Everything about The Dragon In The Sea totally explained
The Dragon in the Sea (1956), also known as
Under Pressure from its serialization, is a novel by
Frank Herbert. It was first serialized in
Astounding magazine from 1955 to 1956, then reworked and published as a book in 1956. It is usually classified as a
psychological novel.
Plot summary
Set in a near-future earth, the west and the east have been at war for more than a decade, and resources are running thin. The west is stealing oil from the east with specialized nuclear submarines ("subtugs") that sneak into the underwater oil fields of the east to secretly pump out the oil and bring it back. With a crew of four, these submarines undertake the most hazardous, stressful mission conceivable, and of late, the missions have been failing, with the last twenty submarines simply disappearing.
The east has been very successful in planting sleepers in the west's military and command structures, and the suspicion is that sleepers are sabotaging the subs or revealing their positions once at sea. John Ramsey, a young psychologist from the Bureau of Psychology (BuPsych), is trained as an electronics operator and sent on the next mission, replacing the previous officer who went insane. His secret mission is to find the sleeper, or figure out why the crews are going crazy.
Major themes
Typically for Herbert, psychology and religion (the title comes from a quote from the
Book of Revelation) play a large role in the narrative, as Johnny comes to understand the nature of the subtug crews and how they carry out their missions.
The technology described in the books, of the submarines towing large bags filled with the surreptitiously pumped oil presaged, and may even have been an inspiration for, the invention — whose development started in the year following Herbert's serial — which is now known as the
Dracone (note that
dracone means "dragon").
Awards
The Dragon in the Sea tied for number thirty-four in the 1975
Locus All-Time Poll.
Further Information
Get more info on 'The Dragon In The Sea'.
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