In the twenty-first century, the United States has all but used up its oil supply. A new source must be found. Our atomic subtugs begin stealing oil from underwater deposits in enemy territory. But none of the last twenty tugs sent to bring back the desperately needed mineral have returned. Ensign John Ramsey of the Bureau of Psychology is planted aboard the Fenian Ram S1881 as an electronics officer. His assignment: find the saboteur in the four-man crew and bring back the oil.
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"don't really have any interest in submarines or straight military books, but I figured that Frank Herbert can't really lead you astray. Luckily I was right, this book is more about psychology and to a point religions impact on individuals then it is about submarines. It was a good little thriller book with a few turns that I just legitimately didn't expect, yet didn't seem ridiculous or out of place like they do in a lot of books."
— Alexander (4 out of 5 stars)
Brick slips easily into [Herbert's] harrowing futuristic world, narrating in a straightforward tone that ultimately makes the story all the more frightening.
— AudioFile“A sea story of an imaginary war that comes very close to matching…any chronicle of real war…A novel that ranks with the best of modern science fiction.”
— New York Times“One of the few science fiction novels I’ll recommend to anyone.”
— Pittsburgh Press“[Brick’s] narrative voice complements Herbert’s prose to emphasize the claustrophobic elements of the submarine.
— Publishers Weekly“Brick slips easily into [Herbert’s] harrowing futuristic world, narrating in a straightforward tone that ultimately makes the story all the more frightening.”
— AudioFile" read 03.14.84 "
— colleen, 2/11/2014" Last night I finished reading Dragon in the Sea by Frank Herbert (1956). 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 claustrophobic conditions of the submarine. Some of the psychobabble to explain the captain's behavior was a bit silly but I'll forgive it for the otherwise enjoyable thriller with science fiction trappings. "
— Sarah, 1/18/2014" What a turd. I wasn't expecting much, but this is a completely color-by-numbers submarine story. Are the Dune books this bad? They've got to be better, right? "
— Ben, 1/5/2014" I read this years ago and really liked it. "
— Kerr, 12/26/2013" Solid sci-fi story. "
— Matt, 12/5/2013" I was drawn to this book by its awesome 50s style sci-fi cover. I was not disappointed in the end, couldn't put it down. "
— Jeffrey, 11/16/2013" Great submarine adventure, with a terrific psychological sci-fi edge. Nice mix of vacuum tubes and nuclear technology with constant at the gauges detail. "
— Mark, 11/7/2013" Must have picked this one up at a used-book sale. Don't bother. "
— Ted, 11/2/2013" This is a somewhat dated (1956) science fiction novel set during the Cold War extrapolated into the future. "
— Erik, 4/5/2013" This was pretty good. The story moves along. Very ambitious having science fiction, thriller and mystery elements, and succeeds though I am not sure everything adds up in the end. "
— Bill, 2/20/2013" Fast, psychological thriller that's surprisingly relevant today. Much simpler diction than anything in the Dune universe. "
— Patrick, 8/1/2012" I have tried to read this book several times and I just cannot get through it. I know it was award-winning, but it just didn't appeal to me. "
— Dana, 2/1/2012" I found the plot gripping...the original "classic" submarine story. "
— Morgan, 12/2/2011" This is really a submarine WWII cold war psychological thriller rather than speculative fiction. "
— Nicole, 9/13/2011" This was an excellent book. I particularly enjoyed the character development. There was a sufficient amount of action, but not enough to make a good movie. The scenario was very plausible, and the author has captured the essence of government security and operational planning. "
— Thomas, 8/6/2011" I found the plot gripping...the original "classic" submarine story. "
— Morgan, 3/27/2011" I read this years ago and really liked it. "
— Kerr, 1/11/2011" This was pretty good. The story moves along. Very ambitious having science fiction, thriller and mystery elements, and succeeds though I am not sure everything adds up in the end. "
— Bill, 12/13/2010" I was drawn to this book by its awesome 50s style sci-fi cover. I was not disappointed in the end, couldn't put it down. "
— Jeffrey, 8/26/2010" This is a somewhat dated (1956) science fiction novel set during the Cold War extrapolated into the future. "
— Erik, 9/2/2009" I have tried to read this book several times and I just cannot get through it. I know it was award-winning, but it just didn't appeal to me. "
— Dana, 10/22/2008" Psychologie und kalter Krieg der Zukunft. "
— Joerg, 9/2/2008" This is really a submarine WWII cold war psychological thriller rather than speculative fiction. "
— Nicole, 7/29/2008" What a turd. I wasn't expecting much, but this is a completely color-by-numbers submarine story. Are the Dune books this bad? They've got to be better, right? "
— Ben, 6/10/2008" Fast, psychological thriller that's surprisingly relevant today. Much simpler diction than anything in the <em>Dune</em> universe. "
— Patrick, 5/4/2008" His first, I believe. Also released under another title? <br/> <br/>Mostly boring old-school sci-fi, but for the die-hard Herberist (yes I just made up that word) the seeds of greatness are buried in works like this. His style is there, the ideas just aren't quite up to speed yet. <br/> <br/> "
— Karl, 1/11/2008Frank Herbert (1920–1986), winner of the Hugo and Nebula awards and a #1 New York Times bestselling author, was born in Tacoma, Washington, and worked as a reporter and later as an editor for a number of West Coast newspapers before becoming a full-time writer. His first science fiction story was published in 1952, but he achieved fame more than ten years later with the publication of “Dune World” and “The Prophet of Dune” in Analog. The stories were amalgamated in the bestselling novel Dune in 1965.
Scott Brick, an acclaimed voice artist, screenwriter, and actor, has performed on film, television, and radio. He attended UCLA and spent ten years in a traveling Shakespeare company. Passionate about the spoken word, he has narrated a wide variety of audiobooks. winning won more than fifty AudioFile Earphones Awards and several of the prestigious Audie Awards. He was named a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine and the Voice of Choice for 2016 by Booklist magazine.