Deep Fathom – Author James Rollins ~145,000 words, $22.99 HC / $7.99 E
Every now and then I get tired of waiting for a Sigma Force novel from Mr. Rollins and I check out his author page on Amazon. I saw a new title released March 13, 2012 and immediately ordered it. I read it and found a wonderfully thrilling story. But when I went to write my review, I checked the copyright page and noticed this was originally released in 2001. At first, I thought Amazon or Rollins was less-than-forthcoming in their notice (which is true). But after a moment’s reflection, I realized that while I thought I’d read all his books, I’d actually missed one. What a pleasant surprise! And it makes the wait for BLOODLINE a little bit easier.
Despite the fact that it is a decade old, this book is perfect for today’s thriller reader. The book’s current blurb is different from the original. The new one
sounds post-apocalyptic. Is this due to the recent overwhelming success Hunger Games? Deep Fathom is not “post”, I’d call it pre-apocalyptic. A frightening close call that is both realistic, believable and scary. Our hero, Jack Kirkland, might prevent World War 3 if he can avoid the astrophysicist’s geological nightmare scenario—deep underwater—for which we were warned by a lost civilization while not getting killed by a guy who really doesn’t like him and has a deep-diving submarine armed with mini-torpedoes. Yeah. Top that Clive Cussler!
Rollins mixes his many talents in this book: Science, exotic locations, ancient civilizations, politics, romance, and of course, despicable villains. (He makes you think long and hard about the oft-ignored Vice Presidential agenda.) Because this story cannot be sketched without spoilers, I will not walk you through who did what to whom and how often. Instead, I am here to tell you that this story is one of the most deeply layered stories I’ve read in ages. It truly is a work of art in the plotting alone. No matter what side of the thriller aisle you cling to (character motivation, fight scenes, tension building, romance, etc) you will have plenty of passages to fawn over. In my case, I like to figure out the mystery or the how-they-gonna-escape-this twists and turns. This story has so many layers (not twists) that I was spell bound until the very end. The last fifty pages were unbelievably well done. So why aren’t there any more Jack Kirkland books? Mr. Rollins, we want more!
Last year, I saw Mr. Rollins at our local bookstore, The Poisoned Pen, while promoting his book Devil Colony. During his monologue, he mentioned that reviewers had claimed his writing had reached a new level of greatness (or something like that). Mr. Rollins complained, “so what does that say about my writing last year; was it crap?” We laughed. While reading this book, I recalled his anecdote. Having read what I believe to be his third book, I can now report: his writing was always that good. It’s not the grand and eloquent passages that make great writing, it is the attention to detail. The phrases that have our hero tip-toeing through the galley in the dark or letting go of his fiancé as the space shuttle breaks up make a difference when they’re excellent. Rollins is always excellent!
If you’ve not read it, go get it.
Peace, Seeley James
