Customer Reviews

Deep Fathom

5 star:		(52)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(17)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

When I picked up James Rollins' Deep Fathom, I was a bit nervous. I loved Excavation and I liked Subterranean, but I thought that they were almost the exact same plot. I was nervous that Deep Fathom would be another Excavation and Subterranean. Was I wrong! This book grabbed me from page one and would not let me go. I really liked how this book really did not focus on the supernatural, or non-human enemy, but rather had an enemy that was human, and with revenge as a driving force, it was very believable.

I also liked how this story had two different locations, under the ocean, and then in the risen ruins of an ancient city. I think this added to the overall enjoyment of the book. Rather than just be stuck in the came cave, we jumped from undersea to ruins, back to undersea, to a naval battle...and so on. It kept things moving at a great pace.

I would say that this book is James Rollins' best work to date, and I cannot wait to read his next novel!

I bought this book solely because it was written by James Rollins, and I remembered how very much I had enjoyed his previous book, Subterranean. I must admit I found this to be another action-packed thriller which entertained me thoroughly. It's a near future almost science fiction tale that somehow comes off as entirely believable while you're reading it. If you like high-paced adventure at its best, this book will not disappoint you. It started out just a bit slow, but after a few chapters I was enthralled by the story and remained on the edge of my seat throughout the book. The ending was spectacular! So often, authors fail to tie up loose ends or I am unhappy with the ending situation, but in this case, the ending was as satisfying as the rest of the story.

Every Summer, I look forward to a new James Rollins book. His books are just plain fun! This one is definitely my favorite so far. After all, who isn't interested in lost civilizations, political intrigue, adventure on the high seas and a little romance? When Mr Rollins' new book arrived, I was in the process of finishing another book, however, my eye kept wandering over to Deep Fathom. Finally had to give in and start reading and didn't stop till I was finished. Mr Rollins gets better with each book he writes. Loved the lost civilization angle on this one and as I stated at the end of my review of his last year's book.....please Mr Rollins keep them coming and write fast!!!

Without giving anything away, this book likely has something for everyone who enjoys the action/adventure genre. Natural disasters, world chaos, a missing Air Force One and the president, ancient civilizations, romance, name it and you'll find it in this novel - even including a Canadian! This third novel by Rollins has more refined character development than his previous novels while at the same time, keeping the mystery and the adventure on an even keel. If you enjoyed his previous novels, you won't be disappointed with this one. In my opinion, Rollins easily ranks up there with the likes of Preston and Childs, DuBrul and other action/adventure writers. In fact, so far, he's demonstrating consistancy in his writing unlike some of the other writers who seem to lose momentum after their first success and is in fact in the process of surpassing some of the other household name action/adventure authors. Anxiously awaiting the next novel! Monsieur Rollins, you make reading a pleasure as always... ;-)

I have read several of James Rollins' novels, and realize they all pretty much follow a similar pattern, extremely good looking protagonists with haunted pasts, Special Forces trained bad buys, ancient civilizations, strange artifacts that help the protragonists along their way, etc. And that is not a knock on the author or his books, as he has found a successful pattern why not stick with it? I like the way Rollins creates his characters, and he has a great way of injecting them with the right touch of personality to make them endearing. And though most of Rollins' stories are grounded in science (beliveable or not is up to the individual reader) he doesn't get as technical as Michael Crichton or Ken Follett, which allows the reader to stay glued to the story. "Deep Fathom" was the perfect choice to take to the beach with me this summer, and made for a great summer read. The story isn't heavy, the characters and situations they are put in are fun to read about, and there is an abundence of action that really keeps you turning the pages. Think of "Deep Fathom" as you would one those special effects heavy summer blockbuster movies, lots of fun while there, but forgotten about almost as soon as it's over.

This was my first Rollins book and I found the story extremely enjoyable. As soon as I finished it I went out and bought every other book he has written. Readers beware - I found that Deep Fathom was very different from Subterannean, Excavation, and Amazonia, going more for the science fiction genre than these other titles. I have read all of Lincoln Child/Douglas Preston and Rollins is a comparable if not equal story teller. If you like Rollins, I would also recommend Child/Preston, Greg Donegan, Matthew Reilley, Robert Doherty. NOTE: Doherty's Area 51 series has a slightly different genre but its close enough to recommend to people who enjoy. Donegan/Doherty are pen names for the same author, the former used for the Atlantis series.

I originally picked this book up in a bookstore on a whim. I regularly read the works of only three authors: Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (co-authors of seven books) and Michael Chrichton. Every other attempt I've made to find an author that doesn't bore me has failed. So it was with James Rollins.

The plot of this book leans much further towards science-fantasy than science-fiction. While that alone is not a bad thing, the... characterizations are. It takes very strong characters to make a plot like this really come to life, and this author doesn't even come close. A reviewer below described them as "...TV-Movie-Of-The-Week characters..." and that is right on the money. The characters are right out of every bad movie you've ever seen. Their dialogue is laughable, and their development is non-existant. The plot was interesting, but coupled with the poor characters it felt like watching a bad soap-opera where you'd like to know what's next, but you'd rather not suffer through the tedium to find out. When I finished the book I felt like something had been stolen from me (time maybe).

Every time I click on a Preston/Child page it urges you to buy this book with it (where as when you go to buy this book it urges you to buy another Rollins book). Do Preston and Child have only one book? If you want to read some of the greatest fiction ever written, I strongly urge you to pick up one of the seven Preston/Child books (Relic, Mount Dragon, Reliquery, Riptide, Thunderhead, The Ice Limit or The Cabinet of Curiosities) instead of this.

Jack Kirkland, former Navy Seal, is the captain of his own salvage boat that he and his crew use to scour for treasure and secrets of the sea. They begin this novel in the Pacific looking for a Japanese shipwreck that is rumored to have gone down full of gold. But their treasure hunting is interrupted by the sea floor opening up with major tremors making the entire region completely unstable. Simultaneously, countries along the Pacific Ocean are affected by these same tremors resulting in horrific earthquakes that cause mass destruction and death, including the crash of Air Force One with the US President on board.

Karen Grace is working on her doctoral thesis at Ryukyu University studying Micronesian Studies. Her interest was originally peaked by her grandfather's contention that there was once an ancient civilization now lost to modern world. Because of the earthquakes islands off the coast of Japan have seemingly raised up from the ocean displaying pyramids and other discoveries that appear to support the ancient theory. But what Karen doesn't realize is that her interest will attract those that don't want her to discover or reveal secrets from a long lost past. Her path will cross with Jack's and they will find themselves the hunted instead of the treasure hunters. They must use their experience and wit to outlast those that seek their demise.

Again, a solidly entertaining novel from James Rollins. Much of it is over the top and the end is completely bizzare, but it entertains the entire way through. These books are fun because there is enough factual basis to keep the reader going even though the story, ultimately, is complete fiction. It is a page turner and keeps the surprises coming all the way to the last page.

As another reviewer noted, this is the least action packed of Rollin's books. The beginning was a little slow, by page 250 I was wondering when something exciting was going to happen. However, not long after, I was very satisfied.

Overall, this is a great book. His choice of locales was interesting, not many people are familiar with the Micronesian region, and I happen to have family living there which made the book even more special.

His characters, like usual, are interesting and have a good backstory. Rollins is an amazing author and he always makes things like archaeology and anthropology extremely interesting and exciting. If you like this try his other books, Excavation and Subterranean!

Having become hooked on James Rollins from a few pages into his first adventure, 'Subterranean' and the subsequent 'Excavation' I was pleasantly surprised to see 'Deep Fathom' hit the book shelves recently. It didn't take long for the storyline to take shape. One of the many reasons I enjoy his books is how quickly he gets to the point and right into the thick of the adventure.

This particular yarn takes place on the first eclipse of the new century...a day which starts off with promise, but ends in tragedy. Solar flares off the sun spark a series of catastrophic earthquakes along the entire Pacific Rim from America to Japan wreaking the highest toll in devastation in modern history. But in the midst of all this, new wonders are found and they lead to the gateway of even more disaster. Ex Navy SEAL Jack Kirkland is strong-armed into assisting the Navy in an undersea salvage of the recently downed Air Force One when he discovers something amazing on the ocean's floor. Jump to Okinawa where two scientists locate a previously never-before-seen set of pyramids which surface from the ocean's depths as a result of the recent quakes. Where did they come from? And more importantly, WHO built them, and WHY are they being guarded by a strange band of mercenaries? How do these two seemingly different situations connect? You'll have to read the book, but I warn you: cracking open this book is like beginning an addiction, you won't think of much else until the very satisfying conclusion. In the midst of a new nuclear confrontation between America and China...a war sparked by a new and prejudiced former V.P.-turned Presient, is a small group of people forced to work together attempting to avert the greatest disaster the world has ever known. 'Deep Fathom' is grand adventure the likes of which you'd have to read Cussler to see its equal. Really fun stuff and a total guilty pleasure.