Rating: 
Summary: quite good
Review: I would like to defend this novel. The review below this mentioned big holes in the story line. All those that this reviewer mentioned were not holes at all. The reader is simply not a very good reader. Branch was inoculated in Antartica. Thomas was also inoculated in Antartica. I would imagine that the distance and rock and whatever protected Ali from the biological gas. Branch was attacked by a whole group of hadal, cut up etc. Prolonged contact with them seemed to transform humans mostly to that thing mentioned later about the transference of energy from the hadal head to the japanese scientist. This was the best book I've read in months if not this year
Rating: 
Summary: Hang on tight for a gripping ride!
Review: What a satisfying read. I, too, am a voracious reader (3 novels over Labor Day--inc this one), and I'd like to heartily recommend The Descent. Many twists & turns--I love it when I can't figure out where we're going with something. This book is quite original, taking us down roads (literally & figuratively) that we don't ususally go. I'm still sorting through some of the philosophical/religious themes and still processing some rather unusual images (my dreams were a little screwy last night, actually). Definite page turner! It works on so many levels.
Rating: 
Summary: vast subject, vacant characters
Review: Simply put, the subject became bigger than its author. As a result, there was little character development, plot, or cohesiveness. The first chapter is a great set-up. A group of upscale, precocious kids pay big bucks for an environmental odyssey, and end up having to take shelter from an unanticipated snow storm in a strange cave filled with bizaar artifacts. So far so good. I begin the next chapter hoping to find out more about the fate of the kids and their tour guides. Instead, I'm drug from one corner of the earth to the next as a sinister subsurface society begins to assert itself...along with a whole new cast of characters at every turn. Events are fired like shrapnel as I'm left hanging. Each new chapter is like a new book. I was exhausted just trying to keep up. Okay, enough said. I guess Im just a sucker for emotional depth...even if its in hell itself.
Rating:
Summary: Incredible read!
Review: What a great book! I enjoyed it very much. No, it wasn't what I thought it was going to be, but that's good, because it was actually more than I had expected! A modern-day "Journey to the Center of the Earth". Great characters, harrowing adventure, and something for the mind to mull over aftewards. I read the first chapter late at night. Not a good idea. I was afraid to turn off the lights! If there's a sequel, will defintely read it.
Rating:
Summary: Great book with a lot of big holes in the storyline.
Review: This book was exciting, bold, and a great read. The ideas proposed were great. However, there were too many holes in the story (warning;spoilers ahead) such as:What caused Branch's initial mutation as he never was below the surface and was never in contact with the hadals? Why did Branch live after the poison was released? There was no mention of him being inoculated. Why did Thomas not die of the poison? What was the purpose of the adoption scene in China? What happened to January? Why did Ali live after the release of the poison gas? For a gifted writer like Long, I am surprised. Jeff, I'd love for you to contact me and explain you rational.
Rating:
Summary: A Most Excellent Adventure into the Intellectual Dark Side.
Review: In many instances "The Descent" is one of the most intellectual books I've read. The depth of knowledge Mr. Long brings to this book is wonderfully refreshing. From Mythology, Religion, Philosophy, and History...the reader is taken on a journey through a wonderful tale of the Unknown.
Rating:
Summary: great book!
Review: Picked up the book yesterday and just read non-stop until the end. Awesome, very detailed, chock full of plot twists and surprises...I loved the book! I just wish that Jeff Long made it a bit longer to delve into the development of his characters. I was left wanting to know more about them~ I hope there's a sequel planned, for it was an excellent book.
Rating:
Summary: Measures up to his usally descriptive prose.
Review: THE DESCENT measures up to his wonderfully descriptive, usual prose. I felt I was part of the expedition. Noted some autobiographical stuff, eg, Makalu, Kora:"Ike had broken her heart because he was Ike-- a drifter on life's stream" Question of why he called expedition "HELIOS"? It's paradoxical that Helios is a holistic health center in Boulder. is it merely coincidence? Good luck, Jeff, Marge
Rating:
Summary: Underground Terror
Review: Not since the book "Tales of Dirt, Danger, and Darkness" have I read a book that so vividly describes the terrors lurking underground. Keep the lights on when reading this book! A great read.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best books I've read in a long time!
Review: I could not put this book down. It had it all. Truly one of the best books I've read in a long time, since King's It, or The Stand. Great action, but was also able to get inside the characters. If the book had a downfall, in my opinion, it was one too many plot "twists".
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