Deep Storm: A Novel
by Lincoln Child
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Book Reviews of Deep Storm: A Novel
Book Review: A humbling, innovative sci-fi thriller!
Summary: 5 Stars
The naysayers will do their best to rip Lincoln Child's heart out for his rather erratic treatment of the hard science in his newest sci-fi thriller, "Deep Storm". And, it certainly has its weak or inaccurate moments! But the more important truth is that "Deep Storm" is a solidly gripping, wildly entertaining, credible science fiction thriller based on a truly imaginative and utterly horrifying premise.
Peter Crane, a naval physician, is summoned to a top secret naval operation housed on Storm King, a former commercial deep sea offshore oil platform located off the shore of Greenland. Crane's short term mission - to treat and discover the causes of what appears to be an escalating epidemic of illnesses among the staff - is exceptionally difficult. The myriad symptoms he encounters range from sweats, fever and loss of attention or focus to murderous florid psychotic episodes and refuse to lend themselves to diagnosis and understanding through any common vector.
From the moment of Crane's arrival on the rig, Admiral Spartan, the military commander of the operation and Howard Asher, the senior scientist on board, steadfastly refuse Crane access to certain highly classified areas or their staff. Unable to understand the reasons why Storm King's apparent mission - the excavation of Atlantis, buried for 10,000 years under a volcanic event in the North Atlantic - would be shrouded in such secrecy, he continues to probe into the areas on the rig that have been closed off to him. Ultimately (well, what else did you expect?), the truth is discovered and - trust me on this one - it is not only a truly innovative and speculative sci-fi premise but it is monumentally humbling at the same time!
Just as he did with his writing partner, Douglas Preston, in their jointly written novels, Lincoln has peppered "Deep Storm" throughout with interesting scholarly asides on a variety of topics that inform and entertain without detracting from or slowing down the plot - epidemiology and diagnostic research techniques; the perils of living in an extended submerged and confined environment; "impossible" mathematics; forensic data recovery from catastrophically destroyed hard drives; the physical structure of the earth's mantle; the conflict between science and its potential weaponization by a right-wing military; and more.
"Deep Storm" is truly a winner - non-stop hair-raising action, interesting and informative asides, wonderful character development, respectable dialogue, exactly the right amount of romance without being sappy, a goodly number of twists and turns and red-herrings and a cliff-hanger thought provoking ending that will just blow your mind! The science itself is the only weak link (just one glaring example - since electromagnetic energy propagates at the speed of light, it is impossible to detect it on its way. If you can detect the field ... too late, it's already there!)
If Child takes the time to submit his next effort to a more thorough scientific edit, he'll be unbeatable! But, in the meantime, a high-speed page turning frenzy ain't too bad anyway! Enjoy.
Paul Weiss
Book Review: An unknown object buried beneath the earth's crust threatens the safety of the solar system
Summary: 3 Stars
Lincoln Child, best known for his best-selling Pendergast series (coauthored with Douglas Preston) has now written three standalone thrillers by himself. One might expect that with each solo effort Child would be improving his craft, adding to his reputation as a top-notch author in his own right. Unfortunately, each novel that Child has written without Preston is a little bit less original than the last. None is horrible, but none is brilliant either, and certainly none lives up to the level of entertainment that readers of Preston & Child novels have come to expect.
Deep Storm starts out in a way that is very familiar to readers of Child's previous two solo books: in both, the story begins with a specialist being summoned to consult on a problem with some revolutionary technology. Utopia opens with a robotics specialist on his way to a new theme park to figure out why the park's animatronics aren't working properly. Death Match starts out with a psychologist helping a dating service investigate a problem with the company's match-making algorithm. In Deep Storm, the particulars are different, but the theme is the same: a doctor, Peter Crane, is summoned to the deck of a North Atlantic oil rig to try to figure out why people are getting sick.
The story unfolds quickly, and the intrigue builds as Dr. Crane is transported from the platform of the oil rig to a state-of-the-art research facility on the sea floor more than two miles below. Scientists in the facility are supposedly researching evidence proving the existence of Atlantis. But as mysterious illnesses spread throughout the undersea community, Crane finds evidence of his own that points to a far more sinister discovery--one that, if allowed to reach the surface, could spell destruction for the earth itself.
The story, which is vaguely reminiscent of Michael Crichton's Sphere or Orson Scott Card's The Abyss, is largely unremarkable. It contains little in the way of objectionable content, just as it contains little in the way of real suspense or depth of meaning. There's no sexual content and little foul language, and the violence is commensurate with the plot, but there's no particularly redeeming message or spiritual thoughtfulness either. Child is certainly a capable writer; his characters are for the most part believable (if not terribly deep), and the depth of his imagination is strongly in evidence as he brings the story's setting to life. The problem is, it feels like a story that's been told before.
Lincoln Child will no doubt continue to write solo novels, and his fans will continue to read them. But until he branches out and finds a different story to tell, readers might be better off sticking with his collaborative works, which so far are more interesting, more entertaining, and more thought-provoking.
Book Review: Not nearly deep enough for me
Summary: 3 Stars
An adventure unfolds in the deep sea several miles below an oilrig in the north Atlantic in Lincoln Child's Deep Storm, where a phalanx of scientists, doctors and marines in a massive seabed complex prepare to excavate a great discovery, perhaps the greatest discovery of all time, we are told.
And thus the adventure unfolds; it unfolds and unfolds and unfolds and yet, sadly, it never really arrives anywhere special; the author's attempts at any sort of real depth flounders despite his crisply written pages. Yes they are scribed with scalpel-sharp techno description, jam-packed with medical and science fact. But in all honestly, the wealth of research packed into the novel does nothing to develop the spirit of the main character, Peter Crane a navy doctor who's been dispatched to the undersea science complex to help solve the mystery of an outbreak of mysterious illnesses. In fact, none of the characters pop to life in Deep Storm.
The narrative leads Crane and the reader into first believing that Atlantis has been discovered, but that notion is soon dispelled when further investigation reveals that the top-secret mission is actually a dig for some alien technology buried some 600 years ago just inside the Mohorovicic Discontinuity, or "Moho" as it's called, the boundary between the earth's crust and mantle, which under the sea is not as deep as in other areas. It's still deep enough to be causing all sorts of problems and mishaps. For starters, the medical outbreak, (mental disorders mostly, which, for story purposes is quite lame) might be due to the depth or the alien technology or something else. Then there's a saboteur aboard (of course there is, it's one of the elements you need in every undersea tale). There's also a mystery involving some miniature alien technology that appears to be transmitting a binary code warning: do not dig here, danger to the solar system!
Throw into this mix a caricature naval commander hell bent on carrying out the mission at all costs even if it means losing every man and woman on board or, worse, blowing up the entire solar system. But in the end, Crane saves the moment. The earth and the solar system live to see another day. Although in the final page, Child's lays down yet one more spin on the tale: perhaps it isn't over after all. This is an okay read but it's clinical and dispassionate in style. If Crane's character had been built upon, if the author had tempered his urge to reveal all that he'd researched in favor of some heart and passion, if he'd penned it with his partner (Thunder Head, Preston and child, what a ride!) it could have been great. Into the Abyss
Book Review: "Not light, but rather darkness visible."
Summary: 5 Stars
Lincoln Child's "Deep Storm" is set in an Exploratory and Recovery Facility sixty miles off the coast of Greenland and thousands of feet below the Atlantic Ocean. The Facility is a huge cutting-edge research station twelve decks high and surrounded by a titanium dome. A team of scientific and military personnel is engaged in a most unusual archaeological dig. This expedition has been launched to look into "the scientific and historical discovery of the century." What lies beneath the ocean that has generated such an astronomically expensive effort? This information is a highly classified and closely guarded secret.
Peter Crane, a former naval doctor, is summoned to the Facility to contribute his unique expertise in diagnosing rare maladies. It seems that a strange spectrum of diverse ailments has been plaguing the personnel working on the dig, including nausea, irritability, disorientation, slurred speech, and other apparently unrelated symptoms. Working with Crane is the aloof chief medical officer, Michele Bishop, who seems to dislike Crane on sight. Bishop is not the only one who resents having Crane on board. Commander Korolis is an aggressive, unpleasant, and somewhat paranoid individual who trusts almost no one. Crane does have a few allies, including Howard Asher, the mission's lead scientist and Hui Ping, a female computer specialist with a degree from the Beijing University of Technology. There is an offbeat expert on cybernetics, Dr. Flyte, who makes several portentous comments such as, "Everything will be broken." Flyte is not at all sure that this expedition will be beneficial to mankind. There is also an unknown saboteur who has infiltrated the Facility; this individual is anxious to stop the excavation no matter how many lives will be lost.
"Deep Storm" is a fast-paced and highly suspenseful mixture of techno-thriller and action adventure. Child wisely stays within his comfort zone; he does not digress from the central story with lame subplots and silly romantic interludes. The author focuses exclusively on his electrifying undersea adventure, and the narrative proceeds rapidly towards its chilling and unexpected climax. There is no character development to speak of and little humor, but none is necessary. This book's core audience will be those who (like me) love unusual gadgetry, science, cryptology, and exotic machinery (such as the "Doodlebug," a robotic mechanism). Lincoln Child has produced a thrilling novel that delivers on its promise, and these days, that is no mean feat.
Book Review: Intriguing techno-thriller
Summary: 5 Stars
Deep Storm
by Lincoln Child
Doubleday
[...]
ISBN: 978-0-385-51550-4
Do you enjoy a intriguing techno-thriller? Are you a sci-fi fan? The setting is in an Exploratory and Recovery Facility sixty miles off the coast of Greenland and two miles below the Atlantic Ocean. The facility is a cutting-edge research station which is twelve decks high and is surrounded by a titanium dome. The name of the facility is Deep Storm, which was designed to excavate the remains of what was believed to be the ancient civilization of Atlantis, what will they really uncover?
Peter Crane is a former naval physician who has been summoned to the facility in order to contribute his unique expertise in diagnosing rare diseases. Crane is sent to investigate a mysterious disease which is attacking the crew, but first he must agree to the high secrecy before he boards the submarine and is off to the facility. The mysterious disease is affecting the crew/workers both physically and psychologically, the symptoms are diverse, which include nausea, irritability, slurred speech, disorientation, hallucinations and dangerous behaviors. So what began as an archeological dig of the century may end in disaster. As Crane begins to piece all the facts together, the base commander seems to continue to push ahead with the dig in spite of this disease, and to add to everything else that is happening there is someone out to sabotage it all.
Deep Storm is fast paced, suspenseful, and combines techno-thriller, action and adventure packed with espionage, murder, a mysterious disease and pure madness. Lincoln Child has created vivid detail and a suspenseful plot. The characters are well developed and interesting. The story begins a little slow but quickly picks up and you find yourself engaged and not wanting to put this one down. The author provides excellent twist and turns, red-herrings, and a cliff-hanger for an ending, which I am hoping will lead to a sequel as it seems to have left the door open. I have read all of Lincoln Child and Douglas Preston's books, this was the first Lincoln Child solo that I have read, and I must admit I am hooked.
A highly recommended read, especially for all you sci-fi fans out there, enjoy.