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Free Dive
Stealing tea cups and saucers from the Titanic wreck site is not an easy task. Doing it without getting your feet wet is even harder. Dexter Knight and his two mismatched partners have managed to do it, but are finding it difficult to turn their acquisitions into cold hard cash. When one such sale goes horribly awry, they wind up hijacked, along with their technology. Unsure if he's now working for a government agency or a criminal conspiracy, Dexter finds his team dragged out to the oceans deepest spot, the Marianas Trench. There, beneath seven miles of sea water, lies an unknown object far more intriguing than fine china. While Dexter would prefer to get back to civilization and dry land, he finds himself pondering a more ominous question. If he leaves without solving the mystery beneath the waves, will there be any civilization to go back to?
- GenresScience FictionAdventure
334 pages, Paperback
First published May 5, 2014
43 people are currently reading
81 people want to read
About the author
C.F. Waller
10 books72 followersAward wining author C. F. Waller is best known for 2015 Reader Favorite Award winners SOUTH FACE and FREE DIVE. He recently released TOURISTS OF THE APOCALYPSE which was recognized by Readers Favorite in 2016, as well as Shelf Media.
He published his first science fiction novel at age forty-seven, after a flight on an ill-fated commercial airliner over the Atlantic Ocean nearly became an episode of Why Planes Crash. This experience illustrated for him first hand that writing about exotic or dangerous locales was safer than traveling to them. Since then, he likes to think his meticulous research and storytelling gives readers a clear sense of their grandeur, without the inherent risk of flying.
After narrowly escaping the academic death-grip of several universities, Charles worked in nightclubs, took a turn as a new car salesman, and also as a hurricane shutter engineer. His favorite authors include, Oscar Wilde, Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., and Michael Crichton. The later being especially close to his heart as Crichton epitomizes the tecno-thriller genre and the failure of humans to interact with technology.
Though he will forever be a Midwestern boy at heart, he now lives on the gulf coast of Florida with his wife, Tina, and one fuzzy feline companion. If he’s not working on a new novel, you can find him volunteering at church, playing overly competitive Yahtzee with his spouse, or indulging in an unhealthy addiction to competitive cooking shows on television.
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He published his first science fiction novel at age forty-seven, after a flight on an ill-fated commercial airliner over the Atlantic Ocean nearly became an episode of Why Planes Crash. This experience illustrated for him first hand that writing about exotic or dangerous locales was safer than traveling to them. Since then, he likes to think his meticulous research and storytelling gives readers a clear sense of their grandeur, without the inherent risk of flying.
After narrowly escaping the academic death-grip of several universities, Charles worked in nightclubs, took a turn as a new car salesman, and also as a hurricane shutter engineer. His favorite authors include, Oscar Wilde, Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., and Michael Crichton. The later being especially close to his heart as Crichton epitomizes the tecno-thriller genre and the failure of humans to interact with technology.
Though he will forever be a Midwestern boy at heart, he now lives on the gulf coast of Florida with his wife, Tina, and one fuzzy feline companion. If he’s not working on a new novel, you can find him volunteering at church, playing overly competitive Yahtzee with his spouse, or indulging in an unhealthy addiction to competitive cooking shows on television.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
April 13, 2018
Free Dive
By: C. F. Waller
Narrated by: Austin Freeman
This is an audible book I requested and the review is voluntary.
This book is extraordinary! It mixes so many wonderful things together and does it so well! There is an algae like substance killing animals across the oceans.
There is a team trying to find a deep sea artifact in the deeps of the oceans. Some thieves are forced to help with the recovery due to their unusal skills. But someone is trying to stop them.
A mysterious flu is killing everyone.
Something is in the deep water with them...
It is soooooo good! I loved this book! So good and action packed and filled with many mysteries!
The narrator was a perfect fit for this book. He did the voices, emotions and flow perfectly! Great job!
By: C. F. Waller
Narrated by: Austin Freeman
This is an audible book I requested and the review is voluntary.
This book is extraordinary! It mixes so many wonderful things together and does it so well! There is an algae like substance killing animals across the oceans.
There is a team trying to find a deep sea artifact in the deeps of the oceans. Some thieves are forced to help with the recovery due to their unusal skills. But someone is trying to stop them.
A mysterious flu is killing everyone.
Something is in the deep water with them...
It is soooooo good! I loved this book! So good and action packed and filled with many mysteries!
The narrator was a perfect fit for this book. He did the voices, emotions and flow perfectly! Great job!
February 9, 2018
This book had a pretty gripping plot, and the characters and their relationships were fairly interesting. But....
I found myself rolling my eyes a number of times over the "technology". Power supplies 1000x better than what we have, that mysteriously work, but nobody knows how anymore (product of a failed company)? Robots that somehow (nobody knows how) accidentally become effectively sentient? Robots that somehow learn languages? If only! (I speak as someone whose job is AI research.) A ship that travels 200 km/hr most of the time, but as soon as it gets close to the protagonists, it is no faster than anything they have? If it weren't for these not-too-well-thought-through bits, the book would be really, really good. As it is, I basically liked it, but couldn't say I love it.
I found myself rolling my eyes a number of times over the "technology". Power supplies 1000x better than what we have, that mysteriously work, but nobody knows how anymore (product of a failed company)? Robots that somehow (nobody knows how) accidentally become effectively sentient? Robots that somehow learn languages? If only! (I speak as someone whose job is AI research.) A ship that travels 200 km/hr most of the time, but as soon as it gets close to the protagonists, it is no faster than anything they have? If it weren't for these not-too-well-thought-through bits, the book would be really, really good. As it is, I basically liked it, but couldn't say I love it.
December 11, 2015
This book is fast-paced and also easy to follow and understand. I read mostly mysteries and suspense, and this book had loads of both. Dexter and his partners decide to dive for more than mere china. They want to make some serious money. A secret organization hijacks them on a mission to the bottom of the sea. They are in over their heads. Through many twists and turns and mounting danger, they uncover a mysterious object that tops all others. One of their employees had double crossed them. Will Dexter and friends follow the right path or the path to greed? So many possibilities. So much ocean. Read and find out.
January 19, 2016
I found this book to be fast-paced and also easy to follow and understand. I read mostly mysteries and suspense, and this book had loads of both. Dexter and his partners decide to dive for more than mere china. They want to make some serious money. A secret organization hijacks them on a mission to the bottom of the sea. They are in over their heads. Through many twists and turns and mounting danger, they uncover a mysterious object that tops all others. One of their employees had double crossed them. Will Dexter and friends follow the right path or the path to greed? So many possibilities. So much ocean. Read and find out.
June 28, 2014
What a great book! I've been reading a lot of superb indie titles recently is Free Dive is among the ones that are spot on.
I found the idea under the plot absolutely unusual and imaginative, plus it's been developed by the author in a brilliant way. I mean, there are such a lot of changes and ideas coming out during the reading that totally surprised me. I like when things don't go as I expected along a plot, and Free Dive achieved the goal at 100%.
Don't miss it out as it's a very good one.
I found the idea under the plot absolutely unusual and imaginative, plus it's been developed by the author in a brilliant way. I mean, there are such a lot of changes and ideas coming out during the reading that totally surprised me. I like when things don't go as I expected along a plot, and Free Dive achieved the goal at 100%.
Don't miss it out as it's a very good one.
April 16, 2018
I am not one who enjoys writing negative reviews of audiobooks because I understand how long and hard both author and narrator work to release a piece. Yet, it is harder for me when one element of the team brings the other one down. However, this is exactly what much of this review will cover from my listening of “Free Drive”, a new deep sea contemporary science fiction story. The book is written by C. F. Waller with the audiobook narration performed by Austin Freeman. Let me say that it has been some time last I heard an audiobook with such poor audio recording. I am able to forgive a few swallows being picked up, a page turning sound here or there, but when the entire recording sounds like it was performed in a hollow tin can using a USB microphone plugged into a cassette recorder, it is hard to not point out the many flaws. I will admit there were many times I was going to simply mark the book “Did Not Finish” and move on, yet I have enjoyed and reviewed other book by Mr. Waller and knew I would be in for a fun ride. If you are one who cannot put up with poorly produced audiobooks even though there is a strong story behind it, I would recommend you skip this audiobook and pick up the physical or digital print edition instead.
As usual, Mr. Waller pulls all the pieces of the story together making for quite a complex and deep world and characters. I found the book had quite a bit of mystery and suspense, and because of this, I was able to get past the narration and focus on the story itself. As with many of Mr. Waller’s other works, this one had a strong use of technology, artificial intelligence (AI), and autonomous mini-subs. What could go wrong when you have the technology to pirate the various treasures lost at sea; including many of the artifacts from the famous Titanic vessel? Additionally, what can happen when a mysterious group of people commandeer the technology for their own purposes? This is what you will find out in “Free Dive”. Much like “The Abyss” or “The Sphere” movies, one really gets a feel for how unforgiving the sea can be. Just like with space flight, the world under the sea is unforgiving and unkind. It felt to me that the author did a good job of researching his topic, or he is already one who is skilled in underwater exploration. The machinery, environmental descriptions, and the science all was quite believable and painted with a very colorful brush.
I will say that a few of the conversations between characters felt forced at times, but it was easy to dismiss. It just seemed like a few characters acted or spoke outside of my understanding or expectations of them. Without giving anything away, I would say that you will want to ensure you listen to the book’s epilogue. There are a few things that get brought up that you will not want to miss. The book did end with a few open-ended plot lines, but overall it really is a stand-alone novel with the potential of becoming a series if the author so chooses.
I’m not going to spend much time here talking about the book’s narration as I believe I addressed most of that in the opening part of the review. Because the narrator only has four total book, at the time of this review, on Audible, I am unsure if this poor recording is more a fluke or not. I know it is difficult for an audiobook to be reuploaded to Audible, but it really should not have been rushed prior to proper editing and validation by others. It is not unusual for a male author to have difficulty with female characters, yet the tinny sound and the narrator’s voice just made it harder for me to listen to female characters. There were quite a few places where I observed the narrator duplicated his lines and did not go back and clean up the mistakes which often take me out of the story for a second. There were noticeable volume consistency issues along with some background noise at times.
For parents and younger readers, be aware that there is some light romance along with a few scenes of quite graphic violence. I will say that of the many Waller books I have listened too, there is usually very little to no profanity. It is harder and harder to find solid stories, strong characters, and interesting worlds with such little use of vulgar language. If you can get past the very poor narration, I would suggest this as a book for teenagers or older.
In summary, I can best describe this book as being a great story that is ruined by very poor narration. The world we are dropped into is unforgiving, the characters are well-developed, and the events all believable and suspenseful. If the audiobook gets re-recorded, I would say this is a good book to pick up. If not, go and get the digital or physical print versions and enjoy.
Disclaimer: I was voluntarily provided this review copy audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator.
As usual, Mr. Waller pulls all the pieces of the story together making for quite a complex and deep world and characters. I found the book had quite a bit of mystery and suspense, and because of this, I was able to get past the narration and focus on the story itself. As with many of Mr. Waller’s other works, this one had a strong use of technology, artificial intelligence (AI), and autonomous mini-subs. What could go wrong when you have the technology to pirate the various treasures lost at sea; including many of the artifacts from the famous Titanic vessel? Additionally, what can happen when a mysterious group of people commandeer the technology for their own purposes? This is what you will find out in “Free Dive”. Much like “The Abyss” or “The Sphere” movies, one really gets a feel for how unforgiving the sea can be. Just like with space flight, the world under the sea is unforgiving and unkind. It felt to me that the author did a good job of researching his topic, or he is already one who is skilled in underwater exploration. The machinery, environmental descriptions, and the science all was quite believable and painted with a very colorful brush.
I will say that a few of the conversations between characters felt forced at times, but it was easy to dismiss. It just seemed like a few characters acted or spoke outside of my understanding or expectations of them. Without giving anything away, I would say that you will want to ensure you listen to the book’s epilogue. There are a few things that get brought up that you will not want to miss. The book did end with a few open-ended plot lines, but overall it really is a stand-alone novel with the potential of becoming a series if the author so chooses.
I’m not going to spend much time here talking about the book’s narration as I believe I addressed most of that in the opening part of the review. Because the narrator only has four total book, at the time of this review, on Audible, I am unsure if this poor recording is more a fluke or not. I know it is difficult for an audiobook to be reuploaded to Audible, but it really should not have been rushed prior to proper editing and validation by others. It is not unusual for a male author to have difficulty with female characters, yet the tinny sound and the narrator’s voice just made it harder for me to listen to female characters. There were quite a few places where I observed the narrator duplicated his lines and did not go back and clean up the mistakes which often take me out of the story for a second. There were noticeable volume consistency issues along with some background noise at times.
For parents and younger readers, be aware that there is some light romance along with a few scenes of quite graphic violence. I will say that of the many Waller books I have listened too, there is usually very little to no profanity. It is harder and harder to find solid stories, strong characters, and interesting worlds with such little use of vulgar language. If you can get past the very poor narration, I would suggest this as a book for teenagers or older.
In summary, I can best describe this book as being a great story that is ruined by very poor narration. The world we are dropped into is unforgiving, the characters are well-developed, and the events all believable and suspenseful. If the audiobook gets re-recorded, I would say this is a good book to pick up. If not, go and get the digital or physical print versions and enjoy.
Disclaimer: I was voluntarily provided this review copy audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator.
April 14, 2018
Our protagonist, Dexter Knight is an engineer turned treasure hunter. He and his crew; Sally a free diver and Joe a talented hacker, have been spending the past two years diving on the Titanic wreck for priceless relics. The first twist of many is that they are not physically diving to the wreck; they have sophisticated technology that is doing the diving for them. Enter the bad guys who are aware of this technology and want it for their own purposes. A tenuous partnership is formed and all head to the Marianas Trench on a new adventure. The story provides numerous highly imaginative new technologies and inventive situations to keep the reader’s attention. They find much more than expected in the Marianas Trench. The action is constant and keeps you guessing. I enjoyed the story, but not the audio; the quality was poor with sentences being repeated several times. All-in-all it was an exciting tale. This audiobook was given by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom.
May 23, 2018
I had requested and received audiobook version of this book for free from the publisher, in exchange for an unbiased review.
First thing first - skip the audiobook. The recording quality is horrible. There's back ground noise, echo, high pitch and all sorts of other quality issues. Read the kindle version instead.
This book's synposis has several components that had grabbed my attention. It had me at Titanic. And then I saw Dexter (lol, I know, not THAT Dexter), "government agency or a criminal conspiracy", Marianas Trench... and I couldn't not read this book. And turns out this book does have a truly thrilling story to tell. There are fun characters that are well written and story line that manages to build tension and keeps you in suspense.
The narration was alright I guess. But I couldn't honestly judge that because of the bad recording quality.
First thing first - skip the audiobook. The recording quality is horrible. There's back ground noise, echo, high pitch and all sorts of other quality issues. Read the kindle version instead.
This book's synposis has several components that had grabbed my attention. It had me at Titanic. And then I saw Dexter (lol, I know, not THAT Dexter), "government agency or a criminal conspiracy", Marianas Trench... and I couldn't not read this book. And turns out this book does have a truly thrilling story to tell. There are fun characters that are well written and story line that manages to build tension and keeps you in suspense.
The narration was alright I guess. But I couldn't honestly judge that because of the bad recording quality.
October 8, 2020
Enjoyed this read.
Interesting storyline, believable characters, fantastical tech that you hope will one day be real. Loved the idea of Echo and his team, and the idea of a computer program taking over its own life and evolution, but in an endearing way, not in a way that becomes dangerous or a threat to humanity. This story kept me interested and on the edge of my seat. The mystery of the otherworldly object leaves many questions unanswered and could be a story unto itself. Where did it come from, who sent it, what did they want? C. F. Waller, ever thought of writing a story about that angle? I would love a story about that.
I fully recommend this book to any reader of mystery and sci-fi.
Interesting storyline, believable characters, fantastical tech that you hope will one day be real. Loved the idea of Echo and his team, and the idea of a computer program taking over its own life and evolution, but in an endearing way, not in a way that becomes dangerous or a threat to humanity. This story kept me interested and on the edge of my seat. The mystery of the otherworldly object leaves many questions unanswered and could be a story unto itself. Where did it come from, who sent it, what did they want? C. F. Waller, ever thought of writing a story about that angle? I would love a story about that.
I fully recommend this book to any reader of mystery and sci-fi.
January 6, 2019
Love Waller! If you have t read any of his books you really should. He’s crazy imaginative and I can only assume super smart as well.
I definitely got some vibes of the Waypoint novel but this was written before that one. Both are very good.
Loved ‘Natasha’ and if you read this you’ll understand the reference. I would definitely be interested in these characters having more adventures.
Austin did a fabulous job narrating and this is the first book I’ve listened to by him.
I definitely got some vibes of the Waypoint novel but this was written before that one. Both are very good.
Loved ‘Natasha’ and if you read this you’ll understand the reference. I would definitely be interested in these characters having more adventures.
Austin did a fabulous job narrating and this is the first book I’ve listened to by him.
February 25, 2018
Great fast paced story by a fantastic author. It could definitely use a proper editor to correct all the spelling and grammar mistakes but I think the rest of the writing more than makes up for that problem.
Now... onwards to find another entertaining thriller on Kindle Unlimited by this Waller chap.
Now... onwards to find another entertaining thriller on Kindle Unlimited by this Waller chap.
June 22, 2018
I wanted to like this book.It moved along so slowly and awkwardly that I just didn't.The recording sounded like it was done in a can.Austin Freemans narration was hard to listen to.I was given this book by the narrator,author or publisher free for an honest review.
July 22, 2018
Remarkable story.
I cannot say enough positive things about this story. I literally found O did not want to put it down. Now that I have finished it, I want more! Highly, highly recommended!!
I cannot say enough positive things about this story. I literally found O did not want to put it down. Now that I have finished it, I want more! Highly, highly recommended!!
October 8, 2018
I don't read a lot of fiction but I made an exception for this book, just because of the title and picture. When I was younger I did a lot of free diving, snorkeling and scuba. I found the book creative and interesting. The authors somewhat believable take on a possible invasion from space kept me reading. I enjoyed the experience.
June 4, 2014
This is an original, imaginative, and well-researched tale that takes the reader on an undersea adventure that spins wildly out of control. It brought to mind Sphere, Andromeda Strain, and other sci-fi I’ve read and seen on film. It is filled with suspense, a mystery, and action. It should appeal especially to science fiction fans.
It is told in first person, present tense by Dexter Knight, member of a group of rogue undersea adventurers with skills in exploration, engineering, artificial intelligence, autonomous undersea drones, minisubs, and other technical and arcane arts. Their motivation appears to be getting rich, but for all the risks they take and trouble they get into, they must also love the work and be in it for the fun and adventure. (Just like pirates.)
The plot: After surreptitiously recovering valuable artifacts from famous undersea wreck, the team and their toys (technologies) are shanghaied by a mysterious organization with guns and muscle to make another recovery but from a seemingly impossible depth. They commence a search, monitoring their site from the surface, encounter a strange, shiny object roaming the ocean and spreading havoc, and seek to understand it. Much action follows, involving deep submarine dives, helicopters, dolphins, torpedoes, flashing red lights and alarms, shape charges, free diving, a mutiny, and more. Sound exciting?
It is.
It is told in first person, present tense by Dexter Knight, member of a group of rogue undersea adventurers with skills in exploration, engineering, artificial intelligence, autonomous undersea drones, minisubs, and other technical and arcane arts. Their motivation appears to be getting rich, but for all the risks they take and trouble they get into, they must also love the work and be in it for the fun and adventure. (Just like pirates.)
The plot: After surreptitiously recovering valuable artifacts from famous undersea wreck, the team and their toys (technologies) are shanghaied by a mysterious organization with guns and muscle to make another recovery but from a seemingly impossible depth. They commence a search, monitoring their site from the surface, encounter a strange, shiny object roaming the ocean and spreading havoc, and seek to understand it. Much action follows, involving deep submarine dives, helicopters, dolphins, torpedoes, flashing red lights and alarms, shape charges, free diving, a mutiny, and more. Sound exciting?
It is.
January 2, 2015
This is my second book by Waller, and it too is written in first person and told through the voice of Dexter Knight, a member of a group of underwater adventurers, with strong skills in exploration, engineering, artificial intelligence, and pretty much anything to do with underwater exploration, including mini subs. All these skills were put to use on various get rich schemes. It soon became obvious that much as the team was motivated by wealth, they were also driven by the adrenaline rush they get off the danger they encounter on a daily basis pursuing this line of work. Like for example, the time they recover some valuable artifacts from a famous sea wreck. The team ends up being kidnapped by a mysterious organization, who was just as skilled and as determined. However, even though the organization had more power than the group, they successfully take them on. Using their arsenal of skill sets, an action-packed story enfolds utilizing both air and sea power. The author evidently took some time to research his facts. He presents it in great detail for the reader to enjoy. Lovers of action-packed stories will enjoy this book.
July 13, 2014
The title and the book cover do not do this book justice, it was so much more.
I found Free Dive to be an awesome thriller and I simply didn't want it to end.
This action packed book consists of unlawful confinement on the verge of kidnapping. A possible treasure hunt, or so they thought, and a fear of the captors and what may happen if they were to get what they are looking for.
An artificial intelligence that surprises even it's creaters as well as unexplainable movement deep benieth the sea that couldn't possibly be real.
This was my type of book. It had everything a mans man is looking for from bombs to Russian spy types to an unlikely hero. It's even got a romantic twist for the ladies.
I would compare this to one of those Die Hard type movies.
ps
I actually learned quite a lot about Free diving from this book.
Five stars all the way....
I found Free Dive to be an awesome thriller and I simply didn't want it to end.
This action packed book consists of unlawful confinement on the verge of kidnapping. A possible treasure hunt, or so they thought, and a fear of the captors and what may happen if they were to get what they are looking for.
An artificial intelligence that surprises even it's creaters as well as unexplainable movement deep benieth the sea that couldn't possibly be real.
This was my type of book. It had everything a mans man is looking for from bombs to Russian spy types to an unlikely hero. It's even got a romantic twist for the ladies.
I would compare this to one of those Die Hard type movies.
ps
I actually learned quite a lot about Free diving from this book.
Five stars all the way....
July 4, 2016
This book ended up being good, not great. It was weird and slow getting started but there were some good parts in the last 40% or so that made it overall enjoyable.
Narrator and quality of narration sucked. Got used to narrator and he ended up being ok but the quality sounding like it was recorded in a garage and the narrator kept moving around was not.
Narrator and quality of narration sucked. Got used to narrator and he ended up being ok but the quality sounding like it was recorded in a garage and the narrator kept moving around was not.
October 24, 2014
LOVED this book! Review to come.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews