Asimov Science Fiction Readers’ Choice, and RT Reviewers’ Choice.
Hurtling through the blackness of space, Boss detects a mysterious blip from an unknown source that sets her heart pounding… pursue it—off the grid and under the Empire’s radar.
Boss’s discovery leads her and her team to the Room of Lost Souls. Boss remembers the Room. It haunts her. Her mother died there. Now, a client wants her to go back to help uncover the Room’s mysteries. But the truths they discover might destroy everything Boss holds sacred.
Because the more they discover, the less they realize they know—and the more it will cost them all.
Read all 8 novels in the Diving Universe!
Diving Into the Wreck
City of Ruins
Boneyards
Skirmishes
The Falls
The Runabout
Searching for the Fleet
The Renegat
“This is classic sci-fi, a well-told tale of dangerous exploration. The first-person narration makes the reader an eyewitness to the vast, silent realms of deep space, where even the smallest error will bring disaster. Compellingly human and technically absorbing, the suspense builds to fevered intensity, culminating in an explosive yet plausible conclusion.”
—RT Book Reviews Top Pick
“Diving into the Wreck has much to offer, including what even Boss—the avid researcher into lost forms of science—describes as ‘secrets which, if understood, can teach us more about ourselves than any science can.’”
—Locus Magazine
“Rusch delivers a page-turning space adventure while contemplating the ethics of scientists and governments working together on future tech.”
—Publisher’s Weekly
Kristine Kathryn Rusch is a New York Times bestselling author whose fiction has won dozens of awards and critical accolades.
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I love this series. The characters and plot are terrific. Each book in the series is a fast fun read.
This is a science fiction adventure that reads like a ghost story. The heroine, usually referred to as “Boss”, makes her living “diving” on old spaceship wrecks, exploring the detritus of 5000 years of humanity out among the stars. She’s an odd bird. When she was a young child, her mother and her entered a place called “The Room of Lost Souls” on an abandoned space station and her mother never came out again. Her father abandoned her to her grandparents who were less than happy to be responsible for a grandchild who’s trauma had produced emotional issues. So Boss is very much a secretive loner making her living in a very dangerous line of work, bringing people around her only because it is necessary for safety in these dives.
The novel focuses on the consequences of finding a 5000 year old ship where it had no business being. It’s a ship with an abandoned military stealth technology that Boss’ nation is secretly trying to rediscover so it can pick up a stalled war with its major enemy. And that is the crux of the story. What is the stealth technology? How does it do what it does? And why does it horribly kill just about everyone who comes into contact with it—except Boss? Add in one of the galaxy’s worst fathers and a superrich businesswoman with her own set of daddy issues and you have a really exciting tale, yet none of that explains why this is a great story. I think that the novel succeeds not because of its fantastic plot and mystery, but because Rusch brilliantly creates the tone of an old fashioned ghost story to reveal layer by layer what is going on as she tries to pierce the mystery of The Room of Lost Souls that sits at the heart of the entire mystery. Where do people who enter the room go? And is there any way for Boss to find her mother again?
I get claustrophobic at just the thought of cave diving. This book elicited the same feeling but in space.
Really great POV switching. Characters are well formed and quirky. A delight to get to know.
good world building and interesting concepts
First of a series of eight books (so far), it takes an interesting idea and develops it cleverly. This is a very good hard SF that covers some classic themes but from an altogether original point of view. There is the grand “space opera” background (not enough developed, in my humble opinion, but there is time in the following episodes), onto which futuristic archeology is grafted. Characters are well described although the terse prose seems like a polish metal surface: beautiful but without traits.
So what would space travel look like 5000 years from now? What new kinds of industries would spring up with the increase of space travel and working in space. This is an original story that portrays a possible future, which, of course, is fraught with the same age-old problems that have plagued humanity since time began.
This could have been a great story, but somehow it became boring.
Perhaps not the most realistic take for a space based Sci-Fi, but it is an interesting twist on space exploration.
Somewhat like tornado chasers, these deep space divers are motivated not by greed, but curiosity (and personal trauma). Gutsy and smart, without the bravado that masks realistic fear, I enjoyed this read.
I loved the sense of mystery in this book. I read a lot of sci fi, and when I find a book that pulls me in and makes me want to know more about the world, it’s a great experience. This one was a lot of fun.
An enjoyable read. Good characters, believable and consistent. Good story which I think I would like to continue with in the next volumes.
Great book. This got me started on the series, which has been hard to put down. Just finished the fourth in the series.
Good book
I have read this author since I first saw her in Analog. Her characters have depth and plots take little twists and turns.
don’t think i will be able to finish. Uses 10 words when one would do. With sever editing this could be a 5-star book
Not your typical space opera. This story grabbed me from page one. The world building was great. Characters were complex.
The setting and plot were original.
Check it out
This is science fiction; however, the story focuses on the people. The author explores both positive and negative feelings and reactions to the experiences of the characters. Would like to read more.
I really enjoyed Diving into the Wreck. The author constructed a first rate backdrop in this novel. The science is good. The characters are all three dimensional humans with faults and strengths. The interplay of the characters is realistic and this helped me understand them and their motivations. It looks to me that there is lots more stories to tell so I’ll be reading all the books in the series. I recommend this book to anyone that enjoys good science fiction
reminded me of EA Poe – obsessed by death, putting life in suspension, the ordinary universe only existing as a kind of memorial – it seemed very appropriate for the quiet world of covid 19
Another attempt of creating a tech-heavy, sci-fi world but with no heart.