Comments on: Dune’s Half-Century https://www.isegoria.net/2015/08/dunes-half-century/ From the ancient Greek for equality in freedom of speech; an eclectic mix of thoughts, large and small Tue, 23 Jun 2026 09:00:55 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.6.1 By: Dan Kurt https://www.isegoria.net/2015/08/dunes-half-century/comment-page-1/#comment-2360522 Dan Kurt Tue, 11 Aug 2015 23:53:22 +0000 http://www.isegoria.net/?p=38573#comment-2360522 How I remember the book. I read it during the Autumn of 1957 as I, a sophomore in high school, discovered Science Fiction and thus reading for pleasure. It was one of my first reads, and I read it through mainly because I bought it with my own money. I had not discovered the used book stores at that time. The Avon book was titled: 21st Century Sub and cost 35¢. The cover depicted a submarine that did not reflect the description in the book.

I disliked the book as many things did not make sense. If I remember correctly the torpedoes were carried externally, like missiles on a F-16, exposed to the ocean instead of internally as is done on today’s submarines. All I could think of was that the torpedoes would corrode and pick up barnacles if in the salt water. I don’t recall much of the book except that the base for the sub was somewhere inland from the Gulf of Mexico reached by a long underwater tunnel which I found farfetched.

Funny, I enjoyed Dune when I read it in college.

]]> By: Bruce https://www.isegoria.net/2015/08/dunes-half-century/comment-page-1/#comment-2360280 Bruce Tue, 11 Aug 2015 17:28:47 +0000 http://www.isegoria.net/?p=38573#comment-2360280 The Dragon in the Sea, retitled Under Pressure, has some good submarine SF tech (Sub-Fi?) in it — about as good as Bill Keith’s Sharuq and Stingray. But like you say, it’s mostly a story about a nervous bunch of serious professional WASPs being serious and professional and nervous. One waspish Jew, a genius psychiatrist of course. Fifties editors seem to have liked these more than fifties readers, who preferred a little blood on the bikini. Elleston Trevor did a bunch, then got a clue and struck the Adam Hall gold.

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