City Under the Sea

by Kenneth Bulmer

Jeremy Dodge knew the Earth would face starvation if it were not for the new science of "aquaculture". With the world's population numbering many billions, only the extra food being cultivated on the bottom of the sea could feed everyone. But, like the rest of the surface-dwellers, Jeremy did not know what a vicious monopoly underwater cultivation had become. That is, until the dreadful moment when he himself was kidnapped and dragged beneath the depths. And there he was to learn that just making his own escape would not be enough - he would have to save mankind from the tyranny of a new race of water-breathing human monsters!

Genres: Science Fiction

173 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1957

About the author

Henry Kenneth Bulmer
aka:
Alan Burt Akers
Ken Blake
Ernest Corley
Arthur Frazier
Adam Hardy
Philip Kent
Bruno Krauss
Neil Langholm
Karl Maras
Manning Norvil
Charles R. Pike
Andrew Quiller
Richard Silver
Tully Zetford

Reviews

[Pidido Piquira · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tudo começou quando Jeremy Dodge (protagonista) precisa resolver questões relacionadas à herança de seu falecido tio, um cientista que havia implementado fazendas no fundo do mar com o objetivo de alimentar o mundo. Porém, como em uma boa ficção científica, a trama não se limita a esse ponto inicial. Pelo contrário, o protagonista é sequestrado e enfrenta inúmeras provações de sobrevivência.

Espere muitas disputas políticas, tratamentos desumanos, abusos científicos (eu diria até com um toque de body horror mais leve), alienígenas... Enfim, o livro mantém o mesmo ritmo envolvente do começo ao fim. Para mim, foi uma leitura intrigante e cheia de surpresas.

[Eric N. · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the future men have been engineered to work underwater. Includes political intrigue and aliens. Ok stand alone story.

[William Pereira · Rating 3 out of 5]

Uma aventura de ficção científica rápida e satisfatória.

[Two Envelopes And A Phone · Rating 4 out of 5]

I dunno - where do I rank this ditty. Definitely not the best thing since smoked salmon. I’m on the sea wall with this one…which way do I jump. Okay, I’ll use fluid math: call it 3.48 stars, which rounds up to 3.5 stars, which I can’t do at Goodreads so all of a sudden we’ve swum up to 4 stars.

This was my first dive into Kenneth Bulmer, and I think I’ve just found the British Jack Williamson. And that’s where nostalgia gets my overall rating treading water; as a young reader, the first SF I floated to was undersea SF. I know I owned Tom Swift and His Jetmarine, but didn’t read it. I don’t know why. My heart was in the right place: under water. Bought and didn’t read Tom Swift and his damn Jetmarine. Did read Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea, loved it - fully committed to Undersea Fleet by Frederik Pohl and Jack Williamson (whole trilogy much later), snubbed Pohl for no good reason, read a boatload of Jack Williamson. And, as I say, Bulmer brings back fond memories of the late lamented Dean of Science Fiction, certainly in terms of style, plot construction, and, these days, dated charm.

But Bulmer succeeds, somewhat, on his own, not just anchored to Williamson. This is an imaginative, eventful undersea romp. I confess 40 pages in, I was not fully on board, and the book had submerged itself in a 3 star rating I didn’t think it could get out of. But, as things developed, plot wrinkles ensued, the whole underlying premise bubbled to fruition…I liked it. Yes, it’s sort of “men’s adventure” - undersea farming in this world is so “housewives” can feed the family; we have a weird “manhole” metaphor and I think we call those maintenance openings now; the lead woman is a “secretary” and don’t wait for her to grab a speargun…but that’s the worst of that crap. This is a 1957 Science Fiction novel. That said, The Greatest Adventure by Eric Temple Bell (aka John Taine), which I read recently and which this reminds of - a bit - is from 1928, and that book had a strong, proactive female lead. Sooo…y’know. One dog paddle forward, two undertow yanks back.

Leave it at this: the dated bits are fishy; the fishy bits are a treat. Especially the involuntary menfish. Recommended…but I won’t hold my breath.

[Priscilla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Uma ficção científica com fundo ecológico.

A cidade submarina de que fala o título foi a alternativa que a humanidade encontrou para resolver a escassez de alimentos. Como tudo que é fundado e colonizado pelo ser humano, ela quer independência.

Acrescente sequestros, experimentação humana e muita politicagem ao texto.

Recomendo aos fãs do gênero.