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Deepwater #1
Deepwater Black
Suddenly, Robbie Mikkelson has a problem.
A dream-state called prexing is zapping him across time and space. Is he a school kid on Earth? Or is he thousands of years in the future, on a giant spaceship called Deepwater?
Deepwater is on a course to nowhere. Robbie must look for answers on Earth to the mystery of the spaceship and win his place in a crew of strangely-coloured teenagers, fighting for their lives against terrifying alien creatures in the unknown galactic jungle of Colour-space.
Does he belong on Earth or in the spaceship? Is prexing just a fantastic dream? If not, then Robbie must solve the riddle of Deepwater, or he and his crewmates will be lost forever in the black depths of the universe...
A dream-state called prexing is zapping him across time and space. Is he a school kid on Earth? Or is he thousands of years in the future, on a giant spaceship called Deepwater?
Deepwater is on a course to nowhere. Robbie must look for answers on Earth to the mystery of the spaceship and win his place in a crew of strangely-coloured teenagers, fighting for their lives against terrifying alien creatures in the unknown galactic jungle of Colour-space.
Does he belong on Earth or in the spaceship? Is prexing just a fantastic dream? If not, then Robbie must solve the riddle of Deepwater, or he and his crewmates will be lost forever in the black depths of the universe...
169 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
2 people are currently reading
91 people want to read
About the author
Ken Catran
55 books14 followersKen Catran is a children's novelist and television screenwriter from New Zealand. He is the author of many teen novels, including Taken at the Flood, Voyage with Jason, Doomfire on Venus, Space Wolf, Talking to Blue and its sequel Blue Murder. He is perhaps best known for his Deepwater trilogy series
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
December 19, 2013
19/12:
The book that made me fall in love with Science Fiction as a genre. Read this some 10 over years ago and am currently searching for a copy. Not sure how I am going to find it since it has been 20 years, but for me, this is THE book. And I want to reread it soon.
I remember not being able to put it down, with gripping story lines, massive themes, a lot of depth and wonderful plot.
Will update once I get hold of it!
The book that made me fall in love with Science Fiction as a genre. Read this some 10 over years ago and am currently searching for a copy. Not sure how I am going to find it since it has been 20 years, but for me, this is THE book. And I want to reread it soon.
I remember not being able to put it down, with gripping story lines, massive themes, a lot of depth and wonderful plot.
Will update once I get hold of it!
June 16, 2011
i first read these books whe i was 13 i totally loved them. when i was around 20 i wanted to reread them again i spent many years trying to find all 3 books and finally 3 years agon my sister was able to get me them i am now 30 and still love these books a great read
June 17, 2020
I first read this book as a child back when they were first released. My mother had bought Deepwater Landing and Deepwater Angels as a Christmas present (she didn't notice it was a set of three and she missed book one) but the series inspired a life-long love.
I haven't read the book in a veeeery long time and went back to it for nostalgia sake. And even though I'm now an adult, the books have not lost their magic on me. I remembered all of the reasons why I fell in love with the books all those years ago and why they have always remained very close to my heart.
It is such a shame these books are out of print now, and aren't available on the Kindle. It makes me treasure my copies even more.
I haven't read the book in a veeeery long time and went back to it for nostalgia sake. And even though I'm now an adult, the books have not lost their magic on me. I remembered all of the reasons why I fell in love with the books all those years ago and why they have always remained very close to my heart.
It is such a shame these books are out of print now, and aren't available on the Kindle. It makes me treasure my copies even more.
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October 7, 2021Further revisiting of my youth. After reading Catran’s “Steel Riders” (I’d seen the show when I was young but not read the book), I decided to revisit his Deepwater series that I had originally read when I was around 16 years old.
The first book is only (roughly) 180 pages, but it took me a while to get through in the end. I think that was largely just due to lack of reading time, but also I was 50/50 on it at first, but Catran’s interesting and excitingly paced story eventually drew me in.
The writing is pitched to a young adult audience, but it’s not so unsophisticated as to be unenjoyable for an adult. Occasionally it shows its age as far as some of the dialogue and technological references, but that’s more the flashbacks to 'present day' earth. The space parts are all good.
The first book is only (roughly) 180 pages, but it took me a while to get through in the end. I think that was largely just due to lack of reading time, but also I was 50/50 on it at first, but Catran’s interesting and excitingly paced story eventually drew me in.
The writing is pitched to a young adult audience, but it’s not so unsophisticated as to be unenjoyable for an adult. Occasionally it shows its age as far as some of the dialogue and technological references, but that’s more the flashbacks to 'present day' earth. The space parts are all good.
January 27, 2022
Like many of those who have commented; this was the beginning of a life-long love affair for me. Ken Catran is one of the authors I distinctly remember loving as a child, specifically for his Deepwater series. As a child, his writing was easy to read and his subject matter was interesting and kept my attention. Admittedly, I'm probably remembering it with some nostalgia, but Catran is one of the most influential factors when it comes to considering where my love of science fiction came from. Tracking these books down is not easy, but I'd love a copy of the set for myself!
December 12, 2018
A big nostalgia hit for me, this wasn't quite as evocative as my childhood memories led me to believe. However it is still relatively strong, has some quite imaginative sequences and a deeper theme of the consequences of disregarding our planet. I suspect this might still do well with a younger audience (if they were to pick it up)
February 28, 2017
When I was a youngster, in my early teens,m I really did not enjoy reading. My mom would drag me to the local library and force me to find a book that I would take home and pretend to actually read. That is, until I found the Deepwater Series. If I read Deepwater Black and Deepwater Angels, the only two I could find at my library in South Africa once I read them both five hundred times. They changed my life. They showed me what a book could mean to a reader and turned me into an author. I still love the stories and would love to read them again, if I could ever find copies of them.
If you have never read them, and you can get your hands on them, do yourself a favour and go on Reb's, or Robbie's, adventures in space. It is definitely worth it.
If you have never read them, and you can get your hands on them, do yourself a favour and go on Reb's, or Robbie's, adventures in space. It is definitely worth it.
November 25, 2013
24/11 - This was my first YA read as a young adult and I have loved it ever since. I haven't read it in at least 10 years, so it will be interesting to see how it stands the test of time and a slightly more sophisticated reader. Off to read it in the bath right now. Yay!! To be continued...
A few hours later - As well as the first YA, this was the first sci-fi book I read and the book that I credit for getting me so interested in wormholes, black holes and other mostly unknown aspects of space. Without this initial interest in space I don't think I would have enjoyed Star Gate, Star Wars or spent time learning whatever I can from the small amount that the experts know. The idea that the crew starts out in pods and are awakened mid flight (possibly because their attention would be needed in the near future for situations outside the spaceship) always reminded me of the opening scenes of Alien and Event Horizon where they were woken up just before their human brains were needed to make decisions regarding the mission. To be continued...
25/11 - Just as fantastic as the last time!! I love the prexing, going to and fro from a past life to now, using your past life to solve problems in your current time. I like the fact that none of the aliens (not the teenage crew) were humanoid in any way. That was one thing that always bothered me about Star Gate, that no matter where they went the aliens almost always resembled us - walking upright on two feet; eyes, nose, mouth; hands with at least a couple of fingers. Aliens (in my opinion) are most likely to be unlike anything we can imagine - in other words completely alien. Catran's aliens are completely alien, giant blobs, acid gel or spider-like with mini drills. Even after re-reading the description of Trites I always imagined them closely resembling Star Gate's Replicators. As I read the passages about them scurrying across the floor I hear the mechanical Replicator sounds in my head.
I did notice some proof-reading errors that had escaped me the previous four or five times I read Deepwater Black, but mostly they were missing quotation marks at the end of a passage of dialogue. Only a couple of errors involving missing words or letters, so it's only going to cost the book half a star. I have read the rest of the trilogy once but don't remember the details or the conclusion of the series. So, near 20 years after the purchase of the first book (by my mum for $8.95) I found the second and third online at Abe's Books ($1 each plus $7 p&h each) and THEY'RE ON THE WAY. I'M SO EXCITED (especially since the library no longer has them in their collection)!! Can't wait to read Deepwater Landing and Deepwater Angels.
A few hours later - As well as the first YA, this was the first sci-fi book I read and the book that I credit for getting me so interested in wormholes, black holes and other mostly unknown aspects of space. Without this initial interest in space I don't think I would have enjoyed Star Gate, Star Wars or spent time learning whatever I can from the small amount that the experts know. The idea that the crew starts out in pods and are awakened mid flight (possibly because their attention would be needed in the near future for situations outside the spaceship) always reminded me of the opening scenes of Alien and Event Horizon where they were woken up just before their human brains were needed to make decisions regarding the mission. To be continued...
25/11 - Just as fantastic as the last time!! I love the prexing, going to and fro from a past life to now, using your past life to solve problems in your current time. I like the fact that none of the aliens (not the teenage crew) were humanoid in any way. That was one thing that always bothered me about Star Gate, that no matter where they went the aliens almost always resembled us - walking upright on two feet; eyes, nose, mouth; hands with at least a couple of fingers. Aliens (in my opinion) are most likely to be unlike anything we can imagine - in other words completely alien. Catran's aliens are completely alien, giant blobs, acid gel or spider-like with mini drills. Even after re-reading the description of Trites I always imagined them closely resembling Star Gate's Replicators. As I read the passages about them scurrying across the floor I hear the mechanical Replicator sounds in my head.
I did notice some proof-reading errors that had escaped me the previous four or five times I read Deepwater Black, but mostly they were missing quotation marks at the end of a passage of dialogue. Only a couple of errors involving missing words or letters, so it's only going to cost the book half a star. I have read the rest of the trilogy once but don't remember the details or the conclusion of the series. So, near 20 years after the purchase of the first book (by my mum for $8.95) I found the second and third online at Abe's Books ($1 each plus $7 p&h each) and THEY'RE ON THE WAY. I'M SO EXCITED (especially since the library no longer has them in their collection)!! Can't wait to read Deepwater Landing and Deepwater Angels.
May 22, 2014
At the time it was published, this book had a deliciously complex sci-fi setting.
The characters were innocent, and romance was minimal enough to keep a boy reader interested.
The plot had just the right formula to allow me to escape to Fantasia, a place where no adults existed, where both the persons and the fabric of of the universe were magically colorful, where you get to experience both the abundance and protective space of a god-parent-machine, as well as the fear, responsibility and excitement of being one of the last 8 teenagers, in unknown space, burdened with the survival of humanity.
Wake up to find you are someone else, float on air, walk in space, visit color-space, fly a space ship, laser blast aliens, visit mars decades in the future, learn about future history, look different, be different, get gifts from a computer parent that can make anything you imagine. Solve the mystery.
Yup, was definitely my favorite read as a kid.
The characters were innocent, and romance was minimal enough to keep a boy reader interested.
The plot had just the right formula to allow me to escape to Fantasia, a place where no adults existed, where both the persons and the fabric of of the universe were magically colorful, where you get to experience both the abundance and protective space of a god-parent-machine, as well as the fear, responsibility and excitement of being one of the last 8 teenagers, in unknown space, burdened with the survival of humanity.
Wake up to find you are someone else, float on air, walk in space, visit color-space, fly a space ship, laser blast aliens, visit mars decades in the future, learn about future history, look different, be different, get gifts from a computer parent that can make anything you imagine. Solve the mystery.
Yup, was definitely my favorite read as a kid.
January 18, 2016
I've been wanting to read this book for essentially half my life, ever since I saw Mission: Genesis, the Sci-Fi Channel's TV adaptation. With a build-up like that, little will live up to the hype. That's not to say I didn't enjoy it, because I did, but I would have really loved more about the characters and less about the plot. Also, this really reminded me of Titan A.E..
September 18, 2016
Courtesy of the Goodreads lost book group! I remember reading this at School over a lunch hour or two hidden in the library, but I'd never been able to remember the title or author long enough to make it to Book Two. Bless the internet, and the benevolent worldwide web of book nerds that I'm pleased to call my community.
July 3, 2016
fairly different than the TV series (Which is why I tracked all three down YEARS ago but just recently decided to read them...), but way better in a lot of respects. It was very good, I burned through it in one night just about (although this first book is fairly short)
April 29, 2024
Six word reviews,
Reread, short and dense, still awesome.
Reread, short and dense, still awesome.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews