Daughter of the Deep

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Daughter of the Deep
Daughter of the Deep cover.jpg
The cover of the U.S. edition
Author Rick Riordan
Cover artistLavanya Naidu
CountryUnited States
Genre Fantasy, science fiction, young-adult novel
PublishedOctober 5, 2021
Publisher Disney Press [1]
Media typePrint (hardcover and paperback), audiobook, e-book
Pages416 [1]
ISBN 978-0241-5381-66

Daughter of the Deep is a middle grade fantasy-adventure novel by Rick Riordan. [2] The book was published on October 26, 2021, by Disney-Hyperion. The book is a New York Times best seller. [3] Unlike Riordan's earlier books which dealt with mythology, Daughter of the Deep is a Retrofuturism science fiction novel set in a contemporary timeline of the world of Jules Verne's books Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas and The Mysterious Island . This is a derivative work, featuring machinery, tools and settings described in Verne's books, and characters who are descendants of Verne's characters. It combines both old and future technologies, melding together elements of both steampunk and artificial intelligence. The book incorporates the tropes of sibling rivalry and the recovery of lost ancient technologies. For example, Nemo's Nautilus – now under the control of his descendants – is described as having artificial intelligence and being capable of travel via supercavitation.

Contents

The book follows Ana Dakkar, who is a student at Harding-Pencroft Academy. She learns that at the end of her freshman year, her class will be taken on a top secret weekend trial at sea. [4] The book was inspired by Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Seas . [5]

Plot

Ana Dakkar, the novel's protagonist and narrator, who turns 15 during the novel, is a student at Harding-Pencroft Academy, a fictional five-year boarding high school for marine sciences, situated on a remote bluff on the southern California coast.

The book opens on a Friday morning just before the end of Ana's freshman year, when she goes for a swim near campus with her older brother Dev, a 17-year-old senior, who gives her their mother's pearl necklace as an early present for her fifteenth birthday. Ana and the 19 other ninth-graders at Harding-Pencroft then head to the docks at the nearby fictional city of San Alejandro for their end-of-year trials on board the school yacht the Varuna (named for Varuna, the Hindu god of the sea), which will determine their future at the school. The trials are supervised by Dr. Theodosius Hewett, their elderly Theoretical Marine Science teacher. However, shortly after leaving the campus, Ana and her classmates see torpedoes fired from a submarine at the base of the bluff on which their school sits, collapsing the buildings into the ocean. Dr. Hewett, after launching drones to survey the wreckage, orders the freshmen back onto the bus, then onto the Varuna and out to sea, telling them that this is the work of a rival school, Land Institute, and that it is better for their own safety if the world believes them dead as well. He directs one of the boys, Gemini Twain, to act as Ana's bodyguard. Hewitt and the students then find themselves fighting off a commando raid at sea by Land Institute seniors who attempt to kidnap Ana; the abduction is foiled with the aid of a friendly bottlenose dolphin Ana named Socrates, who knocks her would-be abductor, Caleb South, out of the water. When interrogated, Caleb proudly admits that he and his classmates destroyed Harding-Pencroft and says that they were protecting the legacy of an outlaw and selfishly hoarding technology that could greatly benefit the world. Hewett has him thrown overboard in his flotation vest (which had pink ducky wings) and wet suit to join his classmates who have been set adrift in a pontoon with their hands bound.

Hewett explains to Ana and her classmates that Jules Verne's novels 20,000 Leagues Under the Seas and The Mysterious Island are actually somewhat fictionalized accounts of real events based on interviews Verne conducted with real people involved in these events, and that Ana is descended from Captain Nemo (Prince Dakkar of Bundelkhand). Hewett tells them that Nemo was a genius who developed technology far ahead of his time and Harding-Pencroft Academy and Land Institute have been battling over this technology ever since then, and their rivalry has now erupted into actual warfare. In Nemo's submarine the Nautilus, he waged a guerrilla war on the colonial powers of the late 19th century, seeking their destruction as vengeance for the murder of his wife and eldest son by the British following his participation in the Indian Rebellion of 1857 against British rule.

After Pierre Aronnax, Ned Land, and Aronnax's servant Conseil escaped Captain Nemo, they founded Land Institute in an attempt to save the world order from Nemo by acquiring or duplicating his inventions and technology. Cyrus Harding and Bonaventure Pencroft, whose encounter with Nemo was described in The Mysterious Island , told their story to Verne in an attempt to change Nemo's image and protect his legacy, and founded Harding-Pencroft Academy in accordance with Nemo's last wish – that his inventions not be misused for greed and power by the world's governments and corporations or by Land Institute.

The freshman trials were intended to be the ninth-graders' introduction to Nemo's technology, but Hewett feels that under the circumstances he must now tell them everything. Ana's friend and classmate Ester Harding, an orphan who is Cyrus Harding's fourth great-granddaughter, had been given the information months before but was sworn to secrecy by the Harding-Pencroft Academy board of trustees, under penalty of disinheritance. Long before the development of modern genetic science, Captain Nemo had learned how to biometrically link his greatest inventions to his own genes so that they might only be operated by himself or his direct descendants, which means that only Ana, who is Captain Nemo's fourth great-granddaughter and (it is believed) last surviving direct descendant, may now operate them.

Unbeknownst to the students, Hewett is suffering from advanced pancreatic cancer, and he is found comatose in his cabin on the morning of their second day at sea. Ana takes command of the Varuna and uses one of Nemo's inventions to determine their destination, a remote, uncharted Pacific atoll named Lincoln Island, where Cyrus Harding, Bonaventure Pencroft, and their companions were marooned and where Captain Nemo died aboard the Nautilus. Along the way, they learn from data extracted from the drones Hewett launched after the school's destruction that Dev had broadcast a warning over its public-address system to evacuate. In order to approach Lincoln Island, which is heavily defended and concealed from detection by a cloaking device, they must decipher a code transmitted to them by Lincoln Island staff and send back a similarly coded message.

Upon their arrival at Lincoln Island, they are greeted by the island's caretakers: a couple named Luca Barsanti (who is descended from the Italian inventor Eugenio Barsanti) and his wife Ophelia Artemesia, and Jupiter, an orangutan who has learned to cook by watching The Great British Bake Off (and quite well, the students discover). Dr. Hewett begins to receive treatment with Captain Nemo's medical technology. Luca and Ophelia introduce the students to the Nautilus, which, save for some relatively minor internal water damage, is almost intact, after sitting dormant at the bottom of a nearby lagoon for approximately 150 years after Captain Nemo died in the command chair. Ana learns that the Nautilus is a specimen of artificial intelligence so advanced as to be sentient, and that Ana's parents, who died shortly before she entered eighth grade, discovered the Nautilus and were electrocuted in a rash attempt to board it. Ana successfully boards the Nautilus without incident by introducing herself and asking for permission to come aboard, speaking in her and Captain Nemo's ancestral language of Bundeli. She then awakens the ship's advanced functions by playing a pipe organ Captain Nemo had installed on the bridge.

Ana and her classmates' exploration of the Nautilus are suddenly interrupted, however, by the discovery that the Land Institute seniors who attacked their school have followed them to Lincoln Island in their submarine the Aronnax, and a battle ensues. During the battle, Ana and the others discover to their horror that her brother Dev has turned traitor and is collaborating with Land Institute, and is commanding the Aronnax, from which he had broadcast the warning to evacuate after Harding-Pencroft Academy's defenses had been hacked and brought down. Ana discovers that Dev has hidden a tracking device in the necklace he gave her and immediately destroys it, then uses the Nautilus's advanced propulsion systems to flee. Two hours later, they find themselves in the western Pacific approximately 400 miles east of Davao City, Philippines, near the Palau Trench west of Koror City, Palau. There, while making repairs on the Nautilus, they meet a giant octopus the crew names Romeo; Ana befriends him with the help of a keytar and the Nautilus' artificial intelligence. They speed back to Lincoln Island, where a battle with the Aronnax immediately ensues. The battle ends with the Aronnax broken to pieces by the giant octopus and its crew plucked from the ocean and locked up in improvised jail cells, and a brawl between Ana and Dev which ends with her knocking him unconscious by shooting him with rubber bullets.

The novel ends with the Harding-Pencroft ninth-graders, Luca and Ophelia, and a recovering Dr. Hewett vowing to rebuild the school. Ana takes Dev, who was being groomed to take over the facility but has now forfeited practically everything, to see their parents' final resting place in the lagoon near the Nautilus. [6]

Reception

Daughter of the Deep is a New York Times and IndieBound best seller. [3]

The book received a starred review from Kirkus Reviews , who called it "a riveting novel that will have readers rooting for its star." [3] Shelf Awareness also provided a starred review, highlighting how the novel's, "more serious discussions, along with the inclusion of marine biology and AI concepts, are balanced by unexpected twists, heart-pounding action and vivid language." [7] Publishers Weekly provided a positive review, calling the novel "simultaneously retro and futuristic" and saying, this entertaining standalone starts with a bang and doesn’t let up." [8] School Library Journal provided a mixed review. [9]

In 2021, Daughter of the Deep received the Goodreads Choice Award for Middle Grade & Children's books. [10]

Film adaptation

Riordan confirmed on March 7, 2021, that Daughter of the Deep was "crafted with screenwriting structure and development". He also said that there are talks of a possible future feature film adaptation for the book. [11] He reaffirmed the plans for a film on October 24, 2021, whilst confirming that he would be co-writing the film with Aditi Brennan Kapil. [12]

On April 4, 2022, Riordan revealed that the film rights were closed and that they would soon start writing the script. [13]

On March 27, 2023, he revealed that the script had been written and sent off to Gotham Group for notes. [14]

Related Research Articles

<i>Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas</i> 1870 novel by Jules Verne

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas is a classic science fiction adventure novel by French writer Jules Verne.

<i>Nautilus</i> (fictional submarine) Fictional submarine in Jules Verne novels

Nautilus is the fictional submarine belonging to Captain Nemo featured in Jules Verne's novels Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas (1870) and The Mysterious Island (1874). Verne named the Nautilus after Robert Fulton's real-life submarine Nautilus (1800). For the design of the Nautilus, Verne was inspired by the French Navy submarine Plongeur, a model of which he had seen at the 1867 Exposition Universelle, three years before writing his novel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Captain Nemo</span> Character created by Jules Verne

Captain Nemo is a character created by the French novelist Jules Verne (1828–1905). Nemo appears in two of Verne's science-fiction books, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas (1870) and The Mysterious Island (1875). He also makes a brief appearance in a play written by Verne with the collaboration of Adolphe d'Ennery, Journey Through the Impossible (1882).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raphael Semmes</span> Confederate naval officer (1809–1877)

Raphael Semmes was an officer in the Confederate Navy during the American Civil War. Until then, he had been a serving officer in the US Navy from 1826 to 1860.

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<i>20,000 Leagues Under the Sea</i> (1954 film) American film by Richard Fleischer

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is a 1954 American science fiction adventure film directed by Richard Fleischer, from a screenplay by Earl Felton. Adapted from Jules Verne's 1870 novel of the same name, the film was personally produced by Walt Disney through Walt Disney Productions. It stars Kirk Douglas, James Mason, Paul Lukas, and Peter Lorre. Photographed in Technicolor, the film was one of the first feature-length motion pictures to be filmed in CinemaScope. It was also the first feature-length Disney film to be distributed by Buena Vista Distribution.

<i>Mysterious Island</i> (1941 film) 1941 film

Mysterious Island is a USSR film adaptation of the 1874 novel The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne.

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<i>Captain Nemo and the Underwater City</i> 1969 British film

Captain Nemo and the Underwater City is a 1969 British film starring Robert Ryan, Chuck Connors and Nanette Newman. It features the character Captain Nemo and is inspired by Jules Verne's 1870 novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. It was written by Pip and Jane Baker.

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<i>20,000 Leagues Under the Sea</i> (1997 film) 1997 American TV series or program

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is a 1997 television film directed by Michael Anderson and starring Ben Cross as Captain Nemo. It premiered on March 23, 1997. Based on the 1870 novel of the same name by Jules Verne, it is most notable for replacing the character of Professor Aronnax's manservant, Conseil, with the Professor's daughter, Sophie, who disguises herself as a boy so that she may accompany her father aboard USS Abraham Lincoln; she becomes the apex of a love triangle involving Captain Nemo and Ned the harpooner. The film was produced by Hallmark Entertainment.

<i>The Mysterious Island</i> (1929 film) 1929 film

The Mysterious Island is a 1929 American science fiction film directed by Lucien Hubbard, based on Jules Verne's 1874 novel L'Île mystérieuse. It was photographed largely in two-color Technicolor and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer as a part-talkie feature, with some scenes with audible dialog and some that had only synchronized music and sound effects.

<i>20,000 Leagues Under the Sea</i> (1985 film) 1985 film

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is a 1985 Australian made-for-television animated film from Burbank Films Australia. The film is based on Jules Verne's classic 1870 novel, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, and was adapted by Stephen MacLean. It was produced by Tim Brooke-Hunt and featured original music by John Stuart. The copyright in this film is now owned by Pulse Distribution and Entertainment and administered by digital rights management firm NuTech Digital.

Captain Nemo: The Fantastic History of a Dark Genius is a novel by Kevin J. Anderson, published in 2002 by Pocket Books. It is a secret history and crossover work, the central premise being that many of the things Jules Verne wrote about existed in real life as told to him by the real Captain Nemo.

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<i>Jules Vernes Mysterious Island</i> (2012 film) 2012 American TV series or program

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Jules Verne's 1870 novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea has been adapted and referenced in popular culture on numerous occasions.

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Nemo Trilogy is a volume in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen series, written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Kevin O'Neill. Co-published by Top Shelf Productions and Knockabout Comics in the US and UK respectively, Nemo was published in three distinct 72-page squarebound comics.

References

  1. 1 2 "Daughter of the Deep (B&N Exclusive Edition) by Rick Riordan". Barnes & Noble . Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  2. "Rick Riordan announces post-'Percy Jackson' book 'Daughter of the Deep'". Hypable.com. February 23, 2021. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 "Daughter of the Deep". Kirkus Reviews. September 15, 2021. Archived from the original on October 9, 2021. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
  4. "Daughter of the Deep - Penguin Books". Penguin Books . Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  5. Riordan, Rick (October 5, 2021). Daughter of the Deep. Penguin Books, Limited. ISBN   978-0-241-53816-6.
  6. "Daughter of the Deep (B&N Exclusive Edition) by Rick Riordan". Barnes & Noble . Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  7. Barnes, Lana (October 15, 2021). "Daughter of the Deep". Shelf Awareness . Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  8. "Children's Book Review: Daughter of the Deep by Rick Riordan. Disney-Hyperion, $19.99 (352p) ISBN 978-1-368-07792-7". PublishersWeekly.com. September 2, 2021. Archived from the original on October 8, 2021. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  9. Frick, Kaitlin (November 5, 2021). "Daughter of the Deep". School Library Journal. Archived from the original on November 7, 2021. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  10. "Daughter of the Deep". Goodreads. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  11. "Where We Are In The Riordanverse!". RickRiordan.com. March 7, 2021. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
  12. Riordan, Rick (October 24, 2021). "Back from LA and into the Deep!". RickRiordan.com. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
  13. Riordan, Rick (April 3, 2022). "Greetings from Laistrygonia". RickRiordan.com. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  14. "A Spring Update | Rick Riordan". March 27, 2023. Retrieved March 27, 2023.