Thunder in the Deep

By: Joe Buff

Narrated by: John Bedford Lloyd

In his electrifying first novel Joe Buff instantly established himself as the ultimate chronicler of 21st-century warfare by taking military fiction and submarine combat to a new level of authenticity, vision, and power. Thunder in the Deep picks up where Deep Sound Channel left off, bringing to life a frightening seascape where technology pushes warriors to new extremes, and warriors push technology to the max. This time the difference between victory and defeat hinges on the two most advanced nuclear attack submarines in the world.

The Challenger is the weapon of the future, a ceramic-hulled nuclear attack submarine whose electronic eyes and ears are the most advanced ever created. It is commanded by acting captain Jeffrey Fuller, a former SEAL turned submariner whose aggressiveness has made him a rising star—and sometimes scares the hell out of his crew. Fuller’s mission is to rescue the Virginia-class fast attack sub Texas, now lying on the bottom of the Atlantic just off the Azores.

But the enemy—a newly resurrected and fanatically militaristic Germany—knows where the Texas is, too, and knows the Challenger is coming. It is Challenger the Germans want, dispatching their own high-tech supersub, the Deutschland, to destroy her. In this war your enemy is a blip on a console hardwired into an integrated nuclear weapons system. Ships are vaporized off the surface of the sea, nuclear shock waves unleash deadly tsunami waves, and smart submarines do battle with smart aircraft sent to hunt them down. For Jeffrey Fuller and the Challenger, for the men on board the Deutschland, the race beneath the ocean’s surface across a horrific underwater war zone will demand every bit of courage and skill they can muster just to survive. Before it’s over, the Challenger’s mission is radically redefined: Fuller, his SEALs, and freedom fighter Ilse Reebeck are sent into Germany itself—to plant a nuke right in the gut of the enemy’s power structure. Thunder in the Deep plunges the listener into the middle of some of the fiercest and most thrilling depictions of underwater warfare ever written. It is an electrifying novel of military strategy and action, a powerful tale of technology and humanity that will have you breathlessly turning pages until the explosive climax.

Executive Producer: Laura Wilson
Producer: David Rapkin
Original jacket illustration: ©Tom Hallman
©2001 Joe Buff(p) 2002 Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

"[A] breathlessly paced thriller ... provides satisfying action for battle lovers. Buff’s admiration for submarines and their crews comes across from the start. His meticulous attention to the details of life aboard the Challenger and the obstacles it faces help heighten the drama.” — Publishers Weekly

“Once again the author out-Clancys Tom Clancy’s lust for detail ... the action lives up to the jargon.... Buff gives us terrific battle maneuvers.... Talk about fun.”— Kirkus Reviews

Steven Segal would star in the film

It's hard to review this book because I don't want to trash it. But it's true that this is a "B" story at best. Lots of bang and slash, but not a lot of story behind it. Still, it was entertaining in a mindless kind of way.
In the end, I didn't care about any of the characters, so I wasn't 'involved' in the story and every now and then I would catch myself heckling it, but that said, it was mindless entertainment, so it wasn't so bad.
What's worse, an action packed story that isn't trying to take itself seriously, or a truely badly written plot trying to pass itself off as quality? Thunder in the deep isn't trying to preach to you or take itself seriously. It's kind of like a Bond film without the exotic women.
Listen, enjoy, just don't expect too much from it.

Stump's Poll

This was very very good and held my attention for the full 6 hours and 40 minutes.

WOW !

I have read Buff 's best now : "Thunder in the Deep " and "Crash Dive" . These are easily my two BEST reads since joining up with Audible. I keep trying to get a mental picture of Ms Reebeck . I see Fuller as a sharp looking skinny man with black hair . His love Reebeck then ; perhaps a woman of impeccable beauty with a smile that could make you blush as her eyes x-rayed your heart and soul with one look ; her intuitive intellect meeting you with surprises just when you needed it the most. PLEASE Mr. Buff pen more immediately ! Having stories like this read to me reminds me of my youth., before I grew up, before the injuries stopped me in my tracks, It is almost impossible to stop this story even for a brief break. Amazing ! ! ! !

exciting

Get ready for some fast moving episodes. The start is very confusing, because things are happening so fast. Once you get to understand what is happening you can't stop listening
George

Thunder in the Deep

Don't bother buying this book. The premise is unreal. World war 3 is started and every country with nukes is using them as if they are going out of style. One soon reaches the stage of wondering why the countries would even continue fighting for the world. The entire planet would be uninhabitable.
The author also needs to learn to use pronouns. The writing was like it was done by a fifth grader.
All in all a waste of mmoney.

A very poorly abridged version of an engaging work

This is a very poorly abridged version of an engaging work. Much more thought should have been given to what the listener actually hears.

Engaging

Non-stop fun. Vivid and engaging!

Just didn't cut it!

Hard as I tried, I just could not really get involved in this book. It may have been the narration, which I felt was choppy, lacking in emotion and style. It may have been the lack of a consistent plot, or lack of development and attachment to characters. Whatever it was, I just could not lose myself in the story, One should not have to work to stay involved.

boom boom bang, but no plot

This book was devoid of any notion of a plot. It was just a mix of macho killings, nuclear and tactical and hand to hand. Waste of time - amateurish except perhaps for details of submarine weaponry. But that has been done and done better before.

the narrator is unbearable

narrator's normal voice it's fine, but he keeps putting on the worst accents I've ever heard. It is unbearable.