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65 of 68 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
My favorite of the Preston and Child 'solo' books, August 9, 2007
I've been a fan of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child for quite some time now and I've read everything they've ever written. At times I've found their solo efforts to be hit or miss. I didn't care for Utopia, but I thougth Death Match, Tyranosaur Canyon and the Codex were all fine books. This is my favorite. I don't know if it was the setting or the underlying plot of the whole book, the characters, not knowing who was the good guy or the bad guy or not knowing exactly what was going on till the very end that made this book so good. Perhaps a combination of all those things. The setting is the bottom of the ocean. Peter Crane is brought into a secret research facility to investigate and find a solution to a series of mysterious illnesses. Once he's down there things get stranger and stranger. The pacing of this book is really excellent, the chapters just fly by, even when there's not any action (which there's plenty of) and as each chapter goes by, Child reveals a little bit more about what's really happening miles beneath the water's surface. Highly recommended for any Preston and Child fan or people who just love a good, intriguing and smart read!
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31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
once this story starts going, its a lot of fun, August 5, 2007
I have enjoyed following the books of Child and Preston. From Relic onwards they have skirted the supernatural and sleuth genres with a panache and joy that is very appealing. Together Child and Preston have the ability to create engaging premises for story lines and characters with at least a minimal outline. However, I have noticed while reading the authors solo efforts that neither is as strong alone as they are together. Working in tandem, they have the ability to fill in the short comings of one another. Deep Storm might be the best of the solo efforts by Child and Preston. I kept thinking of correlations between this story and a couple of 'B' movies... the 'Poseidon Adventure' and 'Abyss'. Once events start to fall into place and this story takes off, Child gives us pretty much a non-stop action adventure. The major fault of this book in my opinion, is the very under-developed characters. Child barely sketches out protagonists and supporting characters. If you hold up this book in one hand and a story that is character driven like Russo's 'Nobodies Fool', its almost like looking at an empty post modern wasteland when you scour 'Deep Storm'. Not only that, but the story here is very 'science fiction'. As an admirer of the sci-fi genre before it died out a couple of decades ago, its hard to take any premise of this story seriously. Its so simple-minded. Basically all of this is an excuse for Child to write an action thriller. So lastly, and perhaps most akin, if you were to look at one of Ludlum's better efforts like the 'Bourne Conspiracy', a story composed for non-stop action purposes with little character development, its hard to say that Deep Storm comes close to Ludlum's prowess as a writer. Hey, if you have not read the early Child/Preston books, you are in for a treat. Start with the first books in the series. They are the best. I would skip this one unless you are like myself and have read everything these writers have done and are curious as to what they are currently working on.
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24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lincoln Child's best solo novel so far!, February 1, 2007
This book is highly recommended for thriller fans, and may appeal to sci-fi fans as well. Wildly imaginative, it'll take you by complete surprise more than once - with an ending that hits you and leaves you thinking! The setting lays the foundation for an atmosphere of unease, and it just gets better from there. As usual, Child's engaging prose draws you in immediately, and his expertly-crafted chapters will keep you turning the pages late into the night. If you think you can predict what's going to happen - you'll probably be wrong! Make sure you're well-rested before you start reading - you won't want to put it down once you begin.
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