Cold Is the Sea

by Colin Anderson

Cold Is the Sea followed, in 1978, Edward L. Beach's extraordinarily successful first two novels, easily meeting their high standards. But unlike these earlier World War II novels, this book is set fifteen years after the war's end as the U.S. Navy converts its fleet of conventional submarines to nuclear-powered ships. The focus of the story is the USS Cushing, whose sixteen missile silos carry more explosive power than all the munitions used in both world wars. The Cushing is on a secret mission to the Arctic Ocean to determine whether her missiles are effective if fired from beneath the ice. When the submarine is incapacitated, with a suspicious Russian sub lurking in the vicinity, the scene is set for a dramatic thriller, rich in technical detail and submarine lore.

Genres: Fiction, Military Fiction, Historical Fiction, War, Adventure, Military History, Thriller

First published November 1, 1978

Reviews

[Louisebrodnitz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book managed the neat task of being a compelling page-turner, yet full of the intrigue and history surrounding nuclear submarines and the Cold War. Exciting and visceral, drenched with technical detail that never slowed the story line. I had to remind myself it was fiction. Fantastic thriller.

[Parikshit Sinha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gripping throughout.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gut Wrenching!

Gut wrenching ending to this saga! I was there, in the control room with the crew for the entire time.

[Graham · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is worth reading for the technical detail on very large boys toys. That aspect is quite gripping and oozes authenticity in every detail Quite good fun!

The plot is a trifle far-fetched to be credible and I found it very difficult to believe that 3 submarine skippers absolutely devoted to each other almost more so than to their wives,. would be permitted to manage combined operations of 2 very large nuclear submarines. It's a shame, because the author is clearly immensely well versed in his subject.

[Randy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Book

[Janet S. McAnnally · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely ex.citing, informative nuclear submarine thriller taking place under the Polar ice cap. A gut wrenching finale. This book will be with me forever.

[Will Pinkston · Rating 1 out of 5]

If there was a simple word for manufactured, seemingly mass-produced and utterly uninteresting semi-domestic "tension," this book would get it. The only thing that could possibly redeem it at the point I left off (around 150 pages from the end) would be a gunfight followed by aliens followed by the end of the world. Maybe.

[Diane Wachter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Edward L. Beach, Rich Richardson Series, Bk 3, RDC-M, #4, 1979, 7/86. A novel set 15 years after the end of WWII as the US Navy converts its subs to nuclear-powered ships. The USS Cushing is on a secret mission to determine whether her missiles are effective when fired from beneath the ice...but a Russian sub is lurking in the vicinity. Very good.

[Judy Crawford]

did not read

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the best WW2 submarine stories written by the master of the genre

[SciFiOne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Grade C+

[Edwin Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a copy signed by the author

[Corto]

Crap. Does this mean I have to finish reading "Dust on the Sea" before I can start this one? :_ _ _ (

[Jeff Wombold · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was an exciting book, it just seemed to me that some of the terms in the book didn't seem to jive with submarine lingo; still worth a read.

[Arliegh Kovacs · Rating 2 out of 5]

I admit to having read the Readers Digest Condensed version of this book so the complete novel may have been better. That being said, I had a very difficult time separating the characters (especially the women) from each other. As I read, I had to keep going back to figure out exactly who each character was. What part did this man play? Whose wife was this? Why did this character care (personally) what was happening to this other character? And, really, why were the Russians doing what they were doing? By the end all I could think of was the line from the Hunt for Red October movie: "You've lost (i)another(/i) submarine?"
I don't recommend it.