Book Review: Fathomless Pursuit by Eric Kercher

The first of a five-part series offers a quick-reading fantastical seafaring adventure

Fathomless Pursuit is the debut novel of Eric Kercher, a navy veteran who’s an engineer by trade but possessing the restless and wistful heart of an artist. The About page on his website (which I suggest you check out) reads like a Superversive manifesto. Disenchanted as we all are by mainstream slop, he put his technical know-how, naval submarine experience and writing chops to work creating a quick, exciting story of high adventure, and holy cow does he deliver.

The Story

This novel is short, and as such Kercher had no time to waste getting off the ground. Thankfully, he’s cut from the same cloth as many others in pulp and superversive are, and knows how to keep a reader’s attention.

The book begins with our protagonist Christos, the First Mate of the Alopias, a submarine powered by quasi-mystical methods, being jolted out of bed with his crew frantic and alerting him to flooding. By the end of the first chapter, his captain is dead, run through by the dread pirate Diomedes, whose crew proceeds to board and loot the ship of most of its food stores. Christos, relatively young and inexperienced as a leader, must now rally his men to attempt to salvage their ship’s damaged power core and avoid starvation out at sea while trying not to let his lust for revenge blind him.

The Characters

At a mere 214 pages, I was impressed at how well and quickly Kercheck established his characters. Christos’ humiliation during the opening onboarding at the hands of Diomedes’ men quickly inlays him with several deep personal challenges to overcome; the shame of his inability to rise to the task in the moment, as well as his desire to exact revenge against the pirate brigands who ransacked his ship. His best friend Andonis, the ship’s navigator, comes across as a close and trusted confidant. Avina, the ship’s nurse, is likeable and tender and one could scarcely write a better introduction for a villain than Kercher does here. Diomedes is introduced in a way that instantly establishes him as a dangerous and ruthless—yet charismatic—threat.

The World

Given Kercher’s past naval service and wistfulness for the return of golden age adventure fiction, it’s no surprise that the world in Fathomless blends equal parts Jules Verne, and Robert Louis Stevenson with a healthy dose of steampunk tech. Submarines are powered by otherworldly energy sources that power consoles with light up displays; gilded pirate subs board using cannon-fired grappling hooks with massive chains. Desolate islands with treacherously jagged coasts hide tunnels that make allow for dangerous but quick travel, and the glittering blue seas’ depths hide ancient behemoth dangers that blindly stalk for prey. The vividness of Kercher’s wild seas are only matched by the word economy he uses to bring them to life.

Politics

None.

Content Warning

Being a seafaring adventure that contains a revenge subplot, expect some PG violence concerning the swordplay.

Who is it for?

While I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this book for adults, this entry can be great for YA reader hungering for adventure with a bit more weight than many mainstream offering awash in brightly colored, low-stakes cotton candy on most library shelves. THIS story is a serving of hard tack and beans, sure to kindle the imaginations of boys especially.

Why buy it?

You won’t often find a five-book series whose entries aren’t so big as to make one shy away from starting it; these are fun, short adventures brimming with danger and beauty.