Deepsix

Academy Series

By: Jack McDevitt

Narrated by: Khristine Hvam

In the year 2204, tragedy and terror forced a scientific team to prematurely evacuate Maleiva III. Nineteen years later, a rogue moon hurtling through space is about to obliterate the last opportunity to study this rare, life-supporting planet. 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 toward apocalypse for a doomed enigma.

©2002 Jack McDevitt (P)2009 Audible, Inc.

Great book, Terrible Voice Over

What made the experience of listening to Deepsix the most enjoyable?

I didn't like listening to the book. The narrator made it very distracting, with all of her various voices, and the way she read. I found it vary hard to follow along and understand the book as she was reading it.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Deepsix?

I have read this book in the past, and I loved it. There were a few surprises. The entire story was really good. I don't want to give away too many details of the book, but this is one of my favorite books.

Which character – as performed by Khristine Hvam – was your favorite?

I didn't like any of the characters. I found them distracting. I wish she would have just read it normally.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No.

Any additional comments?

This is a great book. I would suggest that you read the paperback. Don't get the audio version, because the narrator is way too distracting.

literary caramel popcorn, but I'll order seconds

This is the literary equivalent of a Star Trek episode: it's fun, written by smart people, and totally forgetable. McDevitt treats his female characters far better than most authors. (Perhaps someday he'll grow tired of banging on about how beautiful they are.) It's golden age adventure magazine stuff re-written by someone who isn't a terrible person. At times, that's exactly what you want from an SF Novel.

The narrator is fantastic and really improves the experience. It's going to be hard to return to typical narrators after finishing these books.

thrilling space adventure

The story is exciting and thrilling I love this series. Can't wait to listen to the next one

Good book, so-so sequel to the first.

The book itself is quite good, we immediately went on to the next one. However there are serious continuity breaks from the previous book, Themes that were significant there vanished without explanation here. Also this has a different narrator than the first one, and while she's good, she pronounces names differently, which we find jarring. The next one is better though!

A long haul, worth the ride

As with The Engines of God, the first Academy novel, the author’s inventive long arc is enough to overcome the shortcomings of his exposition and characters. He has created a magnificent backdrop, in which human capability to explore the galaxy has occasionally uncovered ruins of advanced civilizations - and mysteries about their fates. Exoarchaeology is coupled with swashbuckling action, though weighed down by underdeveloped, often cliched characters, and limited by a reader with little nuance. But it’s mostly a fun ride, full of thought provoking questions.