Deepsix (Academy - Book 2)
Academy - Book 2
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4.0 • 9 Ratings
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- £0.99
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- £0.99
Publisher Description
'Jack McDevitt is that splendid rarity, a writer who is a storyteller first and a science fiction writer second. In his ability to absolutely rivet the reader, it seems to me that he is the logical heir to Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke' Stephen King
In 2204, tragedy and terror forced a scientific team to prematurely evacuate the rare, life-supportingplanet of Maleiva III. Nineteen years later, it is hurtling through space and the opportunity to study it is about to be obliterated.
With less than three weeks left before the disaster, superluminal pilot Priscilla 'Hutch' Hutchins - the only even remotely qualified professional within light years of the ill-fated planet - must lead a small scientific team to the surface to glean whatever they can about its life forms and lost civilizations before time runs out.
But catastrophe awaits when they are stranded on this strange and complex world of puzzles and impossibilities. And now Hutch and her people must somehow survive on a hostile world going rapidly mad as the clock ticks towards apocalypse for a doomed enigma now called Deepsix.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Those who like their science hard and their alien adventures bloody will enjoy this latest from Philip K. Dick Award runner-up McDevitt (The Hercules Text). In the 23rd century Deepsix is a planet in deep trouble. In about three weeks a Jovian-sized world will collide with it. Although Deepsix is a treasure trove of life, it has been left unexplored for the last 20 years because hostile animals slaughtered most of the first human landing party. Now, with the discovery of traces of an advanced civilization on the planet, a new expedition hastily sets out to rescue bits and pieces of the culture before they are lost forever. To find the lander that was abandoned two decades earlier, the disgraced commander of the original expedition must make a deadly trek across Deepsix with (among others) two feisty women and a misogynistic celebrity writer who once pilloried the team leader in the press. Goaded by their off-planet superiors, they also have to solve the mystery inherent in the disappearance of Deepsix's civilization. McDevitt puts his characters into predictable jeopardies while methodically solving the conundrum of the missing aliens. Though the rigorous scientific explanations of the techniques used in the rescue are absorbing, the huge, mostly two-dimensional cast slows down the action. Sadly, McDevitt's world building is frequently sketchy and his otherworldly animals too terrestrial, although the sexual Venus's-flytrap segment does have its creative and amusing moments. 3-city author tour. FYI:In the last year McDevitt has been nominated for both Nebula and Hugo awards.
Customer Reviews
What were the flashing lights?!
Okay, so having grabbed Engines of God for my holiday reading, I downloaded and read Deepsix. I was pretty sceptical when I read the blurb as it seemed like a total rehash of the plot from the first book - I was wrong (The blurb doesn't do the book justice). The biggest highlights of this novel are the inventive species and environments that Jack McDevitt describes in depth. I mean how exactly do you describe two planets smashing into one another?! I don't know how, but McDevitt manages to capture it's majesty and terror.
Downside: Some quirks of the story are left unexplained. Also surprisingly there are a few odd typos/wrong words but I think that's more to do with it being a digital copy.