The Dig
                A novel by Alan Dean Foster
                   Corgi Paperbacks 1996

                      Reviewed by Sue

Depending on how you look at it, I'm either blessed or cursed with
a poor memory, especially for certain things including the endings
of books and games. I can remember whether or not I liked them,
but often can't remember who dunnit, or even who 'done' what to
who!

I played the LucasArts graphic adventure, The Dig, back in 1996
and I gather that the original story concept was from Steven
Spielberg and that Alan Dean Foster wrote the book from the
adventure game. This fits in well with his track record for
converting films into books (the Alien series). Spielberg had
wanted to make a film of this story, but even he couldn't see any
way to create some of the effects. Five years down the line, I'm
sure he could do it admirably but the time to film The Dig has
passed. Even the game was delayed by two years and had a dated
look when I first played it, and I saw the book locally fairly
soon after. Though I bought it at once, it was only a month ago
that I finally started reading it and was pleased to find that I'd
not only forgotten the ending, but also many of the events in the
book so I could enjoy it all afresh, as it were.

So, the basic storyline is very much Armageddon-like, with an
asteroid heading towards Earth and a group sent up to detonate a
few charges on it and hopefully stop it in its tracks.  Not only
will Earth be saved but the asteroid won't be destroyed and can be
studied. Unlike Armageddon which was a very dark exercise, The Dig
is more a happy walk in the park, with astronaut Boston Low (our
hero) being brought out of retirement for the trip. Stopping the
asteroid is quickly and painlessly done, and the team fly back to
allow a quick survey.  Boston Low, a German scientist Ludger Brink
and journalist Maggie Robbins leave the spaceship to investigate
the rock but while they are down there, they feel a tremor. Some
rocks shift and they watch, amazed, as a brilliant beam of light
erupts from the ground.

The light doesn't last for long, and when they investigate the
point from which it emerged they find not a hole but an artificial
shaft leading into the asteroid. They can't resist investigating
and below the surface they find a huge chamber with a column which
has four depressions, and close by four strange plates.  It's too
tempting not to see what happens if they put the plates in the
depressions. The answer - they sink into the column, lights
flashing and playing up and down the column and to the horror of
the rest of the team who are watching from the spacecraft, the
asteroid morphs into ... something else ... and vanishes, complete
with three unwilling passengers.

The asteroid, which of course is really an alien ship, takes its
three occupants to another planet. They have no idea where they
are, or how to get home again. Is the planet friendly? Is it
inhabited? Can they find food and water? Can they reactivate the
'asteroid'? What are the strange flashing lights which are
sometimes visible, just at the edge of their awareness? All these
questions and more will be answered by the end of the book.

Though slow starting, The Dig works up to a good pace by half way
through and the conclusion is enthralling. I think in many ways I
enjoyed it more than the game.

The Dig is available through Amazon.co.uk in audio book form or
hardback on special order. But paperback versions are also
available over the net through zshops and ebay. I'm also selling
my copy through the SynTax For Sale section.










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