Customer Reviews

Subterranean

5 star:		(113)
4 star:		(59)
3 star:		(29)
2 star:		(23)
1 star:		(22)

 

 

I bought this book having never heard anything about it. Purely an impulse purchase I was somewhat intrigued by the synopsis on the back and figured "what the heck?" and so I dropped my 7 bucks thinking I'd be putting this on my bookshelf afterward, only to let it fall into the haze of forgotten, impulse reads. Little did I know that I would be recommending this book to friends and family alike. Sure it's a little bit on the unbelievable side (ok, it's almost entirely unbelievable) but the characterization, the action, and the sub-plotting were enough to make me read this book straight through in one white knuckled sitting!

A world untouched, deep beneath the Antarctic continent, filled with riches beyond your wildest dreams. And an unseen danger, hidden for eons that may be the very doom of humanity! Secret military installations, extreme gadgetry, an awesome monster(s), and twist after twist make Subterranean perfect reading for adventure fans. Full of action and with nary a slow moment in its 410 page frame this book is perfect for those who like their stories Adrenaline filled! So if you're looking for a conglomeration of about every action movie ever made (with just about every possible element for the genre) pick this book up and allow yourself a guilty, non-thinking pleasure!

I'm re-reading this book and it's almost as good as the first time I read it. I know the ending already, so I can't fault the book for not being as good as the first time I read it.

I've read some of the readers' reviews and I have a few comments to make.

First, you HAVE to suspend belief. I mean, this is a book about explorers finding a civilization under the Earth's crust. If you refuse to accept that, you shouldn't be reading this type of novel. Go read a newspaper or Newsweek or something. Secondly, if you say this book is ridiculous because of that, then you might as well say the same thing about Jules Vernes' books, or Issac Assimov or Arthur Conan Doyle.

Thirdly, I didn't find the characters all that bad. and not cardboardy at all. In fact, I find Rollin's earlier books much better than his later Sigma books, a huge difference. The difference is that in these stand alone books Rollins isn't constrained to bring essential characters back again, again...... and again. He can kill them off without penalty (except for the penalty of making up and fleshing out new characters for each new book). And if you don't like the characters, you don't have to see them again. And so what if the characters are not deep thinkers up for Nobel Prize or Academy Awards? They don't need to be. OK, they may be stereotypes, but I just need them real enough to move the story along, I'm not going to date them or be blood brothers with them.

What I liked: I liked the story line. I'm here to read an out of the world adventure story and that's what I got. Rollins put together a good setting. There was a lot of suspense, and he populated the book with interesting enough creatures. There are only so many settings on earth you can put your characters in and Jules Verne, Doyle and Burroughs pretty much nailed them all, so it's pretty tough to come up with new settings, but I think Rollins did a good job.

He did a good job of bringing us readers along an exploration where you didn't know what was going to happen next and it was an exploration that was fraught with dangers and dangerous creatures, and they were dangers which he was able to transmit/transfer to us readers sitting on a chair at home. The first time I read it, it kept me wanting to turn the page, and the next one and the next one. That my friends are why we call these books page turners and why I'm giving it a 5. And like I said, if you find all this ridiculous, don't read this genre again. Adios!

I just finished Subterranean and am so disappointed.....that I am done! It was so riveting! I read 3-5 books a week most weeks and it is actually very rare that I find a book that I literally find it hard to put down. This book keeps you on the edge of your seat, holding your breath, right there with the characters. I have my favorite authors but after awhile you get used to their formula and the excitement isn't always there. James Rollins is awesome! I was not surprised that he has experience in caving because his descriptions were so real. His manner of describing events, keeping the story moving and just plain storyteling were amazing, especialy for a first book. I cannot wait for his next book. I will recommend this book to anyone, even if they think this is not "their kind of story", it is exciting, riveting and absolutely impossible to put down at many points. I lost quite a bit of sleep because I was reading a part of it that I had to see what would happen next. I was hoping Mr. Rollins had a website so I could find out if he had another book in the works. I hope so, I can't wait!

I was so excited when I bought this book. I couldn't wait to jump into my Laz-E-Boy and read. I love science fiction and I am a caver; Journey To The Center Of The Earth greatly influenced me as a child. However, Rollins's book is huge loser.

The characters are cliches. The plot is derivative. There is no character development at all. I hate to say it, but I could not finish the book - it was that bad. Worst of all, the characters seem to lack imagination or interest in their own circumstances. An eleven year old boy narrowly escapes tyranosaurus-type creatures five miles below the Antarctic, speeds through subterranean shutes and tunnels in his rubber raft, barely makes it to shore, and then pulls out his GameBoy because he is bored. His mother, meanwhile, in another part of the cave, cannot control her pent-up animal passion for one of her teammates while running from the attacking creatures. Yes, Ashley is so aware of Ben's hot flesh against hers while running from the faux dinosaur things, that they have to take a quick break from fleeing and kiss. Right.

I could possibly soldier through cardboard characters if the plot makes sense. But it does not. Unfortunately, I bought the book new and paid full price. Fortunately, it was the paperback version.

James Rollins has put together an intertaining novel about this hidden world beneath the ice, it starts out very well, with the impending expedition that was great reading, but - the characters are pretty wooden, the action became a bit forced, the creatures were good and the lost race was unique to a degree but the lust of the main character Ben grew quickly tiresome. The villianous Khalid was a good additon, but he could have been fleshed out more. The Navy SEAL's were a good touch, but the rank of "major" isn't a naval rating. The annoying use of the term "soldier" was applied incorrectly to describe the SEAL's. The author should become more familiar with modern weaponry and the military before placing them into another novel. Some of the characters were always grinding or gnashing their teeth, most irritating. Over all, fun to read, but not written well and a very weak ending, please, no sequel. It would make a terrific film, however.

To the Author (James Rollins), The cover of this book caught my eye while I was looking for another Star Trek Book. (I am a Trekkie, I suppose). I picked yours instead. I too am a spelunker, climber / rappeller, and explorer. I found this book inspirational, entertaining, frightening, and captivating. I LOVED IT. One of the best I've EVER read. It was little bits of my caving experience in Boy Scouts, my biology / microbiology class, and exerpts from the book "The Hobbit", and the movies Jurassic Park and Lethal Weapon- all wrapped up into one setting... miles below the earth! I LOVE THIS BOOK! I'd really like to go caving with someone who had this much imagination and storytelling ability. Can't wait for the next one... -Chris

I just finished Subterranean and wish that James Rollins had written other books because this first effort of his was a great read. I love books that "read fast" and this one really fit that bill. Think "Jurassic Park" miles under the earth's surface and you've got the premise of this book. The characters were believable and likeable and the plot line had more twists and turns than an old wooden rollercoaster. You won't be disappointed (especially if you enjoy Crichton and Cussler)and if you're like me, you will eagerly await the next work by James Rollins.

Terrible! Sounded good from the synopsis - a hidden world beneath the polar ice caps, and a team put together to go explore when another team goes missing - but the characters were so wooden and annoying that I fervently hoped all of them would die, violently, at the hands (well, teeth) of the T-Rex type creatures who live in the underground world. You had the stereotypical tough-gal single mom who brings her brat with her, the oh-so-hunky military guy she eventually beds, and the evil Arabic archetype who wants to blow everything up. I can't even bother to give more detail than that; it's not worth it. I'm surprised I even finished it.

1) I like the "world" he creates under our world. I was able to imagine it easily.

2) I agree with other reviews that this could easily be made into a Jurassic Park-non-stop-thrills type movie. Thus I found it fun.

3) The author seemed to struggle with getting the character of Jason to behave and talk his age group. Otherwise I had no major complaints

4) Some unanswered questions but none too major that I hated the ending

Overall I really liked the book for the less mentally challenged reading that can just be enjoyed for the adventure. It was a perfect summer book to loose oneself in for a few days. Worth reading.

Listen up Steven Spielberg...You just have to create a movie from this book. Every paragraph is a thrill ride and the book keeps you glued. I am generally a reader of "literary" fiction, but James Rollins (aka James Clemens, who also writes fantasy) is a master in the adventure-thriller genre. If you like "Indiana Jones" movies, you'll love just about everything this author writes. From what I know, his undergrad is in Evolutionary Biology and he uses that knowledge (along with scuba/spelunking experience) to create characters of unusual biologies (Subterranean, Excavation, etc.) He also holds a PhD in Veterinary Medicine, which adds interest/credibility to some of his story lines. He does enough research to keep the books believable as possible. Warning: You'll be up at nights because you won't be able to put this book down (or any of his others for that matter)!