Thomcat
6/5/2016
Somewhat similar to Rendezvous with Rama or The Martian, but with more people.
Not far removed from The Abyss, but much drier.
Has aspects of the 2010 or The Hunt for Red October, but focused on the Chinese.
This science fiction thriller is set a plausible 50 years in the future, and concludes with a few short pages explaining how they extrapolated the technology and outcomes. I enjoyed the characters, I didn't enjoy the early infodumps, but once both were introduced the novel really started rolling. This is a big book, but it kept me coming back for more.
Does it live up to it's glowing blurbs? Maybe. Let's put it this way - don't read the book for these borderline unbelievable "quotes".
I understand John Sandford is really great with characters and focuses on Minnesota. This book did the former (but contains a chief engineer from the latter) but many reviewers thought these characters were not his best. I liked them enough, and look forward to comparing this writing to something he is really known for.