesome nonfiction reads.)

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38 comments:

  1. This sounds amazing! There's a YA series I read a couple of that was quite good. The first book is Tunnels and it's by Roderick Gordon.

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    1. Oh, I read Tunnels! And I remember really liking it. But I never got around to reading the second book in the series; I'm not sure why. Probably because it wasn't out yet, and by the time it was I'd forgotten about it. That's usually what happens. ;D

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  2. Omg, a cave in while on their way to the centre of the earth (shivers)

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  3. I've never read this author, but I'm intrigued.

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    1. He writes a lot of action/adventure/suspense books that usually have a touch of horror to them. Good popcorn books!

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  4. this DOES sound like one i'd like to read! i sense that a whole new world of extra-reality tales awaits!

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    1. You should check it out. Beck's books are a lot of fun. :) Thanks for commenting!

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  5. It's always so great to find a book and a series that you can really get into and unabashedly enjoy.

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    1. Beck's books aren't serious, they're just entertaining and fun. And sometimes, that's exactly what I want. :)

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  6. Ooh, you've got me so intrigued! This sounds like such a fascinating read. :)

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    1. It was a fast and fun book. Especially if you don't mind some monster damage along the way. :)

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  7. Oh wow this totally sounds like me! I love the hollow earth genre so much... :)

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    1. You should check this one out! It's a fun read. And I liked Beck's take on the whole hollow earth thing. :)

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  8. This sounds so good! And I think it'd make a good movie, too. ;)

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  9. This sounds terrifying! I hate caves and can't imagine spending an entire year in one. Eek!

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    1. I would not like being in the dark that long myself. Especially when there are creepy monsters there, too.

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  10. You caught my attention with "large carnivorous plants, and gigantic insectoid monsters"!

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    1. Yes...there are some crazy scary creatures in this one! but that's what made it so fun. :)

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  11. So this is not a re-write of the Jules Verne classic, "Journey to the Center of the Earth"? Sounds like he uses more than just the title.

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    1. Not a rewrite...more of an homage. Beck's characters reference Verne's book, and even link it to Saknussov as "proof" of their theory that the earth is hollow at the center.

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  12. This sounds scary and exciting! I've been to a cavern and it freaks me out that unless you have light it's soooo completely dark! I always worry about being trapped down in there. It's also neat that it's so cool even when it's blazing hot outside. :)

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    1. Stepping into a cave or cavern is really like stepping into another world, which is probably why they're so cool...and so eerie. :)

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  13. This sounds like such a fun read, and a bit of a departure from the more straight forward thrillers I know Beck to have written in the past.

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    1. He throws a little bit of science fiction/horror into this adventure. :)

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  14. Oh wow! large carnivorous plants!! Sounds so exciting.

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  15. This sounds like a scary novel and it got me thinking about how far has anyone been able to get with regard to the center of the earth? Are there places on the planet where there are these giant crevices a mile, 5 miles etc deep? And it would certainly be scary to go down that deep.

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    1. I wonder how far people have gone down into the earth. I think the deepest cave is at 2200 meters down. How many miles is that? A little over a mile? I guess that's not that deep when compared with the size of the earth.

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  16. Wow, this looks fantastic! Verne's book wasn't one of my favorites (I recall there were no women in that one?)... But this one looks like a refreshing retake on it. And superb covers too.

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    1. This is a fun take on Verne's book, and there's a very smart and tough woman in it, which I liked.

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  17. This sounds like a fun series. Glad you're enjoying it. :)

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    1. I'm hoping the second book is as good as this one. :)

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  18. This sounds a little like the Preston & Child Pendergast books...which I've not read but want to! Some day. But for sure, Jules Verne too (whose books I have read at least).

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    1. This book is like a cross between Jules Verne and Preston & Child (two authors I really like!)

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