Book Reviews and More: Seadragon - Richard Paolinelli

Tuesday 9 January 2024

Seadragon - Richard Paolinelli - Seadragon Book 1

Seadragon

Seadragon Book 1

Richard Paolinelli

Tuscany Bay Books

ISBN 9798412727783

ISBN 9798873499380

ASIN B0CR8B5C9L

This is the 29th volume I have read by Paolinelli in under a year. I have also read two of his offerings in anthologies. Once I read the first novel I was hooked and knew I would try and track down and read everything he has written. To date they have all been excellent.

The description of this story is:

“As a child all Walter Koch wanted to be when he grew up was a Navy frogman. He never dreamed it would be quite like this.

Now a 32-year-old Master Chief in the United States Navy, Koch has been tabbed to test out a new, state-of-the-art diving suit for Project Seadragon. The suit allows a diver to reach incredible depths without the need of cumbersome tanks and diving equipment.

A test dive to a wrecked ship four hundred meters below the waves ends in tragedy when an explosion rips the wreck apart, hurling Koch back toward the surface and killing the rest of his diving team. When he awakens, he discovers to his horror that he has been permanently sealed within the suit, it has been fused with his body, and no one knows how to separate the man from the suit.

As if his day hasn't been bad enough, he is about to meet Brad Jefferies, head of the mysterious Epsilon Project who brings proof that the accident, and his current condition, was no accident at all.

Jefferies convinces Koch to come back to Epsilon with him, where they will actually try to find a way for him to escape his prison. Koch will enter a supernatural shadow world of Exotic Humans, created by the Epsilon Wave of the human mind.

And just when Koch's world couldn't get any stranger, he will discover an ancient city, Mu, that sank millennia ago at the same time as the city of Atlantis.

Not only are both cities alive and well at the bottom of the ocean floors of the Atlantic and the Pacific, but they are about to embark on yet another war. A war that threatens to engulf the entire world above the waves.”

We are also informed that:

“Based upon the 1985 comic book series Seadragon and The Epsilon Wave by Elite Comics, award-winning, best-selling author Richard Paolinelli returns to the Seadragon franchise for the first time in over 35 years. The writer of the first two issues of Seadragon offers a fuller look into the origins of Walter Koch/Seadragon, Brad Jefferies, Nightmare, Twilight, and the rest of the world created by Tom Floyd four decades ago.”

This book was very hard to put down. Unfortunately I picked it up while travelling and spending time with extended family. Otherwise I might have devoured it in a sitting or two. The plot is masterfully written. The characters are amazing, well fleshed out and very believable. The Epsilon Project, they skills, talents, abilities and purpose are admirable.

This story begins with Walter Koch attempting the deepest dive by a human ever with an experimental suit that does not require air tanks. But after an explosion Koch is sealed in the suit, his team is dead, and he learns that what he has been told is likely not the truth. He does not have a lot of options but as he soon finds out life with Epsilon might be more than he ever expected it could be.

Humans, Atlantians and Muians are heading for disaster. But if Koch can learn to control his new powers he might be able to stave off war or even genocide. He must learn to trust again after a great betrayal, and he must learn to become a bridge between three different peoples. Can he put the pieces together in time? Will he be believed? Or will an ancient calamity repeat itself? To find out, read this excellent story.

Richard is now one of my favourite contemporary authors. Over the last few months I read at least a novel or published short story a week. And every time I finished one it took great effort not to just start another. But I try to alternate fiction with non-fiction or at least authors. This novel is a little different having been based on a comic book character. It is an excellent read and one I can easily recommend. It is way better than either of the recent Aquaman movies. It would be an excellent read for those who like superhero stories, action adventure and even spy mysteries. It is sort of a mashup of Tom Clancy, Lee Child’s Reacher, and Barry Lyga’s Flash stories. And the best news is that a second volume has been announced at the end of this story. A fantastic read that I can easily recommend!

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2024 Catholic Reading Plan!

For reviews of all books from Tuscany Bay click here.

Books by Richard Paolinelli:

Maelstrom

When the Gods Fell

The Calling

The Last Lonely Trail

A Zombie Christmas Carol

The Woman Returns

…

Infinity Series:

Escaping Infinity