Attack from Atlantis

by Lester del Rey

No Exit...It was an official test run... nothing dangerous, nothing unplanned. Just a chance to show the brass and the press how the new atomic sub Triton took the depths. Don Miller was thrilled to be aboard. It was the chance of a lifetime, and he wouldn't have missed it for the world.
But at 500 fathoms, there was trouble with the tanks; at 700 ther was even more...and there was a limit to the pressure even a sub like the Triton could take. Suddenly it became obvious that things were not happening accidentally, that at a depth never before possible for a man to reach, the Triton was being sabatoged!

Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Fantasy, Collections, Juvenile

167 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published September 1, 1953

About the author

Lester del Rey was an American science fiction author and editor. Del Rey is especially famous for his juvenile novels such as those which are part of the Winston Science Fiction series, and for Del Rey Books, the fantasy and science fiction branch of Ballantine Books edited by Lester del Rey and his fourth wife Judy-Lynn del Rey.

Also published as:
Philip St. John
Eric van Lihn
Erik van Lhin
Kenneth Wright
Edson McCann (with Frederik Pohl)

Reviews

[Clint Hall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three!...Two!...One!... Get ready for high adventure on the high seas!

Have you ever seen Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea? It was a TV show that aired in the 60s that was really fun, exciting, and had about the same cheese level as Lost in Space. Attack from Atlantis felt like a lost episode of that show.

It started out with lots of over-the-top submarine action starring a main character in his younger years, probably with the intention of making this qualify as a Juvenile, or YA, as they call it today. It took a while before we met the Atlanteans, and once we did, I found myself yearning for more of the submarine action from the front half.

As a whole, it was a short enjoyable read from the 50s. And if you are ultra-sensitive, there's not much in it to twist your panties into a bunch. Quite surprising given the decade in which it was written.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an early novel of the many that del Rey wrote for the Winston line of juvenile science fiction novels. I believe it's the only one that wasn't set in the future in outer space. It struck me as less plausible than the other books of his that I'd read, perhaps intended for a younger audience, and had a more fantasy than science fiction feel to it. The beginning was exciting- underwater exploration and scientists doing cool science stuff, with a hint of military intrigue and political suspense- but when they actually met the lost race and got to Atlantis, I lost my sense of disbelief. Interesting, but not among his best.

[Joe Santoro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Plot: 17 year old Don Miller has been helping his uncle with a new Atomic Sub that can go lower in the sea than any before, and the military is interested. They come in and take over, but, luckily for Don, the guy taking his place is sympathetic, so he 'gets sick' and forces Don to take his place. After an encounter with an amorous whale, the crew gets captured by Atlanteans, who are apparently Cro-Magnon men that stumbled upon a way to generate amazing force fields and live on the ocean floor in a bubble city.

The crystals they use to power said force fields, however, are scarce, and they're running out. Their technology, while advanced in some ways, was mostly 'trial and error' engineering rather than research and theory, so they had no replacement. Don, of course, being a smart red-blooded American lad of the 50s, figures it out right away, and convinces the Atlanteans to go to the surface and get help, while sharing their force fields to prevent nuclear holocaust. The end!

Analysis: Modern 'Young Adult' writers sure could take some lessons from Lester Del Rey! This is almost the perfect YA novel (not sure if that was the intent).. the only thing that's missing is a bit of romance (women are nearly complete absent). it's a fun, fast moving story, with a couple twists( like Don's Dog being worshipped as a god, and an old salt named Muggins living with the Atlanteans), and a happy ending. Don is a complete Marty Stu character, and that's just fine, he's supposed to be. Del Rey has some points to make, from the down side of isolationism to the value of theoretical science vs. engineering, and makes them well without bludgeoning you with them.

I think it's meant to be timeless (the Russians are mentioned by name) but it's still a bit dated.. one of the crew is referred to as 'the Negro', and there's a two page 'please don't investigate me McCarthy' explanation on how the Atlanteans aren't actually a socialist society, even if they kinda are.

Those just add to the charm, though... definitely a great read!

[Rick Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

I inherited this from my older brothers and read when I was young. It made a strong impression on me and it took me many years to track it down on Amazon because I only had vague recollections of the title and story. Reading it again about 40 years later I am conscious of the naivety of peoples thoughts of the future in those decades. But was enjoyable despite this, and revealing the imaginations of the time, not unlike Rider H Haggard novels, to William Gibson's Neuromancer; rooted in the thoughts of the time.

[Dayna Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don Miller is thrilled that his uncle allows him to work on his new experimental submarine even though he is a teenager. On its maiden voyage the Triton attempts to reach a depth never before reached and discovers Atlantis - or Atlantis discovers them. Captured by Atlanteans Don must help the crew of the Triton escape and save Atlantis at the same time. The science is a little outdated, but the story is still exciting.

[Dexter · Rating 3 out of 5]

I absolutely loved the first half of the book. Science, danger, mystery. It was all very refreshing and intriguing. But then when they actually got to Atlantis, I got disinterested. It all just steadily went downhill from there. It still wasn't awful, it just wasn't as good as I was hoping. It all ended surprisingly neat and happy.

[Jerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

The cover shows men riding prehistoric fish roping a nuclear submarine. I bought it solely based on that cover, and it did not disappoint. A lost civilization with completely different technological development; yet still human; meets a then-modern world on its way to deciding what atomic energy would mean, testing its first nuclear submarine. It’s a fun bit of weird science fiction adventure with a real clash of cultures.

In a sense, it’s a kid’s story, with the main (and viewpoint) character being a precocious 16-year-old, and the secondary character being his dog. Very clearly, it’s a “juvenile”. It is not written like most juveniles, however, but rather like any other science fiction adventure of the era.

[Brannigan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was OK. A quick fun read about a futuristic submarine that goes on a test run when it begins to have a lot of mechanical issues that have something to do with men swimming far too deep in the ocean surrounded by air bubbles.

I think this would have been better if it had focused more on the characters and less on the science of how the sub worked or didn’t work.

I wouldn’t bother reading it or searching it out unless you are a die hard fan of the author or a big fan of submarine stories.

[Ian Hamilton · Rating 2 out of 5]

Del Rey is one (of many) of those oddball writers in the sci fi genre. Obviously his significance is huge…but I’ve never really been enamored with any single novel of his that I’ve read - maybe I’ve overlooked the good ones. Atlantis is a goofy product of its time with an absurd storyline. While not tedious or conventionally “bad,” it’s just not that memorable. Sometimes these pulp sci fi novels work; mostly they don’t.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the book that made my mom into a reader when she was a kid, so of course I had to read it. It had a pretty good story line, and I can see the attraction of it. It was a little too science-y for me, and a lot of the science that was in there just didn't add up (but it is fiction, so I guess you can just make stuff up). I liked it and I appreciate what it did for my mom.

[John Peel · Rating 3 out of 5]

An experimental US nuclear submarine dives deeper than any has been before - only to be attacked by men swimming outside the vessel, two miles beneath the surface... A fun adventure story, filled with vivid imagination. My only complaint is that the ending is very rushed, as if he'd run out of his word count and had to get it all over with immediately!

[Ken · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have never read anything by Lester Del Rey, and I saw this at a sale been in a used bookstore star so I decided to grab it. It was a fun little pulp story, not to be taken too seriously but a quick enjoyable read.

[JasonReads · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this way back in the 10th grade. In fact, I believe this might have been the first SF novel I ever read. From what I can remember it was an enjoyable read and I breezed through it fairly quick.

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zany but fun sci fi adventure concerning the discover of lost Atlantis. I love stories about Atlantis!!! This one wasn't anything too special, but it was certainly a four star read. You have any number of way out there themes, but that's what we read sci-fi for, right?

[Joe Kilmartin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A light, unpretentious, fun read that feels like it would have been a fun little B-movie had it ever been into a film. Don’t expect a lot of deep characterization. There is an odd subplot involving the young protagonist and his adopted brother that, today, would leave the reader wondering if there was a sexual attraction on the latter’s part. Not in 1954, but today? Probably. Good book.

[Mike McLaren · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book is geared toward young adults. I found the story disjointed, and the character development a bit thin. Our hero, a young boy, too often arrives at very specific, scientific knowledge too conveniently. The book tended to bore me, mainly because descriptions of place and setting failed to show enough for me to see them, and because the characters were one-dimensional.

[colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

read 05.31.84

[Hien · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another Del Rey book I read when I was in elementary school. It was entertaining.

[Charles · Rating 2 out of 5]

Probably the weakest of the Del Rey books I've read.

[SciFiOne · Rating 3 out of 5]

1985 grade C+

[Bladestryke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very similar in style to his other books with the story centering around a young man in a world where people deal with war on global terms. An interesting look at first contact.