Below the Black Tide

I was originally drawn to this book because of the striking cover artwork, but it was the writing that really kept me hooked. The submarine setting is vividly realised, tense, and incredibly atmospheric, and the horror unfolds in a slow, unsettling way that feels completely earned.

It’s beautifully written, deeply claustrophobic, and lingers in your mind long after you’ve finished. A brilliant read that lives up to its cover and then some.

From the first chapter, this book pulls you into the cramped, airless world of a WWII submarine and never lets go. The tension builds steadily, and the creeping sense of dread feels completely natural to the setting.

It’s a quiet, relentless kind of horror that stays with you after you finish. If you like atmosphere-driven stories that burrow into your thoughts, this is a great read.

This is one of those books where the atmosphere does most of the damage. The submarine setting is incredibly claustrophobic, and the tension builds so quietly that you don’t realize how trapped you feel until it’s too late.

It’s unsettling rather than flashy, and the horror lingers long after the final page. A gripping, eerie read that really gets under your skin.

Below the Black Tide is one of those books that gets under your skin and stays there. The WWII submarine setting is incredibly immersive, cramped, oily, and tense. The horror builds slowly and relentlessly until it’s unbearable in the best way.

What starts as a routine patrol turns into something far darker, as paranoia spreads alongside a mysterious black substance that feels both physical and cosmic. The characters feel real, flawed, and human, which makes their unraveling genuinely disturbing. By the final chapters, the book shifts into full existential dread that lingers long after you finish.

If you enjoy claustrophobic horror, naval history, or stories where the sea itself feels alive and watching, this is an absolute must-read.

This is a patient, confidence-driven horror novel. It doesn’t rush the scares or overexplain the threat — instead it lets tension, confinement, and uncertainty do the work. The WWII submarine setting feels meticulously researched, and the way the horror seeps into the machinery, routines, and chain of command is genuinely unsettling.

What impressed me most is how the story balances spectacle with restraint. The fear comes as much from silence, pressure, and human decisions as it does from the supernatural elements. If you appreciate atmospheric horror that trusts the reader and rewards attention, Below the Black Tide is a standout.

Didn’t expect this to get under my skin the way it did. The WWII submarine setting is incredibly tense and claustrophobic, and the horror creeps in so slowly you barely notice it happening until everything feels wrong. It’s less about jump scares and more about dread building page by page.

The ending really stuck with me. Unsettling in a quiet, lingering way. If you like dark, atmospheric horror and stories that make the sea feel alive, this one’s worth your time.

This book is claustrophobic, and the slow creep of horror feels inevitable. As the crew unravels, the story becomes less about monsters and more about fear and isolation.
Below the Black Tide isn’t just scary — it’s deeply unsettling, and it lingers long after the last page.

This is an excellent book. I am a big fan of all work by Steve Tovey. I strongly recommend this book, one of the best I've ever read.

This is a brilliant book. I always like this author's work. I strongly recommend this.

Claustrophobic, brutal, and deeply unsettling, Below the Black Tide is a World War II horror novel that plunges into the abyss where war, madness, and cosmic terror meet.

A nice second book, I enjoyed reading this.