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A review by shieldbearer
The Danger by Gordon Korman
4.0
Dive: The Danger is the last part of Korman's Dive Trilogy, and it is a worthy finish to the trilogy. Like its predecessors, the Danger is a quick read and its tension and the dynamic character interactions are accompanied with well-written humor that does not break the tension.
This installment picks up after the downer ending to the second part- in an attempt to retrieve one piece of the treasure so they can register a claim with the International Maritime Commission. Unfortunately, the treasure was deep enough that they needed to use a submersible to reach it, and things went wrong. Captain Vanover, a man who has always been kind to them and supported them in their mission, is killed and Star, while attempting to save him, gets a bad case of the bends. It complicates her cerebral palsy and she may lose the ability to walk altogether.
Korman explores the mental and emotional repercussions of Vanover's death on the four protagonists and the side characters very well. While Captain Vanover wasn't a main character, his death has a heavy impact on the kids and on English, the native guide who considered him a close friend. No one, not even the likes of Dante and Cutter, is unaffected by the loss.
Things get even more complicated when English realizes that the submersible was sabotaged. He has no desire for the treasure at all, and has served as a constant check for the kids so far. Once English realizes that Cutter or someone on his crew will go to any length to get the treasure, he moves solidly to the kids' side, supporting them in their endeavor to ensure that Cutter doesn't profit off the Captain's death. Of course, the person who sabotaged the submersible isn't going to just sit by while 1.2 billion dollars slips from their fingers. Korman chose the right person to be the saboteur and when you look back through the first two books, the evidence and foreshadowing is there.
The historical subplot with Samuel is brought to a satisfying conclusion that neatly dovetails with the main plot.
This installment picks up after the downer ending to the second part- in an attempt to retrieve one piece of the treasure so they can register a claim with the International Maritime Commission. Unfortunately, the treasure was deep enough that they needed to use a submersible to reach it, and things went wrong. Captain Vanover, a man who has always been kind to them and supported them in their mission, is killed and Star, while attempting to save him, gets a bad case of the bends. It complicates her cerebral palsy and she may lose the ability to walk altogether.
Korman explores the mental and emotional repercussions of Vanover's death on the four protagonists and the side characters very well. While Captain Vanover wasn't a main character, his death has a heavy impact on the kids and on English, the native guide who considered him a close friend. No one, not even the likes of Dante and Cutter, is unaffected by the loss.
Things get even more complicated when English realizes that the submersible was sabotaged. He has no desire for the treasure at all, and has served as a constant check for the kids so far. Once English realizes that Cutter or someone on his crew will go to any length to get the treasure, he moves solidly to the kids' side, supporting them in their endeavor to ensure that Cutter doesn't profit off the Captain's death. Of course, the person who sabotaged the submersible isn't going to just sit by while 1.2 billion dollars slips from their fingers. Korman chose the right person to be the saboteur and when you look back through the first two books, the evidence and foreshadowing is there.
The historical subplot with Samuel is brought to a satisfying conclusion that neatly dovetails with the main plot.