Submergence

This is not a thriller. Look elsewhere if you want a plot-driven novel like "The Da Vinci Code". You will be disappointed. However, I did find it thrilling, in its own way. The prose is simply beautiful. The ideas are stimulating and often deeply insightful. The plotting is complex but generally works. I will admit there were a few sections where I found myself wanting to skim and return to the main story lines; so I definitely understand critiques about pacing. But in the end, I respect the author's choices and think the "slow" parts are worthwhile and give the story room to breathe. If you know what you're getting into, this a novel of rare beauty and insight. Highly recommended.

Not sure how to review this one although somehow it seems like an important reflection on today's state of affairs and the current state of humankind. An engaging story of a kidnapped CIA agent intertwined with the story of a deep sea scientist intertwined with a lot of science, history and philosophy (some above this average guy's head) intertwined with warnings of climate change, sinister evolution and jihadism. It was a quick read but at the end I never felt connected with the characters but did learn a lot about the deep sea, Somalia and other topics.

An interesting concept and decently written, but ultimately the writing and the story are defeated by too much reliance on factual digressions--sadly, these only give the impression of authorial padding of the word count. These digressions are meant to be tangentially related to the story, but are tied in much too weakly to be effective or worthwhile. After giving the author the benefit of the doubt for several tens of pages, I found myself skipping to the end of these digressive passages to look for the punch lines--which were at times lacking, and even more frequently unsatisfying. I could find no empathy for the two main characters, who felt distant, cold and devoid of spirit. In fact, I felt that they would deserve whatever ill fate might befall them. The conceit of the plot is appealing, and as noted above the author has an interesting idea for a story, but the execution falls short and readers will not be rewarded for their patience in the end.

This work is so different, so self assured and well written that I have recommended it to several of my acquaintances, who have all highly enjoyed the story along with me. You will find romance, love, adventure and current political horror. In some ways this work reminds me of Ronald Wright's novel "A Scientific Romance" where as that story went into the past Submergence weaves all around time but stays firmly anchored in the present. I have read that time is distance, if this is true than this story illustrates that distance can be condensed when humans fall in love. Such a beautiful story and you will be using your dictionaries somewhat often.

Huh... First off, I was disappointed in light of the stellar reviews that I had read. It has two somewhat compelling characters who through a chance encounter, meet and fall in love at Christmas time while staying at a rural French hotel created by Cesar Ritz at the start of the 20th century. This cozy, romantic plotline is thrown in a blender with jarring accounts of jihadists taking a British spy captive and scientific digressions on how significant the undersea world is and how people refuse to acknowledge it, liberally sprinkled with brief accounts of various philosophers, religious men, and other writers throughout the ages. On paper (insert rim shot here!), I feel like I should have loved this. It has a postmodern feel, it's well-written throughout, and it has a compelling premise. Instead, it became what might be the "longest short novel that I've ever read". It clocks in at 201 pages, but there were points where I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to finish it. It's outlandishly pretentious, overall, in fact, don't even think about going near this thing without a dictionary at hand, and it's just not compelling. I hate to use such a simplistic word, but it really was just plain boring for most of the narrative.

Interesting story about a British spy held captive by Al Qaeda in Somalia. The story is told simultaneously with the tale of his love affair with a deep sea oceanographer. The unchanging biology of the deep parallels the unchanging social situation in Africa.

I just finished this book. The ending took me totally by surprise. I don't recall what other reviews said, specifically, but I totally didn't expect that ending. The writing is immersive. I feel like I completely inhabit the world of the novel. It was a fascinatingly impressive experience to read this. The writing was clear and challenging. I found myself consulting the dictionary many times throughout the book; that is a mark of some worth, as I have a quite large vocabulary. I really enjoyed the act of reading this book. Some books feel like a chore to get though, but this was a joy to read every time I picked it up. I only regret that I can never again read it for the first time. Do yourself a favor and read this. It will educate you and entertain you.

Ambitious concept, but unexpectedly slow-moving and almost ponderous. There's clearly writing craft evident, and the point is certainly worth the read, but I felt relieved when it was over.

Gorgeous prose working on large themes woven into an intimate story of two people. Looking forward to reading again.

Herausragend, hoch aktuell und zugleich tief berührend

I usually avoid contemporary authors' novels, but, luckly, I made an exception with this one, that soon became one of the books I most love.

Dieses Buch hat mich mit seiner Tiefe - im wahrsten Sinn des Wortes - und Vielschichtigkeit sehr beeindruckt. Aber das Ende?

wonderful writing, and an intriguing story, very relevant.