Book Reviews and More: The Deep - Gordon Korman

The Deep

Dive Series Book 2

Scholastic Canada

ISBN 9781546142249

eISBN 9780545628129

ASIN B00C2YW7D0

The Deep - Gordon Korman - Dive Book 2 Rebranded Cover

This book was originally published in 2003 and went through a rebranding in 2025, I really love the rebranded covers, but the eBook editions still have the old covers. The old covers are pretty cool with actual photo’s of people scuba diving. According to Goodreads there are 16 editions of the first volume in this series, including editions in English, French, Dutch, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish editions listed. My introduction to Korman’s works was the 39 Clues back in 2009. Since then I have read 64 of his books including this volume. I am over half way thorough his canon, and have completed all the stand alone books and am now just working my way through the remaining series. Not counting omnibus editions I believe that as of the summer of 2025 Korman has published 109 books. With each that I read I am entertained and often challenged, and I am always entertained. I do plan on trying to read them all. My son, who is 17 often, reads these books to me or with me, and he still loves them.

A description of this volume states:

“Sharks, shipwreck, and sunken treasure in this action packed survival series from bestselling and award-winning author Gordon Korman.

What lies in the deep? Not just coral and sand. Not just undersea creatures that have never seen the light. No, the deep holds something even more mysterious and valuable.

Kaz, Dante, Adriana, and Star started the summer thinking they were going to study marine life. Now they've found sunken treasure. And they're not the only ones who want to keep it.”

This story is being told in 2 parts. The first is a modern day story and the chapters are numbered with no titles and interspersed are chapters or sections set back in 1665. The dated ones start on August 29th, 1665 and conclude on September 2nd 1665. The first of those begins with:

“08 September 1665

The sword was the smallest that could be found aboard the Griffin, yet thirteen-year-old Samuel Higgins could barely lift it with both hands.

“But what am I to do with this, sir?” the cabin boy asked in alarm.

York, the ship’s barber and surgeon, regarded him sternly. “We’re going into battle, Lucky. You won’t be picking your teeth with it.”

Samuel was aghast. “Me? I’m to join the fight?”

The word had spread like wildfire through the English privateer fleet that the invasion of Portobelo was at hand. This was what they had crossed the perilous Atlantic for, losing fully a third of their number to scurvy, fever, and the malevolent sea. At the end of this day lay riches beyond their wildest dreams.

In a secluded inlet, forty miles north of the treasure city, the nine remaining privateer ships lay at anchor. Each vessel was manned by a skeleton crew. The majority of the English seamen were loaded onto a flotilla of twenty-four canoes. These had been carried all the way from Liverpool for exactly this purpose — a sneak attack on Portobelo.

Hugging the coast, the canoes were paddled south, rushed along by the fast-moving current. Each narrow craft was about forty feet long and equipped with a small sail. The assault force totaled about five hundred in number. They were led by the captain of the Griffin, the dreaded corsair James Blade.

“Row, you scurvy scum!” the captain roared. “We reach Portobelo before dawn, or your bodies will lie at the bottom of the bay!”

Struggling with a heavy oar, Samuel knew this was not an empty threat. Over the course of their terrible journey, he had seen Blade strike, flog, and even hang his crew. And the cruel captain had murdered Evans, the sail maker, Samuel’s only friend aboard the barque. The memory of that good man’s terrible end still caused the boy to well up with suppressed anger.”

It is a story in the adventure story with four young divers they are in the Caribbean serving a short term internship as divers for a crew. The four are Kaz, Star, Adriana, and Dante. The youths realize they were just a cover story for treasure hunters. They have a chance to do some exploring and are certain they have figured out what is going on. But they also have some clues leading them to a different conclusion. But diving is always dangerous, and in this one a trip under the blue goes very sideways.

This series is published as three short works, it is also published in an omnibus edition with all three stories in 1 volume. What I like about the shorter versions, is they are great for the classroom, or reluctant readers. This volume is short, it grabs your attention, and draws you in. And the ending leaves you desperate for the next volume..

This story is another excelllent read from Korman’s pen. It gets darker than many of Korman’s works.

I still have about 30 books from series left to read to have completed the canon of Korman’s works. I am grateful I finally gave this book and series a read; I look forward to the final volume in the trilogy. It is great read in an exciting series!