What do you think?
Rate this book
Joe Ledger #1.3
Deep, Dark
This chilling short story is the prequel to The Dragon Factory, the second installment in Maberry's action-packed Joe Ledger novels.
Before Baltimore cop Joe Ledger goes up against two competing groups of geneticists looking to continue the master-race program in The Dragon Factory, he must battle another foe using human test subjects for his sinister plans.
Before Baltimore cop Joe Ledger goes up against two competing groups of geneticists looking to continue the master-race program in The Dragon Factory, he must battle another foe using human test subjects for his sinister plans.
1 pages, Audible Audio
First published January 1, 2011
19 people are currently reading
812 people want to read
About the author
Jonathan Maberry
515 books7,740 followersJONATHAN MABERRY is a NYTimes bestselling author, #1 Audible bestseller, 5-time Bram Stoker Award-winner, 4-time Scribe Award winner, Inkpot Award winner, comic book writer, and producer. He is the author of more than 50 novels, 190 short stories, 16 short story collections, 30 graphic novels, 14 nonfiction books, and has edited 26 anthologies. His vampire apocalypse book series, V-WARS, was a Netflix original series starring Ian Somerhalder. His 2009-10 run as writer on the Black Panther comic formed a large chunk of the recent blockbuster film, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. His bestselling YA zombie series, Rot & Ruin is in development for film at Alcon Entertainment; and John Wick director, Chad Stahelski, is developing Jonathan’s Joe Ledger Thrillers for TV. Jonathan writes in multiple genres including suspense, thriller, horror, science fiction, epic fantasy, and action; and he writes for adults, teens and middle grade. His works include The Pine Deep Trilogy, The Kagen the Damned Trilogy, NecroTek, Ink, Glimpse, the Rot & Ruin series, the Dead of Night series, The Wolfman, X-Files Origins: Devil’s Advocate, The Sleepers War (with Weston Ochse), Mars One, and many others. He is the editor of high-profile anthologies including Weird Tales: 100 Years of Weird, The X-Files, Aliens: Bug Hunt, Out of Tune, Don’t Turn out the Lights: A Tribute to Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, Baker Street Irregulars, Nights of the Living Dead, Shadows & Verse, and others. His comics include Marvel Zombies Return, The Punisher: Naked Kills, Wolverine: Ghosts, Godzilla vs Cthulhu: Death May Die, Bad Blood and many others. Jonathan has written in many popular licensed worlds, including Hellboy, True Blood, The Wolfman, John Carter of Mars, Sherlock Holmes, C.H.U.D., Diablo IV, Deadlands, World of Warcraft, Planet of the Apes, Aliens, Predator, Karl Kolchak, and many others. He the president of the International Association of Media Tie-in Writers, and the editor of Weird Tales Magazine. He lives in San Diego, California. Find him online at www.jonathanmaberry.com
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
November 27, 2024
Audiobook (50 minutes) narrated by the awesome Ray Porter
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing (Blackstone Audio, Inc., and Buck 50 Productions, LLC)
The narration is excellent and the audio is just as it should be, without issues.
Holy fuck
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing (Blackstone Audio, Inc., and Buck 50 Productions, LLC)
The narration is excellent and the audio is just as it should be, without issues.
Holy fuck
February 14, 2020
This was different, it had a lot more terror and body horror than on the previous novels and I liked it a lot, in this story, we follow Joe Ledger as he is called to clean up the mess made by some scientist that was trying to develop super-soldiers by crossing human DNA with a strain of insect DNA that they thought was quite resistant, the objective is to create a kind of soldier that could fight in any environment even if it was affected by nuclear waste, so as you can already imagine they dropped the ball, Hard, and so the DMS is called and our story begins.
This one was very good because it had some dubious morale by the part of the scientists and by some decisions that are taken by our protagonist by the end of the story it is as the previous ones very quick but not as action-packed as I mentioned at the beginning of the review this one has a lot more horror elements that usually are seem in the paranormal sub-genre of horror so it was different but it was different at just the right amount and again i recommend to any fans of this series and people who like horror and action.
This one was very good because it had some dubious morale by the part of the scientists and by some decisions that are taken by our protagonist by the end of the story it is as the previous ones very quick but not as action-packed as I mentioned at the beginning of the review this one has a lot more horror elements that usually are seem in the paranormal sub-genre of horror so it was different but it was different at just the right amount and again i recommend to any fans of this series and people who like horror and action.
June 26, 2023
As a prequel to the Dragon Factory, this story is perhaps a bit too close to the novel to really work. What are the odds that Echo Team would encounter this particular threat only a short time before running into another variation on the same thing? But really, who cares? The story combines a scary situation with some great wise-acre humor and more than a little humanity.
January 11, 2017
Deep, Dark was... different. More in line with Material Witness, previous short story, than general feel of Joe Ledger novels.
Less "pew pew", more "I'm going to scare you!". I absolutely loved it.
I'm not claustrophobic any more than the next guy, but man this was tense.
Secret government underground laboratory where things went to hell due to an ongoing terrorist attack is indeed dug in quite deep. And it was also very dark. And in that same dark they patiently waited.
It's good that Echo team went in, because I sure as hell wouldn't!
Remember that underground lair in the 4th novel in this series Assassin's Code?
It had nothing on this research facility! Maberry did well to instill feeling of dread with each new page. Damn him for writing awesome books.
Oh, and it's a perfect intro to the next book in the main series, The Dragon Factory!
Just like Maberry, Ray Porter was nothing short of epic again, either.
I hope they both live forever and never get bored of doing this!
Clean sheet.
5*
Less "pew pew", more "I'm going to scare you!". I absolutely loved it.
I'm not claustrophobic any more than the next guy, but man this was tense.
Secret government underground laboratory where things went to hell due to an ongoing terrorist attack is indeed dug in quite deep. And it was also very dark. And in that same dark they patiently waited.
It's good that Echo team went in, because I sure as hell wouldn't!
Remember that underground lair in the 4th novel in this series Assassin's Code?
It had nothing on this research facility! Maberry did well to instill feeling of dread with each new page. Damn him for writing awesome books.
Oh, and it's a perfect intro to the next book in the main series, The Dragon Factory!
Just like Maberry, Ray Porter was nothing short of epic again, either.
I hope they both live forever and never get bored of doing this!
Clean sheet.
5*
August 22, 2024
I need a new Ledger book, asap.
May 24, 2019
Yikes. Genetic mutation at it's worst - bugs! Ewwwww!
But Joe Ledger is always fabulous and so is Ray Porter.
But Joe Ledger is always fabulous and so is Ray Porter.
March 18, 2022
Gene splicing on soldiers that turn into something else besides killing machine for the army oooo my!!! I need to pick his books up again and start reading them.
March 21, 2022
Super creepy audiobook. Ray Porter should get an award for his performance.
Clicking sounds….
Twitching antennae…
Just the thought of this story grosses me out.
Clicking sounds….
Twitching antennae…
Just the thought of this story grosses me out.
January 22, 2015
Awesome story!
April 14, 2022
Collected in Joe Ledger: Special Ops and Joe Ledger: The Missing Files, this is short story #1.3 in the Joe Ledger series, it is the immediate prequel to The Dragon Factory. Joe Ledger, Top and Bunny have been called in to handle a terrorist threat at The Vault, an Ultra High Security Biological Research Facility that happens to be located underground. Already I am getting a bad feeling about this.
The briefing is scant on details except the 4 dead were "bitten" to death, by ... the supposed terrorists. Before more questions can be asked, klaxons sound, the lights go off and everything is plunged into darkness. A vent has been pushed out ... there are strange, scratchy, clicking noises in the dark tunnels, and something BIG seems to hunting them. The scientist eventually admits that they performed gene sequencing genetic engineering experiments on soldiers that have been discharged from the army due to injury, but hey the soldiers signed all their rights away.
The goal is to create a super soldier, able to with stand pollution and radiation, so the country will still have military superiority in case the planet's ecology is hosed. The genes used were from insects. By now I'm completely creeped out, picturing the claustrophobic survival horror lab tunnel movies/games like Doom, Resident Evil or Dead Space.
It doesn't take Joe long to figure out WHAT really happened, and as a soldier, he ends up sympathizing with James Collins - a young soldier injured in Afghanistan, who signed up for the super soldier program due to his patriotism but ended up becoming nothing but a glorified lab rat. The passage with Joe's internal monologue is one of the most moving things I've read in military sci-fi.
By now Joe's moral compass has asserted itself and he's not wrong either.
"It was the dirty end of a dirty job."
This might have been short, but it's a great story especially on audio book. The narrator, Ray Porter, does an excellent job voicing the characters and making the click and scratching sounds that made me feel the fear and horror of being underground being stalked by monsters. Joe's inner moral compass really sets him apart from the run-of-the-mill military action heroes, and that's what makes Jonathan Maberry's books a cut above most others.
The briefing is scant on details except the 4 dead were "bitten" to death, by ... the supposed terrorists. Before more questions can be asked, klaxons sound, the lights go off and everything is plunged into darkness. A vent has been pushed out ... there are strange, scratchy, clicking noises in the dark tunnels, and something BIG seems to hunting them. The scientist eventually admits that they performed gene sequencing genetic engineering experiments on soldiers that have been discharged from the army due to injury, but hey the soldiers signed all their rights away.
The goal is to create a super soldier, able to with stand pollution and radiation, so the country will still have military superiority in case the planet's ecology is hosed. The genes used were from insects. By now I'm completely creeped out, picturing the claustrophobic survival horror lab tunnel movies/games like Doom, Resident Evil or Dead Space.
It doesn't take Joe long to figure out WHAT really happened, and as a soldier, he ends up sympathizing with James Collins - a young soldier injured in Afghanistan, who signed up for the super soldier program due to his patriotism but ended up becoming nothing but a glorified lab rat. The passage with Joe's internal monologue is one of the most moving things I've read in military sci-fi.
By now Joe's moral compass has asserted itself and he's not wrong either.
"It was the dirty end of a dirty job."
This might have been short, but it's a great story especially on audio book. The narrator, Ray Porter, does an excellent job voicing the characters and making the click and scratching sounds that made me feel the fear and horror of being underground being stalked by monsters. Joe's inner moral compass really sets him apart from the run-of-the-mill military action heroes, and that's what makes Jonathan Maberry's books a cut above most others.
May 18, 2019
Simply the Best
Before I got into the hundreds of zombie and post apocalyptic/dystopian thrillers I read patient zero. This whole series is the bar, in my humble opinion, I rate all other books. Deep Dark brought back all those feelings when your immersed in a truly great story. I lost my complete collection and everything I owned, another story, guess I’ll have to rent purchase them now. Thank You for reading this and thank you for giving us Joe Ledger!!!
Before I got into the hundreds of zombie and post apocalyptic/dystopian thrillers I read patient zero. This whole series is the bar, in my humble opinion, I rate all other books. Deep Dark brought back all those feelings when your immersed in a truly great story. I lost my complete collection and everything I owned, another story, guess I’ll have to rent purchase them now. Thank You for reading this and thank you for giving us Joe Ledger!!!
July 22, 2021
So far, this is my favorite, although most horrifying of the Joe Ledger stories. He and his team continue to hunt the zombie-like mutants. In this story we discover that the mutants are much more advanced than simple zombies. We also learn that the American military is researching and creating the mutants. Joe and his team are being sent to kill ALL of the mutants, even the American monsters.
June 23, 2017
This is the third short story follow-up to Patient Zero. As with the preceding short story, this story isn't directly related to Patient Zero other than it involves the DMS's Echo Team.
This story features Echo Team and Joe Ledger at their best and let's just say has a fitting ending.
This story features Echo Team and Joe Ledger at their best and let's just say has a fitting ending.
October 9, 2018
Jonathan Maberry writes some of the best short stories I've read so far. Full of action, plot, tension, suspense, character. This one was a good lead into the next book, THE DRAGON FACTORY - Joe Ledger #2. Great series.
June 20, 2019
I don't know about anyone else but I got a feeling of claustrophobia reading this. Great story that is a prequel to The Dragon Factory and involves the locker that is mentioned in Code Zero. I loved this story!
June 6, 2021
This short episodic is an excellent little contribution to the Joe ledger series. It had the emotional power of patient zero and fit perfectly into the horror genre that contributes to oddities he faces.
July 24, 2018
Deep, Dark Gets Better Everytime I read it! Government Lies that change the lives of unknowing citizens with the idea they are helping all citizens are the worst lies.
November 20, 2018
Solid prequel to the Dragon Factory.
April 15, 2019
Good quick prequel Joe ledger series is amazing. Dont miss a book.
January 6, 2020
Creepy story, as most of these are I suppose. Good for Joe, though I would have left them all down there instead of just the one.
May 24, 2020
Imagine that..
November 23, 2020
Another goodie.
April 22, 2021
Nice little short story. All action.
June 9, 2021
Listened to this as I did my errands today - creepy, and a little sad- also a bit of a commentary on how our (US) government treats their soldiers - they are NOT property.
November 20, 2021
"Deep Dark" was a dark short story and worth the read. Excellent.
November 11, 2022
Another short story, but I am loving all of this series so much
February 1, 2023
Very much enjoying this series. This short story was fun.
July 6, 2023
He is so good at balancing creeped out with your heroes barely surviving.
January 29, 2024
Nice supplemental story. Liked it a lot.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews