The Fires Beneath the Sea

When Cara's mother disappeared at the beginning of summer, everyone just assumed that she left her husband and children and will show up somewhere. Everyone except the family that is - the 13-years old Cara and her brothers - 10 years old Jax and 16 years old Max and their father. Living in Cape Cod means that the siblings are used to being near the water a lot and when we meet them, the tourist season is winding down and they are preparing for the school year. Their Mom had not been heard of.

And then Cara starts seeing and hearing things - messages on pieces of drifting wood, voices from places where there should be no voices. They seem to hint at her being needed to help her own mother so she and her brothers decide to follow the show more instructions and end up having an adventure taking them all the way to the bottom of the ocean.

It is clear from early on that the mother and the younger brother are not exactly human - it takes awhile for the book to hint at it strongly enough to get a reader to acknowledge it but the hints are there from early on. But beneath the quest and the fantasy story, there is a more serious story about climate change and the pollution of the oceans and about what matters in life. Add the scenery of Cape Cod and the novel works in ways one would not expect. Plus there is a creepy monster of course - connected to the water and just creepy enough to make him memorable.

It is a first novel in a trilogy so the action itself feels unfinished. We never get the complete story about the mother or why she disappeared. We get some of it but at the end, the novel is almost where it started - except that we have a confirmation that the mother is alive and we got to read about an adventure. The novel just does not stand on its own - it needs the rest of the series to feel complete.

I did not expect much depth from the characters or too much development (being a middle grade novel and a first in a trilogy) but even with the low expectations, it almost felt like it was too thin. Part of it is probably because we get the story from Cara - she can be unreliable narrator and occasionally things would make sense if you remember that we are listening to the story told by a 13 years old girl. But even with that, outside of the Pouring Man (or creepy guy), everyone feels almost 2-dimensional - even the brothers despite the plethora of details.

I am not sure that I cared enough at the end to continue with the series - as much as the book kept my interest, the ending can remain open for me and I won't wonder what really happened. show less

When I first started reading "The Fires Beneath the Sea", I thought that it was going to be a knock-off of the Madeleine L'Engle novel "A Wrinkle In Time". Many of the opening plot points were similar, or identical, between these two books. We have a genius child with telepathy, a loving and protective older sister, a 'normal' sibling (in this case, the older brother and not younger siblings), and one parent that has disappeared inexplicably. Even later in the story, we have mysterious forces bent on destruction, and a group of brave youngsters who must face a frightening supernatural enemy.

With all of these shared plot points, I do not doubt that Millet owes much to L'Engle. That being said, this story quickly takes on a character of show more its own, and the twists and turns are handled in an interesting and imaginative way. The focus of this tale on global warming, pollution, and the life beneath our seas makes it quite relevant to our times, and sets it aside from the (wonderful) work of Madeleine L'Engle. This makes this story worth reading in its own right. Also, because of the writing style, this book is probably more accessible for a younger audience. This was definitely an easier, and quicker, read than any of the Wrinkle In Time books.

The one thing I did find disappointing was that the remainder of this series is not out yet. Because of the ending, the story does not really stand on its own. Of course, there is nothing at all wrong with this, for a book that is part of a series -- but it did make it difficult to judge some aspects of the plot, since we do not have a full image of the overall picture being painted. There are elements that could turn into something wonderful, or could just fizzle out, depending on the direction the author takes. I was certainly left wanting to read more, which, I am sure, was the author's intention. show less

This was an entertaining and mildly scary middle grade fantasy. Cara and her brothers Max and Jax are all missing their mother, a scientist, who has gone away. No seems to know, or at least no one is telling them, where she has gone. They are all dealing with her absence in their own ways. Max is hanging out with friends and burying himself in his music. Jax is attending science camp. Cara is spending time with her friend Hayley and wondering what happened to her mom. Their dad has also withdrawn but does sometimes try for some of their normal family activities like movie nights.

But soon things start getting spooky. Cara and Jax see a creepy man who looks like he has water running off him. They call him the Pouring Man. He brings a show more sense of menace whenever he appears. Jax is very bright and also telepathic. When Cara finds a clue that says to talk to the leatherback, Jax communicates with this old rescued sea turtle. The kids have to face a number of danger on their quest to find out what happened to their mother.

The character set reminds me of A Wrinkle in Time with Cara as the main character, a normal older brother, and a special younger brother. That was also a quest to find a missing parent. This one is the beginning of a series, though, and doesn't have as a clear a resolution. At the conclusion of this one, the battle that their mother has gone away to fight still rages and the children have all been enlisted to help with the fight.

This was a good story for middle graders. I think they would like the characters and the adventures in the story. show less

The Fires Beneath the Sea is an engrossing novel by Lydia Millet. The book is an intelligent mix of mythical and reality. It tells the story of three siblings who are dealing with the aftermath of their mothers disappearance. The story focuses on the two younger siblings, 13 year old Cara and 10 year old Jax, but 16 year old Max is also included in the story. The setting of the story is on the cape, with all of the kids being interested in the water or wilderness in some respect. Jax, the youngest, is adopted and is a known genius that has trouble hanging out with kids his own age. Cara is more quiet and believes that she is ordinary next to smart Jax and her athletic brother. Max struggles with normal teenage problems, but tries to show more keep it together for the family, and he alone can see the impact their mother's disappearance has on their father.

The story begins with the kids surviving a difficult summer after their mother disappears. The police were called in, but it was assumed that her mother had run away to be with another man, but both the kids and their father know that it is not so. The situation remains a mystery until Cara swims into the ocean and comes face to face with a sea otter who somehow communicates a message to her about keeping her family safe. Shaken, she tells what happens to Jax and they soon become embroiled in an age old battle. Max becomes involved when he realizes that something is going on with the younger two. He strives to keep everyone safe while attempting not to feel too disbelieving about the whole situation.

The story is not just a floppy kid story with no real substance, but focused on important concepts such as global warming and the all to real aspect of parents getting separated or divorced. It has well-rounded, real feeling characters that are sympathetic, kids that are not fully understanding of what is going on, and are struggling to figure out this new world that they live in. The slow growth of the characters, especially Cara, the narrator is evident in the way that they slowly begin to understand that their father has been suffering along with them. The way that the siblings bond together, especially when Max joins the story, is particularly endearing. The story moves along at a quick pace, and is something that kids will want to dig into. Overall this book is very well put together and has important issues that are embedded in the story but do not detract from the overall story line. I am interested in reading the next installment of the series! show less

I read several reviews that alluded to this being similar to A Wrinkle in Time. I could see some similarities but not that many. This was a wonderful story of three children on a quest to help their mother. They are given bits and pieces of the puzzle as needed. I found myself not wanting to put the book down. I found after reading about the “Pouring Man” that I had trouble going to sleep. It might have something to do with the fact it was raining outside and it was nighttime. That parallel was enough to scare anyone. I had a little difficulty getting into the book at first. When I hit the place about 25 pages in where we first meet the “Pouring Man” I knew I was hooked. I had to find out who he was and what he wanted. I had a show more student who had started this book at the end of school and was upset because I wouldn’t let him read it over the summer. Now I know why. I will definitely let him read it when school starts. This is definitely a book for anyone who likes fantasy that has that spooky element that makes you feel creeped out. show less

The first book in a series, The Fires Beneath The Sea is similar to A Wrinkle In Time in regards to its three protagonists and the quest that they find themselves on but lacks the grandness and scale of the latter. Overall, an engaging enough story with an unnerving villain but one that ultimately suffers due to uneven pacing and too many question versus not enough answers.

I enjoyed reading Millet's "The Fires Beneath the Sea." Her writing is extremely realistic, which made me forget that this is the start to a fantasy series. As the story progressed, the Sykes children embarked on plenty adventures that put them in serious danger. I was impressed by Millet's ability to create a very terrifying enemy. As an adult, I was surprised that I was anxious, and felt an emotional attachment to the characters (and poor Rufus!). I recommend this novel to any middle schooler, as well as any adult, who enjoys adventure and fantasy.