WIne Dark Deep (Book 1) By R. Peter Keith - A Hard Sci-Fi Novella Packed Full Of Greatness!

Wine Dark Deep: Wine Dark Deep Book 1 By R. Peter Keith

I downloaded this book for free from Kindle Unlimited and am leaving this review voluntarily.

A couple of weeks ago, I realized I actually had a little time to read something that I wanted to read for a change. I had no promises for reviews and was between Honor Harrington books for the podcast, so I could just read for fun. I searched through my Kindle library to see if there was anything there I’d been putting off. I found this one that has been sitting on my reader for a few months. Seeing it was only 144 pages, decided to give it a look.

Wine Dark Deep is the first of a set of three novellas and is the story of a mission commander working to avert disaster for his ship and crew. There is a lot in this story, and it moves at a breakneck pace. It is full of easy-to-understand hard science and focuses on the main character's exploits to keep from being marooned in our solar system’s asteroid belt.

I read it in two sittings, loved it, and am looking forward to the next two installments of the series.

Ulysses mission commander, Calvin Scott, awaits a delivery of fuel as his ship runs dangerously low. He learns that the crew of the Ceres mining station, where his fuel is expected to arrive from, is no longer serving Earth-based ships. It seems the people who live and work on the asteroid have decided they are not being properly represented back home and are making their point by taking over from their bosses.

Whether Cal agrees with the dissenters or not, he has a ship and crew depending on him for their survival in deep space, and far as he is concerned, failure is not an option. His solution is to take the Ulysses to Ceres and get the fuel he needs by any means necessary.

The principal character of Wine Dark Deep, Calvin Scott, is a take charge commander who puts the safety of his ship and crew above all else. When the fuel wouldn't come to him, he knew he needed to go and get it to complete the mission as well as simply survive. What I liked most about him was how cool he was under fire. He understands that launching into a panic will not solve the problem. He would prefer not to get into a squabble with the rebellious workers on the asteroid but is quite capable of doing so if necessary.

I am hoping for more development of this character as we revisit him in future novellas.

My favorite point of plot for this story is how well the technology is handled. This is hard sci-fi, but any reader should be able to access what is contained in this novel easily enough.

My takeaway from Wine Dark Deep is to remember that sometimes, if a job needs doing, one must do it themselves.

I immensely enjoyed this opening story of the Wine Dark Deep trilogy. There isn't a lot of fluff in the book and the fast pace of the story will drive a reader to finish it quickly. The blurb states the story is inspired by The Expanse, Star Trek, and The Martian. It is clear to see the influences of all three of those franchises contained in these pages. Cal is as professional as Kirk, the workers on the asteroid seek the equality enjoyed by everyone else as in the Expanse novels, and the element of survival in an extremely hostile environment comes from The Martian.

As mentioned before, it is a fast read and most will want to read this in one sitting. It is available to borrow on Kindle Unlimited, and if one chooses, it is available for the Kindle for $1.

I recommend Wine Dark Deep for fans of Science Fiction and Space Opera.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

R. Peter Keith is the creative director of a NASA Space Act Agreement partner company that specializes in the design, fabrication, and exhibition of museum exhibits and interactive experiences. He's flown the NASA-Langley Lunar Lander Simulator to a landing in front of the Moon McDonalds (there really is a McDonalds on the moon in that NASA simulator, he has pics) and has spent time inside an original Apollo LM and the Orion Spacecraft with one of its engineers.

Keith collaborated with NASA to produce a simulation-Based exhibition that focused on the basic concepts of spaceflight and their possible application in the colonization of our solar system. On its premier, the exhibition broke all attendance records for Space Center Houston, the official NASA Visitor Center for the Johnson Space Center, home of the astronaut program.

The many long, thoughtful, and technical conversations with NASA experts and advisors from Houston, Langly, and JPL that occurred during the creation of this exhibition and its seven simulators and related programs provided the germ of the idea that became the Wine Dark Deep series.

Keith lives in Vermont with his wife, kids, and dogs. He has hung on to an old car for so long it has become cool again and has done the same with a few pairs of pants. He has an unreasonable love for all speculative fiction, having grown up with both classic literary and film works as well as the wonders of Marvel Comics, Star Trek, and Star blazers. He's an avid video game fan as well as a voracious reader.