Under Pressure

by Frank Herbert

Book Overview

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... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0345238354
• ISBN13: 9780345238351
• Release Date: February 1974
• Publisher: Ballantine Books
• Length: 220 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Superb story, well before its time

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.

Claustrophobia

Dragon in the Sea is quite a departure from Dune. It's more akin to The Santaroga Barrier (my favorite Herbert book) in Herbert starts with a few ordinary events and then turns them into psychological dramas. For this book, he goes one step further and leaves off the chapter divisions to create a literary claustrophobia to match the claustrophic conditions of the submarine. Some of the psychobable to explain the captain's behavior was a bit silly but I'll forgive it for the otherwise enjoyable thriller with science fiction trappings.

under pressure by frank herbert

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.

Typical microcosm under pressure, well done

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.

Fantastic Submarine Adventure

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.