Independent+Novel+Study

Mohand Khouider December 2nd Deep Storm  by Lincoln Child  p1-74 1. Why did you select this novel?

I chose this novel because it was recommended to me by a friend. According to said comrade, this novel was exquisite, of the finest quality, and a must-read. I then hesitantly picked the novel, and, against my gut instinct, decided to read it. He refused to provide me with any more information because he said it was full of suspense, and any details pertaining to the story would defeat the purpose of reading the book.

2. What has happened before the novel began?

Before the novel begins, we are informed, via prologue, that, while working on an oil rig, some of the workers discover something extraordinary, though we are not told exactly what happened. The story then skips ahead 20 months.

3. What's going on as the story begins? First, we are introduced to a former naval doctor, known as Peter Crane, who is sent to the afore mentioned oil rig. This oil rig turns out to be a cover up for a top-secret military research base. This base is told to be extremely deep under the sea, and is named "Deep Storm." The mission of "Deep Storm" is to operate an archaeological dig on an ancient civlisation: Atlantis.

This book is spell-biding, and I cannot wait to read what happens next; it is extremely well-written and the author tells the story with style and fascination.

Mohand Khouider December 9th

Deep Storm by Lincoln Child p75-149

Who is telling the story? How does this person’s perspective effect the way the story is told? Deep Storm is told in the Third Person limited, from Dr. Crane's point of view. Since it is told from the doctor's point of view, much information is withheld until the doctor discovers it for himself; we only learn of the missions true purpose when the Doctor is given sufficient clearance.

What is the setting of the novel? Is the setting important or could the novel be happening anywhere? Why?

The setting of the novel is on an oil rig, which turns out to be a cover up for a top-secret military research base. This in turn turns out to be a top-secret military research base for excavating a technological goldmine of extraterrestrial origin. This base is extremely deep under the sea, and is named "Deep Storm."

What is the initial or first problem faced by the main character?

The initial problem faced by the main character is to discover the illness which is afflicting the top-secret research base's crew. He is given the help of other two researchers, but is not given sufficient clearance to perform anything remotely useful until Asher, his supervisor, manages to convince the Admiral to give him access to all of the base.

Mohand Khouider December 15th

Deep Storm by Lincoln Child p150-224

Comment on the style of the novel. Is it easy or hard to follow the events?

The novel is well written, with an easy to follow style. The author provides many descriptive scenes and explains, in depth, the actions of the characters. The language is rich and uses a great deal of metaphors and hyperboles to drive the plot home.

Is the language in the novel difficult or easy? GIve examples and explain.

The language in the novel is easy and very descriptive. The author goes to great lengths to help the reader understand what is going on. An example of the author explaining obscure medical procedures are "Barotrauma - the sudden loss of pressure - had ruptured his middle ear."

To what age group is the novel aimed? Support your answer with evidence.

The novel is aimed at anyone with a scientific background, as there are many references to technology, medicine, and even history. It is targeted at a more educated demographic that is interested in reading about fiction while testing their scientific background. Though you do not need to have any prior scientific background for he explains the majority of the scientific concepts, it would dearly help one's understanding of the novel. There are a few medical procedures performed by medical personnel in the book that require prior knowledge. A few examples of these circumstances are "I'm doing a crash depressurization now.", and "The emergency depressurization would have caused massive gas embolisms, carbonating his blood." Mohand Khouider January 6th

Deep Storm  by Lincoln Child   p225-299
 * How does the author get you to read on or hold your interest? **

The author gets me to read and hold on my interest by adding new things to the original problem and adding plot twists, and previously inconceivable events; Mr. Child is also quite good at building up suspense and show his mastery of the english language by employing many literary elements and very good writing. The passage where Crane is detained by soldiers and then freed by a secondary explosion


 * What new things are added to the original problem as the novel progresses? **

As the novel progresses, we learn many new things, such as what the true nature of the base is, and many things are cleared up. We learn what a previously undecipherable message meant, and why the broadcast was trying to divide by zero; it was emitting a warning. **What plot twists or unexpected events happen as the novel goes on?**

Many, many plot twists and unexpected events happen as the novel goes on, especially in this section. It begins with the sudden death of Asher while he was decoding his message, the source behind the many illnesses inflicting the ship, what the true nature of the dig is; that is, a dumping ground for unimaginably dangerous weapons. Mohand Khouider January 13th

Deep Stormby Lincoln Childp300-360 **Is the novel believable?**

Apart from the fact that aliens have not been discovered yet, the novel is quite believable, and offers support for its often ludicrous ideas. It manages to explain how they would be able to build a base so deep under the sea and why the government of the United States of America would support it. The ultimate weapon (A black hole) was believable, and made perfect sense, apart from the fact that it is impossible, with our current technology, to isolate a black hole thus and keep it from expanding infinitely.
 * Why would you (or why wouldn't you) recommend this novel to a friend?**

Though the novel was, by far, not the best I have ever read, it managed to keep my interest for a while. I would therefore recommend it to a friend, with some reservations.
 * Why did (or didn't) the novel meet your expectations?**

The novel failed to meet my expectations. I was expecting something much better with a better plot-line, and it consistently fell short of the threshold I had set for it. I was expecting an all-around better book, but this by no means means it was terrible; it managed to keep my interest long enough to read it. **Write a short plot summary of your novel. This should be about 250 words (1 page). Include information such as: What the title has to do with the book, where and when the story happens, who is telling the story, what the central conflict is in the story, what the climax is, how the climax is resolved – or if it isn’t, and whether or not you enjoyed the plot and your reasons. **

The title “Deep Storm” of the novel is the name of the base where the story happens. The story is told in the 3rd person limited from the point of perspective of Dr. Crane. The story happens in the modern era. The central conflict of the story is Man vs the Supernatural, and begins with Peter Crane, a former naval doctor, who is contacted by the United States military for the purpose of investigating an intriguing and mysterious illness which has broken out on Storm King, an oil rig located in the north Atlantic. He is then forced to sign some papers and whisked into an elevator which brings him deep under the sea, where he meets his superior officer, Dr. Asher. He is informed they have discovered the underground city of Atlantis. Excited, Dr. Crane is brought into the facility, known as “Deep Storm,” where he is made to sign papers swearing to secrecy and briefed of the situation. He learns that about a quarter of the base’s residents have been inflicted with the terrible disease. He then tries to find a common pattern so that he can find a cure, but cannot do much with his low-level clearance, which does not permit him to go into the lower, classified section. After much discussion, Dr. Asher manages to convince Admiral Spartan to give Dr. Crane, and tells the latter the true purpose of the mission, namely that the oil rig received a signal, and the U.S. military was trying to find out what it was. Dr. Crane is also shown some “sentinels,” cube-shaped objects that emit a pulse of binary code. The doctor then proceeds to tell his subordinate that he is currently analyzing the code. Dr. Crane then goes to the lower levels where he meets Hui Ping, a doctor who is also trying to analyze the code. A few days later, Dr. Asher has an epiphany and realizes the code is just a mathematical expression: 1/0, which is impossible. The doctor then proceeds, upon the recommendation of Dr. Crane, to the Hyperbaric chamber to alleviate the illness the latter had observed. While Dr. Crane is working, he is called by Dr. Asher, who tells him to immediately come to the Hyperbaric chamber in order to explain something of the utmost importance. Upon arriving, Dr. Crane finds Dr. Asher dead, killed by a saboteur. Dr. Crane is traumatized, but manages to pull himself together, grab Dr. Crane’s labtop and analyse Dr. Asher’s last word “WIPP.” After much thought and reflexion, Dr. Crane realizes Dr. Asher was referring to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, a nuclear waste deposit. He also finds that the messages turn out to be impossible mathematical expressions. Following the new found information, Dr. Crane has reason to believe that the site is actually an interstellar weapons race deposit, and that digging into the deposit would unleash weapons the like humans could not even begin to comprehend, and would cause Armageddon. Dr. Crane goes to Admiral Spartan with his discovery and warnings, however, the Admiral does not believe him, and the doctor tells Dr. Bishop to round up all the scientists. However, the latter turns out to be the saboteur and places some C-4 in the facility. Increasing frustrated with waiting, Dr. Crane decides to round up the scientists himself, and tells them to meet him in the upper chambers. The climax occurs just as they all arrive in the upper facilities and go into the evacuation device. As soon as they get in, the C-4 placed by the saboteur blows up, condemning all who stayed to a watery grave. I quite enjoyed the plot of the story; it was impossible to predict what was going to happen next. Glogster media type="custom" key="12108427"