THE SIGSBEE DEEP

Miller’s SF thriller pits humans against nature, including giant, man-eating fish.

In the year 2049, the Earth’s temperature has reached dangerous levels, precipitating a massive earthquake that breaks Pinellas Peninsula off from mainland Florida. Mays Jackson, who runs a salvage business, and his two children, Lily and Cooper, are among the citizens who find themselves suddenly afloat on what is dubbed “New Pinellas Island.” Their attempts to return home are complicated by Krakefish-infested waters: “Some were as big as twenty feet, weighing in at two tons, their mouths three feet wide with rows of razor-sharp teeth. They could eat through fiberglass and wood hulls as easily as biting into an apple.” Three years later, the residents of the island have cobbled together a makeshift society, complete with its own water collection and windmill systems. But Mays and his friend Chris Mann are informed by retired U.S. Navy Capt. Martin Ullman that they are slowly floating toward the Sigsbee Deep, a triangular basin 3 miles below the surface that forms the deepest part of the Gulf of Mexico. Once they hit it, their “island” will sink and all hope will be lost. As Mays and his neighbors scramble to find a way to get everyone back to the mainland before it’s too late, he discovers that giant sea creatures aren’t the only enemy that threatens them. The adrenaline-pumping story features wild inventions (including a giant boat outfitted with spikes and a junkyard submarine), terrifying sea creatures, and a scenery-chomping villain and is furnished with scientific and technical details that successfully contextualize the more outlandish scenarios the author presents. Snappy dialogue (“ ‘Vodka? Where on earth did you find vodka?’ Chris said. ‘I was a seaman for fifty years, Christopher, I don’t find vodka; I make vodka’ ”) and nail-biting suspense keep things moving along at a refreshingly brisk pace even as the novel tackles heavier themes of climate change and humans’ responsibility toward nature.

Engaging characters and nonstop peril make this delightfully campy adventure novel the epitome of a fun summer read.