DEEP TROUBLE
RELEASE MONTH: May, 1994
FRONT TAGLINE: Just when you thought it was safe... (Later "Swimming lessons won't help you now" in reprints)
COVER STORY
Another really great cover. Not one that scared me. I guess I'm less afraid of hammerhead sharks. But what works is just how beautiful the artwork is, particularly the design of the coral reef itself with its lush mix of greens, reds and blues. And then you have the shark itself which does look menacing, ready to take out Billy (I assume) in one quick bite. I do feel this cover misleads, making you think the book is a take on Jaws. but we do get a scene in the book itself, so it's fine. Solid stuff as always.
DON'T GO IN THE WATER!
Billy and his sister, Sheena, are visiting their uncle Dr. Deep on a tiny Caribbean island. It's the perfect place to go exploring underwater... and Billy's ready for an adventure.
There's only one rule to remember: Stay away from the coral reef. Still, the reefs are so beautiful. So peaceful. Billy can't resist.
But he's not alone in the water. Something's lurking deep below the surface. Something dark and scaly.
STORY
Billy Deep and his ten year old sister Sheena are visiting their uncle Dr. George Deep, or Dr. D, on his boat The Cassandra during the summer. Dr. D is a marine biologist who spends his entire life studying fish and marine life. Whether his obsession is Troy McClure levels we're not made privy to. Billy is a kid with a big imagination, often daydreaming of doing battle with giant sea monsters. Sheena however, is more serious and not so imaginative. Billy ends up thinking he's been grabbed by a tentacle, thinking he's been caught by some sea monster, but no one believes him. The kids race back to the boat, but Billy ends up running into some fire coral and burning himself. Oh yeah, this is definitely one of those books where Stine gets to play "Mr. Educator", this time on underwater life and how fire coral could have literally killed this kid before we reached chapter five.
Billy returns on deck as Dr. D's lab assistant Alexander DuBrow is making lunch. Alexander is a blonde, tan, muscular man that even Billy doesn't buy for a scientist of any kind. And in the case of his cooking, not much of a cook either. Some time later, two people come aboard the Cassandra. Billy eavesdrops and discovers that they're two people from the local zoo. Mr. Showalter and Ms. Wickman. They want Dr. D to find them a mermaid as news of mermaid sightings have been reported recently. They offer Dr. D a million dollars to find her. Despite being skeptical that a mermaid could really exist, he still takes up the offer. After Billy gets caught snooping on the conversation, he promises not to tell Sheena.
After a stock dream scare, Billy heads out early next morning to hunt for the Mermaid. He gets caught by Sheena, but heads off to the coral reef to search regardless. This proves to be a foolish decision as, like the cover, he's about to be eaten by a hammerhead shark. And, honestly, this is probably the best tension for any Goosebumps book in a while as Billy is nearly attacked by the shark. But before he's done for, he gets rescued by the mermaid. Sure enough, she's real. Before he can properly thank her however, a net falls on both of them. Dr. D and the others have arrived. They get Billy out of the net as Dr. D is amazed that a mermaid really does exist. Billy has a change of heart now that he's met the mermaid and she's saved his life, now upset that Dr. D would sell her for a million, but Dr. D says that he's not doing this to get rich, but to help further his research. They keep the mermaid in a giant tank filled with water while still considering what they'll do.
That night, Billy and Sheena wake up to hear noises outside. Large men in black masks are on the ship, stealing the mermaid. Not only that, but Dr. D is knocked out. Billy tries to stop them, but gets thrown in the tank. However, Billy recognizes one of the men. It's Alexander. He reveals that his bosses gave him a better offer for the mermaid. A twenty million dollar offer. His men throw the Deeps into the giant tank, then push it off the boat. Suddenly, they hear noises and shadowy figures surround them. These figures are more mermaids. The family of the captured one. They manage to free the Deeps from the tank in time.
The Deeps return to the Cassandra and use a dinghy to follow the mermaids to the location of their young one. They find the boat of the kidnappers, with the mermaid tied to the back. As they go to free the mermaid, one of the kidnappers uses a torch to light their dinghy on fire. Just when it seems everything's doomed, the mermaids arrive and free their child. They rock the kidnappers' boat long enough to scare them off. The Deeps then watch as the mermaids finally make their exit. The next day, the zoo bosses arrive again, ready to hand Dr. D the million dollar check for info on the mermaids. Dr. D instead turns down the check, telling them that there are no mermaids.
TWIST ENDING
Billy once again goes swimming, making it to a cave by the reef. He runs into a giant tentacled monster, like the one he thought he saw earlier. He wonders if people will believe him this time.
CONCLUSION
I was definitely harsh on this book the last time, feeling that the lack of supernatural elements in the story actually hurt it. But, with a second reading, my feelings have warmed a bit. It's still not a strong book, but it flows pretty well and contains some of the better action scenes in any Goosebumps book. The plot is ultimately pretty formulaic, being about the evils of greed and how it affects people. In Alexander, it leads him to try and murder a family for money, while Dr. D, a man with principals, ultimately weighing in the ethics of selling the mermaid if it means improving his research, with him turning the offer down at the end as a way to repay the mermaids for saving him and his family. I think I was also harsh about the book just being about a mermaid and less a Jaws-esque story as you'd think from the cover. I'm less bothered by that as I do feel that the mermaid angle still worked to provide one of the stronger climaxes.
Billy's an okay protagonist. A bit too imaginative to the point it gets annoying, but he is a kid that ultimately has good morals, especially after he realizes that the mermaid doesn't deserve to be taken from the ocean home and brought to a zoo. Sheena's fine, but just there. The horror comes from the more intense moments and is effective. The twist is what it is. I think it's really the only way you could end this story with a twist, so it's not going to bother you that much. Deep Trouble is just okay. Not amazing, but a book that flows well, doesn't get too dull and does a fine job in selling the Caribbean sea setting, giving us a unique area for Goosebumps outside of the normal suburbs. It'll be a bit before Deep Trouble II, so don't hold your breath.
STORY: GGG
SCARES: GGG
TWIST: GG.5
ENJOYMENT: GGG.5
OVERALL: 3 Gs
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