Oceanspace

_Oceanspace_ by Allen Steele is a near future undersea thriller set in the year 2011, one that seemed pretty believable, a story that could occur at some point, though I think perhaps not as soon as the year of the novel's setting. The primary locale of _Oceanspace_ is the largely self-sufficient undersea research station _Tethys_, located off the coast of Florida (a map would have been helpful but not essential). Actually, _Tethys_ is two stations. Above the waves is a facility not unlike an offshore oil rig, _Tethys 1_ which contains administrative facilities, a landing pad for VTOL aircraft, and other structures. The main research station, _Tethys 2_ is located 328 feet (100 meters) below, connected to _Tethys 1_ via a snorkel tube (which allows fresh air into the undersea habitat) and an interesting device called the OTEC (Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion) power plant, a series of large intake and discharge pipes, condensators, evaporators, and other devices designed to move cold water up from deep beneath the sea and warm water from the surface to run turbines to produce electricity, some of which is used to run desalination devices to provide water for the station. Moving between the two portions is not quick or easy, as _Tethys 2_ is under higher pressure, about ten atmospheres, and to avoid decompression sickness crew members must use special facilities to allow their bodies to adjust. I found _Tethys_ well described and a believable and though I am certainly no expert, a workable design. The beginning of the book had a two page diagram of the station, focusing largely on the undersea portion, which I found helpful. The primary purpose of the privately owned station (built and run by the Yemaya corporation) is to facilitate the undersea mining of manganese nodules on the seafloor, a service performed by autonomous robotic submersibles, which harvest from a designated portion of the seafloor and are periodically relieved of their cargo by a manned submersible. Almost as important though is the harvest and study of organisms collected from deep sea hydrothermal vents, "black smokers," which are used to produce lucrative chemicals and other biotech products. In addition, Yemaya rents out space on _Tethys 2_ to visiting marine biologists and geologists. There are several plotlines followed in the book. One plot involves industrial espionage, the nature of which does not become evident until later on in the novel. I found that storyline pretty interesting and thought it had an exciting climax. A second plotline involved possible sea monsters; the first chapter, one of the best in the book, vividly described an attack on a manned submersible that was going to relieve a robotic harvester of its cargo of manganese nodules. The sub's operator, Joe Niedzwiecki, barely escapes with his life as the huge creature attacks and nearly destroys his vehicle. One of the main characters of the book, Judith Lipscomb, a researcher based at the station

Allen Steele proves once again that he could easily move into the adventure market if he wanted to broaden his horizons. The action kicks off undersea when submersible pilot Joe Niedziwicki nearly gets killed by a giant sea serpent while collecting manganese nodules from a deep sea mining robot. Joe is rescued by Peter Lipscomb, a coworker testing subs for the Yamaya Corporation, which has all the book's characters employed at Tethys sea station, moored near the North American continent by the Blake Plateau and comprised of a station above the water, Tethys I, and undersea station Tethys II. Peter's wife Judith, also employed by Yamaya, is a marine biologist interested in sea monsters. Judith cuts her Dominican vacation with Dr. Charles Toussaint, her and Peter's former professor, short when she hears Joe's tale. She and Charles rush to Tethys, where they're joined by Peter's niece Andie and slutty, nosy reporter Leslie Sun, there to write an article on Tethys for Millennium magazine. They spend a few days topside before descending to Tethys II and, for Judith and Andie, a dangerous submarine journey. Peter stays at Tethys, where Leslie makes her move. Charles stays in order to conduct some corporate espionage, trying to sell a vial of water obtained from a black smoker to a rival company. He ups the stakes when Judith's submarine mission finds a new vent field near the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The action never quite reaches much of a peak, yet the writing was compelling to the last page, and the drama between the characters moved at a steady pace. There was always something happening, even if events never reached fever pitch. I just reminded myself that this is SF, not Dirk Pitt. In keeping, the ending was quiet, lightly touched with irony, and not an explosive blow-out. Though tamer than most undersea adventures I've read, it was a very good read with likeable characters and never a dull moment. There is only one thing I would change: I'd have the sea monster eat the bad guys.

Tethys is the world's first self-sufficient undersea research station filled with promise - and growing danger as an unknown entity living in the ocean depths becomes aware of human activities in a hidden realm. Add a dose of political strife and you have an active, changing account hard to put down.

OceanSpace by Allen Steele takes place in the mysterious environment of the deep sea. The crushing ocean depths are as challenging an environment as the moon or deep space. Allen, in the tradition of hard science fiction, gets the details right. But never mind that. Textbooks get the details right. Allen knows how to tell a story, and that's what matters. There is something special about a story that can quote Buckaroo Banzai, recite Tennyson in a helium enhanced Donald Duck voice, and create a new verse to the Drunken Sailor sea chantey. Oh yeah, there's even a sea monster. . . if the photos and sonar readings can be trusted. Allen's characters are intelligent and resourceful people, with enough flaws to make them human. The plot has some surprises but never cheats the reader. The story takes place over seven hectic days, but few readers will take more than a sitting or two to finish it.

Under the sea, in the depths of the ocean, a completely submerged research station called Tethys exists, and goes about its work hoping to explore the true final frontier, the mysterious world of the ocean. But the station is disturbed by what Joe Niedzwiecki can only describe as a sea serpent. His report spawns a barrage of interested parties, some in search of knowledge, others in search of much baser booty. Allen Steele has undertaken what he himself calls a departure, a state of the art undersea book. His efforts have resulted in a high impact adventure, featuring Steele's excellent description and impressive writing skills. A cast of characters worth caring about (and a couple worth despising) round out this exciting book which Steele describes as a homage to Arthur C. Clarke's The Deep Range. Rickey R. Mallory