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ccollard58's review against another edition
3.0
clearly shows the potential of a young michael crighton who wrote under pseudonyms while in med school. (who has time for that?) some of the plot just doesn't make sense but it's a fun quick read with a couple interesting characters, the rest are throwaways though. a little bit of scuba diving, a little bit of jamaica. something to read on the beach.
jambobambo's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
blakehurtva's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
A fun, quick adventure for fans of Michael Chrichton who never explored his adventures written as John Lange.
davecee's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
aimless's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
beastreader's review against another edition
4.0
James McGregor is a diver. He is the best at what he does. This is why when a multimillon dollar ship sinks, James is the go to man. The mission is simple...dive down to the site of the sunken ship and figure out why it sunk. However nothing is as simple as it seems at first glance. What is the ship owner hiding?James will have to hope that he gets out alive and not be turned into shark bait.
I flew through this book. It reminded me of the old, classic mystery stories that I grew up reading that made me fall in love with this genre. While the mystery is there, there are no real surprises to the storyline. However for me it was not so much about the story or who the famous author was but it was the characters. Instantly I connected with James. He is a quick thinker. He is like MacGyver.
Also I have to take a moment to comment on the book cover. I don't usually talk about book covers as they are not really what is important to me when it comes to choosing a book. It is all about the content. However the artwork for this book is like a piece of art. Looking at it online does not do it justice. You have to pick up a copy of this book to see it up close and personal. Grave Descend is a deep sea adventure of a read.
I flew through this book. It reminded me of the old, classic mystery stories that I grew up reading that made me fall in love with this genre. While the mystery is there, there are no real surprises to the storyline. However for me it was not so much about the story or who the famous author was but it was the characters. Instantly I connected with James. He is a quick thinker. He is like MacGyver.
Also I have to take a moment to comment on the book cover. I don't usually talk about book covers as they are not really what is important to me when it comes to choosing a book. It is all about the content. However the artwork for this book is like a piece of art. Looking at it online does not do it justice. You have to pick up a copy of this book to see it up close and personal. Grave Descend is a deep sea adventure of a read.
labraden's review against another edition
3.0
James McGregor is hired to dive off the Jamaican coast to the sunken yacht Grave Descend and bring up a statue and the safe. It seems like easy money until McGregor investigates conflicting stories given by the survivors of the Grave Descend, which causes McGregor to begin checking out his employers. He discovers that the people who hired him are not who they say they are and he witnesses the sinking of Grave Descend two days after it was supposed to be on the bottom of the ocean. The deeper he gets involved, the more he realizes that the easy money he thought he was getting may cost him his life.
Grave Descend was written by Michael Crichton under the name John Lange. Originally published in 1970, it is somewhat dated, but is still packed with lots of action, adventure, and mystery. The lack of character development detracts from the story, but the focus of the book is the plot and the scenes that create it. Overall, this is quick, easy read with just enough story to keep it interesting.
Grave Descend was written by Michael Crichton under the name John Lange. Originally published in 1970, it is somewhat dated, but is still packed with lots of action, adventure, and mystery. The lack of character development detracts from the story, but the focus of the book is the plot and the scenes that create it. Overall, this is quick, easy read with just enough story to keep it interesting.
dantastic's review against another edition
3.0
James McGregor gets hired to investigate a sunken yacht. Only he finds out that the yacht hasn't been sunken yet and everyone is lying to him. Throw in diamond smuggling and hammerhead sharks and that's pretty much it.
Grave Descend is a lighting quick read, full of action and intrigue, just what you'd expect from a Hard Case read. But it's a little too breezy. The print is larger than any Hard Case I've yet encountered and it was probably about 150 pages long when it was first published.
John Lange, aka Michael Crichton of Jurassic Park fame, writes a pretty passable detective story.
Grave Descend is a lighting quick read, full of action and intrigue, just what you'd expect from a Hard Case read. But it's a little too breezy. The print is larger than any Hard Case I've yet encountered and it was probably about 150 pages long when it was first published.
John Lange, aka Michael Crichton of Jurassic Park fame, writes a pretty passable detective story.
mac_ashton's review against another edition
2.0
With a back-cover blurb describing hammerhead sharks and a diver on the cover, I was ready for a deep-sea adventure. Sadly, I was sorely mistaken.
Six pages of Grave Descend take place beneath the surface, and while there is a confrontation with a hammerhead, it’s basically a footnote. The bulk of the story instead focuses on a lackluster criminal plot and a slew of unexpected gunfights. While the opening to the story is full of delightful tropes about a gruff diver that just wants to get paid, Crichton spent most of the story building up a mystery that just wasn’t that mysterious. Maybe it’s because I’m coming hot off reading the Master of Mystery, Agatha Christie, but the plot felt dull.
Crichton’s main character is forgettable and really doesn’t have much motivation beyond getting himself out of a tough situation. After taking a sketchy job, McGregor, the aforementioned gruff diver, finds out that not everything is as it seems, and his employers are trying to kill him. It’s a worn-out plot that fits well in the pulp genre, but the execution was lacking. Couple that with a cast of stereotypical Jamaican island characters and a rich billionaire’s crew, and you’ve got a recipe for disaster. There’s plenty of action, and even a crocodile chase (it’s not a damned shark), but all of it serves a mediocre narrative that ends up bringing the book to an unsatisfying ending.
Clearly, Crichton got better with time as we all do, but for those looking for lost gems in his back catalogue, you can skip this one. For a much better diving book, check out Crichton’s later work, Sphere. Maybe it helps to look at Grave Descend as a steppingstone to that later hit, but I still feel disappointed. Ah well, on to the screenplay that served as the basis for Westworld, I suppose.
Six pages of Grave Descend take place beneath the surface, and while there is a confrontation with a hammerhead, it’s basically a footnote. The bulk of the story instead focuses on a lackluster criminal plot and a slew of unexpected gunfights. While the opening to the story is full of delightful tropes about a gruff diver that just wants to get paid, Crichton spent most of the story building up a mystery that just wasn’t that mysterious. Maybe it’s because I’m coming hot off reading the Master of Mystery, Agatha Christie, but the plot felt dull.
Crichton’s main character is forgettable and really doesn’t have much motivation beyond getting himself out of a tough situation. After taking a sketchy job, McGregor, the aforementioned gruff diver, finds out that not everything is as it seems, and his employers are trying to kill him. It’s a worn-out plot that fits well in the pulp genre, but the execution was lacking. Couple that with a cast of stereotypical Jamaican island characters and a rich billionaire’s crew, and you’ve got a recipe for disaster. There’s plenty of action, and even a crocodile chase (it’s not a damned shark), but all of it serves a mediocre narrative that ends up bringing the book to an unsatisfying ending.
Clearly, Crichton got better with time as we all do, but for those looking for lost gems in his back catalogue, you can skip this one. For a much better diving book, check out Crichton’s later work, Sphere. Maybe it helps to look at Grave Descend as a steppingstone to that later hit, but I still feel disappointed. Ah well, on to the screenplay that served as the basis for Westworld, I suppose.
libbiebell's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5