I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
We Shall Sing a Song Into the Deep by Andrew Kelly Stewart Published by Tor.com on March 9 2021
Genres: Adult, Science fiction
Pages: 160
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: A strange, sad, claustrophobic tale, with unexpected moments of beauty and hope.
I can honestly say I’ve never read anything quite like We Shall Sing a Song Into the Deep. This is a dark, atmospheric tale—verging on oppressive—that weaves together several unusual elements: a submarine called the Leviathan commanded by a religious zealot who has stolen young boys from above and forced them to join his doomsday cult; an apocalyptic future (or perhaps an alternate history, I’m not sure) where the world has been nearly destroyed by nuclear war and is populated by “Topsiders” who are a threat to the men and boys on board the submarine; a group of young castrated boys called Choristers who are literally forced to sing for their supper; and a young girl named Remy who is pretending to be a boy but is in fact the only female on board. In its deepest chambers, the Leviathan carries the last nuclear missile on Earth, which will be released as soon as God gives the word, sending all those on board to their Last Judgement. But when a prisoner from the surface is brought below, Remy’s worldview shifts. Has everything she’s been told about the world above been a lie?
This short novella is simply dripping with atmosphere, and in my opinion it’s the strongest thing about the story. Stewart’s prose brings the dark, dank bowels of the Leviathan to life, and I can assure you after reading this story, I never want to find myself inside a submarine ever! I could hear every ping and clank, every rush of steam through the pipes, even the drone of the sub’s motors. The crew are almost starving to death and survive on the scant fish they bring in from the ocean, as well as mushrooms harvested from the steamy lower tunnels (ewww). The reactor is bleeding poison into the air and slowing killing everyone. In the lowest reaches of the Leviathan, those boys who have committed one sin or another become the Forgotten and are banished to perform the most dangerous maintenance jobs next to the sub’s nuclear reactors. Add to this the fear of the ancient submarine breaking down and the threat of the Topsiders and the broken world above, and you can see how the characters are in a constant state of unease.
There is an air of sadness to the story that rarely lets up. Something terrible has happened to the world above, and the crew of the Leviathan believe they are only safe underwater, despite the hardships they go through. I felt awful for poor Remy and the other Choristers, who have been brainwashed to believe that the world above is evil and the only way out is through death. It’s that typical cult scenario that I’ve read many times before, but it never fails to break my heart.
And yet, there are some oddly beautiful moments. Remy’s friendships with the other Choristers are so sweet. As weird as it was, I also loved the idea of a choir of young boys singing Compline and Vespers every day, their lives ruled by the Hours. Remy was chosen for her beautiful singing voice, and singing not only comforts her, but she’s proud of what she does. We also find out that two whales often follow the sub, singing back and forth together, and I loved how this parallels the Chorister’s singing on the Leviathan. Remy is always listening for them, as if they’re a sign that things are still OK. Remy herself is surprisingly upbeat considering that she was kidnapped from above when she was only five years old and doesn’t remember anything about her previous life.
Once Remy meets the prisoner, a Topsider named Adolphine, the story takes on a certain urgency, as Adolphine convinces Remy to try to escape. I have to admit I found it very hard to give this novella a rating, but I finally settled on four stars simply because I think it has many special and unique qualities. However the overall feel of the story is very depressing and weird, so this isn’t going to be for everyone. I’m intrigued by Andrew Kelly Stewart, though, and very curious to see what he writes next.
Big thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy.
The dark atmosphere in this book sounds different and intriguing, but I can’t say I’m in the mood for a depressing story at the moment . . . Still, kudos to the special and unique qualities 🙂
I agree, kudos to the way he created such an oppressive atmosphere:-)
I’m very interested in this. I love oppressive, depressing stories so sounds right up my street Great review, as always.
Ha ha, you and me both! Thanks JonBob;-)
This sounds fascinating, particularly where the cult mentality is concerned, but I wonder if the claustrophobic feel of the setting would impair my approach to the story. Still, I will keep this on my radar for happier times, when the doom&gloom atmosphere will not feel so heavy… 😉
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It definitely felt darker than most books I’ve read lately, but still I love his writing and I do want to read more from him:-)
The atmospheric quality is definitely an appeal to me, although I’m not sure how I feel about the overall heavy, oppressive vibe. Maybe something to consider reading once we’re finally on the other side of this pandemic. Great review though!
I know, it’s a little tough right now for depressing themes:-)
Excellent review! I’ll be reading this book soon, too!
Thank you! I hope you enjoy:-)
“a religious zealot who has stolen young boys from above and forced them to join his doomsday cult” I definitely hadn’t seen that one coming. My face is like O_O
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Ha ha I know, the concept is out there!
It does sound super quirky, and out there, Tammy! I enjoyed your review!
Thanks Jenni!
Probably too depressing for me and I’m never fond of religious zealots.
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I often have issues with religious themes too, but for some reason this worked for me.
There are aspects of this I might enjoy, though I do have to be in the right mood for depressing books. What I’m not sure I’d be able to get over are this group running a nuclear submarine. Do they explain at any point how they know how to do this? Regardless of that, though, I’m glad to hear you enjoyed it.
I had not thought of that, Todd. I guess I just went with it! I don’t think they ever did explain that…
I did have a feeling you’d enjoy this more than I did! I’m glad, because I think there were elements that were just personally too strange and slow for me.
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It was very strange for sure!
The premises sounds quite unique and mighty intriguing, and it seems like the author did a great job with the atmosphere of it all! Thanks for sharing!!
Yes, the atmosphere was incredible!
This sounds pretty interesting to me! Tor.com keeps coming out with all these amazing novellas, I’m really keen to keep up on them (if only I had more time haha). Great review, Tammy!
This definitely sounds like it’s got a lot of atmosphere! I can feel the atmosphere just from your review!
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