The blurb for C.A. Fletcher’s Dead Water refers to a waterborne blight, which led me to believe the story would center around a pathogen in the water. In reality, it’s a zombie-like horror tale with folkloric undertones. Despite the misleading blurb, and the fact that I’m not the target audience for a zombie apocalypse story, I found myself enjoying Fletcher’s writing. 

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Set on a small island off the coast of Scotland, Dead Water starts as a slow-burning character study, introducing nearly every island resident while little actually happens. Though the plot takes its time to emerge, the novel is well-written and atmospheric, with a haunting sense of place and a sinister undercurrent. 

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The zombie action doesn’t kick in until about halfway through the book (and at over 500 pages, that’s quite a wait). The island’s inhabitants gradually transform into the drowned undead, attempting to drag the survivors down into the depths of the surrounding sea with them. Interwoven with the action are shorter chapters referencing an old Norse curse, which (sort of) explains the supernatural events. 

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I probably shouldn’t have finished this book—I didn’t find the zombie storyline particularly convincing, I didn’t care for any of the characters (even the dogs annoyed me), and the ending left me unimpressed. Still, the eerie island setting was compelling, and Fletcher’s writing kept me turning the pages. 

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Dead Water by C.A. Fletcher is, by all accounts, a well-written book. The tension and pacing were perfectly balanced, leaving the reader excited to see what happens next and dreading the moment everything goes sideways. I really enjoyed the in-depth character studies and thought it was interesting how there seemed to be a theme of toxic masculinity in multiple forms. Many of the characters weren't inherently likable, but I actually didn't hate any of them like I typically would with unlikable characters. They just felt like they were really fleshed out and flawed in a way you expect other humans to be. 

I thought the mystery was interesting, and the little bits and hints I got throughout the book were really fun to slowly put together, and figure out the real story. I will admit that I didn't fully understand what was happening to the people and the island, and I felt like I could've used some clarity in the flashbacks that were trying to show why this was happening. I thought the horror elements were unique in some ways, but could've been better fleshed out and explained. I think Fletcher was attempting to show some of the horrors in the unknown, but in my opinion, sometimes things are more horrifying the more information you have. There is horror in knowing exactly what is going to happen to you if you don't run away fast enough, if you let it catch you. 

Other than all that, I wasn't too impressed with this story. Overall, a sort of average read, and I would like to see if the author releases any books in the future to see him improve his craft.