Crush Depth

In an all too believable tale of future limited tactical nuclear war at sea, Joe Buff creates a nightmare scenario that could someday soon appear in our world headlines. A new and unexpected enemy emerges in the form of an unholy alliance between Germany and South Africa. Hard on the heels of coordinated coups in both countries, they become the Berlin-Boer Axis, intent on reclaiming past glories and dominating the world. The war is so far being waged primarily at sea between two cutting-edge undersea weapons platforms. The American 'Challenger' and The Axis 'Voortrekker'. Even more critical than the technology embodied in these super subs, is the skill and daring of both crews who man the controls and play a deadly game of 'Cat-and Mouse' across half the globe. Their innermost thoughts and motivations are revealed very candidly in the 'self-talk' that races through their highly trained and highly stressed minds. As nuclear destuction on a mind boggling scale is unleased along the way by this 'clash of titans ', the reader is drawn along on a headlong race to the climactic 'winner take all' showdown under the Antarctic ice. Very well written battle scenes, whether on a grand scale over the vast expanses of the world's oceans, or on a more personal level between well-trained and well-equipped special forces on land, all add immeasurably to the excitement of the story. Anyone who likes the adenaline rush of combat, which can not be duplicated in any other way, will not be disappointed. The premise of near-future, limited tactical nuclear war at sea is very realisticlly portrayed here, and leaves an uneasy feeling that it might just happen something like this someday. Will we all be ready if it does?

In an all too believable tale of future limited tactical nuclear war at sea, Joe Buff creates a nightmare scenario that could someday soon appear in our world headlines. A new and unexpected enemy emerges in the form of an unholy alliance between Germany and South Africa. Hard on the heels of coordinated coups in both countries, they become the Berlin-Boer Axis, intent on reclaiming past glories and dominating the world. The war is so far being waged primarily at sea between two cutting-edge undersea weapons platforms. The American 'Challenger' and The Axis 'Voortrekker'. Even more critical than the technology embodied in these super subs, is the skill and daring of both crews who man the controls and play a deadly game of 'Cat-and Mouse' across half the globe. Their innermost thoughts and motivations are revealed very candidly in the 'self-talk' that races through their highly trained and highly stressed minds. As nuclear destuction on a mind boggling scale is unleased along the way by this 'clash of titans ', the reader is drawn along on a headlong race to the climactic 'winner take all' showdown under the Arctic ice. Very well written battle scenes, whether on a grand scale over the vast expanses of the world's oceans, or on a more personal level between well-trained and well-equipped special forces on land, all add immeasurably to the excitement of the story. Anyone who likes the adenaline rush of combat, which can not be duplicated in any other way, will not be disappointed. The premise of near-future, limited tactical nuclear war at sea is very realisticlly portrayed here, and leaves an uneasy feeling that it might just happen something like this someday. Will we all be ready if it does?

Tom Clancy has always been my favorite author on the subject of submarine warfare. His portrayal of modern submarine warfare was the best. That was until I read author Joe Buff's Deep Sound Channel. It had me so absorbed that I read it in a single sitting. Now with this release of Crush Depth, once again I found myself staying up way past my bedtime to finish this exciting novel. Having always had a soft spot for "the Boats", I found this one every bit as exciting as his first. The depiction of tactical nuclear war at sea kept me on the edge of my seat the entire lenght of the book. Kudos for Mr. Buff and I can't wait for his upcoming "Tidal Rip"!

Reading Joe Buff's CRUSH DEPTH was an adventure in fiction-reading I've not had for some time. Each time I prepared to put the book down, another bit of action or foreshadowing kept me in it for several more chapters. Buff has an amazing command of the challenging life aboard submarines and a tremendous ability to set up and execute impossible scenario after impossible scenario. Although written in the fiction/thriller genre, it is more than possible to imagine the realistic yet horrendous battles with nuclear weapons making headlines in our daily papers. CRUSH DEPTH is a must read for anyone who enjoys submarines, good battles or characters with depth and conscience. Can't wait for the next book!

When I read Joe Buff's "Deep Sound Channel," his debut as writer, I was so impressed by the performance, that I became an instant fan. His reasearch is awsome--where does he find time to write the books?--and his renderings of the complex technology, strategy, and the geopolitcal engine that runs it all, are clear and accessible. In "Crush Depth," the most recent adventure in the series, Buff has found the proper balance of story vs. technological jargon, not a mean feat. The characters, while each real is his/her own right (even the boats Challenger and Voortrekker have their own personalities, as ships do in real life), continue to develop, as do many of the relationships, most notably those between Jeffrey Fuller and Ilse Reebeck, and between Jeffrey and his parents, while his relationship with his former captain, Commodore Wilson, becomes an example against which Jeffrey can hone his own command style. The action scenes are exciting and keep you guessing as to their outcome, and the cat-and-mouse hunt scenes, where one submarine stalks the other consistly raise the question of which is really stalking which. The tension mounts as the book progresses, and although I rooted for the destruction of the enemy submarine, I found myself a reluctant admirer of ter Horst and especially Van Gelder, and hoping they would survive to challenge Fuller in future books--who else does the "evil axis" have to fill this role? The ending will grip and astound you. The books just keep getting better as they come along. Buff has created a real world populated by real people about whom we care and scenarios that seems to have evolved from where we are in the world today. I look forward to seeing what happens with Jeffrey and Challenger, Jeffrey and his parents, and most of all, Jeffrey and Ilse in the next installment. Keep 'em coming, Joe!