Space Opera Fans discussion

The August 2025 Reader Pick is Driving the Deep by Suzanne Palmer. Please use this thread to post questions, comments, and reviews, at any time.

Official description:
As a professional finder, Fergus Ferguson is hired to locate missing objects and steal them back. But it is rarely so simple, especially after his latest job in Cernee. He's been recovering from that experience in the company of friends, the Shipmakers of Pluto, experts at crafting top-of-the-line AI spaceships.

The Shipmakers have convinced Fergus to finally deal with unfinished business he's been avoiding for half his life: Earth. Fergus hasn't been back to his homeworld since he was fifteen, when he stole his cousin's motorcycle and ran away. It was his first theft, and nothing he's stolen since has been anywhere near so easy, or weighed so heavily on his conscience. Many years and many jobs later, Fergus reluctantly agrees that now is the time to return the motorcycle and face his family.

Unfortunately, someone has gotten to the motorcycle before him. And before he can figure out where it went and why the storage unit that held it is now filled with priceless, stolen art, the Shipyard is attacked. His friends are missing, presumably kidnapped.

Accompanied by an untrustworthy detective who suspects Fergus is the art thief and the sole friend who escaped the attack, Fergus must follow the tenuous clues to locate and save his friends. The trail leads them to Enceladus, where Fergus plans to go undercover to the research stations that lie beneath the moon's thick ice sheet deep in a dark, oppressive ocean.

But all movement and personnel are watched, and the limited ways through the thick ice of the moon's surface are dangerous and highly monitored. Even if Fergus can manage to find proof that his friends are there and alive, getting out again is going to be a lot more complicated than he bargained for.

I really enjoyed this second installment of the Finder series. Maybe more than the first one. But it's very different. Here is my review.

I did this one in audiobook with the full cast from GraphicAudio, which was terrific. It really enhances the story and characters, especially with the accents. I’m currently reading the fourth and final book in the series.

I'm glad to hear you both liked this. I'm listening, about a quarter of the way through, and already liking it more than the first one. Fergus has already made a reluctant friend and that makes me happy.

Betsy wrote: "I really enjoyed this second installment of the Finder series. Maybe more than the first one. But it's very different. Here is my review."

Do you mean it's different from other books or different from the first book? Just curious to know if it is as violent as the first so I can steel myself for that if it is!

Jessica wrote: "Betsy wrote: "I really enjoyed this second installment of the Finder series. Maybe more than the first one. But it's very different. Here is my review."

Do you mean it's different from other books..."

Different from the first. It's still violent, but I think less than the first.

Betsy wrote: "Jessica wrote: "Betsy wrote: "I really enjoyed this second installment of the Finder series. Maybe more than the first one. But it's very different. Here is my review."

Do you mean it's different ..."

Thanks!

Finished! I loved this book and it's unexpected humor, extraordinary setting, and new friends for Fergus to solve problems with including a cat. There was more emphasis on mystery solving and less emphasis on violence than the first book. I agree with Betsy, it is different than the first book.

I am just starting. Had to finish another book first. I am really looking forward to this one.

I am enjoying the humor in this book. Much less glitter than in the first book (literally, LOL) so far, but I am up to the point where Fergus has acquired a cat (or the cat has acquired Fergus, as they will do). And then there was the giant hamster...

Audrey wrote: "I am enjoying the humor in this book. Much less glitter than in the first book (literally, LOL) so far, but I am up to the point where Fergus has acquired a cat (or the cat has acquired Fergus, as ..."

I liked the addition of the cat and liked that he intended to make sure it was cared for even after he no longer needed it. I wonder if we will see the cat again.

Jessica wrote: "Audrey wrote: "I am enjoying the humor in this book. Much less glitter than in the first book (literally, LOL) so far, but I am up to the point where Fergus has acquired a cat (or the cat has acqui..."

Me, too. I was hoping he would keep it.