A Letter to the Luminous Deep

A Letter to the Luminous Deep by Sylvie Cathrall

I really enjoyed the world that Cathrall has created. With the under-sea setting, and all the lore that exists within both the scholarship and fiction of the world, I found it very intriguing. Without giving away any spoilers, let's just say I am definitely looking forward to reading the next book, and the promise of getting deeper into the world and it's lore.

The epistolary format also made this the perfect book to pick up and read just a few minutes before bed during a particularly busy work season. By about the third letter, a mystery was revealed and I was hooked. I was pleasantly surprised that the investigative nature of the story meant that the letters, articles, and journal entries included are from a whole cast of characters, and not only going back and forth between two people. This added a lot more texture and nuance to both the world and the mystery that was unfolding, and allowed the author to remain really true to the epistolary writing style. The one thing that got a little tiring for me were the extra-long postscripts, and the written apologies from characters for things they didn't really need to be apologizing for. However, that is a small enough thing in the scope of the story, and didn't take away from my enjoyment of the world or it's characters.

I would highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys cozy academia, epistolary novels, natural history, under-sea settings, or just plain old cozy fantasy. It's a wonderful debut work!