Customer Reviews

Under Pressure

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Under pressure takes place in submarine with a small crew on a top-secret mission. Herebert does a fantastic job of creating interesting situations and relationships between the characters in a setting where many writers would flounder. The level of detail in the book is interesting and, as usual, Herbert brings up many thought provoking issues. If you enjoy books that are more than mere entertainment and actually make you think, this a great book to read. This fantastic book is in true Herbert style. I have heard some people say they find a Herbert and little slow and dry (I do not) at first but to those people I say get through the begining and his novels are ALWAYS worth it.

This book, originally published in the 50s as "The Dragon in the Sea", was one of the first adult hard-sf books I ever read and my copy of the paperback original has almost disintegrated from repeated re-readings. This story of an undersea mission to a radioactivity-ravaged Europe and the subplot of a traitor in the crew is as readable and believable today as when it was first published. It should be read by every published or aspiring sf author as a textbook in how to write a story that doesn't date itself.

I recently decided to take on the task of reading all of Frank Herbert's work. This was his first full-fledged novel I believe. When I picked it up, I wasn't expecting much. It was written so long ago that I assumed the technology would be very outdated and would detract from whatever story was being told. I was pleasantly surprised. It's a very good read and the 'future' he envisions where the world has been plagued by war due to the scarcity of oil is made all the more interesting to me when I consider how long ago it was written. There are a couple of moments when he gets into a bunch of technical descriptions of certain events that are completely incomprehensible but these only last a few pages. There is also a blessed absence of the religious and mystical mumbo jumbo that ruins some of his later works. This book holds up well and is worth the brief time it takes to read it.

great book-would make a great movie as i love submarine movies!!updating this for the big sceen would take very little effort. i think of this story as more of a suspense/mystery novel rather than sci-fi. i see James Cromwell as the sub commander. economics,deceit,paranoia,loyalty,and betrayal!Herbert wrote a very strong story with characters that are flawed,couragous,and real.A hidden gem! -tough to put down.

I give this a 3.5 rounded down to a 3.

This book is really an early techno-thriller treading water that Tom Clancy would later plow more effectively in The Hunt for Red October. It is science fiction only due to its age and the idea of a device monitoring psychiatric/psychological functions.

Our protagonist, a psych agent in the military is put aboard a sub to see what is wrong with the captain, and there is possibly a traitor on board. The pressure the title refers to is both the pressure of the deep deep water, and the pressure of being cooped up in a sub with other people doing an incredibly stressful job. We see the coping mechanisms of the submariners as they are under stress.

Unfortunately I couldn't really care about the main character, and I found the sub hunts were not paced well to create any real tension. The ending though is a lot better and finally some excitement and real tension is created, enough to redeem the book but not enough to make it the classic it is revered as.

Points for the idea of a techno-thriller but due to a generally uninteresting story this is only an average work.

"Under Pressure" succeeds where so many of today's doorstopper novels fail: Herbert is able to sketch believable, smart characters quickly and desicively then send them out into a taut plot that keeps one turning pages. A smart, smart novel by a master. Don't miss it!

Herbert is a master storyteller, and his excursion into the depths of the sea reflects his talents.

This is a very exciting book that takes place in a not so distant future. The world is divided in two and they are a war.

Our side is stealing oil with submarines. And we have a sabuteur.