LOGAN VS DOWN INTO THE SEA

Logan has read DOWN INTO THE SEA and we have to ask if he’ll be fishing for more of Dan Franklin.

TITLE: Down into the Sea

AUTHOR: Dan Franklin

GENRE: Coming of age Horror

PAGES: 178

FORMAT: E-book/Paperback/ /Audiobook

PRICE: $15.00 paperback, $3.99 e-book, 13.54 audiobook

Hello everyone, we are heading a bit north today. Into a small fishing town in Massachusetts. The scent of the sea fills the air around us, and a woman waves from the water just off the pier. We fall face first into Eric Rosses world. Straight into Down into the Sea by Dan Franklin. 

This is my first Dan Franklin book, but I can tell you for sure it won’t be my last. This is Coming of Age Horror through and through. This read is beautiful beyond my comprehension with not just the prose, but the beautiful scene he sets.

Eric is also a character I relate to a lot as someone who was bullied. It examines deeply what it means to be in that situation, and the things you will do to have friends.

Loneliness is hard. Even with a mom who loves you but struggles in her own way and a sister that isn’t around. At times it feels like they have abandoned you. That loneliness fills you, and at times seems to break you. Your thoughts become mush, and most importantly. You want a friend, or someone to notice and care about you. That’s what happens when Eric sees the naked woman swimming in the sea. 

The Phenomenal Joe Hempel did the audiobook, and man it was so good. The novella is rather short, it hits with a punch, and Joe’s delivery is what makes Dan’s prose really sing.

It also took me entirely too long to realize that the story is a retelling of THE LITTLE MERMAID. After I connected Eric and Ariel I was like oh, I get it.

I love that Dan took Eric from a prince to a boy who is lonely. I think that it’s what really hooked me over everything else. Eric is not popular; the town hates him for something his father did which was beyond Eric’s own control. 

There are also the bullies, the whole idea of friends who become bullies always breaks my heart. The change of a relationship is always hard, you want things to stay the same forever, and sometimes—things change.  Above all else people wonder why this boy would go to the water and visit this mermaid with her sharp teeth and claws. I mean she could kill you in an instant, but Eric doesn’t care. You want to yell at him. Tell him that he’s stupid. 

But to me it’s easy… when you’re that lonely, that broken, you just want a friend. Eric wants that connection because he doesn’t get it from anyone When you’re at that point you will do anything for just some type of interaction. Even if the mermaid might be a creature beyond your comprehension. I think that’s what this book excels at. That loneliness, the sense of loss, it’s universal we all feel it, but maybe not to the point that Eric does. 

In the end he makes a decision, and it may or may not be disastrous. That’s for you to read and decide. 

I will say the epilogue hit me super hard. I don’t want to reveal too much, but man did it hit me. It wraps everything up fantastically and leaves you thinking.

 Check out this book, it is better than I could ever believe. I can’t wait to read more of Dan’s work. 

Now I must once again say adieu, as the waves pull me under. As the salt fills my lungs five lights appear above me, but they are too late. Remember loneliness is dangerous, and sometimes you will swim too far just to feel anything. You hit the rift tide, and that’s it, and you simply drift away.

Logan Patrick has earned an MFA in Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University. He is a member of the Horror Writers Association, and author of The Disappearing of Three Forks, and has been included in the Horrorzine. As well as a collection, Marked: Tales of S.T.A.N.G.E., Logan has a background in theater, from acting to directing. As well as a play that is still in development.

PLEASE NOTE: The views and opinions of the staff of Memento Mori Ink do not necessarily represent those of Memento Mori Ink or Crystal Lake Publishing. Thank you for understanding.