Deep Six: Just Cause Universe, Book 4
By: Ian Thomas Healy / Narrated By: Leslie Howard
Length: 9 hrs and 22 mins
My very first superheroes audiobook!!!
I received a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. That I was offered a variety of free audiobooks had me going for a genre I NEVER would’ve tried had a credit or money been at stake. So I was very, very excited to dive into Deep Six by Ian Thomas Healy. And while I wasn’t super-thrilled, I was quite entertained: It was a quick 9 hour jaunt into a different universe.
Katie is a Corrections Officer who requests a transfer from her Ohio prison facility to Deep Six—the facility that incarcerates those who have special powers and need MAXIMUM security measures. On her first day, she helps transfer the ultra-evil Misrule, dastardly man extraordinaire. He’s willingly put himself into the hands of authorities, and that’s where the mayhem starts.
The problem with the book is that it’s pretty hammy. There’s some writing where “leers cross demonic visages” and some individuals who are solely caricatures of evil. Plus, it’s got a heavy Die Hard element going on where Katie and another CO are behind enemy lines, so to speak, and get all crazy and crafty in foiling Misrule’s mighty plans.
The superheroes are beyond underdogs. They’re pretty feckless, but that’s what made Katie likable. She’s so down to earth with her paltry finger-lighting powers, that you root for her as she hatches schemes and plans. So she did some shining whereas the superheroes did some whining. They really weren’t showcased that much, as it turns out superheroes are pretty low-key, pretty high-maintenance.
I listened carefully to the sample before choosing Deep Six, and I thought I’d be okay with Leslie Howard as a narrator. Uhm, no. I was not. At least for the first two-thirds of the book. She has a low voice, kind of a glorified whisper, and she made no attempt to differentiate characters’ voices. The men, the women, the superheroes, the super villains all sounded the same. I almost dozed off during the first third of the book because they all had that low, throaty whisper. But at least Howard got caught up in the drama and the fun of the last third, and she did some pretty heavy-duty Misrule bellowing and cursing.
Speaking of cursing: expect a mild, mild smattering of it. I only point it out because it’s so far between that I wondered why it was used at all. I don’t mind swearing; I just find it weird when it sticks out.
So, for my first superheroes audiobook, it was a decent ride. Not as outlandish as I’d hoped for, and I don’t think I’ll be looking for any more of the characters in the Just Universe, but it was definitely entertaining enough to listen to all within one day.
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