Deepsix

February 26, 2001

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. Agent, Ralph Vicinanza. (Mar.)FYI:In the last year McDevitt has been nominated for both Nebula and Hugo awards.

August 1, 2001
Adult/High School-Tourists and scientists have all come to watch the destruction of Deepsix by a planetary collision. However, a few days before, signs of intelligent and technological life are found on the planet, and a team is sent to investigate. It includes Randall Nightingale, who led a previous, failed expedition to the planet years before; Priscilla Hutchins, a pilot who ends up in command; and Gregory MacAllister, a journalist who not only wrecked Nightingale's career with a series of articles, but who is also renowned for his sexism. The author makes the alien planet seem real, poses a compelling engineering challenge involving some of the minor characters, and describes a variety of interesting alien life-forms. The well-rounded characters grow through their adventures, without that growth seeming trite or inevitable. There's even some provocativesocial commentary. What makes this novel work, however, is the combination of an interesting mystery involving the planet's alien life-forms and the team's thrilling adventure as they try to escape the planet before it is destroyed. Set in the 23rd century, this fast-paced novel should appeal to readers interested in science and technology.-Paul Brink, Fairfax County Public Library System, VA

Copyright 2001 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2001
In 2223, scientists, tourists, and reporters swarm to witness the destruction of Maleiva III, aka Deepsix, by the rogue gas giant, Morgan's World. Nineteen years earlier, the only expedition to search Deepsix for signs of intelligent life ended prematurely when killer birds attacked it. Now scientists awaiting the collision believe they have discovered a tower on Deepsix and other signs of civilization. Spaceship pilot Priscilla "Hutch" Hutchins, the only person with archaeological experience capable of reaching Deepsix in time, leads a team intent on learning what those signs really portend. Disaster strikes when the mission lander is lost in an earthquake. The survivors must trek across the planet to find a lander stranded during the first expedition. McDevitt's captivating scenario plays out in a surprisingly relaxed, straightforward manner. His writing is sometimes a bit fulsome, but being able to follow a single story line to its conclusion, without numerous subplots and disjointed passages, is refreshing. Hopefully, McDevitt will give us more stories from this universe. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2001, American Library Association.)

Starred review from March 15, 2001
Former planetary explorer Priscilla Hutchins receives a directive to make an emergency exploration of the planet Deepsix, a relatively unexplored world due to perish from an imminent collision with a wandering gas giant. When an unexpected earthquake destroys her only means of escape, Hutchins and her crew embark on a strenuous journey across the surface of a dying world in pursuit of an alien technology that just might provide them with their salvation. McDevitt's (Infinity Beach) vivid descriptions of alien landscapes and creatures as well as his harrowing images of a world on the verge of physical collapse heighten the inner turmoil his characters face as they struggle to come to terms with the unfinished business in their lives. With an expert sense of pacing and a knack for cliffhanging suspense, McDevitt has crafted a story of survival and personal redemption that belongs in most sf collections. Highly recommended.

Copyright 2001 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.