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The Dig
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15 new or used available from $0.94
Average customer review:
Product Description
When a mysterious asteroid threatens to collide with Earth, a space shuttle is sent to "nudge" it into a safe orbit. Venturing to the asteroid's surface, three crew members become trapped as the asteroid leaves orbit, transporting them to a strange planet years away. To find their way home, the crew must embark on a riddle-filled expedition whose answers will save them or kill them. 2 cassettes.
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #1905797 in Books
- Published on: 1996-02-01
- Formats: Abridged, Audiobook
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 2
- Binding: Audio Cassette
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
When a mile-wide asteroid appears in orbit around Earth, ex-astronaut Boston Low is called on to return to space and nudge the monster into a stable position. When he, a journalist and a scientist investigate the asteroid's surface, they enter a time and place of mystery, danger and revelation: the planet Cocytus, once home to an intelligent race but now a haunted museum to their incredibly advanced civilization. An epic science fiction adventure too big for even Steven Spielberg to bring to the screen!
From Publishers Weekly
That this isn't an everyday SF novel is evident from the book's credits: "LucasArts Entertainment Company presents The Dig, by Alan Dean Foster, based on a story by Sean Clark, inspired by Steven Spielberg." The text reveals that, in fact, this is scarcely a novel at all; rather, it's a computer adventure game?specifically, The Dig, available later this year on CD-ROM for PCs?translated onto the page. The premise is simple: a party of astronauts travels to an asteroid that has veered too close to Earth; when they set off atomic charges to spin the rock into a stable orbit, they uncover a deserted alien civilization and go exploring. Foster (Mid-Flinx, Forecasts, Oct.16), who's an old hand at adaptations (Alien 3, etc.), doesn't get past Go here, as he's roundly defeated by stock characters?a phlegmatic German scientist, an ingenious American one, etc.?and, above all, by the computer gaming form. As any gamer knows, computer heroes run around collecting objects, solving puzzles and, often, deciding which of three tunnels to go down. And so it goes with Foster's crew, along a monotonously linear plot line that touches on the sort of simplistic metaphysics (can disembodied intelligences be happy?) sadly typical of computer games. Major ad/promo; simultaneous Time Warner AudioBook.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
While hoping to save his flying snake Pip from a determined collector of rare animals, galactic adventurer Flinx (e.g., Mid-Flinx, Ballantine, 1995) discovers a jungle world inhabited by the descendants of a lost human expedition into space.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Customer Reviews
Probably the 3rd or 4th best book I have read to date.
While this is one of the best SF books I have ever read, I am somewhat new to the SF world. It seems original, and I could not put it down in most parts. It ends kind of abruptly...but it is very good altogether.
Is about an asteroid that comes to earth that ends up not being an asteriod. Very SFish with aliens and ancient cultures and such.
Pre-"Rama" story
This was good tale, with a lot of interesting people. It reminded me of A. C. Clarke's story "Rama" and "Rama II", though this one ended within one book and it did not have the social dilemma. The ending was a bit disappointing, but, what else to do? At least it was positive and did not dwell on the problems that would be encountered in real life.
Not close to the game, but a fair reading
Game fans that have enjoyed a game always vie for the backstory. That's why they buy books based on popular games, like "The Dig", one of the best true sci-fi graphic adventures in my opinion. A game with depth. It's good therefore to see the one dimensional characters to be transfered to full dimensional, meet their thoughts, acts, fears and it's also good to bind the diferent scenes with conceivable words. It is also good the begin- ing that Foster and Clark give us, different from the game, but well narrated and again with depth. And as I said in the beginning: the backstory lies there on well written english, with a steady flow and with scenes that have a certain, but slow tem- po. A novel idea that he presents the Cocytans as caged Gods, the watching eye. And that's where the pros end. Unfortunately they don't stay focused on the game scenery, which is most imposing and while they try to exhibit the surroundings, their use of language is too complex and too picturous, to ill- ustrate clearly what they want to present us. In order to get the meanings you lose the scene. Also as they stay away from the game, their translation of the characters actions and problem solving is sometimes resolved by endless talks, or lucky findings, or too naeve descriptions. Their base should be the game and not the story they wanted to write. Description of the problem solving and of the story should be the way LUCAS ARTS had thought of the game to be better played (viz hint book), or let's say the solution to the game by a famous magazine (PC GAMER for me, you can add your favourite here). That's where a backstory can be based. Also, their characters are described in a good way, but not let's say in a vivid way that some of them had to (Ludger Brink's loonacy). Also, the end of the book seems like a hasten sum up, like they ended all they wanted to say, but if we bring again in mind the game itself, there are scenes that are missing (e.g the underwater cave, the hidden island, aso). Why then the three stars ? Well, they did a good job in trying to translate a game into a novel and they need some encouragement, with a good tendered criticism in mind. Although not as complete and close to the original idea, it has style, a good beginning and adequate character building to be criticised as a "fair" reading. Do a better job then next time gentlemen (viz Mr. Alan Dean Foster and Sean Clark).
