I enjoy these archaeological science fiction novels starring Priscilla Hutchins. The stories do not unfold in a typical larger-than-life fashion but usually are about personalities sorting out missions that take unexpected turns. Jack McDevitt is very good at creating real characters and real decisions. This book, however, was not his best in that regard, but it was still a good read about an exploration team's fight for survival on a living world about to be destroyed in a massive collision.

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This is one of my favorite books by McDevitt. The adventure and drama are compelling and he does such a great job of world building. This was my first McDevitt book and I've devoured all of his other books as a consequence. He's one of my favorite authors. His books should be read in order because of the relationships that are built throughout the "Priscilla Hutchins" books. He has another series I enjoy with the main character of "Alex Benedict" and "Chase Kolpath". Great series as well. His stand-alones are worth reading as well.

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I found this book barely readable. While the storyline was unique and imaginative, much of the text was laborious and unnecessarily detailed. One paragraph described what was on a breakfast tray which added nothing to the storyline. I only select one example of many that added volume to the book, but no substance.

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McDevitt throws everything and the kitchen sink at Hutch and her companions, stuck on a world that's going to come apart in a few days. It's a thrill ride to be sure. Towards the end it's actually a little fatiguing because, you know, what ELSE can go wrong but still be survivable? I had a fun time guessing which characters would make it to the end. McDevitt's other series stuck to a formula, and this one has many similarities to the previous Hutch novel, so these may all have a similar plot. No matter it was a lot of fun if not terribly thought-provoking, but McDevitt did a good job making us mourn for all the lost opportunities...who were the hawk and cricket people, what was the light out at sea, all the other things that make up a world and are now gone.

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Deepsix is the second of McDevitts novels featuring the deep space pilot Priscilla Hutchins. Beyond the general universe, however, theres little that would require you to read the prior novel (Engines of God) before reading this one, nor are there any spoilers that would make reading Engines of God later less satisfying.

So what is Deepsix? This is a classic scifi Adventure story, where the emphasis is on Adventure much more than Science. The story is one of future extra-terrestrial archaeologists exploring and then finding themselves trapped on a world thats about to be absorbed in a planetary collision. Its got its science right, mind you, but the emphasis is truly on how these people interact with each other and find their way back off the surface before theyre atomized along with the world itself.

The character development was good enough, and the plot was mostly satisfying, so the book feels like it truly is a good book. Yet it left me wishing there was something more there.

4 of 5 stars.

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A very satisfying read. Mr McDevitt will keep you turning pages as quickly as possible.

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