Under Pressure Author:Frank Herbert The year is 2018. The United States -- engaged in a slow-burning war with the Eastern Powers -- has run its oil wells dry, and now searches the ocean depths for new supplies. Problem is, it's tapping into the wells of enemy nations and towing away the precious resource with four-man, nuclear "subtugs." Of late, though, the vessels ... more »have been failing to return home, mysteriously disappearing in the vast ocean depths. Those in command suspect the enemy has infiltrated the sub crews. John Ramsey is only an ensign, but his specialty in both electronics and psychology gets him assigned to the subtug Fenian Ram S1881S to root out the saboteur.
Ramsey's first order of business is to sweep the sub for transponders that might have been planted by the enemy to reveal the position of the sub. Finding none, he must rely on his expertise in psychology. As the Fenian Ram plays cat-and-mouse in the murky depths with enemy subs, and as the onboard nuclear reactor teeters on the brink of meltdown, the pressure mounts on Ramsey, who must solve the mystery without blowing his cover. A nation at war is depending on him for its lifeblood -- and its future. . .
Originally published as The Dragon in the Sea, Under Pressure was Frank Herbert's first novel and is #6 in the Science Fiction Book Club's 50th Anniversary Collection.« less