Subterranean

Rating:
Summary: Must Read!
Review: This is a must read! From the beginning to the end you are grabbed by the throat and drug deep into the underground where your deepest nightmares come to life. This book is a never-ending rollercoaster of action, suspense, and pure adrenalin. Everyone should read this book!

Rating:
Summary: A fun read.
Review: This was a lot of fun. I would've given it a higher score but it kept reminding me of the film version of Journey to the Center of the Earth. The one with Pat Boone. Fun. Though either I'm off my nut or Subterranean is a bit derivative. What goes on? Except for Pat Boone not actually showing up in the plot? Well, some specialists go exploring down into the earth. There are all sorts of happenings, danger and such, along the way and even a volcano to spice things up. Subterranean managed to hold onto me and charm me into a straight through, dead on until finish, race to the end. Thriller, PB, 410 pages, -- Leann Arndt, Reviewer

Rating:
Summary: The Subterranean Experience
Review: To the Author (James Rollins), The cover of this book caught my eye while I was looking for another Star Trek Book. (I am a Trekkie, I suppose). I picked yours instead. I too am a spelunker, climber / rappeller, and explorer. I found this book inspirational, entertaining, frightening, and captivating. I LOVED IT. One of the best I've EVER read. It was little bits of my caving experience in Boy Scouts, my biology / microbiology class, and exerpts from the book "The Hobbit", and the movies Jurassic Park and Lethal Weapon- all wrapped up into one setting... miles below the earth! I LOVE THIS BOOK! I'd really like to go caving with someone who had this much imagination and storytelling ability. Can't wait for the next one... -Chris

Rating:
Summary: A rollercoaster of a ride!
Review: I just finished Subterranean and wish that James Rollins had written other books because this first effort of his was a great read. I love books that "read fast" and this one really fit that bill. Think "Jurassic Park" miles under the earth's surface and you've got the premise of this book. The characters were believable and likeable and the plot line had more twists and turns than an old wooden rollercoaster. You won't be disappointed (especially if you enjoy Crichton and Cussler)and if you're like me, you will eagerly await the next work by James Rollins.

Rating:
Summary: Subterranean
Review: I just finished Subterranean and am so disappointed.....that I am done! It was so riveting! I read 3-5 books a week most weeks and it is actually very rare that I find a book that I literally find it hard to put down. This book keeps you on the edge of your seat, holding your breath, right there with the characters. I have my favorite authors but after awhile you get used to their formula and the excitement isn't always there. James Rollins is awesome! I was not surprised that he has experience in caving because his descriptions were so real. His manner of describing events, keeping the story moving and just plain storyteling were amazing, especialy for a first book. I cannot wait for his next book. I will recommend this book to anyone, even if they think this is not "their kind of story", it is exciting, riveting and absolutely impossible to put down at many points. I lost quite a bit of sleep because I was reading a part of it that I had to see what would happen next. I was hoping Mr. Rollins had a website so I could find out if he had another book in the works. I hope so, I can't wait!

Rating:
Summary: WANTED TO GIVE IT 4 1/2 STARS
Review: Very good debut! Read the book on a whim, but found that I enjoyed it nearly as much as a Cussler or Crichton read. The book contains interesting characters (I liked Ben from the start) and some hair-raising predicaments. And through it all, exhibits a strong, compelling pace more commonly seen from veteran authors. The book is VERY well thought out, and I will definitely read his next one.

Rating:
Summary: First 180 pages were good...but....
Review: I liked the 1st 180 pages of this book as pure escapist entertainment. The setting was interesting and I thought the author did a good job of putting the reader into it. The characters were at least adequate for the escapist nature of the book. But then...the author went of the deep end with some pretty hokey ESP stuff, and from then on I just couldn't buy any of the developments(unfortunately, I had already bought the book.) I also found it a bit disturbing that the author glossed over the marsupial-to-aboriginal Australians connection.

Rating:
Summary: It was an unusual exhilirating adventure.
Review: I read this book until wee in the early hours of the morning. A lot of twists and turns. An unusual storyline kept me captivated and I could hardly wait to read what happened in the next chapter. Very imaginative. The visuals I evoked while reading this story were stunning. I enjoyed the book immensely.

Rating:
Summary: A decent adventure tale, but...
Review: James Rollins has put together an intertaining novel about this hidden world beneath the ice, it starts out very well, with the impending expedition that was great reading, but - the characters are pretty wooden, the action became a bit forced, the creatures were good and the lost race was unique to a degree but the lust of the main character Ben grew quickly tiresome. The villianous Khalid was a good additon, but he could have been fleshed out more. The Navy SEAL's were a good touch, but the rank of "major" isn't a naval rating. The annoying use of the term "soldier" was applied incorrectly to describe the SEAL's. The author should become more familiar with modern weaponry and the military before placing them into another novel. Some of the characters were always grinding or gnashing their teeth, most irritating. Over all, fun to read, but not written well and a very weak ending, please, no sequel. It would make a terrific film, however.

Rating:
Summary: "Good Concept, But Poor Characters"
Review: The concept and the world beneath Antarctica was good. But I just could not get into the characters. Most of them were either bland or just not very likeable. Seemed to plod along in spots. Also, Mr. Rollins needs to do a better job at research. Majors as Navy SEALs. There are no majors in the United States Navy. It just got to the point where I didn't care what happened to the people involved.