Deep Sound Channel

It's difficult to believe this is Joe Buff's first novel. Written with the maturity you'd expect from a much more seasoned author, Deep Sound Channel quickly grabs you and shows you one possible future on a US Navy nuclear submarine. In a near-future limited nuclear conflict between major powers, the author masterfully depicts the turmoil, pain, and dedication of submariners in a high stakes conflict between good and evil. His apparent knowledge of submarines lends believability to the ultra-complicated, and demanding world in which these remarkable people live and die to preserve a way of life. With enough action to hold the reader's interrest throughout, the author develops his characters to the point where the reader shares emotional highs and lows with them. A thoroughly satisfying novel that will engross action buffs looking for a good read.

This novel was loaned to me by my daughter and although I am not a literary critic, I am an avid reader. Deep Sound Channel is an exciting, thought-provoking and suspense filled book about Naval warfare of the future. Being unfamiliar with many of the naval terms, the glossary was not only necessary for me, but very much appreciated. Through this well-written novel, I obtained a great deal of knowledge about nuclear submarines and the navy as well. Even though the subject matter may suggest the novel appeals only to a male audience, I found it very appealing and interesting to me as a woman, especially with respect to the heroine. Deep Sound Channel is written in such a manner that I felt I personally knew the characters involved. At times it was difficult to tell where the story ends and reality begins. I look forward to many more novels from Joe Buff.

As Tom Clancy, the great submarine novelist of the past decade, moves away from submarine epics into psychosocial melodramas involving matters of high state, a new novelist in his tradition has appeared and, like Clancy, done so with his first release. In "Deep Sound Channel" by Joe Buff, the author weaves an intricate yarn of undersea warfare, set in the not so distant future, that involves adversaries that will surprise the reader and not be apparent till later in the novel. Unlike the various other futuristic writers, the advanced technology described by this author exists already on the drawing boards. In terms of future weapons, sensors and tactics the book reads like a primer for the U.S. Navy Submarine Force in the 21st century. The author's greatest asset, though, represents his extensive knowledge of nuclear physics and acoustic propagation combined with detailed descriptions of how a nuclear submarine actually operates from the submariner's perspective. A remarkable achievement given the difficulty of the subject matter. I eagerly look forward to Joe Buff's next submarine novel. Landlocked in Beverly Hills

This book, which is the author's first, offers both a vividly realistic look at how war might be fought at sea in the not-too-distant future, plus a tightly edited, fast-paced, exciting story that's often brutally violent, always action-packed and always full of suspense. The often highly technical prose displays a dazzling level of knowledge of submarines on the part of the author which actually makes the reader feel as though he is ON the submarine, but at the same time does not make the basic story line too hard to follow, which can be a risk with this kind of writing. Plus, Joe Buff provides a glossary which is extremely helpful. I now know a lot more about nuclear subs and about tactical nuclear war than I used to. Though I rarely read fiction, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can hardly wait for Joe Buff's next one.