Ratings11
Average rating4.2
In a cave in the Himalayas, a guide discovers a self-mutilated body with a warning: Satan exists. In the Kalahari Desert, a nun unearths evidence of a proto-human species and a deity called Older-than-Old. In Bosnia, something has been feeding upon the dead in a mass grave. So begins mankind’s most shocking realization: the underworld is a vast geological labyrinth populated by another race of beings.
With all of Hell's precious resources and territories to be won, a global race ensues. Nations, armies, religions, and industries rush to colonize and exploit the subterranean frontier. A scientific expedition is launched westward to explore beneath the Pacific Ocean floor, both to catalog the riches there and to learn how life could develop in the sunless abyss. But in the dark underground, as humanity falls away from them, the scientists and mercenaries find themselves prey not only to the savage creatures, but also to their own treachery, mutiny, and greed. One thing is certain: Miles inside the earth, evil is very much alive
Series
2 primary booksThe Descent is a 2-book series with 2 primary works first released in 1999 with contributions by Jeff Long.
Deeper
Reviews with the most likes.
This has been my longtime favorite novel, not because it's profound or moving, but because it fully pulled me into its strange and twisted subterranean world. I found my imagination returning to the story for weeks after reading the book.
I'm not sure what to make of Jeff Long‘s tale of an ancient underground civilization and the genocidal conflict that ensues after their discovery. It starts out kind of creepy, turns into a romance novel, then ends with one of those horror movie final scene gotchas.
Published in paperback by Jove.