Yucatan Deep

by Tom Morrisey

What Lies at the Bottom of Cenote X?Cenote X. The Mayans called it K’uxulch’en, the “Well of Sorrows.” Since the days of the Conquistadors, its exact location was known only to local forest tribes—until its discovery by Mike Bryant and Pete Wiley, cofounders of the Yucatan Deep Project. When their joint attempt to set a deep-diving record four years ago met with disaster, the Well of Sorrows lived up to its name. Now, Mike is returning to the world’s deepest sinkhole to finish what he and his late partner began. Not everyone wants Mike to make the attempt. Bridget Marceau—Mike’s team physician, fellow diver, and soul mate—fears losing the man she loves to the same cave that claimed Pete Wiley. She is determined to keep Mike out of Cenote X. And she’s not the only one. Someone else is keenly interested in what lies more than 1,300 feet beneath the surface. That person already knows exactly what to look for—and why he must at all costs prevent Mike from discovering the secret hidden in those lightless depths.Punctuating high-risk adventure with inside glimpses into the world of technical diving, author Tom Morrisey plumbs the depths of the human soul. Yucatan Deep is a taut tale of loyalty, greed, and the wellsprings of faith and life.

Genres: Fiction, Christian Fiction, Thriller

368 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2002

About the author

Tom Morrisey is the author of six novels and short stories, is a world-renowned adventure-travel writer whose work has appeared in Outside, Sport Diver (where he serves as Editor at Large) and other leading magazines. He holds an MA in English Language and Literature from the University of Toledo and an MFA in Creative Writing from Bowling Green State University. He lives in Orlando, Florida. Visit Tom's Web site at www.tommorrisey.com

Reviews

[Kassandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked up this book because I love Mayan history and I was hoping I could nerd out about it.

I did in fact nerd out about the made-up Mayan dialect. Some smart changes to real Mayan words to get there. Changing K'inich Ajau to K'unich Ahua is very smart. That fact alone gets it 2 stars because he clearly did his research there.

Other than that, though, this book TOTALLY missed the mark for me. The fact that it includes Golden Mayan statuary that is supposed to be important (the Maya did not value gold at all. They liked green stuff, like jade & emeralds best) was a big miss for me.

But where this book really went wrong for me was in 2 ways:
1) First half: I was SO bored by the details in the cave diving & surfing sections. Like the entire first 100 pages could have been 30 if I hadn't had to read about what numbers were on gauges. There's like an entire 3 pages where someone is checking their equipment and it includes such boring & unnecessary details as the fact that they put soapy water on the tubes to look for leaks. I. DO. NOT. CARE. Just say they checked their equipment and get on with the plot or character development.
2) Second half: SURPRISE!!! They want to convert you to Christianity. This is a MAJOR plot point yet is somehow skipped over in the book description. So, yeah. Read it if you're already a Christian and you think reading about converting untouched civilizations to Christianity is cool. Skip it if you're not into being proselytized to or if you think maybe untouched civilizations should get to stay that way.

[Tim · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you’re an avid SCUBA diver who, when reading thrillers or watching old James Bond movies, thinks: “JEEZ! THESE SCUBA DIVING SCENES ARE NOT 100% ACCURATE! Why can’t someone who really knows about SCUBA write a book?” Great news! Your prayers have been answered. Mr. Morrisey, an editor at Sports Diving Magazine, knows all about diving and his knowledge is evident. IMHO, the author’s expertise in scuba diving exceeds his mastery of creative writing. If the writer were a rank amateur I would be more tolerant of his clunky prose, but as Morrisey’s bio indicates a MFA from Bowling Green... let's just say I expected more. On page 63 of my paperback, a supposedly brilliant character asks herself: “This is the guy who survived Cenote X and lived to tell the tale?”

I’m no Ivy League educated genius, but it seems rather obvious (to me) that if our hero survived then he must indeed have lived. Is there another possibility? There’s quite a bit about Jesus in this book, although that element bothered me far less than the tale’s poor craftsmanship. I do enjoy the work of some Christian writers such as CS Lewis. Maybe I would have been less disappointed if I'd paid .99 on Kindle.

[Troy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, the story itself was fine, not great, but not bad. However, about halfway through the book Morrisey decides to turn the story into a book about the wonders of Jesus Christ. Many parts become extremly preachy and predictable. Ultimately, all of the personal triumphs are directly attributed to god, and miracles start popping up all over the place.

This book had potential, and would probably be 3 stars if the religion was left out. Dissapointed with the second half.

[Nessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

The diving bits were cool. But about halfway through the book the religion element comes into it. Shame about that. If you're really into cave diving you might be able to ignore this and just enjoy the diving aspect.

[Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it. Nice little break from more serious reading.

[Anne · Rating 1 out of 5]

I actually didn't finish the book.

[Bryan Urbuteit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of great information on the Yucatan and deep diving caves. I'm into that so it was a good read for me.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting location and setting. What I really liked was the argument and reasoning of the missionary. That part has resonated with me even years after I read it.