The Abyss novel Wikipedia page

 

The Abyss (Orson Scott Card novel)

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 This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2009) 

The Abyss
OSCabyss.jpg
Author
Orson Scott Card
Country
United States
Language
English
Genre
Science fiction
Publisher
Time Warner Books
Publication date
1989
Media type
Print (Hardcover & Paperback)
Pages
368 pp
ISBN
978-0671740771
The Abyss (1989) is a science fiction novel by Orson Scott Card based on an original screenplay by James Cameron.
Plot introduction[edit]
The novel The Abyss is similar to the movie The Abyss in terms of story but it gives the main characters greater depth and background. It also gives more attention to the aliens’ point of view.
Card wrote the novel based on the screenplay and discussions with Cameron. He wrote back stories for Bud Brigman, Lindsey Brigman and Hiram Coffey as a means not only of helping the actors define their roles, but also to justify some of their behavior and mannerisms in the film. For example, Lindsay's mother was a prissy socialite intent on raising well-mannered, popular, "feminine" daughters, while her father was a civil engineer unable to share his interests with his children. Once Lindsey discovers that she inherited her father's engineering skills, it affects her entire family perspective and life goals. Coffey was written as a child of a poor single mother who joined the SEALs as a way to give himself a purpose after her remarriage. Separating his worldview into "Them" (Outsiders) and "Us" (him and his mother) defined some of his thought processes in the film as he worked to protect his men from the perceived "Soviet" threat.
Card also wrote the aliens as a colonizing species which preferentially sought high-pressure deepwater worlds to build their ships as they traveled further into the galaxy. Their knowledge of neuroanatomy and nanoscale manipulation of biochemistry was responsible for many of the deus ex machina aspects of the film; an NTI saved a diver's life after a breathing mixture accident, prevented permanent brain damage during Bud's 2 mile dive, which allowed him to properly disarm the warhead, and a number of NTIs microscopically infiltrated the crew upon their rise to the surface to prevent decompression sickness. The alien reaction to human warfare in the director's cut was explained to be a result of their monitoring of radio communications and copying the memories of the dead submarine crew; their interactions with the crew of Deep Core finally persuaded them to halt their attack on the coastlines and instead attempt peaceful contact.
See also[edit]

Portal icon Novels portal
List of works by Orson Scott Card
Orson Scott Card
External links[edit]
About the book The Abyss from Card's website

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[show] 
The Homecoming Saga

 

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[show] 
All works by Orson Scott Card

 

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Stub icon This article about a 1980s science fiction novel is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
·
·

 

Categories: 1989 novels
Novels by Orson Scott Card
American science fiction novels
Underwater action novels
Novels based on films
1980s science fiction novel stubs




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The Abyss (Orson Scott Card novel)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 
Jump to: navigation, search

Question book-new.svg
 This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2009) 

The Abyss
OSCabyss.jpg
Author
Orson Scott Card
Country
United States
Language
English
Genre
Science fiction
Publisher
Time Warner Books
Publication date
1989
Media type
Print (Hardcover & Paperback)
Pages
368 pp
ISBN
978-0671740771
The Abyss (1989) is a science fiction novel by Orson Scott Card based on an original screenplay by James Cameron.
Plot introduction[edit]
The novel The Abyss is similar to the movie The Abyss in terms of story but it gives the main characters greater depth and background. It also gives more attention to the aliens’ point of view.
Card wrote the novel based on the screenplay and discussions with Cameron. He wrote back stories for Bud Brigman, Lindsey Brigman and Hiram Coffey as a means not only of helping the actors define their roles, but also to justify some of their behavior and mannerisms in the film. For example, Lindsay's mother was a prissy socialite intent on raising well-mannered, popular, "feminine" daughters, while her father was a civil engineer unable to share his interests with his children. Once Lindsey discovers that she inherited her father's engineering skills, it affects her entire family perspective and life goals. Coffey was written as a child of a poor single mother who joined the SEALs as a way to give himself a purpose after her remarriage. Separating his worldview into "Them" (Outsiders) and "Us" (him and his mother) defined some of his thought processes in the film as he worked to protect his men from the perceived "Soviet" threat.
Card also wrote the aliens as a colonizing species which preferentially sought high-pressure deepwater worlds to build their ships as they traveled further into the galaxy. Their knowledge of neuroanatomy and nanoscale manipulation of biochemistry was responsible for many of the deus ex machina aspects of the film; an NTI saved a diver's life after a breathing mixture accident, prevented permanent brain damage during Bud's 2 mile dive, which allowed him to properly disarm the warhead, and a number of NTIs microscopically infiltrated the crew upon their rise to the surface to prevent decompression sickness. The alien reaction to human warfare in the director's cut was explained to be a result of their monitoring of radio communications and copying the memories of the dead submarine crew; their interactions with the crew of Deep Core finally persuaded them to halt their attack on the coastlines and instead attempt peaceful contact.
See also[edit]

Portal icon Novels portal
List of works by Orson Scott Card
Orson Scott Card
External links[edit]
About the book The Abyss from Card's website

[hide]
­v·
 ­t·
 ­e
 
Works by Orson Scott Card

 
­Ender's Game Saga·
 ­Alvin Maker Saga·
 ­Homecoming Saga·
 ­Pastwatch series·
 ­The Mayflower Trilogy·
 ­The Worthing series·
 ­The Women of Genesis series·
 ­The Pathfinder series
 
Photo of Orson Scott Card

 

[show] 
The Ender's Game Saga

 

­·
­·
­·
­·
­·
­·
­·
­·
­·
­·
­·
­·
­·
­·
­

 


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­·
­·
­·
­·
­·
­·
­·
­·
­·
­·
­


 

­·
­·
­



 

[show] 
The Alvin Maker Saga

 

­·
­·
­·
­·
­·
­·
­

 

­·
­·
­

 

­

 

­


 

[show] 
The Homecoming Saga

 

­·
­·
­·
­·
­

 

­

 

­


 

[show] 
All works by Orson Scott Card

 

­·
­·
­·
­·
­

 

­·
­·
­

 



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Stub icon This article about a 1980s science fiction novel is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
·
·

 

Categories: 1989 novels
Novels by Orson Scott Card
American science fiction novels
Underwater action novels
Novels based on films
1980s science fiction novel stubs




Navigation menu


Create account
Log in


Article
Talk



 

Read
Edit
View history




 Search 



Main page
Contents
Featured content
Current events
Random article
Donate to Wikipedia
Wikimedia Shop

Interaction
Help
About Wikipedia
Community portal
Recent changes
Contact page

Toolbox





Print/export



Languages
Edit links
This page was last modified on 18 July 2013 at 20:51.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
 Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
Privacy policy
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Contact Wikipedia
Developers
Mobile view
Wikimedia Foundation
Powered by MediaWiki