Middle Waters (The Jason Parker Trilogy) Paperback – April 10, 2015

Let me preface this review by saying that, although I have not met Dr. Clark, I feel as if we know each other. I am the author of "Operation Ivy Bells"  Operation Ivy Bells: A submarine novel of covert diving and underwater espionage during the Cold War , another book about deep sea diving, although from an entirely different perspective. I was part of operational saturation diving during the Cold War. I have taken a Mk XI to a thousand feet, and I understand that the Mk XII has been to over 1,800 feet. The Mk XVI simply has to be better in all aspects, although I never dove it. We used hot water suits in our operational saturation diving, and more recently I have used several drysuit models, my favorite being the DUI crushed neoprene model.This novel is fascinating. Personally, I never put much credence in clairvoyance and some of the other psychic phenomena that appear in “Middle Waters,” but Clark pulled me in, seemingly without effort – Bravo Zulu! The alien angle was fascinating and quite believable within the context of the story. Clark's characters were three-dimensional, and he even managed to generate some depth-of-character for a couple of the aliens who played meaningful roles.I have a couple of negatives that should be mentioned. From time to time within a chapter, Clark suddenly shifts scenes dramatically from one paragraph to the next. This caught me unawares. I would have preferred a break of some kind to warn me. Also, as the story progresses from a specific party’s perspective, suddenly, Clark tells me about the thoughts of another character in the scene without shifting the story point-of-view to that character. It’s a confusing mistake that many first-time novelists make. Had the story not been so very good, I would have downgraded the rating to a 4-star or even less because of this, but the story quality simply trumped these problems in spades! I wholeheartedly award this story 5 stars, and will recommend it to anyone interested in a different take on humanity’s role in the universe, and in deep sea diving and aviation, of course. (Contact me, Dr. Clark, and we can have an interesting dialogue.)

John Clarke weaves together a multifaceted action-packed sci-fi thriller. His masterful synthesis of science, diving, aviation, futuristic technologies, and aliens kept me reading through the night. I hear there is a second novel in the works. Can't wait to continue the journey!!!

Prepare for adventures from the depths of the ocean to the far reaches of outer space, and everywhere in-between! Middle Waters offers excitement and intrigue to readers of all types; as John Clarke paints a vivid picture that reflects his long experience in military special operations, aviation, and diving. Many other unique and fascinating surprises await the reader in this action-packed story! You won't want to put it down!

In this book, the author, a man who has spent his career working for the Navy, has one character say to another, “Doc, let me give you some advice. If you want to keep up your glorious career in the Navy, stay away from writers. You can’t trust them.” Hilarious! Thankfully, the real Navy is more understanding than the author’s character might have believed. Why thankfully? Because no one stood in the way of John Clarke, a real-life scientist with a very important job, when he decided to write an imaginative sci-fi thriller that combines deep-dwelling aliens, space craft capable of interstellar travel, telepathy, and other fictions with certain realities of extreme diving and the underwater world. Kudos to John Clarke! Not every scientist has the courage to have so much fun with his or her hard-won body of knowledge. And it is the rare scientist indeed who can engage readers with a roller coaster of a story like that of Middle Waters. But buyer beware: This is book one in a trilogy, and, having read this one, you will want to read the next two.

What do you get when a Navy scientist cum amateur pilot with a Jules Verne-sized imagination decides to apply his considerable writing chops to fiction? A fast-paced SciFi thriller replete with SEALS, spooks and an arsenal of cutting edge subsea technology— from SIVA rebreathers and supercavitating Shkval torpedoes to remote sensing, null wave signalling and superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDS). There’s no doubt that Dr. John Clarke is deep in his element and his nerdy humor sweetens the ride.Did I mention aliens?That is, of course, precisely what Clarke’s self-styled protagonist Jason Parker must figure out.“Middle Waters” captured my imagination and surprised me all the way to the epilogue. I just didn’t want to put it down.

Enjoyed the book and will be reading the rest of the trilogy asap. I was fortunate to go to the same church as John and Peggy 47 years ago. We had a few adventures together and I respect and admire his accomp!ishments. Thanks for those memories John.

I was hooked from the prologue and zipped through it in a few days. I just ordered the other two of the trilogy. Full disclosure John is my long lost uncle. The last time I saw him was 20 plus years ago at his research lab in Maryland and he has been pretty busy since. Great read...

I so enjoyed these books……………patiently waiting for the 3rd one to come out!…I’m going to read them again just to be good and ready for when it does…………They take you to an unbelievable place and make it believable!! HIGHLY RECOMMEND …………

Entertaining story, with detailed facts to make it an enjoyable read. The underwater world comes alive, the book takes you along to explore.

One of the best books I’ve read for some time. Descriptive and engaging. This Author writes well with a clear coherent style. The story revolves around Jason Parker, who at the time of reading is a civilian in a military world. The author uses this characterisation to help the reader understand some cutting edge technology. Excellent book excellent story. The author is one to watch for the future.

An interesting take on how aliens might interact with humans and the response of human kind. The author has an excellent knowledge of the science described and makes some intriguing projections of the responses that the ‘authorities’ might take. An excellent read with good insight into the human condition mixed with some interesting ideas. Good proper science fiction.

A great read that guides you through some of the complexities and science of deep sea diving whilst simultaneously keeps you 'immersed' in a fascinating sci-fi plot with many twists and turns.