The Descent: A Novel

Jeff Long

Crown Publishers, 1999 - Fiction - 450 pages

Hell exists.
In Tibet, while guiding trekkers to a holy mountain, Ike Crockett discovers a bottomless cave. When his lover disappears, Ike pursues her into the depths of the earth....In a leper colony bordering the Kalahari Desert, a nun and linguist named Ali von Schade unearths evidence of a proto-human species and a deity called Older-than-Old....In Bosnia, Major Elias Branch crash-lands his gunship near a mass grave and is swarmed by pale cannibals terrified of light....
So begins mankind's realization that the underworld is a vast geological labyrinth riddling the continents and seabeds, one inhabited by brutish creatures who resemble the devils and gargoyles of legend. With all of Hell's precious resources and territories to be won, a global race ensues. Nations, armies, religions, and industries rush to colonize and exploit the subterranean frontier.
A scientific expedition is launched westward to explore beneath the Pacific Ocean floor, both to catalog the riches there and to learn how life could develop in the sunless abyss. Is there a natural explanation, as the scientists hope? Or is there a true supernatural basis? Are the "demons" part of our evolutionary family tree? Is their enigmatic leader merely a freak genius, or could he be the legendary Satan?
Fathom by fathom, Ike guides the expedition--and Ali--deeper into the deadly stone wilderness. In the dark underground, as humanity falls away from them, the scientists and mercenaries find themselves prey not only to the savage creatures, but to their own treachery, mutiny, and greed. Meanwhile, on the surface, a band of aged scholars scours archaeological digs, museums, artifacts, and rare texts for clues toSatan's existence. Is he lurking in wait for the expedition, or is he roaming the earth? Or is he dead? One thing is certain: Miles inside the earth, evil is very much alive.
In the tradition of Jules Verne and H. G. Wells, The Descent is an epic adventure through fantastic landscapes, among creatures for whom man is both god and meat. It is a horrifying mystery penetrating the realms of faith and reason, a raw and original questioning of the divine and the demonic. And finally, The Descent is the story of a man and woman who enter the maze of the underworld and find at its center the human heart.

What people are saying

Review: The Descent

User Review  - Vyana - Goodreads

A fun, thrilling adventure. A little corny or eye-rolling in spots, but I had a good time reading this! The main problem for me though is that the book ended so abruptly, it was as if there were no ...

Review: The Descent

User Review  - Anthony Capobianco - Goodreads

I loved this book. Sure it may be a bit of a stretch but most are. I would call it horror but its much more. There is also a sequel called Deeper which isn't quite as good but still a must read if you like this. J Long has another book called Year Zero which is same type mix of horror/science

About the author

Jeff Long is a veteran climber and traveler in the Himalayas. He has worked as a journalist, a historian, and an elections supervisor for Bosnia's first democratic election. The Descent is his fourth novel. He lives in Boulder, Colorado.

Bibliographic information

• Title: The Descent: A Novel
• Author: Jeff Long
• Publisher: Crown Publishers, 1999
• ISBN: 0609602934, 9780609602935
• Length: 450 pages
• Subjects: Fiction / Action & Adventure; Fiction / Thrillers / General