The Crypt (podcast)

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This article is about the overall storyline of The Crypt.
For information specific to book 1 refer to The Crypt Book 01: The Crew
For information specific to book 2 refer to The Crypt Book 02: Shakedown


The Crypt is a far-future military/sci-fi endeavor from New York Times best-selling author Scott Sigler and set in The Rookie universe.

The Crypt's first episode launched on March 12, 2008. On July 25, 2008, Scott invited several authors to co-author characters for the story, turning Book 01: The Crew into a multi-author project. Basil Sands was the first co-author to have an episode in the anthology, with Episode #4 on September 17, 2008.

There are currently two books in The Crypt series:

Synopsis

It is the best-kept and worst-kept secret in the Planetary Union navy. The PUV James Keeling, a warship that does things that no other ship can do. It is a weapon, and a liability. The rumor is that eighty percent of the people assigned to the Keeling die before their two-year stint is up. That rumor is the reason for the ship's nickname -- The Crypt, a vessel full of the dead.

Those with a promising career, those with connections, those that can can avoid service on the Keeling do just that. But still, the ship must fight, and for that, it needs a crew. The navy assigns the worst of the worst: cowards, thieves, murderers, rapists or those with nowhere else to go, no way to opt out. Your choice is simple: be executed for your crimes, or serve two years on the keeling. If you make it out alive, your record is wiped clean and you get a fresh start.

For this crew of just over 100 souls, it will be the longest two years they have ever faced. What is this ship? Where did it come from? And why, oh, why, won't everyone stop screaming ...

History

The spacecraft P.U.V. James Keeling was named after the scientist that first discovered its presence. While little has been revealed about the spacecraft's discovery, Admiral Boock has suggested that biological nanotechnology is somehow involved with the ship and has employed the skills of Lieutenant Susanna Rossi (doubling as Bethany Darkwater) to understand the implications.

Characters, Places & Things

Crypt Crew

Name Information 1st Appearance
Travis Ellis Newest Captain and Commanding Officer aboard The Crypt Ep. 1
Nitzhans Shamdi Purist spy posing as a Planetary Union marine Ep. 2
Jim Perry An 18-yr old gung-ho Private with delusions of grandeur Ep. 3
John Bennett Private aboard The Crypt Ep. 3
Francis Sands Sgt. Major, head of Security aboard The Crypt Ep. 4
Frederick Madison Sargent and Security partner of Francis Sands aboard The Crypt Ep. 4
Bethany Darkwater Research scientist and ex-communicated Purist Nation nun. Ep. 5
Sacha Kerckhoffs Chief Science Officer aboard The Crypt Ep. 5
Yolanda Smith Former mistress to Admiral Epperson and the mother of his unborn child. Ep. 6
Samuel Draper False identity created by Jonas Robinson to gain a position aboard The Crypt Ep. 7
Colin Walker Current Pilot of the P.U.V. James Keeling Ep. 7
Kirsten Graves Petty Officer 2nd Class; Navigator Ep. 8

Other Military Personnel

Name Information 1st Appearance
Adrienne Boock Rear Admiral and Judge Ep. 1
Antwone Williams Former Captain and Commanding Officer of the P.U.V. Gilchrist Ep. 1
Kristyna Simonson Commanding Officer of the M66T Tank named The Cranky Pecker Ep. 11
Vincent Epperson Fleet Admiral Ep. 5
Angela Stuart Naval Officer on the P.U.V. Gilchrist Ep. 13.1
Dr. Erun Wellington League Of Planets scientist Ep. 14

Spacecrafts

Name Information 1st Appearance
P.U.V. James Keeling aka The Crypt – Prison Ship/Battleship Ep. 1
P.U.V. Germsheed Mentioned - Travis Ellis' first command as Captain. Ep. 1
P.U.V. Gilchrist Original assignment for Cpt. Ellis. Scrapped. Ep. 1
P.U.V. Gosshawk Flagship of the Planetary Union's 6th Fleet. Ep. 4
P.U.V. Majestic Mentioned - Destroyed in the Battle of Asteroid-X. Ep. 4
P.U.V. Shale Morris Research Ship Ep. 5
P.U.V. Blackmouth Mentioned - A Union vessel boarded and captured by Purist Crusaders. Ep. 5
Washington, D.C. League of Planets Stealth Attack Ship Ep. 12.1
L.P.V. Shi Kubonik League of Planets Scientific Research Vessel Ep. 14
P.U.V. Linus Torvalds Planetary Union Navy drydock ship -

Alien Races

Name Information 1st Appearance
Wasp-Like Aliens First introduced as the nemesis of the Rocktopi alien in EarthCore. Waiting on the FDO for more information on these buggers. Ep. 11

Release Schedule

Audio

Cover Art Edition Country Release Date Site
TheCrypBookCover.jpg 2008 Podcast Audio Release Worldwide (Internet) March 12, 2008 The Crypt on ScottSigler.com

Promotional Efforts

Co-Authored Episodes

Continuing in his innovative writing style, author Scott Sigler has collaborated with fellow writers in order to crew the P.U.V. James Keeling. Sigler contacted writers that he admires and asked that they take part in his writing experiment. He asked asked the writers to create a character to serve on the ship but there were two stipulations:

1) The collaborative authors were not given any details about what P.U.V. James Keeling other than the fact that it was a space transport.
2) The character could only serve on the P.U.V. James Keeling after being convicted of a crime that they had to creatively work into the storyline. Authors had free license on how their character was to be convicted for their crime, whether being framed for a crime or in order to exact revenge on another character.

The characters written by these co-authors all bear the surname of their muses.

Design the P.U.V. James Keeling contest

Author Scott Sigler also ran a unique promotional campaign on July 4, 2008, inviting fans to create a visual representation of The Crypt. The experimental contest was run via a site called Pixish.com (defunct), founded by Derek Powazek, which let users set up contests for visual images. The impetus of the contest was to open up fiction illustration to fans who shared a love for the story.

Winner- Arturo Alamilla
The winning ship at left was designed by Arturo Alamilla, also known on the forums at ScottSigler.com as the username The Terran While modifications to the tail section and do some other key changes are underway, The Keeling, also known as The Crypt, will be based on this design.
Runner up- Gonzalo Golpe

However, the outpouring of Junkie talent was so overwhelming that Sigler is quoted as saying:

“I fell in love with so many designs in this contest. There was just a sickening display of talent and creativity. Arturo's concept was closest to the needs of the story. However, some designs were so unique that I'm writing them into the three-season plot.”

One such design is the ship at the left, submitted by Gonzalo Golpe. Golpe's very different ship was way off the original specifications, but after explaining his vision to the FDO, it almost won the competition. Instead, Gonzalo's amazing design will be fit into the plot to represent another spacecraft.
Runner up- Dan Spears
Also, the design at the left, submitted by Dan Spears has been selected to be a fighter ship.

Theme Music

The podcast version of The Crypt Book 01: The Crew used the song This Is Usually the Part Where People Scream by the band Alesana. For a comprehensive list of music used in the podcast versions of Scott's works, refer to the Theme Music page.

See Also

External links

Novels by Scott Sigler

Aliens: Phalanx • Alive • Alight • Alone • EarthCore • Mount Fitz Roy • Ancestor • Descendant • Infected • Contagious • Pandemic • The Rookie • The Starter • The All-Pro  • The MVP • The Champion • The Gangster • The Crypt • Nocturnal