This book was really a two room play(the spaceship and the mining colony). I didn't feel it was overly original nor did I think that the motivations of those people living on the meteor were fully flushed out enough to warrant their "uprising". Most of the story was people shouting at each other in conference rooms or on communication devices and the action was sub-par. I cannot say I hated the book because it was a quick read although I cannot give it a positive review either. I also have an issue with the main character committing violence against a woman. I do not think that it was in character and also I do not think it was warranted.

I started this a long time ago, and something must have happened and got in the way since I must have forgotten about it, but I’m glad I picked it up again. Read it in one day. Very realistic, and it was easy to imagine being there, viewing the icy plains of Ceres, or hobbling in zero gee, which is sometimes just what I love about scifi, it takes you to different worlds. Enjoyed it.

I was in the mood for some hard sci-fi, and Wine Dark Deep certainly delivered on that front.
Although I enjoyed this book, as the plot propelled along and dragged me with it, I found the character development to be sorely lacking. The dialogue in parts was a little clunky, and was relied upon to provide exposition / science detail (especially at the beginning).
I tend to prefer my narratives to be more character driven, so knowing a bit more of the background and personality even of just Cal would have been helpful for me.
That said, even with little background knowledge, I found myself really drawn into the science side of this novella - and I desperately wanted to know what would happen next all the way through.
This is the first in the series, and it's possible characters will be fleshed out further as it goes along.
The ending felt rather abrupt, but wasn't enough of a cliffhanger to make me urgently want to read the next book, unfortunately - if I get an all-consuming need for hard sci-fi that really plunges into the science again though, I will definitely consider the second book to meet that urge.
2.5 rounded up to 3 stars.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the Author R. Peter Keith for the opportunity to read this book.

This is the first in a three part book series. This first segment is pretty short, but that makes it a quick interesting read. The series is based on hard science fiction with detailed descriptions of the science behind the story elements. Nevertheless, I think the author does a good job of character development and keeping the story moving at a good pace even with the short chapters.

The story itself revolves around the conflict between a resource colony on the dwarf planet Ceres and Earth, and the impact on the Ulysses, a spaceship short on supplies needed for continuing their mission. The Ulysses, one of the most advanced starships in the solar system becomes a pawn in the Ceres schemes against Earth's "Mother Companies" industrial conglomerates.

Fast paced, entertaining story telling.

Wine Dark Deep is the opening novella of R. Peter Keith’s yet-to-be-concluded space opera series, Wine Dark Deep. The first three volumes, including Encounter at Jupiter and The Odyssey, were released simultaneously. All are tightly coupled, and should be read in order. I will warn you now that the end of this opening novella is abrupt, concluding the action, but without concluding any of the characters’ stories.

It is a future setting on board a crewed science mission to Jupiter, and on a crewed mining facility on the asteroid Ceres. I enjoyed the detail with which the gravitational effects and perils in these settings are worked out. The use of contemporary NASA vocabulary and specific numerical parameters helps with the plausibility of such a story, although I have to say that realistically I would expect there to be more evolution of terminology over the century or so needed to reach the time of the story. But the language does create a near-future realism. But rubber tires? Rubber? Natural rubber comes from rubber trees, and synthetic rubber is a petroleum product – neither of which can be found on Ceres.

The characters are particularly flat, playing their parts in the action, but little else. This series opens as hard-sf, so characters are not the main concern, but anything more about them would be helpful. Later volumes evolve into plot-driven space opera, which is more scientifically forgiving – but character development will be needed.

I received ebook advance reader copies of volumes 1-3 from Uphill Downhill Press (the author’s own company) and Smith Publicity through netgalley in exchange for honest reviews. All three books were released on 12 October 2020.

This was a very quick Sci-fi read but I see it’s part of a series and I’m hooked. I liked the fact that there were technical scientific explanations and I found the characters very engaging. A tense finale rounded off the book perfectly for me.

After I received this novel from NetGalley, I was quite surprised to discover that it was only 149 pages - more of a novella. I was then looking forward to a quick ready - which it was, but I'm sorry to say it was not enjoyable.

In order to keep the story moving swiftly (and thus the page count low, I suppose), the author completely sacrifices any character development or backstory for plot. If the plot was interesting, this choice would be merely regrettable for this reader, alas, the plot in question is chock-ful of technical jargon, physics, and mathematical calculations, and as a result reads more like a treatise rather than a story - ESPECIALLY populated with characters I made absolutely no connection to (due to the whole lack of backstory or development, or indeed, any actual characterization).

It's possibly one of the dullest things I've ever read - and I am left scratching my head at why bother making it a trilogy if Part One came in at only 149 pages. Wouldn't it make sense to write the entire thing and release it as a 350 page book?

This was a really interesting book! It has a lot of really plausible science and technology, and a look at some near future political possibilities with space stations trying to emancipate. The story is told with a light touch, so the grim moments don't dip into horror. It's more of a dashing space cowboy heist tale, and highly enjoyable with it!

There are certain books that are difficult to review because they were so good and there was so much going on that you want to be able to do all of it justice. Problem is, most times you can't, but I will try very hard to see if I can do just that.

Wine Dark Deep by R. Peter Keith is also a tough book to categorize. Part space opera, part SF noir, part military SF, and all action-packed goodness, making this a one of a kind reading experience that leaves you breathless and utterly exhausted by the end. I really had a fun time with it and there are so many elements that hit the correct chords for me that I'll go over just a few of them.

First, the technology is just off the charts impressive in scope. Keith has done his homework when it comes to creating an original and mind-blowing tech that is unlike anything I've read before. The next thing that really makes Wine Dark Deep a cut above many other books is the absolute breakneck action that does not let up for a singe chapter. There was not a moment that I ever felt comfortable or that things calmed down and allowed me to catch my breath. It felt like the best action movie I'd ever seen playing out in my mind every time I picked up the book. I can't emphasize enough how crazy the action sequences are and how they made me nervous, anxious, and downright frightened for the characters at times.

There are very few books that will engage you the way that this one day. HIGHLY recommend.

Wine Dark Deep is a wonderful read.

It has the hard science of 'The Martian' and authors like Ben Bova and Larry Niven, while also incorporating the nail-biting, edge of your seat thrills of shows like Cowboy Bebop or Star Wars. It's a fast read, more of a novella, and thankfully parts 2 & 3 are also available without a long wait in between books.

While reading I was really reminded of Space 1999, Silent Running and 2001 A Space Odyssey.
Ships don't shoot lasers that go 'pew-pew' and make abrupt course corrections and sweeping dogfight manuvers ala Star Wars, but instead use actual real physics for their flight, and gravity for the crew. Space is silent....huge, cold, and also beautiful.

The Ulysses is the spacecraft in the story. A deep space interplanetary exploration ship traveling to Jupiter. But, when she comes to her preselected refueling point for the final push to Jupiter. The refueling tankers...aren't there....

Wine Dark Deep is the story of the lengths that the Captain and crew of the Ulysses will go to in order to fulfill their mission and great scientific adventure. But, also the story of what the people withholding the tankers of fuel to ensure that mission's success are enduring, and what 'they' are also willing to do in order for 'their' successful endeavors to divest themselves of a distant Earth's influence and capitalistic greed.

Greatful to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this first book of the Wine Dark Deep series and now i'm going to go find Books 2 & 3 to find out exactly what happens with the crew of the Ulysees.

I liked it. Keith wrote an enjoyable, and accessible, sci-fi that should appeal to both newcomers and experienced readers looking for a lighter / shorter read. Strong action sequences and solid characterization moved the plot forward and maintained my interest in the story.

Unfortunately, this book just didn’t quite work for me. Since it was only 149 pages, I decided to power through but I did seriously consider DNF’ing it at about 30% in because I was so BORED.

Calvin Scott is the captain of the spaceship Ulysses, which was on a mission to survey a planet (if I remember correctly). The asteroid base they needed to stop at for refueling decided they were going to rebel against the corporations and they weren’t going to refuel the Ulysses. Cal Scott decided that wasn’t going to fly, so he decided to take matters into his own hands and went down to the asteroid base to negotiate or take the fuel by force. All by himself. 

The whole story was just a little ridiculous. Like, this Cal Scott guy is apparently such a wildcard he could mess up the entire rebellion by himself. Even though his ship is basically stranded because they need fuel. Also, the rebellion was such a joke - horribly planned, the people weren’t really that committed, and honestly that probably made it more realistic. For some reason the story and characters (mostly Cal Scott) were so cringey. 

This is a series I won’t be continuing for obvious reasons. I just didn’t like it and thought it was boring. Even when the action started, I just kind of chuckled and thought it would be a marvelously bad movie starring Tom Hardy because the MC didn’t talk very much and just I kept skimming along.

Not bad, not great. Good premise, but a bit disjointed, and not always engaging. It's a short read and the first of 3, and not surprisingly doesn't resolve everything in a tidy knot. Let's see how the series pans out.

Thanks very much for the review copy!!

I got intrigued by the pitch of Wine Dark Deep: "Equal parts The Martian, Star Trek, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress and The Expanse". Of these four, I love 3, and I'm neutral about the fourth (I probably read it at some point, but I don't remember anything about it). That, plus an intriguing title, made me ask for a review copy on NetGalley, and be happy when I got it.

In Wine Dark Deep, some parts of the solar system are somewhat settled; Ceres is used as a refueling base for ships that go for a longer journey. The Ulysses is such a ship - destination Jupiter, for a scientific mission, and gets quite annoyed when the Ceres base refuses their refueling, for reasons that are initially unclear. A tug of war ensues between the two factions and we follow in particular Cal Scott, the captain of the Ulysses, and Helen Donovan, who's part of the Ceres colony.

I usually see myself as someone who loves all the "space details" that make me feel like a book is believable and well-researched - that go beyond the handwavy "yeah, we have cool engines and we can go to space today". I will admit that the level of these details in Wine Dark Deep was too much for me, especially since it seemed to come at the detriment of character development. I had a very hard time caring for any of these characters and what they were doing, and no amount of nerdy details could compensate for that.

Wine Deep Dark is the first part of a three-part story, and it's possible that the following parts alleviate the issues that I have with the first part, but I also regret to say that I will not try to find out by reading them.

I received a copy of this for review from the publisher via NetGalley for a honest opinion.
You know the feeling, when you have the team that can win the match for you but it falters at so many steps that it stresses you out? Well I have so many mixed feelings for the book that am actually confused.
It's a good story, the concept is intriguing, the plot is there but i felt that it was lacking enough information. Yes the hero is the captain, yes there are individuals who think he is dangerous but why? What did he do, where did he proved himself? Where is the back story for that? An AI that can do so much at such a short time?
Yet this book has many merits, fast paced, short chapters, as this is a series I definitely would want to go through book 2 before deciding on the next steps but for this one, yes it's good enough for a quick fast paced action, ignore the missing details, go for it.

this was a really good read, it was a fun scifi novel the characters were great and I really enjoyed going on the journey. I look forward to more from the author.

Interesting tale, but confusingly told.

No info dump in the beginning is nice, but info dumps have a purpose - to convey what we need (perhaps) to know, and without one I felt wholly stranded in this universe, unclear who the characters were, their motivations, and generally their entire reason for being near a planet without fuel.

The author (male) also had a very weird fascination for describing female hair? Auburn tresses is a phrase that I've not heard in a long while when describing the looks of a female space doctor, but by golly it was here! Look, I get that you want to accurately describe your crew but I found it odd that none of the male characters were given such flowing locks, when each and every female had such a head of hair that would make Rapunzel glow with envy.

I DNF'd, I have too many books to read and this one was confusing and the hair thing really got me.

This was pretty quick to read! It really only focuses on this refueling situation, so it felt almost like an episode of a TV show. I did like that there was an AI (Odysseus) in the story. However, I feel like this snapshot of the world was just not quite enough for me. I generally don't have the best sense of any of the characters, aside from (maybe) the captain.

I did feel a bit confused while reading this, as we're just thrown right in to the world. I do wonder if it would be better to read all of this series at once. On its own, I'm not sure the story was enough to be particularly memorable for me.

All this being said, if you're interested in a more episodic sci-fi, this might work for you.

I received a copy of this for review from the publisher via NetGalley - thank you! All opinions are my own.

My video review can be seen on my channel (around minutes 3:55-5:41 of this video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIAVTt2RnQc&t=1420s

After a slow start, the novel turns into a race against the odds for the crew of the Ulysses as they orbit Ceres.

Captain Cal Scott is a man with a mission, and nothing will stop him from getting to Jupiter.

I liked the fast pace and short chapters giving us a sense of urgency. The science seems totally plausible and falls in the hard sci-fi category, with lots of descriptions and details.

I really enjoyed my ride and am looking forward the next part of the series!

Being a space-freak and a nerd who often gets his kicks by exploring and learning all that he can about the universe and its elements, reading a hard space science action can be a very overwhelming experience for him. Being that nerd, I never miss any opportunity to read such science fiction. The last space science fiction I read was Andy Weir's 'Artemis' where I explored and experienced the premise that was set on the moon. And now, in R. Peter Keith's 'Wine Dark Deep', I got to read a very intriguing story which was set on Ceres—the largest asteroid in the asteroid bet, millions of miles away from our mother Earth.

The story revolves around Calvin Scott and his crew who were on the scientific exploration voyage on their interplanetary spacecraft, Ulysses. In the middle of the voyage, they needed to refuel their spacecraft and Ceres was their only hope if they didn't want to return Earth. But the people on Ceres have other plans and their rebellion acts simply conveyed that they didn't want to help Earth anymore and wanted to develop independently from the earth. In the middle of such political conflicts and conspiracies, Cal couldn't risk his mission to go in vain and puts himself among the rebellions and that leads the story to take the most exciting and thrilling turns.

There's no second opinion if either I enjoyed it or not, I certainly found it very exhilarating. The start was a bit slow for me, but as soon as Cal gets down on Ceres, things started moving at a great pace. The author successfully managed to create that constant rush where I could not help but wonder about what would happen next. My favorite part was the chase between rovers and Cal's escape plan—which was quite insane. It was a very intense reading experience which gave me many thrills and goosebumps through its plot development, the narration and premise building was at it's best as well, even I like the scientific description of the places and processes, but that can also be its down point for the readers who may not have enough idea about space and technologies related to it. Ordinary readers may probably find it overly descriptive, but yes, people who are completely into space and exploration would certainly enjoy this read.

If there were ten elements in the book then I loved and enjoyed nine of them, but the one that I think the author should consider is its characterization. There were many characters like Helen, Paul Arthur, Henry and Sarah, and as a reader, I could not find them enough engaging in the matter of their background. Sometimes we read characters and we know who they are, where they come from, and what's makes them exceptional as an Individual character and that was missing in this book. This was just the first book of the series, and characterization is not the matter if the author has worked on it in the following two books of the series.

Overall, it has all the elements that a science-fiction reader will love to read and it's also quite challenging when certain descriptions and animation in the scenes demand some extra imagination muscles to picture it in the reader's mind. If one can obtain that imagination state than this will be no less than an insane science-fiction movie. I will highly recommend it to people who prefer intense and hard space science-fiction.

The book series is going to release on 12th of October and I wish the author good luck for this journey and the success of the book series.