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The Modern Naval Fiction Library
The Deep Silence
HMS "Temeraire" is the latest, most advanced nuclear submarine in the British fleet. Her trials are cut short and she is ordered to the Far East to reinforce the fleet against a threat from Red China.
313 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1968
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122 people want to read
About the author
Douglas Reeman
138 books174 followersAKA Alexander Kent.
Douglas Edward Reeman was a British author who has written many historical fiction books on the Royal Navy, mainly set during either World War II or the Napoleonic Wars.
Reeman joined the Royal Navy in 1940, at the age of 16, and served during World War II and the Korean War. He eventually rose to the rank of lieutenant. In addition to being an author, Reeman has also taught the art of navigation for yachting and served as a technical advisor for films. Douglas married author Kimberley Jordan Reeman in 1985.
Reeman's debut novel, A Prayer for the Ship was published in 1958. His pseudonym Alexander Kent was the name of a friend and naval officer who died during the Second World War. Reeman is most famous for his series of Napoleonic naval stories, whose central character is Richard Bolitho, and, later, his nephew, Adam. He also wrote a series of novels about several generations of the Blackwood family who served in the Royal Marines from the 1850s to the 1970s, and a non-fiction account of his World War II experiences, D-Day : A Personal Reminiscence (1984).
Series:
* Blackwood Family
Douglas Edward Reeman was a British author who has written many historical fiction books on the Royal Navy, mainly set during either World War II or the Napoleonic Wars.
Reeman joined the Royal Navy in 1940, at the age of 16, and served during World War II and the Korean War. He eventually rose to the rank of lieutenant. In addition to being an author, Reeman has also taught the art of navigation for yachting and served as a technical advisor for films. Douglas married author Kimberley Jordan Reeman in 1985.
Reeman's debut novel, A Prayer for the Ship was published in 1958. His pseudonym Alexander Kent was the name of a friend and naval officer who died during the Second World War. Reeman is most famous for his series of Napoleonic naval stories, whose central character is Richard Bolitho, and, later, his nephew, Adam. He also wrote a series of novels about several generations of the Blackwood family who served in the Royal Marines from the 1850s to the 1970s, and a non-fiction account of his World War II experiences, D-Day : A Personal Reminiscence (1984).
Series:
* Blackwood Family
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
March 15, 2024
One should not start a review on a personal note, but there it is. When reading this, I was struck by the notion, an alienating one that is, of feeling rather at odds with the author portraying the Chinese as enemies. Apart from that, Reeman delivers solid reading material that appeals to mostly males, I presume. It is an almost all-male show. This being said, there is a brief “interaction” between the protagonist, the captain of a nuclear submarine and a woman. Romantic brevity is to be expected for we all know that Reeman’s various captains reserve their true love for the large, thick-hulled military vessels they command. So, this is old school type British Royal Navy yarn of royal officers, bound by duty, making decisions larger than life itself, of sacrifices asked for and made by a crew that has is as foul-mouthed as it is daring and loyal? Well, fortunately, it is a helluva lot more complicated than that. There is the captain who is at odds with a WW2 relic of an admiral that he can’t avoid. There is a problematic father-son relationship with said admiral and one of the crew of the captains boat, then we have a hard as nails, at time even devious lone wolf first officer that is called Wolf, obviously not by accident. Last but not least, there is a murder kept secret at all costs. It all makes for an explosive mixture of circumstance on the HMS "Temeraire" the latest, most advanced nuclear submarine the Brits have of the imaginary “Polaris class” (Polaris is a nuclear missile, not a class of submarine – maybe I misheard …)To add to her troubles, as she hadn’t quite enough already, she is ordered north of the Yellow Sea, in a disputed area situated between 山东 province and North Korea to reinforce the fleet against a threat, perceived or not, from China.
All in all, the Silent Deep is a solid enough novel, even if it makes out the Chinese as “baddies”. But this is about writing not certain choices the author makes. And the author knows how to produce a good plot, characters and all. So, if you like the setting of sea and submarines, if you dig the navy and life on a ship, ahem.. boat, then give this a try.
All in all, the Silent Deep is a solid enough novel, even if it makes out the Chinese as “baddies”. But this is about writing not certain choices the author makes. And the author knows how to produce a good plot, characters and all. So, if you like the setting of sea and submarines, if you dig the navy and life on a ship, ahem.. boat, then give this a try.
March 17, 2015
Douglas Reeman drinking game: first mention of the drink "Horse's Neck"--page 40
First use of word "oblivion"--page 310
Top notch book that likely is out of print because of one word. But one of the all-time best, most complex of Reeman's work's. The time is Viet Nam Asia; Britain's Navy is second fiddle to the Americans, but commits her newest nuclear submarine, barely past her shakedown cruise, to the region.
Yes, there's a rather-too-rapid love interest (oddly disappearing for Act II). But everyone knows that Reeman writes about a Captain's love for his vessel, not the random love affairs that people his books. And, yes, there's another one of those unredeemable bad guy officers redeeming himself at the end, after all, by sacrificing himself in a small craft. But this one comes with a new twist, not obvious until just before it happens. In place of the usual ", what?" character is an ancient, WWII era Admiral, who clashes with the Captain -- and his Sub-Lieutenant son, also aboard -- from day one.
One of Reeman's half-dozen best.
First use of word "oblivion"--page 310
Top notch book that likely is out of print because of one word. But one of the all-time best, most complex of Reeman's work's. The time is Viet Nam Asia; Britain's Navy is second fiddle to the Americans, but commits her newest nuclear submarine, barely past her shakedown cruise, to the region.
Yes, there's a rather-too-rapid love interest (oddly disappearing for Act II). But everyone knows that Reeman writes about a Captain's love for his vessel, not the random love affairs that people his books. And, yes, there's another one of those unredeemable bad guy officers redeeming himself at the end, after all, by sacrificing himself in a small craft. But this one comes with a new twist, not obvious until just before it happens. In place of the usual ", what?" character is an ancient, WWII era Admiral, who clashes with the Captain -- and his Sub-Lieutenant son, also aboard -- from day one.
One of Reeman's half-dozen best.
February 28, 2017
Great read. Reman's writing is reminiscent of CS Forester. The protagonist faces crisis with a lot of self examination. This story was a hypothetical story of a British nuclear sub in the 70's off the coast of China and Korea. It was written in 1968' It was a gripping story. Highly recommended.
June 21, 2021
I love Douglas Reeman's naval adventures but this rarely ventured out of the doldrums for me. 'HMS Temeraire' is the Royal Navy's latest nuclear submarine (it's 1967) and her maiden voyage takes us off the coast of Korea where Red China's up to no good....plus ca change. There's the usual Reeman tropes of backstabbing higher staff, conflicted crew and selfless skipper.
It's always nice to have villains you can boo & hiss, in this case Sir John 'Total Bastard' - a veteran of WW2 and nasty to everyone, especially his son serving onboard. Not forgetting Lieutenant Wolfe, the captain's former friend and brother-in-law, presently second in command, an alcoholic, pill-popping pyscho.
Unfortunately our hero is the least interesting character here, a total blank. I finished this book yesterday and struggle to remember his name. He's from Cornwall. There's the usual perfunctory romance and some naval action but even the 'big finish' feels rushed and unsatisfactory. Reeman's at his best when drawing on his wartime experiences whereas the setting and plot here didn't quite ring true.
I was struggling to work out exactly where we were going (quite literally at times) and I don't think submarine warfare lends itself to Reeman's style of classic adventure. Apart from "Das Boot", I can't think of many quality underwater tales. Even "The Hunt For Red October" dragged at times with all the techno babble.
That said, I can't give any Reeman book less that three stars and will be back to enjoy more blood and thunder naval encounters.
It's always nice to have villains you can boo & hiss, in this case Sir John 'Total Bastard' - a veteran of WW2 and nasty to everyone, especially his son serving onboard. Not forgetting Lieutenant Wolfe, the captain's former friend and brother-in-law, presently second in command, an alcoholic, pill-popping pyscho.
Unfortunately our hero is the least interesting character here, a total blank. I finished this book yesterday and struggle to remember his name. He's from Cornwall. There's the usual perfunctory romance and some naval action but even the 'big finish' feels rushed and unsatisfactory. Reeman's at his best when drawing on his wartime experiences whereas the setting and plot here didn't quite ring true.
I was struggling to work out exactly where we were going (quite literally at times) and I don't think submarine warfare lends itself to Reeman's style of classic adventure. Apart from "Das Boot", I can't think of many quality underwater tales. Even "The Hunt For Red October" dragged at times with all the techno babble.
That said, I can't give any Reeman book less that three stars and will be back to enjoy more blood and thunder naval encounters.
January 13, 2017
I must admit I was expecting a rather dry tale here, especially as I'd never read Douglas Reeman before, and I figured if I'd already seen Das Boot and The Hunt for Red October, the submarine theme was well-cooked. What started off with a weak narrative and (my pet peeve) changing viewpoints every few paragraphs quickly grew into a classic war novel that I simply couldn't put down. Reeman's days in the Navy when he was younger brings a solid air of believability to the story of an untested submarine crew on their first mission into international waters.
Reeman's fast-paced writing is well-balanced by quieter moments that do well to add to the drama and unexpected plot twists that really start to ramp up halfway through the story. Commander Jermain goes from being a rather bland submarine captain to a true hero as he puts everything on the line in the South China Sea in order to survive. The setting of the book has remarkable relevance given today's tension with China and the Spratly islands and Reeman makes it easy to transport this tale of late 1960's submarine warfare into current-day politics.
I truly enjoyed this book; I'm now looking forward to discovering more of what Douglas Reeman has to offer. These sort of novels aren't everyone's cup of tea, but if you're growing tired of your usual fare and want something different, pick up The Deep Silence and let the sea carry you away.
Reeman's fast-paced writing is well-balanced by quieter moments that do well to add to the drama and unexpected plot twists that really start to ramp up halfway through the story. Commander Jermain goes from being a rather bland submarine captain to a true hero as he puts everything on the line in the South China Sea in order to survive. The setting of the book has remarkable relevance given today's tension with China and the Spratly islands and Reeman makes it easy to transport this tale of late 1960's submarine warfare into current-day politics.
I truly enjoyed this book; I'm now looking forward to discovering more of what Douglas Reeman has to offer. These sort of novels aren't everyone's cup of tea, but if you're growing tired of your usual fare and want something different, pick up The Deep Silence and let the sea carry you away.
March 24, 2021
I haven't read this before, but its presumably set aboard a Trafalgar class SSN (no a Valiant class SSN). This will be my first modern era Douglas Reeman book, which will be interesting.
The storey is set in the late 1960s, in SE Asia off Northern Korea. There are a series of missions for a newly commissioned British SSN, with a crew that needs some time off. The mission is largely political and to do with UK/USA power jostling in the Pacific immediately prior to the Labour Government ending all deployments east of Aden and focussing the remainder of the Royal Navy on the Atlantic and its NATO anti-submarine convey protection role.
Ask books of this sort go, its pretty good, the missions are interesting to read, the characters are also interesting, but probably under developed and the inter-personal conflicts don't really make much sense. I cant really talk to the officers, but I would have expected more self control and self discipline. Thats the aspect of the story I find hardest to believe in, although It didn't massively spoil the book for me.
If youre a fan of this sort of genre, then this is a good story to read.
The storey is set in the late 1960s, in SE Asia off Northern Korea. There are a series of missions for a newly commissioned British SSN, with a crew that needs some time off. The mission is largely political and to do with UK/USA power jostling in the Pacific immediately prior to the Labour Government ending all deployments east of Aden and focussing the remainder of the Royal Navy on the Atlantic and its NATO anti-submarine convey protection role.
Ask books of this sort go, its pretty good, the missions are interesting to read, the characters are also interesting, but probably under developed and the inter-personal conflicts don't really make much sense. I cant really talk to the officers, but I would have expected more self control and self discipline. Thats the aspect of the story I find hardest to believe in, although It didn't massively spoil the book for me.
If youre a fan of this sort of genre, then this is a good story to read.
August 15, 2022
This is probably a 3.5 stars book but I can't give half stars. It was a typical Reeman naval story, this time set in the 1960s about the first nuclear powered submarine for the royal navy. It contains many of Reeman's stock in trades, awkward relationships between crew members, a officer in charge (in this case an Admiral) second guessing everything and trying to blame the captain for things that go wrong but wanting all the credit for the good. The battle scenes are as usually well described and realistic.
For me however what lets this book down is the setting. It was set in the general tension of the far east at around the time of the Vietnam war which had no real naval encounters, as such the encounters that took place seem forced rather than an natural extension of the story that happens when the stories are set in WWII
For me however what lets this book down is the setting. It was set in the general tension of the far east at around the time of the Vietnam war which had no real naval encounters, as such the encounters that took place seem forced rather than an natural extension of the story that happens when the stories are set in WWII
March 20, 2022
A great old military thriller. If you're looking for romantic relationships, emotional processing, or - god forbid - "subverting expectations", you won't find it here, but what we do get is a taut nautical thriller that weaves together military politics, personal politics, family politics, and geopolitics to tell the story of the crew of the brand new, high tech submarine Temeraire on its first voyage as they're sent into the thick of tensions in the south China waters in the early 80's. The crew are a flawed and complicated lot, with varying trustworthiness and individual agendas, and it takes a while to even figure out who is who among what seems like 35 characters but eventually everything gels. A solid Cold War adventure, thumbs up.
July 27, 2024
Not his best, far from it. I guess when you have read Patrick Robinson or Tom Clancy submarine books, you expect a certain level of technical mumbo jumbo. That aspect of this book is confined to lines like "full speed ahead" and "let's use the homing torpedoes next time" As usual, the most gorgeous women in the world instantaneously rips all her clothes off for our hero and finds herself aboard the conveyance that is going to need his protection later in the novel. An incompetent superior officer and an insane first officer round out a pretty unbelievable cast of characters. You can see the "Bolitho" formula that will eventually be used in the Kent books but these were early days for this author. The nuance and suspense that Reeman will build into future novels is yet to develop.
April 11, 2024
Another classic Cold War story from an expert artist of this genre, and brilliantly read as ever by David Rintoul
April 19, 2024
So good I read it twice!
Douglas Reeman at his best. Difficult to put down. A good technical accuracy shown without becoming boring. A bloody good book!
Douglas Reeman at his best. Difficult to put down. A good technical accuracy shown without becoming boring. A bloody good book!
September 16, 2012
March 1967.
H.M.S. Temeraire: latest and most advanced of Britain’s nuclear submarines.
When Temeraire’s trials are cut short and she is ordered to the Far East to reinforce the fleet against a threat from Red China, her captain, David Jermain, knows this is no routine exercise in flag waving. And once in Asian waters, he and his submarine find themselves involved in a hidden undeclared conflict beneath the sea.
From the Paperback edition.
From the Inside FlapMarch 1967.
H.M.S. Temeraire: latest and most advanced of Britain?s nuclear submarines.
When Temeraire?s trials are cut short and she is ordered to the Far East to reinforce the fleet against a threat from Red China, her captain, David Jermain, knows this is no routine exercise in flag waving. And once in Asian waters, he and his submarine find themselves involved in a hidden undeclared conflict beneath the sea.
From the Paperback edition.
About the AuthorDouglas Reeman joined the Navy in 1941. He did convoy duty in the navy in the Atlantic, the Arctic, and the North Sea, and later served in motor torpedo boats. He has written over thirty novels under his own name and more than twenty best-selling historical novels featuring Richard Bolitho under the pseudonym Alexander Kent.
From the Paperback edition.
June 16, 2016
A heroic young captain, and his broken unstable second-in-command - who is also his ex-brother in law, by the way + 90 other men aboard a British nuclear submarine, the HMS "Temeraire". Among these is an unwise old admiral, who does his best to annoy and confuse our hero, commander David Jermain. Adding to the "family atmosphere" of distrust, is the fact that the youngest officer aboard is the estranged and insecure son of the old admiral.
There is also a love interest story in far side lines, but this is so superficial that it almost seem completely unnecessary.
"The Deep Silence" is anything but silent. It is a blast for any fan of naval fiction. Especially for those fascinated with submarines.
When this finest (fictional) nuke submarine of the Royal Navy sails straight into dangerous and "red" Chinese waters, during 60's and the cold war. With Douglas Reeman at the helm, You can rest assured THIS WILL NOT BE BORING!
Despite a cliche-soaked plot and a few slightly stereotypical characters, "The Deep Silence" is a roaring submarine (melo)drama going all ahead flank from start to ending.
Highly recommended, especially to fans of naval fiction and submarine buffs!
Although the plot's development is rather obvious, and this novel isn't high literature (and it doesn't pretend to be), "Deep Silence" IS very well written, entertaining, well paced and exciting from start to finish.
Three stars (with a big PLUS).
There is also a love interest story in far side lines, but this is so superficial that it almost seem completely unnecessary.
"The Deep Silence" is anything but silent. It is a blast for any fan of naval fiction. Especially for those fascinated with submarines.
When this finest (fictional) nuke submarine of the Royal Navy sails straight into dangerous and "red" Chinese waters, during 60's and the cold war. With Douglas Reeman at the helm, You can rest assured THIS WILL NOT BE BORING!
Despite a cliche-soaked plot and a few slightly stereotypical characters, "The Deep Silence" is a roaring submarine (melo)drama going all ahead flank from start to ending.
Highly recommended, especially to fans of naval fiction and submarine buffs!
Although the plot's development is rather obvious, and this novel isn't high literature (and it doesn't pretend to be), "Deep Silence" IS very well written, entertaining, well paced and exciting from start to finish.
Three stars (with a big PLUS).
July 20, 2010
Gripping book!
This is one of Reeman's better books in my oppinion. About a Submarine, patroling in difficult times. Where actions sometimes spoke louder than words, yet could not themselves be spoken of. It has an interesting plot, and difficult decisions to make for the characters in the story. There is action, humanity, feeling, despair and many other emotions which make this a great read.
This is one of Reeman's better books in my oppinion. About a Submarine, patroling in difficult times. Where actions sometimes spoke louder than words, yet could not themselves be spoken of. It has an interesting plot, and difficult decisions to make for the characters in the story. There is action, humanity, feeling, despair and many other emotions which make this a great read.
April 9, 2009
Great war story!
February 18, 2012
enjoyed the book. credible story. Just the right length. page turner.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews