Rating: 
Summary: Gripping page turner
Review: As an amateur scuba diver, I picked this book up, as an interesting way to read up on the subject of deep diving.
I was unprepared for the intensity of the story. The tale of ordinary guys, obsessed by discovery. These guys risk life, marriage and sanity to uncover a secret: What submarine is this? They are not chasing treasure, or adventure. They want the long dead German sailors to be known. Their families to know where their loved ones rest. To unravel this mistery, three divers will die in the wreck. Marriages will break up.
The writing is fast paced, but with enough depth on all the major players, so you can care and understand their feelings.
Suffice it to say that, for the two short days that the book lasted me, I read nothing else, and ignored everything not related to it, the story was so compulsively obsessive.
I recommend it highly.
Rating: 
Summary: Obsession Fulfilled
Review: As an experienced open water diver with a number of wreck dives in my log book, I began reading this book with a mixture of excitement and forboding...I was not disappointed on either count. The story related here reveals two men with an obsession for deep wreck diving and a singular determination, almost beyond comprehension, to identify the unknown submarine. Their literal brushes with death during years of dives on this exceptionally dangerous submarine wreck bring their sanity and judgment into question on several occasions, yet for them to have risked less would have left the story incomplete. Their perseverance eventually pays off, at significant personal expense, and the author provides insightful introspection of our divers that tells us about the price of their obsession. There is a very mystery-like quality to this book, yet the stark reality that this is history, not fiction, keeps the reader uniquely poised--wanting the real life mystery to be solved and actual human heroes to survive. Happily, this book gives both.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic story, though badly written
Review: Assuming the embellishment inevitable in such retellings has been kept to a reasonable minimum, this is a fantastic story, no matter how it is told. It is, nonetheless, unfortunate that it is told by such a hack as Kurson. Most passages of the book could pass for winning submissions to a bad writing contest. So, the writing will make you gag, but the story will keep you going. Thus, it would be a good idea to borrow this from the library; it's certainly nothing you'll want to keep on your shelf, but it's a story that you should know, and one that you'll certainly enjoy despite the turgid writing.
Rating:
Summary: Super
Review: Bought it on a whim having no real interest in wreck diving or even scuba diving. It's one of the best whim purchases I've ever made. This book reads like a suspense novel and I couldn't put it down. The story alone is facinating, and Kurson's presentation makes for a wonderful read.
Rating:
Summary: Wow!
Review: I am a history buff, and I have also done my share of diving in quarries looking at sunken boilers and tricycles. Even so, I was surprised when my wife gave me this book as a Christmas gift. I mean, what's this?
Well, someone certainly gave her good advice. The story itself is gripping, with somewhat unexpected twists and turns throughout. In fact, the commitment shown by Kohler and Chatterton is downright inspiring.
What really stands out is Kurson's efforts in authoring this piece. I had never read any of his work prior to Shadow Divers, but this book is elegantly written and his story construction is perfect. I will be looking for more from him. Shadow Divers is the prototypical "pick up and don't put down" work of art.
By the way, I saw a "downstream" review talking about "vile language" or some such description. Let me say this:The book is 350 pages long and I finished it less than a day prior to writing this review, and I cannot think of a SINGLE instance of "profanity" in this book. Maybe I am one of those "Yankees headed to hell", with no sensitivity to that sort of thing.
IF there is any language in the book that offends the ultra-sensitive among us, give Kurson credit for being true to the story.
Rating:
Summary: A Fantastic, Real-Life Mystery
Review: I first came across an excerpt of this book in a magazine and was fascinated by the story. I couldn't wait to read the entire book. It turned out to be everything I hoped it would be.
On one level, it is a real-life mystery story. A group of divers find a wreck in the waters off New Jersey that no one has ever seen before. It turns out to be a German U-boat. No German U-boat is recorded as having been sunk anywhere near the site of the wreck. Over the course of a number of years clues are uncovered, research is done, wrong paths are followed and truth is unraveled until, finally, proof is brought up from the bottom of the Atlantic. It is a fascinating tale.
On another level, it is a story of diving and, more importantly, the men who do the diving. Some of the fascination in a book like this, at least for me, is the ability to glimpse a world I will never know. Part of me longs to walk Antarctica like Scott & Amundsen or dive for sunken ships like the men in this book, but I know I will never do it. For me, what must surely be the extraordinary highs of deep-sea diving will never compensate for the risk involved. And yet, it is thrilling at least to live the life vicariously through a story like this.
We learn the difficulties and, sometimes, horrors of diving to depths of 200 feet or more. It doesn't seem like much but only a handful of divers have the ability to go this far under the ocean. Bill Nagle, John Chatterton and Richie Kohler are men who have this skill. We learn about their lives, the close-knit and often alien culture of divers and what drives them to risk their lives (and, in a some cases as we see up close in this book, lose their lives). We see the search to name this U-boat become an obsession for Chatterton and Kohler and share with them the excitement of their search and ultimate success.
Kurson does an excellent job of telling the story. His prose allows us to participate in the journey, scared, amazed, sickened and elated as the moment warrants. He lets the clues unfold and doesn't give away the answer until the time is right. It is a wonderful book well worth reading.
Rating:
Summary: A pleasant surprise
Review: I received this book for Christmas and didn't think much of it until I read the first little bit. I was hooked immediately.
I had no idea there was so much to deep sea diving. My most enjoyable chapters were the individual chapters on Chatterton and Koehler. Their "characters" were developed extremely well (usually the most boring part of any book). I guess it doesn't hurt that these guys are likable and their personal qualities admirable.
The story was a bit long-winded when describing the obsession with which Chatterton and Koehler pursued the identification of the sub, but that didn't last long and every other part of the book was well written.
If you like all of the must-read non-fiction books (Perfect Storm, BlackHawk Down, Killing Pablo, Isaac's Storm, Johnstown Flood, Flags of our Fathers, Jarhead, Ghost Soldiers, Endurance, etc), you'll like this. It's definitely in that league of greatness.
Rating:
Summary: True life action adventure!
Review: My reading tastes have always been fiction: action, adventure, thrillers, and since going away to college two years ago I have not had time for any fun reading, But started this book last week and then could not put it down. It is TRUE action adventure!This is the story of two deep sea wreck divers who dive into a long lost wreck in over 200 feet of water, which they identify as a German U-boat. The book follows the lives of these two men as they attempt to discover the identity of the U-boat and discover things about themselfs. There lives are greatly changed by the discovery, Jobs changed, marriages lost, diving companions killed on the wreck, and lost to the bottle. The story is more than just about the men's dives on the wreck and there attempt to discover its identity, and the adventure involved in such an endeavor, but also about the characters (which are rich in this story) involved, the history behind the boat and Hitlers 3rd Riech. there is so much to learn on every page. In the end though it is the under water action that kept me enthralled. If you read this book you will gain an appreciation of the wonders and dangers of deep water diving.
Rating:
Summary: Real life thriller!!!!
Review: My reading tastes have always been fiction: thrillers, mysteries, and Romance because I like to escape. My Husband recommended this book though and I started it last week and then could not put it down. It is a TRUE thriller! This is the story of two deep sea wreck divers who dive into a long lost wreck in over 200 feet of water, which they identify as a German U-boat. The book follows the lives of these two men as they attempt to discover the identity of the U-boat and discover things about themselfs. There lives are greatly changed by the discovery, Jobs changed, marriages lost, diving companions killed on the wreck, and lost to the bottle. The story is more than just about the men's dives on the wreck and there attempt to discover its identity, and the adventure involved in such an endeavor, but also about the characters (which are rich in this story) involved, the history behind the boat and Hitlers 3rd Riech. there is so much to learn on every page. In the end though it is the under water action that kept me enthralled. If you read this book you will gain an appreciation of the wonders and dangers of deep water diving.
Rating:
Summary: Incredible
Review: One of the best true stories I have ever read. It is gripping and heart rendering; I could hardly put it down. The author has captured all the emotions of the divers and captured the heart of the crew of the "U-who" as well. A must read.
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