Well, that was a pleasant surprise. Six audiobooks into “The Deep” series, and we are given some great insight into one of the main characters (Boone) via a series prequel. The entire series is extremely well written and superbly narrated by Nick Sullivan. This full length, nearly seven hours of audio, prequel allows the listener to gain insight into what makes “Boone” who he is today. For me, this was really a great addition to the overall series as we see what makes Boone tick. We see the actions, the trials, and the fun Boone had to becomes the well-rounded man he has become. On a side note, there was a hint in this audiobook, from the author, that we may be seeing a prequel for Emily as well in the future. I’m very glad to hear this is in the works as well. For those just staring the series, this may not be a bad first book to listen too, but I will say that there is less action, intrigue, and mystery in this one compared to the others. This is not a bad thing, and the author acknowledges this fact as well. It is harder to throw all the same level of action and mystery into what is essentially a biography on this fictional main character. Maybe instead, I would recommend you give the first book in the series a listen and then move to the prequel next.
The author started off with Boone at age eleven. Even at this period, the story does a few period jumps to hop over some years that maybe were not impactful. I liked to see Boone’s desires, wants, and overall demeanor as a younger lad. We see the encouragement of his family and the guidance and influence they had on his life. As with many others during these years, we see issues around peer pressure and school. However, these events are also something the drives Boone ultimately to who he becomes. We see that his desire to both fish and dive came at an early age and this drive was present even in the latest book in the series. I enjoyed the many references that brought a smile to my face being that they felt nostalgic. Events happening at Dollywood, while catfishing, and his fun with his best friend by his side. There are also conversations around the Tech bubble, early cell phones, and even Mapquest. Wow, I feeling old now, thank Nick Many of these reminded me of my own upbringing, and that was fun. We see the impact of the many vacation trips to Aruba as a turning point in his life, along with some events with his parents.
Boone is torn by his wants and his needs throughout much of the audiobook. If he wants to have a career in the marine field, he will need to attend college, work a few jobs, and find that one person who will come along side and mentor him. Boone finds his love for aquarium work to be limiting and he is always seeking ways to find adventure and be one of the best divers in the Caribbean region. We see that all his hard work pays off as he and Emily are doing just that in a warm and beautiful beach settings with plenty of places to dive and find trouble. One other thing that was very prominent in the series was Boone’s ability to fight off nearly any opponent with his skillful martial arts. We see that his training comes from a combination of different arts making him someone you would not want to be on the other side of a fight with. In the other audiobooks, of the series, we only get some quick reference to his skill and their devastating effects, but in this audiobook we get to see the effort and time devoted to the art that gave him his level of skill.
About this audiobook’s narration, I think I have said nearly everything positive that I could about Mr. Sullivan. I have listened to most of his works, and I cannot say that I ever felt let down by one of his performances. I know I have said in previous reviews that I do not often like when an author narrates his own works, but with Mr. Sullivan, his narration simply makes a great work even better. Voicing remains consistent, any patches or plugs are minimized, and his ability to voice characters over this long of a series reliability shows his level of skill and professionalism when narrating. Now we just need to see Zombie Bigfoot 2 come out to make my life complete, along with Emily’s prequel.
For parents and younger listeners, this audiobook would be enjoyed by many younger listeners. However, the series itself, while not overtly mature in nature, does deal with some more adult themes and there is some graphic violence. Apart from these, I could easily see a teenager and older really enjoying the writing and story placement.
In summary, what a great and full-length prequel giving the listener a view into the life of Boone Fischer. The story keeps the listener engaged, the narration is excellent, and getting to see behind the curtain of what make Boone, well Bone, is worth the time, effort and credit. Thank you, Mr. Sullivan, for the enjoyable and educational listen. Keep up the great work.
Quella Reviews 