Whatever you do, do not read this book while you're on a cruise, especially when you're caught out in the fog. I did, and at the sound of the first foghorn, I jumped a mile. I was so into this story that when I peeked out my balcony and saw thick fog, I think my heart sped up a bit!
The story opens with a group of men who have signed on as a construction crew to work in the jungles of French Guiana. They are sailing on the cargo ship Mara Corday, and the journey is going fine until they enter a part of the ocean known as "the graveyard of the Atlantic," and encounter a strange fog that plays havoc with their instruments and communications. In the midst of this incredible fog, bizarre creatures find their way onto the ship. The ship is disabled, and collides with something, sending everyone who survived the crash into the water, either in lifeboats, rafts or whatever they can find to keep afloat. It's at this point that bizarre things start to happen, none the least of which are strange creatures that none of the men have ever encountered. At first, the survivors are split up, one group headed by George Ryan, who's never been at sea and took the job for badly-needed money; the second group headed by a small but powerful (and somewhat psychotic) crew boss named Saks. Their journey as they navigate the constant darkness and fog, trying to make some sense of where they are and basically trying to survive constitutes the rest of the story, which is very Lovecraftian in tone and darkness. I was scared out of my wits, and when that happens, I say the author's done a great job. I was still shaking after I finished it!
Very well written, the atmosphere evoked by this author is one of the eeriest I've ever encountered. I loved this book, and most highly recommend it. But do yourself a favor...read it on land.
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