The Luminous Dead

DNF

The premise is strong: a dangerous, near-future cave expedition with a history of fatal attempts. The environmental setup promises procedural tension and escalating physical stakes.

However, the execution hinges almost entirely on the relationship between Gyre and Em. That dynamic did not work for me.

Gyre’s interior voice reads as oppositional rather than vulnerable. Her repeated resistance to Em’s instructions — even when those instructions are clearly life-preserving — felt less like psychological realism under pressure and more like immaturity. Mistakes did not lead to meaningful recalibration; instead, they often reinforced her defiance.

Em is more interesting: remote, controlled, possibly withholding. If thirty-five show more people have died attempting this expedition, emotional distance from a handler is plausible. But the premise itself raises a structural issue. If that many people have died, continuing the mission without transparent justification strains credibility. The risk-to-reward ratio is never convincingly grounded in rational human behavior.

The core tension depends on accepting:

Gyre’s oppositional psychology.

Em’s continued pursuit despite a catastrophic death toll.

I did not find either sufficiently compelling or believable to sustain the claustrophobic, two-character format. Because the novel offers no alternate perspective or tonal relief, the dynamic became repetitive rather than escalating.

The idea remains strong. The relationship did not. show less

This was a delightful read; tight, intentionally claustrophobic, and, for me, just perfectly at the edge of where “good suspenseful” meets “too scary.” I loved the incredibly narrow point of view; the book starts in the cave, in Gyre’s head, and stays that way until basically the end.

This is survival fiction done right. The story delves into the psychology of it, keeps us right in Gyre’s head, experiencing what she’s experiencing. And she — and Em, her handler — are transformed by the experience, changed by it, even as they are driven through it. It’s gripping and intense and very difficult to put down.

Both the main characters — well, really the only characters — are women, and their relationship is the beating show more heart of this book. They’re damaged people who burn with ambition, who are humanly selfish and scared and brave, and they have mommy issues coming out their ears, and none of this is considered bad or weak or something they should apologize for. They’re also queer, and the weird energy of their relationship is fascinating.

This book is perfect as it is and it left me wanting more. Truly fabulous. show less

When I started reading this book I already knew I would give it at least 3-4 stars because it seemed well written and ticked a lot of my boxes (cave exploration, horror, morally ambigous female same sex attracted protagonists, sci fi in a smaller setting etc). But as I read on I became more and more aware that this would become one of my favourites.

Let's get some things out of the way first: this book is not for you if you love sci fi with extensive world building or if you need a sympathetic, level headed and smart protagonist to enjoy a story. This book also contains quite a bit of medical horror (?) (guts being redirected to function with the suit etc) which seems to put off a lot of readers. I'm currently enduring several surgeries show more for gut related health issues and for some odd reason this aspect of the book was weirdly therapeutic to me but a few years ago I would probably habe skipped through those descriptions.

This book is very intimate and small scale. There is no extensive list of active characters to follow or places to learn about except the cave. We learn bits and pieces about the universe and web of people the protagonists exist in and it's enough to have a feeling for it but it keeps you focussed on what matters to the story: both main characters and their various ways of failing themselves and one another. Both women are quite flawed to say it mildly. I got angry at them, got annoyed with them. But I still rooted for them, I still cried for them. Because they are flawed in a very human way, they make mistakes I would have made and felt stupid for afterwards. Their mistakes didn't feel like something to artificially push a narrative forward, they just felt real to me. I love reading about female characters like Gyre and Em. So "problematic" as the kids might say. Or as I might say: so painfully human. Their developing relationship is not healthy, to say it in a spoiler free way but it also never pretends to be anything other than a toxic mess. Self awareness is key to writing flawed people and horrible connections. I know these types of characters and relationships drive some people up the wall but I adored them.

Gyres journey through the cave system is chilling and haunting. I was reading this mainly outside in the sun but I still felt a constant slight paranoia sinking into this story. I don't want to reveal any spoilers but this hit the horror sweet spot for me. I like exploration horror, I like unknown creatures and not being sure what is real or not. I like strange planets and following one or a small group of characters through their personal hell. So if you are like me, I highly recommend this book.

This book was a fantastic and fun read from the very beginning. Starlings writing is very well paced, fluent and powerful. I never felt like something was dragging on or rushed. As someone who rambles way too much I admired this quality of her writing a lot.

I really didn't think I would love this book this much, it was just supposed to be a fun horror read inbetween my surgeries. The story and its characters moved me much more than anticipated and I am so happy I picked this up. I understand if the themes in this might not be other peoples cup of tea but it was a special cup of tea tailored to everything I personally love. show less

I'm going to be brief, I'm pretty sure Caitlin Starling wrote this book just for me. The atmosphere was perfection, I felt claustrophobic yet oddly calm throughout. To me the slow pace fit the book, did not hinder it. There were plenty of intense climbing and diving sequences that had my heart racing.

But what really got me was reading about 2 very strong yet very emotionally damaged queer women. They are both amazing in their field but can be completely selfish pieces of garbage. Em especially. The bond they formed, had to form for Gyre to even have a chance of survival, was super fucked up on many levels but it resonated with me. Very deeply.

A very surprising read. Half horror and half SF with high-tech suits on an alien world, this novel is rife with obsession, spelunking, and a ton of the little inconsistencies that would drive any normal cave diver insane.

And then there's all the dead down below.

Nearly thirty, all spelunkers like Gyre, sent down to be eaten by this horrid, horrid cave. And it's a rigged game. The lies, the obsession of the woman underwriting each one of these expeditions is the half the novel. The other half is the horror adventure.

I don't know what I expected. Perhaps a bunch of undead at the bottom of the pit? But no, this is entirely a survival novel with tons of scares, mistrust, insane amounts of bravery, accidents, and misgivings. Interestingly, show more it's also a kind of a f***ed-up love story. Abusive, sure, but also rich and honest and desperate.

Put it all together and the novel is highly entertaining and sometimes quite scary. I'm happy. :) show less

Ok but I loved this. 4.5 stars. I absolutely blasted through this in a day. Such an engaging horror/scifi with a lil sapphic bent to it. Fucking fantastic and atmospheric and horrible and sucks you right in. God I love books like this. Solid debut. I’ll def be keeping an eye out for this author in the future.

Grye and Em were just…. Such good characters!!! So complex and flawed and trying and just fuck there were some banger lines near the end but this one!!! ”They both had two options; fester and die, or take what they were given and grow” it hit me!!!!

Scary, psychological book set in the future on another planet and entirely focused on two female characters. Gyre is a young 'caver', exploring a vast underground cave system in a very high-tech suit for high wages. Her boss is Em, a very rich entrepreneur/engineer/'handler' at the controls above ground. This is an adventure story but it's very focused on their developing relationship as they talk via the comm system. Each has issues from their past that come to light. Not a book for those with an intense fear of caves, drowning, or severe claustrophobia. Better for those who like reading about futuristic tech, peril, and mortal danger.