$2.99
| Book Title | Oceanspace |
| Genre | Fiction |
| Author | Allen M. Steele |
| Publisher | Ace Books |
| Published | 2001 |
| Pages | 385 |
| Format | Mass Market Paperback |
| Condition Notes | This copy has heavy cosmetic wear but remains suitable as a reading copy based on the exterior scans.
The front has substantial creasing, including long diagonal creases through the right side and lower-right corner, edge rubbing, spine-side wear and corner wear. The cover artwork and title remain clear. The back has heavier damage. There is a large area of surface/paper loss on the right side where a sticker or label appears to have been removed, along with additional scraping, rubbing, creasing and edge wear. The original ISBN and price area remain intact. |
| Condition | Good |
Hundreds of feet beneath the Atlantic Ocean lies Tethys, the world’s first completely self-sufficient undersea research station. Built to support scientific exploration and robotic mining operations, the station represents a new frontier for human expansion.
But the researchers and crew soon discover that the ocean still holds mysteries their technology cannot easily explain. A strange encounter involving a submersible suggests that something enormous and unknown may inhabit the depths.
As scientific ambition, corporate interests and personal conflicts collide, the inhabitants of Tethys find themselves confronting a discovery that could change humanity’s understanding of Earth’s oceans—and place them in considerable danger. Google Books
Allen Steele usually sends readers into space; Oceanspace instead applies hard-SF worldbuilding to Earth’s largely unexplored oceans.
The main attraction is the detailed underwater setting. Steele builds the story around a technologically sophisticated deep-sea research station, submersibles, ocean-floor exploration and the hazards of operating far beneath the Atlantic.
It should appeal to readers who like science fiction grounded in plausible technology, particularly customers interested in ocean exploration, marine science and techno-thrillers.
The true first edition of Oceanspace is the Ace hardcover, ISBN 9780441006854, published in February 2000. That edition originally listed for $21.95. PublishersWeekly.com
The scanned copy is ISBN 9780441008506 / 044100850X, the May 2001 Ace mass-market paperback. Bibliographic listings sometimes call it a “First Edition,” but that refers to this paperback issue; it is not the first edition of the novel. AbeBooks
A later electronic edition appeared from Open Road Media in 2015. Google Books
The scanned copy also preserves the original $6.99 U.S. / $9.99 Canadian price and period cover.
Collector Importance: Low. The early Ace paperback is useful for an Allen Steele collection, but it is neither the first edition of the novel nor particularly scarce. The extensive cover wear further limits collectible value.
