Book Review: The Luminous Dead

Caitlin Starling’s debut novel The Luminous Dead offers a setup familiar to one of my favorite horror movies of all time;The Descent. Starling’s protagonist encounters a similar fate to that film’s cadre of amateur cave divers as they venture into an unexplored cave system and end up surrounded by terrifying underground monsters.

The critical difference between the Starling’s novel and Marshall’s film, though, is that the novel’s protagonist, Gyre, is alone and unqualified--although her boss doesn’t know that. Making matters worse, the monsters aren’t just in the cave with her; they’re speaking to her over a radio, controlling her movements, and injecting her with medication. What’s driving Gyre is her search for the mother who abandoned her as a child. Such a search is costly, and a successful expedition will ensure her the funds to go on her journey.

Diving too much into the plot will ruin the fun of the slow, agonizing way Starling unveils the narrative. The book’s strength lies in the frustration the reader feels alongside Gyre, who is trying to squeeze as much information out of Em, her mysterious boss, as she can. The novel is claustrophobic and sometimes frightening. It also features some spectacular writing. Starling is very adept at sculpting her characters in ways that make them relatable, even when you don’t agree with or approve of their actions.

However, The Luminous Dead is Starling’s first novel, and sometimes that shows, especially in the lengthy exploration scenes, which were too numerous for my own taste. “But Alyssa,” you say, “You knew this was a book about cave diving!” Listen. I know this. The first couple of scenes were great! Gyre got herself into trouble a few times and it was very thrilling. The repetitive return to similar sequences, however, felt like an attempt at padding pages and offered little to no plot value.

One element that is demonstrative of the ways the book spins its wheels is the frequent mention of a mysterious species of creatures called, “Tunnelers.” The notion is sufficient enough to create a certain kind of suspense for the reader, but the novel relies on this unseen threat for purposes unclear. By the end of the text we know that the Tunnelers exist and that they don’t have lasting implications for Gyre. You’re left to infer what their whole deal is, and while I’m all for coming to my own conclusions, The Luminous Dead doesn’t quite find that balance between mystery and necessary exposition.

That being said, The Luminous Dead is an overall enjoyable read, and I think Caitlin Starling has some serious chops! I look forward to reading more of her work and watching her grow as an author. The novel cultivates a palpable, effective sense of isolation and dread reminiscent of movies like Alien which will no doubt be a welcome, gut-twisting experience for genre fans.

Rating: 3.5/5

As May turns to summer the BGH Bookclub will be checking in with Annie Wilkes and her snowbound homestead in Stephen King’s Misery!

You can find us on Reddit at r/bghbookclub and on Twitter @bghbookclub!

*Cover from Harper Voyager Publishers, 4/2/2019