«Daughter of the Deep» Rick Riordan: a new look at Jules Verne’s classic. ITC.ua review

American writer Rick Riordan is best known for his series of fantasy novels about the teenage demigod Percy Jackson. The author also has various series of books about teenagers and gods from other mythologies. But until recently, I did not know that he has a single novel outside the «Daughter of the Deep» series, dedicated to and inspired by the work of French writer Jules Verne, namely his so-called «Captain Nemo trilogy». In fact, it includes the novels «Children of Captain Grant», «20,000 Leagues Under the Sea», and «Mysterious Island», although Rick Riordan mentions only the last two novels in the preface to his book, but this is a topic for a completely different article. The main thing is that today we are going to talk about a book from the publishing house «Ranok», which combines classic retrofuturism and modern technology, old submarines and artificial intelligence.

«Дочка безодні»

Pluses:

stylish high-quality edition with snow-white paper and a genre cover; an interesting plot with a combination of past and present, artificial intelligence and inventions since the beginning of retrofuturism; three-dimensional, interesting characters that you sympathize with; a well-thought-out twisted plot with constant surprises; the book is easily and vividly written

Minuses:

to fully immerse yourself in the novel, it is advisable to read three Jules Verne novels or at least watch their film adaptations

8.5/10

Rating
ITC.ua

«Daughter of the Deep»

Author Rick Riordan
Translator Svyatoslav Zubchenko
Publisher «Morning»
Language Ukrainian
Number of pages 432
Cover Solid
Year of publication 2023
Size 145×210 mm
Website ranok.com.ua

A first-year student at the Harding Pencroft Maritime Academy named Ana Dakkar is looking forward to the challenging test that awaits students at the end of their first year. But things don’t go according to plan: the heroine and the other students witness a life-changing disaster.

Finding themselves in mortal danger, Ana and her classmates learn that the Academy’s longtime and fierce rival, the Land Institute, is behind the attack. At the center of this confrontation is Ana herself and the mysteries of her origins. To survive, the girl will have to uncover the secrets of her family, show leadership, and learn to accept help from her friends.

From the description of the plot above, you can already understand that «Daughter of the Deep» — is a classic teenage novel by Rick Riordan. This is indeed true, but I remind you that in this case it is a standalone work without sequels, which not everyone likes. At the same time, there are enough pages to tell the story in full, but not to drag it out.

And, as is often the case with teen novels, this one will definitely appeal not only to young people, but also to readers of all ages, especially 30-40+, who once read Jules Verne’s novels at school.

However, «Daughter of the Deep» is more aimed at teenagers, and this is where its problem comes in. Because probably a very small part of modern schoolchildren have read the novels «Children of Captain Grant», «20,000 Leagues Under the Sea» and «Mysterious Island». Or at least one of them. Therefore, even if teenagers are interested in «Daughter of the Deep» and read it, most of the references, explanations, conversations, etc. will not be clear in this case. Will such a reader lose something? Of course. Is it critical for reading? Absolutely not. You just need to understand the current state of affairs, and then see for yourself.

That’s why I recommend reading three fairly large books that are almost 200 years old before reading «Daughter of the Deep» by Rick Riordan. And this, in my opinion, poses a certain problem. At least for teenagers, for sure. Because older readers are mostly familiar with them, and even after all these years, when reading «Daughter of the Deep», they will recall certain moments from those novels, events, characters, etc. as I recalled them. But in my case, it was easier because I used to read each of these novels three times. That’s how I became a fan of this series.

It will also be easier for American teenagers because they have several old classic Disney adaptations of Jules Verne’s novels, which are very popular because people watch them with their children. Our heritage includes several mediocre Soviet films that have definitely not stood the test of time, so we can only remember the original novels by the French writer, or re-read them. Alternatively, you can watch those old American adaptations.

The novel «Daughter of the Deep» is beautifully and easily written. It’s high-quality science fiction with a touch of retrofuturism and steampunk that keeps you hooked until the next chapter. And then another, and another.

Rick Riordan knows how to manipulate the plot, create interesting three-dimensional characters with whom the reader develops almost instant empathy. The author effectively twists the story, occasionally throwing in unconventional twists, mysteries, and dangers. You will definitely like Ana Dakkar and her friends, especially the Afalina named Socrates. And for an interesting read, there are almost no long descriptions, while there is a lot of action, minimal exposition, and intense dialogues.

«Daughter of the Deep» — is a classic adventure novel from childhood that captures your imagination. It is a vivid fantasy, teen sci-fi, and a marathon of characters, places, and stories familiar to all Jules Verne fans.

This book will also appeal to geeks, nerds, and all lovers of technology, mechanisms, and technology because there is a lot of it here. The author interestingly combines artificial intelligence with retrofuturistic inventions, steampunk devices with modern science, various gadgets and strange devices.

The publication itself is stylish and colorful. The cover of the novel immediately attracts attention, as it reveals the genre of the book and the general theme. There is also a cool design of the pages and the beginning of the chapters. We also have thick snow-white paper and silver cuts, which definitely adds style to the book. But the lace was not brought in.

Conclusion:

«Daughter of the Deep» Rick Riordan — is a vivid adventure science fiction novel for all ages. However, the book is primarily intended for teenagers, but they may not understand it because they probably haven't read the Jules Verne novels to which it refers. However, the story is still worth reading because it is well-written and interesting, with elements of steampunk and retrofuturism. The book celebrates technology and geeks, scientists and all kinds of developers, etc. If you, like me, read Jules Verne's novels as a teenager, or have heard a lot about them, or just like everything mentioned above, then be sure to check out «Daughter of the Deep».