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Jeffrey Fuller #1
Deep Sound Channel
The most dangerous weapons are the ones you can't see....
An electrifying new voice in military fiction, Joe Buff has written a spectacular tale set in the not-too-distant future -- when the United States is embroiled in a tactical nuclear war that will mark a new era of weapons and tactics, geopolitical alignments, and human courage....
The year is 2011. In Germany and South Africa, coordinated reactionary coups have established military governments that have overrun the rest of Europe and half of Africa. The South Atlantic has become a battleground where nuclear-tipped missiles rule -- and the only gun worth using is one that seeks and fires from deep beneath the sea.
Lieutenant Commander Jeffrey Fuller and his crew aboard the ceramic-hulled nuclear submarine USS Challenger are tapped for a mission critical to winning the war. Together with a team of Navy SEALs and assisted by Boer freedom fighter Ilse Reebeck, Commander Fuller must stop a group of scientists who are putting together the ultimate biological weapon. If the mission succeeds, the bioweapon will be destroyed and the South African government crippled. But if it goes wrong, thousands of innocent people will die....
An electrifying new voice in military fiction, Joe Buff has written a spectacular tale set in the not-too-distant future -- when the United States is embroiled in a tactical nuclear war that will mark a new era of weapons and tactics, geopolitical alignments, and human courage....
The year is 2011. In Germany and South Africa, coordinated reactionary coups have established military governments that have overrun the rest of Europe and half of Africa. The South Atlantic has become a battleground where nuclear-tipped missiles rule -- and the only gun worth using is one that seeks and fires from deep beneath the sea.
Lieutenant Commander Jeffrey Fuller and his crew aboard the ceramic-hulled nuclear submarine USS Challenger are tapped for a mission critical to winning the war. Together with a team of Navy SEALs and assisted by Boer freedom fighter Ilse Reebeck, Commander Fuller must stop a group of scientists who are putting together the ultimate biological weapon. If the mission succeeds, the bioweapon will be destroyed and the South African government crippled. But if it goes wrong, thousands of innocent people will die....
401 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published July 5, 2000
87 people are currently reading
421 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
April 27, 2014
I wanted this book to be better than it was. Overall I liked it and gave it 3 stars. I find some of the technical details to be just too far out. This book couldn't be more sci-fi if the subs had rocket boosters and launched themselves into orbit and warped out for the far reaches of the galaxy when compared to what they do or are capable of in this book.
I also find it implausible how tactical nukes are tossed around like snowballs on the playground. It is just too much and becomes silly.
That said, the pacing and tension and character development is good. I am going to give the next book in the series a try.
With specific regard to the Kindle edition, there are many formatting problems that are somewhat irritating. It would be great if they could get fixed.
I also find it implausible how tactical nukes are tossed around like snowballs on the playground. It is just too much and becomes silly.
That said, the pacing and tension and character development is good. I am going to give the next book in the series a try.
With specific regard to the Kindle edition, there are many formatting problems that are somewhat irritating. It would be great if they could get fixed.
June 29, 2018
The best of the genre.
June 10, 2009
This was a very good book. The intensity kept increasing to the point I was trying to squeeze in a couple of pages any time I could during the last few chapters. It was a bit technical at times. I didn't realize there was a glossary in the back until about half way through. This would have helped with some of the technical terms. I deffinitely intend to read his follow on book.
August 27, 2024
Though a good read I’m afraid to say this was second best of the series. The best being the third one. After that the series goes down hill.
Good concept, good writing. An excellent portrayal of an untested and unproven commander. U-571 style. Lots of on land intrigue and sub surface action. A bit gratuitous with the nuclear stuff. Lots of tech jargon for those of us that love that stuff and a glossary in the back for those terms.
The ending left a bit to be desired but that is expected when you leave a book open for a sequel. Not quite a cliffhanger. But you should be prepared to buy the second book.
Good concept, good writing. An excellent portrayal of an untested and unproven commander. U-571 style. Lots of on land intrigue and sub surface action. A bit gratuitous with the nuclear stuff. Lots of tech jargon for those of us that love that stuff and a glossary in the back for those terms.
The ending left a bit to be desired but that is expected when you leave a book open for a sequel. Not quite a cliffhanger. But you should be prepared to buy the second book.
July 15, 2025
fantastic action
This was a great read. If you are a fan of Tom Clancy you will like this book. The detail in the warfare was amazing. The plot revolves around taking out a bio warfare site in enemy territory. Mixed throughout is a confrontation with the enemy master submariner on the other side. If you love submarine warfare books, you will love this!
This was a great read. If you are a fan of Tom Clancy you will like this book. The detail in the warfare was amazing. The plot revolves around taking out a bio warfare site in enemy territory. Mixed throughout is a confrontation with the enemy master submariner on the other side. If you love submarine warfare books, you will love this!
July 15, 2025
This was a great read. If you are a fan of Tom Clancy you will like this book. The detail in the warfare was amazing. The plot revolves around taking out a bio warfare site in enemy territory. Mixed throughout is a confrontation with the enemy master submariner on the other side. If you love submarine warfare books, you will love this!
January 27, 2018
Technical
A chilling view of future warfare in the oceans. Each page would make you waiting for the show to drop. The only the only slow down was the use of to many technical term that were hard to follow unless you had been a sailor in the submarine services.
A chilling view of future warfare in the oceans. Each page would make you waiting for the show to drop. The only the only slow down was the use of to many technical term that were hard to follow unless you had been a sailor in the submarine services.
March 5, 2025
Great Submarine Tale
Truthfully, non stop action from beginning to end. Submarine warfare as in the not too distant future by surprising combatants. Brilliantly researched, accurately related. I recommend Deep Sound Channel as a must read!
Truthfully, non stop action from beginning to end. Submarine warfare as in the not too distant future by surprising combatants. Brilliantly researched, accurately related. I recommend Deep Sound Channel as a must read!
March 3, 2018
i love this series. the writing is tight and the story line is super engaging.
May 16, 2021
My review
Love the characters, and story line. Writing is excellent, and story and characters are believable. Can't wait to start the next book.
Love the characters, and story line. Writing is excellent, and story and characters are believable. Can't wait to start the next book.
April 15, 2025
Fun yarn, absurdly technical
May 4, 2011
Fairly detailed speculative look at contemporary to future sub missions; in this case a hypothetical WWIII. The action takes place in the Indian Ocean, near the coast of Africa at Durban. It includes a Seal mission to extract information from a closely guarded shore facility, and destroy the facility. A somewhat large portion of the book is devoted to internal recovery measures within a sub under attack and suffering from various failures including fire and distorted exterior hatches.
Unless you're a submarine vessel enthusiast, you may not care for the type of action and suspense that builds using acoustic techniques, an precise 3D measurements that are required to visualize relative positions to other in-water objects including subs, torpedos, mines, surface vessels, and the sea terrain of sea mounts, drop offs, canyons, as well as composition of the sea floor. Thermal and salinity characteristics of water need to be understood. Crush depth, compression, steel types, and ceramics (hull) need to be understood.
While this book is 10 years old, and speculated on the latest developmental technology at the time, I think it is still accurate in portraying an actual contemporary mission. The use of thermonuclear devices in unrestricted warfare is possible, regardless of the attempt to avoid it in contemporary war skirmishes.
The characters are modeled on contemporary service personnel, and are much more believable than Clive Cussler's action heroes. Unfortunately, given the large amount of sub-specific action detail with accurate characters, the book may get somewhat boring or tedious at some points. Since it adheres more to realism than super-action fantasy, the series may not become a best-seller.
Unless you're a submarine vessel enthusiast, you may not care for the type of action and suspense that builds using acoustic techniques, an precise 3D measurements that are required to visualize relative positions to other in-water objects including subs, torpedos, mines, surface vessels, and the sea terrain of sea mounts, drop offs, canyons, as well as composition of the sea floor. Thermal and salinity characteristics of water need to be understood. Crush depth, compression, steel types, and ceramics (hull) need to be understood.
While this book is 10 years old, and speculated on the latest developmental technology at the time, I think it is still accurate in portraying an actual contemporary mission. The use of thermonuclear devices in unrestricted warfare is possible, regardless of the attempt to avoid it in contemporary war skirmishes.
The characters are modeled on contemporary service personnel, and are much more believable than Clive Cussler's action heroes. Unfortunately, given the large amount of sub-specific action detail with accurate characters, the book may get somewhat boring or tedious at some points. Since it adheres more to realism than super-action fantasy, the series may not become a best-seller.
August 16, 2012
#1 in the Jeffrey Fuller series. Satisfying, but perhaps a bit overlong, opening of WWIII in the new future.
Jeffrey Fuller series - World War III has begun, and Germany and South Africa, armed with nuclear weapons from a "neutral" Russia, are allied against the U.S. and Britain. Lt. Comdr. Jeffrey Fuller finds his state-of-the-art submarine, the U.S.S. Challenger, tasked to run a covert team of Navy SEALs into Durban, South Africa to destroy the lab where a biological weapon is being perfected. Ilse Reebeck, a marine biologist who worked at the lab is along as consultant. But first Challenger must navigate a heavily mined port and evade enemy tracking devices.
Jeffrey Fuller series - World War III has begun, and Germany and South Africa, armed with nuclear weapons from a "neutral" Russia, are allied against the U.S. and Britain. Lt. Comdr. Jeffrey Fuller finds his state-of-the-art submarine, the U.S.S. Challenger, tasked to run a covert team of Navy SEALs into Durban, South Africa to destroy the lab where a biological weapon is being perfected. Ilse Reebeck, a marine biologist who worked at the lab is along as consultant. But first Challenger must navigate a heavily mined port and evade enemy tracking devices.
October 27, 2013
Love WW3 novels written back when the U.S. had no clear, existential enemies. Techno-thriller writers had to just make up bad guys. To wit: this one's German-South African Axis with their ceramic-hulled supersub, and the U.S. ceramic hulled supersub that must evade it to carry out its mission--of nuking South Africa. Everyone is shooting nuclear torpedoes at each other. Wish there were half-star ratings for this type of jawn.
January 11, 2010
I got this book as a XMAS gift as I could not find this in any library....I have not read a book yet that had so many nuclear weapons used in this way. The book was a fantastic read and has me excited to read the next one in the series.
December 8, 2007
Riveting submarine novel. Can get really technical at times, but the authencity is cool. For military or submarine buffs.
April 28, 2014
too long
October 14, 2015
I read this long ago, and like most of these stories, it's full of action, and lite on character development
February 12, 2015
Great book. I'm excited to read the rest in the series. The plot was well developed and the underwater battle scenes were easy to follow.
January 13, 2016
Excellent book - novel story and very technical from underwater standpoint. Would have given it 5 stars if they had gone into more detail on the background on the war itself.
February 9, 2016
Very entertaining. I very much enjoyed reading this book. I am looking forward to reading the next in the series. I recommend this book to everyone.
Read
August 31, 2016Too many technical terms. If a submarine captain needs to know all this stuff they would be better off doing something safer that pays as well, like a nuclear scientist!
Want to read
April 7, 2019Synopsis: a tactical nuclear war has started and US submarine Lieutenant Commander Jeffrey Fuller must reign it in.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews