The Dragon in the Sea [Paperback]

Frank Herbert (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2008

In the endless war between East and West, oil has become the ultimate prize. Nuclear-powered subtugs brave enemy waters to tap into hidden oil reserves beneath the East’s continental shelf. But the last twenty missions have never returned. Have sleeper agents infiltrated the elite submarine service, or are the crews simply cracking under the pressure?

Psychologist John Ramsay has gone undercover aboard a Hell Diver subtug. His mission is to covertly observe the remainder of the four-man crew—and find the traitor among them. Sabotage and suspicion soon plague the mission, as Ramsay discovers that the stress of fighting a war a mile and a half under the ocean exposes every weakness in a man. Hunted relentlessly by the enemy, the four men find themselves isolated in a claustrophobic undersea prison, struggling for survival against the elements . . . and themselves.

A gripping novel by the legendary author of Dune.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“This is the science fiction thriller at its best. An intelligent and insidiously intriguing story.”--The Daily Mail on The Dragon in the Sea

“A speculative intellect with few rivals in modern SF.”--The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction

About the Author

Frank Herbert is the author of the 1965 science fiction classic, Dune. He passed away in 1986.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books; 1st edition (April 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765317745
• ISBN-13: 978-0765317742
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #554,823 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Frank Herbert (1920-86) was born in Tacoma, Washington and worked as a reporter and later editor of a number of West Coast newspapers before becoming a full-time writer. His first sf story was published in 1952 but he achieved fame more than ten years later with the publication in Analog of Dune World and The Prophet of Dune that were amalgamated in the novel Dune in 1965.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Typical microcosm under pressure, well done, July 22, 2001

By 

Rick (Central Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The dragon in the sea (The Gregg Press science fiction series) (Hardcover)

If you've read any of Herbert's works (Dune, etc.), you might realize that his endless but intriguing theme is what how people, economies, belief systems, ecosystems, etc. respond to potential extinction. His answer in each of his books with this theme reminds me of that line from Jurassic Park: "Life always finds a way." Having said that, *Under Pressure* is perhaps the smallest level at which he plays this game -- a small submarine whose mission it is to steal oil from an enemy country in a cold war several levels above what the U.S. experienced during the 1950s and 1960s. This might sound like a recycled sub movie plot, but don't be fooled by the premise. *Under Pressure* is more about how men bond...well, under pressure, and become something greater than they could singly. I read it first when I was in junior high, and I read it again earlier this year. It's amazing how quickly the book ends. The only thing that keeps it from earning five stars is what I've always considered Herbert's weakness -- characterization. He takes a whole book (sometimes more than a single book) to flesh characters out fully. Still, I heartily recommend this book because it deals with large themes and is better plotted than some of his more famous works.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 5 men in a submarine :-), December 30, 1998

By 

[e-mail] - See all my reviews

This review is from: The dragon in the sea (The Gregg Press science fiction series) (Hardcover)

This is a fairly simple and short novel. Unlike some of Frank's other work, this isnt really a sci-fi book, more of a psychological study of the paranoia that overtakes 5 men on a submarine mission to destroy an enemy installation. Its a very good read though, and id definitely reccomend it. Like the best of Franks work, it disorients the reader and fiddles with your perceptions.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb story, well before its time, December 2, 2009

By 

cyberscribe (Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Dragon in the Sea (Paperback)

It is important to remember when this was written. It is shocking how much he got right before widespread use of naval nuclear reactors. I read this story when it came out, in the middle fifties, and it left an indelible impression. He was of course wrong about vacuum tubes hanging on in wide use into the twenty first century, but still, a tour de force. Though I, for one, liked vacuum tubes. And he certainly got the danger from sleepers right, too. It wore better with time than With the Night Mail or Land Ironclads did. Amazing.