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Attack from Atlantis

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Attack from Atlantis

Lester del Rey

Enjoyable if somewhat dated 4*

OK, one of our reviewers on this book has covered in depth the "atomic submarine" aspect of the book and the dust jacket illustrator, without mentioning the characters or plot or undersea people or writing or really anything about the book itself. The other also almost managed to avoid saying anything about the book at all. So I'll jump in and tell you a bit of what the book is about, and give my tupenny worth.

The nuclear submarine Triton is ready for its first "real run," and with a novel underwater nuclear jet engine and improved alloys for the hull, it's set to go to great depths. It also generates oxygen from plants, another innovation allowing for long submersion. Don Miller's "Uncle Eddy," engineer and metallurgist Dr. Simpson to the rest of the world, is in charge, and Don expects to be the radar and sonar officer on the maiden voyage, despite his tender age of "almost eighteen." But this is an era of increasing national conflict (after a period of peace) and the Navy takes over, assigns its own crew, and Don is out ... until called in as a last minute replacement.

The Triton had just returned from a trial run, in which the diving planes had jammed and the trim tank valves were clogged with a strange tarry substance. And a couple of men had seen, or thought they'd seen, men swimming freely at 400 fathoms, encased in form fitting bubbles. But these reports are dismissed as either outright hallucinations brought on by the hostile and strange environment, or misperception of some strange, unknown life form. The traces of copper on the diving planes are dismissed as coming from "junk" the sub must have run into.

So the Triton sets off with a complement of thirteen [commented on, and likewise dismissed ;-], under the command of Admiral Haller. Also along are a knowledgeable reporter, Sid Upjohn, and the aging, boorish but ultimately pitiable, Senator Kenney .... and Don's dog Shep, who stowed away. Pretty soon things start to go wrong -- the diving planes jam again and the trim tanks, even the ballast tanks, won't clear -- and the crew is battling what they think are the elements, trying one thing after another to regain control of the sub. They are even attacked by a seemingly lovesick whale. And then the "bubble men" appear and they realize they have an intelligent foe, but no idea who they are or what they want, other than an assumption that it's some surface enemy nation. The battle of wits and technologies continues, but ultimately the sub is dragged down, captive, to an undersea city under a giant bubble.

The sub enters the city almost exactly half way through the novel, and while the rest of the crew is held in captivity, Don [in one of the less plausible, though necessary, plot devices] is let loose as a harmless child, even adopted by the city's leader. Shep comes to play a major role also, as Don learns about the "bubble" people and -- by dint of his courage, his wits, and his dog --engineers an escape. This is made doubly crucial since the vanishing of the Triton is almost causing a war above water, and the sea people are facing their own crisis, which the surface people might be able to help if a friendly relation is established.

This is not the best written of del Rey's juvenile novels I have recently read, but has much to recommend it. Though a bit wooden, the characters are not simple stereotypes. Admiral Haller could easily have been made a simple takeover villain, but is instead shown as competent and flexible. Senator Kenney, just as we come to hate him, shows a more human side.

The first half is perhaps better done, since the science and the people are closer to the actual science and people of del Rey's day. He is quite good on engineering detail -- for instance recognizing that the 'jet' must somehow also get rid of the salt in the water, though he doesn't propose a solution (I imagine del Rey had read some speculation on an underwater atomic jet) -- but it does seem almost painfully antiquated at times. I can recall being rather enthralled as a ten year old by, for instance, the painstakingly described process of troubleshooting and repairing a burned out transmitter, with hand wrapped coils and everything. But this plays much less well today, and I imagine a kid in the target age group would be seriously mystified by this ancient technology. One does have to remember though, that this was a period when ham radio was about as close to "high tech" as anyone outside of a military or industrial lab was likely to get, and as fascinating to the tech geek as the latest Steve Jobs techno-toy is today.

The second half, in which del Rey has to come up with an explanation for the existence of the undersea people, and how they generate their bubbles, and imagine their culture and civilization, is to me less successful. This is all integrated nicely with the plot (or maybe more precisely *driven* by the plot?), but somehow seems flat and unlikely to me. My view is likely jaundiced by several decades in which many writers spent much conscious effort on world building, and I recall not really noticing this when I first read this book.

Recommendations? Don't give it to a kid today and expect him to love it. But if you, or that kid, can throw yourself back into a simpler age, it's likely to be enjoyable. It does give a flavor for the feel of the early 50's, when the military were still the heroes of WWII and there was a greater feeling of optimism and possibility, camaraderie and working toward common goals, than today. On the whole, not bad, so I'll say 4*s, maybe 3.5 but ammie won't let me enter that.

Before Lester Del Rey became a publisher, he actually wrote a few novels. Few is the correct number because he has had much more success as a publisher than as a writer.

Good book for readers who are looking for other interpretations on the Atlantis theme.