Desdemona and the Deep

paperback, 224 pages

Published July 23, 2019 by Tor.com.

ISBN:: 978-1-250-22983-0

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(2 reviews)

3 editions

Alyanorne reviewed Desdemona and the Deep by C. S. E. Cooney

Review of 'Desdemona and the Deep' on 'Goodreads'

No rating

Worldview: 2/5 This is a fairytale, and as is often the case, it presents ideas about what is good and what is evil. From a Christian perspective there are some concerning positions presented. However there are some deeds of valiant self sacrifice that are beautiful.
Literary value: 4/5 wonderfully written, relatively short but with well realized characters and convincing world building.

(Review style borrowed from the Redeemed Reader Website)

Michael Goodine reviewed Desdemona and the Deep by C. S. E. Cooney

Review of 'Desdemona and the Deep' on 'GoodReads'

4 stars

Well, this is an interesting one. Sort of a comedy of manners in a fantasy setting. Our hero, Desdemona Mannering (get it?) is the sort of person who doesn't appreciate art, but does collect a lot of artists. She goes to cocktail parties and fundraisers. She drinks. Eventually, Desdemona discovers that her father has "tithed" 36 of his miners to the underworld and has murdered another 300. She's going to have to descend into the worlds below to undo this. But first... champagne (and lots of it).

If you read only first 20% of the book you might think that it is purely a satire of the idle rich, but there is a story here if you keep going. Readers who find shallow socialites and their hangers-on annoying might not like this one, but it is also a story of transformation. The characters and the society they are in do …

Well, this is an interesting one. Sort of a comedy of manners in a fantasy setting. Our hero, Desdemona Mannering (get it?) is the sort of person who doesn't appreciate art, but does collect a lot of artists. She goes to cocktail parties and fundraisers. She drinks. Eventually, Desdemona discovers that her father has "tithed" 36 of his miners to the underworld and has murdered another 300. She's going to have to descend into the worlds below to undo this. But first... champagne (and lots of it).

If you read only first 20% of the book you might think that it is purely a satire of the idle rich, but there is a story here if you keep going. Readers who find shallow socialites and their hangers-on annoying might not like this one, but it is also a story of transformation. The characters and the society they are in do grow by the end of the tale. Hilariously, though, at the end of the story no one seems to care much about justice for the murdered miners.

For full effect, check out the audio version read by the author. She really leans into the comical tone of the work.