Post contributed by Catherine Lowe
Readers interested in trying out the sci-fi genre without feeling too daunted by the immensity of the information that comes with it will find the perfect introduction in Andrew Kelly Stewart’s We Shall Sing a Song Into the Deep. Not just a typical sci-fi novel filled with images and jargon common within the genre, this novel proves to break boundaries in the science fiction genre without confusing the reader.
A debut standalone novel, We Shall Sing a Song Into the Deep follows the story of a Remy, a Chorister in a young boys’ choir aboard a submarine called the Leviathan. Remy was rescued from “topside”—the world above the surface of the ocean. Remy and the boys make up the crew that control the Leviathan and bear the burden of the mission to catalyze the Second Coming or the end of the world. However, from the beginning of the novel it is clear that Remy is hiding a major secret from the rest her comrades—she’s the only girl aboard the submarine. This is lethal information for Remy and crucial to keep secret because if anyone on the submarine finds out that she is a girl she will be ejected from the ship and sent topside. When Caplain Amita—the commander of the Leviathan—falls ill, he presents Remy with the key that will trigger the Second Coming. After Amita’s death the stakes are raised even higher when Remy’s best friend is sent into the engine rooms below for questioning the integrity of their mission and whether or not people living topside are truly evil.
Throughout the entirety of the novel, the sense of tension and the importance for Remy to complete her mission encourages the reader to continue turning the pages to see what the people aboard the Leviathan have up their sleeves next. From the descriptions of the rusted, decrepit compartments that the boys are subjected to maintain and live in, it is clear to the reader that living on this vessel is not a positive experience. From the bowls of muck the boys eat for food and the way they use rotting teeth for currency, it is clear that Remy and the other boys’ sole purpose in the eyes of their overseers is to continue to keep the Leviathan running long enough to fulfil their mission. With the added tension the living environment provides and the descriptions, readers continue to question the integrity of this mission and whether or not Remy will be able to continue to conceal her secret.
Aside from the detailed descriptions that Kelly provides the reader about life aboard the Leviathan another enjoyable aspect of the novel is the mystery surrounding a prisoner brought on board after a topside raid. The prisoner is violently brought on board and it is revealed that she is a woman with the ability to aid the crew of the Leviathan in fulfilling their mission. The woman can only be described by her voice and the colour of her eye since she and Remy are only able to interact secretly through a grate in the wall. As Remy and the woman’s relationship develops it becomes harder for the reader to believe this prisoner has good intentions with Remy and the crew.
While a majority of the plot focuses on the fact that the crew of the Leviathan are a boys’ choir, an emphasis on religion is prevalent throughout the novel. It is understood that religion is one of the main reasons why the crew of the Leviathan are tasked with triggering the Second Coming, but for some readers this may come off as abrasive. In addition, it would be helpful for readers to know more about the crews’ lives before they were brought aboard the submarine. It is said that many of the boys have no recollection of life before the Leviathan, but this information will help connect the reader to the characters on a deeper level as well as increase the tension as conflict becomes more frequent.
Overall, We Shall Sing a Song Into the Deep is a thrilling science fiction novel with enough tension, mystery, and twists and turns to keep readers interested while painting a picture of an alternate reality of life on Earth.
We Shall Sing a Song Into the Deep is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
Remy is a Chorister, one of the chosen few rescued from the surface world and raised to sing the Hours in a choir of young boys. Remy lives with a devoted order of monks who control the Leviathan, an aging nuclear submarine that survives in the ocean’s depths. Their secret mission: to trigger the Second Coming when the time is right, ready to unleash its final, terrible weapon.
But Remy has a secret too— she’s the only girl onboard. It is because of this secret that the sub’s dying caplain gifts her with the missile’s launch key, saying that it is her duty to keep it safe. Safety, however, is not the sub’s priority, especially when the new caplain has his own ideas about the Leviathan’s mission. Remy’s own perspective is about to shift drastically when a surface-dweller is captured during a raid, and she learns the truth about the world.
At once lyrical and page-turning, We Shall Sing a Song Into the Deep is a captivating debut from newcomer author Andrew Kelly Stewart.
