Epeolatry Book Review: Beneath by Steven S. DeKnight and Michael Gaydos
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Title: Beneath
Author: Steven S. DeKnight and Michael Gaydos
Genre: Supernatural Graphic Novels
Publisher: DeKnight Industries
Publication Date: 6th August, 2024
Synopsis: Deputy Sheriff Jess Delgado is tasked with transporting the sole survivor of a mysterious attack along the Texas-Mexico border to CoreCivil, a for-profit immigration detention center closing down due to wide-spread protests. Housing only a handful remaining detainees and manned by a skeleton crew of disgruntled guards, the detention center becomes a desperate battle ground when something otherworldly emerges from deep below the earth. Something that only fears the light. Deputy Delgado must pull together the guards and detainees – two groups that hate and fear each other – to survive the night. Or fall to the vengeance of the things that live beneath.
The story
Full of suspense, memorable characters and thought-provoking dialogue, this story comes at you full speed and leaves you with an aftershock.
Straight in with the action with a pace maintained all the way through, the story starts at the Texas-Mexico border with a group of men carrying out a ‘citizens’ arrest’. They are rudely interrupted by something or someone who attacks from under the ground. Questions run through your mind. What is it? Where did it come from? What does it want? Who will survive this story?
Well-developed characters quickly make you identify who you love to hate and who you’re rooting for. There are many surprises in this story – scary or otherwise.
The artwork
The artwork in Beneath is incredible. Flawless detail on the characters’ faces makes it look as though some witch or warlock used a wand to zap people from the real world into the artwork in this novel. There was one panel I had to enlarge (perks of reading a digital copy) to decide whether or not it was an actual photograph!
Michael Gaydos does his own colouring, and his experience and skill are evident. The use of colour to indicate shifts in location and mood is genius and there are some one-page panel reveals that will make you gasp! Gaydos’ work totally adds to the reading experience.
The influences
You may notice film influences in Beneath: Assault on Precinct 13 (1976), Them (1954), The Mole People (1956) and Tremors (1990). However, the sense of vague familiarity (and safety) is blown out of the water with the clever twists and unexpected level of depth in the story. Steven S. DeKnight draws on his passion for Saturday matinee creature features to conjure a multi-layered story with parallels to the real world.
The ‘get your think on’
Beneath is much more than a horror story. It’s a story of history, relationships and individual perceptions. Touching on themes such as immigration, stereotyping, capitalism and more, you will think about this graphic novel way after you have finished reading it. I recommend going in for more than one read.
The takeaway
“The best genre stories illuminate the human condition, and I hope we get close to that with Beneath.”
- Steven S. DeKnight 2024
Yes, yes Steven you did!
The verdict
When I finished reading it, I thought – I really enjoyed that movie! The writing, characterisation, artwork and feeling in Beneath brought the story to life. If you’ve never read a graphic novel before, you don’t know what you’re missing! If you want to know more about Beneath from the creators themselves, check out the interview from Horror Tree here and on YouTube.
5-star rating all the way. More like this, please!
/5
Available from Amazon.
- About the Author
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Sarah Elliott is a writer, spoken word artist, poet and self-published author (Warrior Wisdom Sun 2022, United Under One Sun 2023). She regularly hosts writing hours and monthly flash fiction workshops with the London Writers’ Salon. Her articles, stories, and author interviews can be found on The Horror Tree website and her work has been published in Red Rose Thorns magazine, Writing in Community anthology and Hope is a Group Project.
Sarah is currently writing a tarot-inspired collection of flash fiction, short prose and poetry. She documents her writing journey in her Substack newsletter, A Writer’s Life. Sarah serves as a social media officer for the writing organisation 26 and is a member of The British Fantasy Society.
Based in Nottingham, England, Sarah lives with her cat, Bella. A speculative fiction enthusiast, she enjoys books, films and TV series in the genre.
More from Sarah here: https://linktr.ee/Writingforlight
