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The Deep Range
After a terrifying nightmare in outer space, Walter Franklin needed to discover a reason for living.
He found it in the ocean depths when strangers defied death to give life back to him.
Freedom to roam above and below the great waters should have been enough for any man - but Franklin was haunted by the memory of an echo.... an echo that could solve the oldest mystery of the sea....
He found it in the ocean depths when strangers defied death to give life back to him.
Freedom to roam above and below the great waters should have been enough for any man - but Franklin was haunted by the memory of an echo.... an echo that could solve the oldest mystery of the sea....
224 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1957
125 people are currently reading
1889 people want to read
About the author
Arthur C. Clarke
1,634 books11.4k followersStories, works of noted British writer, scientist, and underwater explorer Sir Arthur Charles Clarke, include
2001: A Space Odyssey
(1968).
This most important and influential figure in 20th century fiction spent the first half of his life in England and served in World War II as a radar operator before migrating to Ceylon in 1956. He co-created his best known novel and movie with the assistance of Stanley Kubrick.
Clarke, a graduate of King's College, London, obtained first class honours in physics and mathematics. He served as past chairman of the interplanetary society and as a member of the academy of astronautics, the royal astronomical society, and many other organizations.
He authored more than fifty books and won his numerous awards: the Kalinga prize of 1961, the American association for the advancement Westinghouse prize, the Bradford Washburn award, and the John W. Campbell award for his novel Rendezvous with Rama. Clarke also won the nebula award of the fiction of America in 1972, 1974 and 1979, the Hugo award of the world fiction convention in 1974 and 1980. In 1986, he stood as grand master of the fiction of America. The queen knighted him as the commander of the British Empire in 1989.
This most important and influential figure in 20th century fiction spent the first half of his life in England and served in World War II as a radar operator before migrating to Ceylon in 1956. He co-created his best known novel and movie with the assistance of Stanley Kubrick.
Clarke, a graduate of King's College, London, obtained first class honours in physics and mathematics. He served as past chairman of the interplanetary society and as a member of the academy of astronautics, the royal astronomical society, and many other organizations.
He authored more than fifty books and won his numerous awards: the Kalinga prize of 1961, the American association for the advancement Westinghouse prize, the Bradford Washburn award, and the John W. Campbell award for his novel Rendezvous with Rama. Clarke also won the nebula award of the fiction of America in 1972, 1974 and 1979, the Hugo award of the world fiction convention in 1974 and 1980. In 1986, he stood as grand master of the fiction of America. The queen knighted him as the commander of the British Empire in 1989.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 213 reviews
November 17, 2018
Written in 1957, The Deep Range, is based on the Arthur C. Clarke 1954 short story of the same name, published in the April edition of Argosy magazine, seen here:
The short story version was later published again in Star Science Fiction Stories No. 3, edited by
Frederik Pohl, seen here:
& again in an Arthur C. Clarke short story collection, Tales from Planet Earth, seen here:
This isn't what most have come to expect from an Arthur C. Clarke science-fiction saga. It feels more like Robert A. Heinlein or, someone I can't quite put a finger on while writing this.
Clarke proposes a near future world, whose seas are fenced in, by using ultrasonics, to create and procure rich plankton meadows grazed by herds of whales, now domesticized animals raised to feed the masses, like the cows and chickens of today.
The story centers around Walter Franklin, formerly a space engineer.
At the beginning of our story, Franklin has just been reassigned and transferred into a new career to an underwater facility, it's location hypothetically decided upon as, existing on Heron Island, Australia.
His job is to now perform as a Warden of the deeps. It isn't easy for him to let go of his past life. The details of which I think you would want to learn reading it yourself.
Learning to operate a mini-sub, it is his job to oversee specific designated territories using high-tech sonar equipment to govern and control daily aspects of his job as well as any unforeseen occurances. Other engineers are assigned their own territories in rotating scheduled shifts.
There is an oldschool sci-fi feel to the fresh ideas here that can be fascinating, in both dark and light speculations, to our own real future. The parallels to our world are some of the highlights of this adventure.
The real grabber, however, may be that through the demanding daily routines of Walter Franklin's new life, somewhere deep below in the bottom depths of the ocean, lies a mystery or two that may not be at the story's center-piece but, is Arthur C. Clarke writing, what is essentially, one of the first cryptid adventures.
Yes. This novel has giant sea creatures. And not just whales.
What are they, exactly?
♫ I'm not going to tell you ♬
The ratings by reviewers for this book are up & down and all over the richter scale.
I give it 5 stars for having been fully engaged with this science-fiction world, and one that, I not only believed could be possible but, felt I had been transported to, and really cared about.
It's true that it is not a high-octane modern tech-thriller but it was fun and for me, both, rewarding and one I will come back to.
Though not as brilliant, The Deep Range inspired two time Hugo Award-winning writer, Allen Steele, to write a tribute of sorts called, Oceanspace, pictured here:
* The edition pictured to the left of my review is not the edition I own. It is my favorite cover version of the many that exist. If you are a book connoisseur like me, check them all out before buying one because they all go for pretty cheap.
Recommended!
The short story version was later published again in Star Science Fiction Stories No. 3, edited by
Frederik Pohl, seen here:
& again in an Arthur C. Clarke short story collection, Tales from Planet Earth, seen here:
This isn't what most have come to expect from an Arthur C. Clarke science-fiction saga. It feels more like Robert A. Heinlein or, someone I can't quite put a finger on while writing this.
Clarke proposes a near future world, whose seas are fenced in, by using ultrasonics, to create and procure rich plankton meadows grazed by herds of whales, now domesticized animals raised to feed the masses, like the cows and chickens of today.
The story centers around Walter Franklin, formerly a space engineer.
At the beginning of our story, Franklin has just been reassigned and transferred into a new career to an underwater facility, it's location hypothetically decided upon as, existing on Heron Island, Australia.
His job is to now perform as a Warden of the deeps. It isn't easy for him to let go of his past life. The details of which I think you would want to learn reading it yourself.
Learning to operate a mini-sub, it is his job to oversee specific designated territories using high-tech sonar equipment to govern and control daily aspects of his job as well as any unforeseen occurances. Other engineers are assigned their own territories in rotating scheduled shifts.
There is an oldschool sci-fi feel to the fresh ideas here that can be fascinating, in both dark and light speculations, to our own real future. The parallels to our world are some of the highlights of this adventure.
The real grabber, however, may be that through the demanding daily routines of Walter Franklin's new life, somewhere deep below in the bottom depths of the ocean, lies a mystery or two that may not be at the story's center-piece but, is Arthur C. Clarke writing, what is essentially, one of the first cryptid adventures.
Yes. This novel has giant sea creatures. And not just whales.
What are they, exactly?
♫ I'm not going to tell you ♬
The ratings by reviewers for this book are up & down and all over the richter scale.
I give it 5 stars for having been fully engaged with this science-fiction world, and one that, I not only believed could be possible but, felt I had been transported to, and really cared about.
It's true that it is not a high-octane modern tech-thriller but it was fun and for me, both, rewarding and one I will come back to.
Though not as brilliant, The Deep Range inspired two time Hugo Award-winning writer, Allen Steele, to write a tribute of sorts called, Oceanspace, pictured here:
* The edition pictured to the left of my review is not the edition I own. It is my favorite cover version of the many that exist. If you are a book connoisseur like me, check them all out before buying one because they all go for pretty cheap.
Recommended!
August 27, 2018
Like the last Clarke I reviewed, this book relies heavily on world building. A plot is practically non-existent. Clarke simply wants to share a possible vision for the future.
Walter Franklin was an astronaut, with a wife and children on Mars. A traumatic experience on his spaceship left him mentally and emotionally disturbed. He cannot return to space and is therefore stuck on Earth for the rest of his life. His family can never join them because since they were born and raised on Mars, their bodies are too light for Earth where the heavier gravity would kill them. A convenient caveat Clarke arranged in order to justify his story line, which is to give Franklin a new love on Earth, even though it is peripheral to his main idea.
Franklin now works at a Marine Center where he has learned to drive underwater subs to monitor sea life and maintain herds of whales which are used as sources of food, the way cows are now.
With his new co-worker, Don Burley, we see a future world underwater and how it functions to support human life.
As I have said, there are few bumps in Clarke's story. He just wants us to envision what life would be like a hundred years from 1957 and how life would operate. I found a lot of his descriptions about as interesting as reading a "how-to" manual because much of what he writes is, well, how to operate a sub, how the sub operates in the water, herds whales, fends off killer whales and sharks etc...
I would have liked a little more development between Franklin and Burley, there was a lot of potential there that he only touched upon as they start their relationship cynical and distrustful of each other, eventually allowing a grudging mutual respect to finally admiration and friendship.
The woman he marries on Earth is interesting-she's a marine biologist who studies vitamin levels in shark livers- until they marry, then she is relegated to the background as someone he kisses good bye as he leaves for work and the mother of his children.
Again, people who like world-building and don't care about character or plot development will enjoy the book.
Walter Franklin was an astronaut, with a wife and children on Mars. A traumatic experience on his spaceship left him mentally and emotionally disturbed. He cannot return to space and is therefore stuck on Earth for the rest of his life. His family can never join them because since they were born and raised on Mars, their bodies are too light for Earth where the heavier gravity would kill them. A convenient caveat Clarke arranged in order to justify his story line, which is to give Franklin a new love on Earth, even though it is peripheral to his main idea.
Franklin now works at a Marine Center where he has learned to drive underwater subs to monitor sea life and maintain herds of whales which are used as sources of food, the way cows are now.
With his new co-worker, Don Burley, we see a future world underwater and how it functions to support human life.
As I have said, there are few bumps in Clarke's story. He just wants us to envision what life would be like a hundred years from 1957 and how life would operate. I found a lot of his descriptions about as interesting as reading a "how-to" manual because much of what he writes is, well, how to operate a sub, how the sub operates in the water, herds whales, fends off killer whales and sharks etc...
I would have liked a little more development between Franklin and Burley, there was a lot of potential there that he only touched upon as they start their relationship cynical and distrustful of each other, eventually allowing a grudging mutual respect to finally admiration and friendship.
The woman he marries on Earth is interesting-she's a marine biologist who studies vitamin levels in shark livers- until they marry, then she is relegated to the background as someone he kisses good bye as he leaves for work and the mother of his children.
Again, people who like world-building and don't care about character or plot development will enjoy the book.
June 2, 2024
Agradable sorpresa esta novelita tan diversa, repleta de aventuras submarinas y algunas reflexiones científicas muy interesantes.
Read
March 23, 2016Normally, reading Arthur C Clarke, one is struck by how much he got right about the future. This time...not so much. Opening in 2022, it details a world where, since "the scientific and sociological triumphs which had irradiated the opening decades of the twenty-first century", the global electorate can be trusted to vote fairly sensibly on the issues of the day in planet-wide referenda. "Christianity, which had never fully recovered from the shattering blow given it by Darwin and Freud, had finally unexpectedly succumbed before the archaeological discoveries of the late twentieth century"; "the Mohammedan faith" has likewise faded into near-insignificance. Gender relations have advanced a little past the time of writing, but only because the book was published in 1957; all the front-line jobs on the ocean are done by manly men, who communicate in the sort of painfully manly banter recognisable from any third-rate mid-twentieth century film portrayal of pilots or lumberjacks. Oh, and 16mm film is still the recording medium of choice. Most shocking, though, is the way in which the novel's main topic is treated so blithely - the oceans have been fenced, like the prairies of the American West before them, and turned to producing food for a hungry future populace. A significant chunk of the world's diet comes from chowing down on farmed whales. Knowing what we know now about cetaceans, this feels far too much like a version of Soylent Green where everybody knows it's people, and nobody's too bothered.
Except it turns out that Clarke is one step ahead after all, of his time if not of ours. He plays it deadpan for two-thirds of the book, gradually letting doubts slip in, never preaching, until characters start being won around to the idea that maybe this isn't OK after all. That maybe, even if humanity can't be weaned off meat altogether, at least some species should be off the menu for our own sake as much as theirs. If this is a spoiler, I apologise - but after all, the book is old enough to claim its pension (even under the current government). Still, part of me regrets giving it away, so thoroughly had I been lulled into taking everything at face value. And despite (because of?) that apparent acceptance of the monstrous at the centre of the story, it still had the authentic tang of Boy's Own adventure in its descriptions of adventure on (and mainly under) the high seas, daring dives and tricky rescues, a new frontier for the future's cowboys - there's one sequence in particular so tense that I had to take a brief break from reading to escape the nauseating uncertainty over whether our hero was going to make it.
Plus, there's a passing but crucial reference to Dunsany at the heart of the book, which will always tend to win me around.
Except it turns out that Clarke is one step ahead after all, of his time if not of ours. He plays it deadpan for two-thirds of the book, gradually letting doubts slip in, never preaching, until characters start being won around to the idea that maybe this isn't OK after all. That maybe, even if humanity can't be weaned off meat altogether, at least some species should be off the menu for our own sake as much as theirs. If this is a spoiler, I apologise - but after all, the book is old enough to claim its pension (even under the current government). Still, part of me regrets giving it away, so thoroughly had I been lulled into taking everything at face value. And despite (because of?) that apparent acceptance of the monstrous at the centre of the story, it still had the authentic tang of Boy's Own adventure in its descriptions of adventure on (and mainly under) the high seas, daring dives and tricky rescues, a new frontier for the future's cowboys - there's one sequence in particular so tense that I had to take a brief break from reading to escape the nauseating uncertainty over whether our hero was going to make it.
Plus, there's a passing but crucial reference to Dunsany at the heart of the book, which will always tend to win me around.
June 10, 2016
A different book than Clarke's other space-oriented books. Good message passed. Speaks about man's idea of animal slaughter as used in the future for whale breeding and their meat. Displays parallels as against the same thing that has been happening in our present world. Expresses hope of how mankind can very well be able to get beyond the idea of animal torture, in its unnecessary killing of other creatures.
I loved the idea of the novel, which is actually an expanded form of the short story by the same name published originally in 1954. The story remains to the point, and involves sub-marine lifeforms, the speculated possibilities of largest deep oceanic life-forms like the Giant Squid and such. Although these, as per my thinking, are mainly put in as a part of adventure for a general reader not to get bored, the message is more importance. A truly fabulous book, and indeed the integration of an important element, for today's meat-frenzied world!
"Within a century or so, we will literally be going outside the solar system. Sooner or later we will meet types of intelligent life much higher than our own, yet in forms completely alien. And when that time comes, the treatment man receives from his superiors may well depend upon the way he has behaved toward the other creatures of his own world."
I loved the idea of the novel, which is actually an expanded form of the short story by the same name published originally in 1954. The story remains to the point, and involves sub-marine lifeforms, the speculated possibilities of largest deep oceanic life-forms like the Giant Squid and such. Although these, as per my thinking, are mainly put in as a part of adventure for a general reader not to get bored, the message is more importance. A truly fabulous book, and indeed the integration of an important element, for today's meat-frenzied world!
"Within a century or so, we will literally be going outside the solar system. Sooner or later we will meet types of intelligent life much higher than our own, yet in forms completely alien. And when that time comes, the treatment man receives from his superiors may well depend upon the way he has behaved toward the other creatures of his own world."
April 25, 2025
In the not too distant future, in a world that’s suffered some food shortages. A renewed whale population provides a sizeable chunk of the world’s nutritional needs.
A man with a secret past joins a group of underwater wardens who look after the whales and rescue people in distress.
It starts out as a fairy straightforward adventure story as this guy masters his new job, makes friends and even falls in love with a beautiful and brilliant scientist which seemed pretty progressive for the 50’s.
Eventually it evolved into a debate over the morality of eating animals when a Buddhist leader starts a public campaign against it.
Is it possible to replace animal proteins with synthesized meat made of plankton?
I was surprised to find the idea floated in a book this old. Clarke was ahead of his time in some respects.
The book was pretty entertaining on the whole, it had some nail biting action scenes and didn’t force its point, just put it out there.
August 1, 2025
Након читања ове књиге почињем озбиљно да се бавим мишљу да су у опусу Артура Кларка бриљантности попут 2001 или Сусрета са медузом заправо случајности, а да је његова права мјера ултрадосадна баљезгарија звана Рајски ��одоскоци (за коју сам управо мислио да је само привремено спотицање). Чак и дубље размишљање подржава бар донекле овакву претпоставку - Одисеју је, наиме, Кларк писао заједно са Стенлијем Кјубриком, тако да једино Сусрет са медузом остаје без објашњења свог квалитета. А сада ми посудите своје уши док пробам да образложим овакве своје ставове.
Прва ствар, оно што је неизбјежно за било коју врсту научне фантастике јесте да сва технологија у њој неминовно застаријева, јер наравно човјек може лако да пише о стварима које постоје, али не може никако о онима које не постоје, тако да кад се пише о будућности и кад је потребно измислити тадашњу технологију, једино што аутору остаје је да некако екстраполира и максимално набуџи оно што му је тренутно приступачно. Овакав приступ је, очигледно, врло ограничен, и што се дјело дешава даље у будућности, то ће његов опис исте бити погрешнији. Парадоксално, мање је зло кад пишете о будућности далекој неколико миленијума него неколико деценија, јер увијек постоји нада да ће да се деси некаква апокалипса прије назначеног рока, тако да дјело никад не дочека "свој" датум. Све ово наравно није кривица Артура Кларка, али је неминовно да се спомене. Ова књига је писана тамо негдје педесет седме и дешава се у неименованој (али не претјерано далекој) будућности, у којој људи опуштено путују до Марса, али и даље уредно читају новине, разговарају телефоном, држе податке у фасциклама на полицама и не проводе 24 сата дневно на Фејсбуку. Не знам да ли је бизарније ово или прогноза како ће монотеистичке религије да нестану, потрте научним открићима. Да ствар буде гора, као убице хришћанства Кларк наводи Дарвина и Фројда (?!?!?). Ајде за овог првог и да разумијем, али ФРОЈД?!?!?! WTF? Сва срећа да ово није написано током прошле деценије јер бисмо онда умјесто ове двојице ипак озбиљних људи (бар у случају Дарвина) вјероватно видјели неког попут Докинса и Крауса и то стварно не бих могао да читам. Оваква визија је заправо врло слична Рајским водоскоцима, у смислу да религије у класичном смислу нестају, али преживљава некаква варијанта будизма и онда они играју улогу некаквог кочничара прогреса, с тим да је то у Рајским водоскоцима очигледно, али овде баш и није, пошто Кларк показује прилично разумијевање за вегетаријанске ставове свог будистичког споредног лика који се појави у другој половини књиге. Не знам да ли је он (Кларк) био вегетаријанац у стварном животу, то би ваљало провјерити, коме није мрско.
А сад доста о религији, која је овде ионако само фуснота која се спомиње у неколико реченица. Оно што је много битније је свеопшта празнина и бесциљност комплетне приче. Приче? Какве приче? Па да, овде заправо нема приче у класичном смислу ријечи. Артур Кларк не прича причу, он вам држи предавање о технологији, како тренутној (у вријеме писања), тако и будућој и умјесто да технологија буде подређена причи, код њега је управо обрнуто. Сваки битнији догађај у књизи одаје утисак да је ту присутан само да би кроз њега могло да нам се опише функционисање неког парчета хардвера (или Кларково супериорно познавање биологије), било да су у питању минијатурне подморнице или ронилачка одијела или већ нешто треће. Тако ће Кларк ревносно да нам описује какве цијеви у устима држи лик који се управо спушта на неколико стотина метара дубине да би извукао неке људе који су у смртној опасности, али ће примјера ради борбу са неколико десетина метара огромном лигњом да учини једва маргинално занимљивом. И онда након што изреда неколико тих сет-писова, који су сви описани као преко оне ствари, књига се једноставно заврши.
Ликови наравно не постоје, умјесто њих ту су картонске кутије које говоре, чија функција је искључиво експозиција. Да је све помјерено још неколико деценија унапријед и да су све то заправо роботи било би много увјерљивије. На једном мјесту при почетку књиге Кларк покушава да опише стварање некакве романсе између двије такве картонске кутије и то, да је потрајало дуже, било би кринџ раван оном из књиге Довиђења и хвала на свим рибама, али срећом све се завршава врло брзо и остатак књиге роботи у људском облику проводе не трудећи се да покажу било каква осјећања у вези са било чим. Овакве ствари можемо да опростимо рецимо Исаку Асимову, јер његове приче редовно имају врло занимљиве идеје, али код Кларка нема ни ликова ни догађаја, постоје само описи. Суштински, он заправо није ни требало да буде писац фикције, али та форма за коју би он био савршен тренутно не постоји и нејасно је како би она уопште изгледала. То би заправо требало да буде нешто попут лажних новинских чланака из будућности или слично.
С друге стране... овакве критике можда наводе потенцијалног читаоца на погрешан траг. Суштински, књига заправо ни у једном тренутку није досадна (као рецимо Рајски водоскоци, који су досадни од почетка до краја), а није богме ни глупа. Ако не очекујемо кохерентну причу и ако се помиримо са тим да неким потенцијално занимљивим догађајима није посвећена довољна пажња у описивању, тј. ако се припремимо да умјесто класичног романа имамо чичу који је окупио дјечицу око логорске ватре и прича им једну од могућих визија будућности, може ту да се пронађе солидна количина материјала вриједног разматрања. Али у коликој мјери ће се овај материјал "примити" код читаоца, то је директно пропорционално његовој фасцинираности технологијом, а то је код мене на прилично ниском нивоу.
Прва ствар, оно што је неизбјежно за било коју врсту научне фантастике јесте да сва технологија у њој неминовно застаријева, јер наравно човјек може лако да пише о стварима које постоје, али не може никако о онима које не постоје, тако да кад се пише о будућности и кад је потребно измислити тадашњу технологију, једино што аутору остаје је да некако екстраполира и максимално набуџи оно што му је тренутно приступачно. Овакав приступ је, очигледно, врло ограничен, и што се дјело дешава даље у будућности, то ће његов опис исте бити погрешнији. Парадоксално, мање је зло кад пишете о будућности далекој неколико миленијума него неколико деценија, јер увијек постоји нада да ће да се деси некаква апокалипса прије назначеног рока, тако да дјело никад не дочека "свој" датум. Све ово наравно није кривица Артура Кларка, али је неминовно да се спомене. Ова књига је писана тамо негдје педесет седме и дешава се у неименованој (али не претјерано далекој) будућности, у којој људи опуштено путују до Марса, али и даље уредно читају новине, разговарају телефоном, држе податке у фасциклама на полицама и не проводе 24 сата дневно на Фејсбуку. Не знам да ли је бизарније ово или прогноза како ће монотеистичке религије да нестану, потрте научним открићима. Да ствар буде гора, као убице хришћанства Кларк наводи Дарвина и Фројда (?!?!?). Ајде за овог првог и да разумијем, али ФРОЈД?!?!?! WTF? Сва срећа да ово није написано током прошле деценије јер бисмо онда умјесто ове двојице ипак озбиљних људи (бар у случају Дарвина) вјероватно видјели неког попут Докинса и Крауса и то стварно не бих могао да читам. Оваква визија је заправо врло слична Рајским водоскоцима, у смислу да религије у класичном смислу нестају, али преживљава некаква варијанта будизма и онда они играју улогу некаквог кочничара прогреса, с тим да је то у Рајским водоскоцима очигледно, али овде баш и није, пошто Кларк показује прилично разумијевање за вегетаријанске ставове свог будистичког споредног лика који се појави у другој половини књиге. Не знам да ли је он (Кларк) био вегетаријанац у стварном животу, то би ваљало провјерити, коме није мрско.
А сад доста о религији, која је овде ионако само фуснота која се спомиње у неколико реченица. Оно што је много битније је свеопшта празнина и бесциљност комплетне приче. Приче? Какве приче? Па да, овде заправо нема приче у класичном смислу ријечи. Артур Кларк не прича причу, он вам држи предавање о технологији, како тренутној (у вријеме писања), тако и будућој и умјесто да технологија буде подређена причи, код њега је управо обрнуто. Сваки битнији догађај у књизи одаје утисак да је ту присутан само да би кроз њега могло да нам се опише функционисање неког парчета хардвера (или Кларково супериорно познавање биологије), било да су у питању минијатурне подморнице или ронилачка одијела или већ нешто треће. Тако ће Кларк ревносно да нам описује какве цијеви у устима држи лик који се управо спушта на неколико стотина метара дубине да би извукао неке људе који су у смртној опасности, али ће примјера ради борбу са неколико десетина метара огромном лигњом да учини једва маргинално занимљивом. И онда након што изреда неколико тих сет-писова, који су сви описани као преко оне ствари, књига се једноставно заврши.
Ликови наравно не постоје, умјесто њих ту су картонске кутије које говоре, чија функција је искључиво експозиција. Да је све помјерено још неколико деценија унапријед и да су све то заправо роботи било би много увјерљивије. На једном мјесту при почетку књиге Кларк покушава да опише стварање некакве романсе између двије такве картонске кутије и то, да је потрајало дуже, било би кринџ раван оном из књиге Довиђења и хвала на свим рибама, али срећом све се завршава врло брзо и остатак књиге роботи у људском облику проводе не трудећи се да покажу било каква осјећања у вези са било чим. Овакве ствари можемо да опростимо рецимо Исаку Асимову, јер његове приче редовно имају врло занимљиве идеје, али код Кларка нема ни ликова ни догађаја, постоје само описи. Суштински, он заправо није ни требало да буде писац фикције, али та форма за коју би он био савршен тренутно не постоји и нејасно је како би она уопште изгледала. То би заправо требало да буде нешто попут лажних новинских чланака из будућности или слично.
С друге стране... овакве критике можда наводе потенцијалног читаоца на погрешан траг. Суштински, књига заправо ни у једном тренутку није досадна (као рецимо Рајски водоскоци, који су досадни од почетка до краја), а није богме ни глупа. Ако не очекујемо кохерентну причу и ако се помиримо са тим да неким потенцијално занимљивим догађајима није посвећена довољна пажња у описивању, тј. ако се припремимо да умјесто класичног романа имамо чичу који је окупио дјечицу око логорске ватре и прича им једну од могућих визија будућности, може ту да се пронађе солидна количина материјала вриједног разматрања. Али у коликој мјери ће се овај материјал "примити" код читаоца, то је директно пропорционално његовој фасцинираности технологијом, а то је код мене на прилично ниском нивоу.
October 18, 2010
I read almost all of the Arthur C Clarke books as a teenager and really loved them. Re-reading this book after all those years makes you realise how the world and yourself has changed. This book is science fiction, but it has really dated - hardly any of it is prophetic, in fact, quite the opposite. It was written in the late 1950's and is set at around 2020, however, it has 1950's values. Basically, it's about commercial whale farming - a concept that would be totally abhorrent today - along with the slaughter of killer whales and sharks. In fact, Clarke is very casual about killing things all throughout the book - despite the 180 degree shift towards the end. Feminism also takes a back seat with the pretty young scientist, giving up her career and becoming a housewife and mother. Despite being well written, it was a bit of a chore reading this book at times - in a nutshell, it was very Victorian in its outlook.
May 6, 2009
It is very sad that the Ocean (which by words of some number guys takes up 72% of Earth surface) receives so little in the department of sci-fi literature. Yes, many stories includes Ocean as a background or even "ground", many uses it as a scenery, some even try to make it alien life from. But how many takes Ocean as a system "environment<=>human"? I'm not talking about scientific papers or longwinded dreams of "what if?", I'm talking about stories where author actually explores situation when person changes ocean and ocean changes person in return.
There is soooo much literature about space exploration, space wars, space romance, space culture clashes... I would really liked to see more like this in the waves of most dangerous and most mesmerizing thing on earth some people having just a hundred meters from their doors right now.
There is soooo much literature about space exploration, space wars, space romance, space culture clashes... I would really liked to see more like this in the waves of most dangerous and most mesmerizing thing on earth some people having just a hundred meters from their doors right now.
March 28, 2016
There is a comfort that I often find in classic SF. The stories are fun, full of wonder, and often, pretty light-weighted. They don't tax your brain as you read, and you are there just for the story. The Deep Range is such a story. Apparently this is an expansion to a short story, which I would like to read. I am curious what story it told.
The Deep Range is the story of Walter Franklin, an astronaut who suffers from astrophobia who no longer can work in space. He is then transferred to work as Warden of the Deep. In this future, humans now farm whale meat as a primary source for meat, oils, and other parts, and this is the story of Walter Franklin as a recruit to later administrator.
I enjoyed this short, fun novel quite a bit. It does suffer from being written in 1958 in that the role of women is marginalized to men, and raising a family, but other than that, this book does quite well in not being too dated. If you are a fan of old SF, this one is quick, fun read that does not overstay its welcome. Is it perfect? Far from it, but it is an early, solid Clarke book.
The Deep Range is the story of Walter Franklin, an astronaut who suffers from astrophobia who no longer can work in space. He is then transferred to work as Warden of the Deep. In this future, humans now farm whale meat as a primary source for meat, oils, and other parts, and this is the story of Walter Franklin as a recruit to later administrator.
I enjoyed this short, fun novel quite a bit. It does suffer from being written in 1958 in that the role of women is marginalized to men, and raising a family, but other than that, this book does quite well in not being too dated. If you are a fan of old SF, this one is quick, fun read that does not overstay its welcome. Is it perfect? Far from it, but it is an early, solid Clarke book.
July 17, 2016
The book had some excellent ideas and started really well. For me, it was too long drawn out with noenough action or depth of character (please pardon the pun)
September 2, 2022
Aug 23, 2022
The Deep Range
by Arthur C. Clark
1981 Grade A
2022 Grade A-/B+
This is indeed a good book. But it is a little out of date. It was written in 1957 and the SciFi was supposed to take place in 2032. Things did not proceed as envisioned which is a common problem with near future hard SciFi. The premise is that man is farming and ranching the oceans much as it was done on land in the 50s, and the world government trains people to be wardens of the whales used for the same things cattle were used for. The early part of the book does not mention what we now know, but, don't worry, Clark covers most of them later in the story. The world building is subtle but good.
The actual story is a life long a psychological character study of the protagonist. He has PTSD from a space travel accident when he starts training as a warden/ranger in the oceans. That is part one and the longest part of the book. It never got dull until he had a breakdown and tried to commit suicide. I did speed read some of the suicide. I also speed read similar places in the remaining two sections which lead to him becoming a bureaucrat. Be careful with the speed reading though, because all three "parts" tend to end abruptly in those areas and very well.
Recommended with reservations.
The Deep Range
by Arthur C. Clark
1981 Grade A
2022 Grade A-/B+
This is indeed a good book. But it is a little out of date. It was written in 1957 and the SciFi was supposed to take place in 2032. Things did not proceed as envisioned which is a common problem with near future hard SciFi. The premise is that man is farming and ranching the oceans much as it was done on land in the 50s, and the world government trains people to be wardens of the whales used for the same things cattle were used for. The early part of the book does not mention what we now know, but, don't worry, Clark covers most of them later in the story. The world building is subtle but good.
The actual story is a life long a psychological character study of the protagonist. He has PTSD from a space travel accident when he starts training as a warden/ranger in the oceans. That is part one and the longest part of the book. It never got dull until he had a breakdown and tried to commit suicide. I did speed read some of the suicide. I also speed read similar places in the remaining two sections which lead to him becoming a bureaucrat. Be careful with the speed reading though, because all three "parts" tend to end abruptly in those areas and very well.
Recommended with reservations.
September 30, 2022
The door of an Australian bar opens, and in walks a neurotic man wearing diving flippers, a cowboy hat, crypto-Buddhist robes, a kilt and a clown nose. Pinned to his chest is a hand drawn label declaring himself the "Prince of Whales". Is this Disco Elysium? No, friends, it's The Deep Range.
Don't read this for character development, don't read it for carefully woven plot. Don't read it if you like science fiction or adventure stories. Maybe do read it if you like introspection. While this isn't a great book, it's kind of sweet to see Arthur trying to combine his fascination with diving with lightweight philosophy, and it's also quite funny to see him pretending to write an adventure story for the first half of the book.
If you can handle the lack of plot, character development and sense of finality of his novel 2001: A Space Odyssey, you can probably handle this. What a goofy old fella he was. :D
Don't read this for character development, don't read it for carefully woven plot. Don't read it if you like science fiction or adventure stories. Maybe do read it if you like introspection. While this isn't a great book, it's kind of sweet to see Arthur trying to combine his fascination with diving with lightweight philosophy, and it's also quite funny to see him pretending to write an adventure story for the first half of the book.
If you can handle the lack of plot, character development and sense of finality of his novel 2001: A Space Odyssey, you can probably handle this. What a goofy old fella he was. :D
October 20, 2021
"The Thero had not mentioned, anywhere in his argument, one point which had made a considerable impact on Franklin. He had not raised the possibility that man might someday come into contact with alien life forms that might judge him by his conduct toward the rest of the animal kingdom. Did he think that this was so far-fetched an idea that the general public would be unable to take it seriously, and would thus grow to regard his whole campaign as a joke? Or had he realized that it was an argument that might particularly appeal to an exastronaut? There was no way of guessing; in either event it proved that the Thero was a shrewd judge both of private and public reactions.
The book took a turn halfway through I wasnt expexcting, but otherwise good....
The book took a turn halfway through I wasnt expexcting, but otherwise good....
July 11, 2017
I picked up this book because Arthur C. Clarke is generally a good writer and I liked the sound of the title and the write-up. Unfortunately it didn't really live up to my expectations. It's not a long novel but even so it's split into three individual, but linked, sections. Parts 1 and 2 were fairly interesting - although in places I felt there was a bit too much technical detail concerning the under-water operations, which rather spoiled the flow of the story. Part 3 on the other hand I found quite boring. The theme was more political and provided a vehicle for the author's views on what the future scenario for world food supply should be, in a vastly over populated earth.
June 18, 2022
I asked Alexa to recommend a Science Fiction book with whales. After she told me what Wikipedia says Science Fiction is defined as & where in the world whales are found finally this book appeared. It is a science fiction book about whales. It was fairly interesting but I spent the whole book waiting for something more to happen. It was nice the wife got to help out at her old job as long as it didn’t interfere with her domestic duties. Haha. Well, it was written in 1957. I thought her research would become relevant to the story at some point too. It was interesting enough that I read the whole book. But a little disappointing if you’re one who likes a big crazy story.
August 7, 2022
Review: The Deep Range
By: Arthur C Clarke
Rating: 4/5 ⭐️
⚓️
“When that time comes, the treatment man receives from his superiors may well depend upon the way he has behaved toward the other creatures of his own world.“
Arthur C Clarke
⚓️
I really enjoyed this book. However, I did wonder why nothing had really happened around the half way mark. My friend @gjkerkman (buddy read partner) informed me that this was more of a character driven story and doesn’t really have a major plot. I didn’t read Goodreads or the synopsis prior, so I went into this rather blindly. After understanding that the book focuses more on our main character, I started to have a deeper respect for what Clarke put into this work. This book was published in the 50s, during a time when mental health wasn’t widely spoken about. He pushed through the barriers and published a remarkable story about a man with a deep trauma and his journey through recovery and how it affected his mental health. I haven’t seen this style science-fiction before, especially in anything published around this time. We follow this tormented man through his life’s biggest journey as the warden of the ocean’s depths. This book also had all my favorite things - sharks, whales, submarines, marine biology, and the ocean. This book serves a purpose in ocean activism and helps bring light to the subject during an early time. I wish I could go through his training course - sign me up! I might be rating this harsher, but I really enjoyed it and look forward to reading more from Clarke in the future.
By: Arthur C Clarke
Rating: 4/5 ⭐️
⚓️
“When that time comes, the treatment man receives from his superiors may well depend upon the way he has behaved toward the other creatures of his own world.“
Arthur C Clarke
⚓️
I really enjoyed this book. However, I did wonder why nothing had really happened around the half way mark. My friend @gjkerkman (buddy read partner) informed me that this was more of a character driven story and doesn’t really have a major plot. I didn’t read Goodreads or the synopsis prior, so I went into this rather blindly. After understanding that the book focuses more on our main character, I started to have a deeper respect for what Clarke put into this work. This book was published in the 50s, during a time when mental health wasn’t widely spoken about. He pushed through the barriers and published a remarkable story about a man with a deep trauma and his journey through recovery and how it affected his mental health. I haven’t seen this style science-fiction before, especially in anything published around this time. We follow this tormented man through his life’s biggest journey as the warden of the ocean’s depths. This book also had all my favorite things - sharks, whales, submarines, marine biology, and the ocean. This book serves a purpose in ocean activism and helps bring light to the subject during an early time. I wish I could go through his training course - sign me up! I might be rating this harsher, but I really enjoyed it and look forward to reading more from Clarke in the future.
January 4, 2024
So there's this GREAT WHIITE SHARK eating the good old folks of Amity..... no, wait a minute..
There's this HUGE white WHALE and 700 pages about the whaling industry......no, that's not right..
Ah yes, here we are...
Franklin was a Spaceman on Mars and now he's working for a company which partake in AquaCulture.... Yes, indeed.
The farming of WHALES for us lot to scoff..... Hmmmmmm..... I'm not sure if how things could have got this bad, I mean, WHALE BLUBBER and CHIPS? I'll pass on that one thank you very much.
Lots of information about the submarines, some cliché bits and pieces, lots of you wondering why you are reading this thing (well, you heard there was a massive squid in the book but now your sure you must have made a mistake) well, you were right, but when the squid does turn up, well its really not that exciting. You wish you were watching JAWS instead and you picture that scene when they are singing 'Im TIRED AND I WANNA GO TO BED' and you fully well agree, even though its midday. Atleast if you were reading MOBY DICK you would have fallen to sleep hours ago.....
You then end up not caring whether the squid winks at Franklin and gives him the finger (or Tentacle) and swims away - or whether the squid eats everybody. Does it really matter? The answer is, no. no it doesn't.
There's this HUGE white WHALE and 700 pages about the whaling industry......no, that's not right..
Ah yes, here we are...
Franklin was a Spaceman on Mars and now he's working for a company which partake in AquaCulture.... Yes, indeed.
The farming of WHALES for us lot to scoff..... Hmmmmmm..... I'm not sure if how things could have got this bad, I mean, WHALE BLUBBER and CHIPS? I'll pass on that one thank you very much.
Lots of information about the submarines, some cliché bits and pieces, lots of you wondering why you are reading this thing (well, you heard there was a massive squid in the book but now your sure you must have made a mistake) well, you were right, but when the squid does turn up, well its really not that exciting. You wish you were watching JAWS instead and you picture that scene when they are singing 'Im TIRED AND I WANNA GO TO BED' and you fully well agree, even though its midday. Atleast if you were reading MOBY DICK you would have fallen to sleep hours ago.....
You then end up not caring whether the squid winks at Franklin and gives him the finger (or Tentacle) and swims away - or whether the squid eats everybody. Does it really matter? The answer is, no. no it doesn't.
November 14, 2020
Adding covers to GoodReads is particularly interesting when one comes up with one for a book read long ago. This one brings back memories.
I was fourteen, finishing up eighth grade at Lincoln Junior H.S. in Park Ridge when an infection arose under my left eyeball, causing a high fever and swelling that side of my face to such proportions that when my grandmother came to check in on me while Mother was at work, I saw her face react with horror before she regained her composure.
During that period of long convalescence not only did I miss school, which was pretty much over with anyway, but I had the opportunity, after the fever abated, to read a lot of science fiction. Of the books read then, Clarke's 'The Deep Range' and Heinlein's 'Green Hills of Earth' are the most memorable. I had never thought much of the economic potentials of the seas before and Clarke's taking on the topic in a realistic manner demonstrates what a versatile writer and science popularist he was.
I was fourteen, finishing up eighth grade at Lincoln Junior H.S. in Park Ridge when an infection arose under my left eyeball, causing a high fever and swelling that side of my face to such proportions that when my grandmother came to check in on me while Mother was at work, I saw her face react with horror before she regained her composure.
During that period of long convalescence not only did I miss school, which was pretty much over with anyway, but I had the opportunity, after the fever abated, to read a lot of science fiction. Of the books read then, Clarke's 'The Deep Range' and Heinlein's 'Green Hills of Earth' are the most memorable. I had never thought much of the economic potentials of the seas before and Clarke's taking on the topic in a realistic manner demonstrates what a versatile writer and science popularist he was.
August 26, 2018
One can fall far into the Deep Range and sadly Clarke falls very far indeed in this one. This book has the unique distinction of being the only piece of writing by Clarke, that I have read so far, that I have truly disliked. It’s clunky and it relies on, not just one but at least three, remarkable coincidental meetings to drive the plot forward. Oh and these aren’t just any old coincidental meetings, two of them happen at a great depth under water. What really sets the teeth on edge however are the overtly and irritatingly preachy last few chapters which are not saved by a semi interesting thought about how non terrestrial life may judge us.
Many readers, myself included, would actually agree with the authour about how we should treat the particularly large sea life these chapters focus on, but Clarke handles this in such an uncharacteristically heavy handed way that I found myself almost empathising with the few characters taking the opposing viewpoint.
Many readers, myself included, would actually agree with the authour about how we should treat the particularly large sea life these chapters focus on, but Clarke handles this in such an uncharacteristically heavy handed way that I found myself almost empathising with the few characters taking the opposing viewpoint.
January 17, 2015
Cogí el libro sabiendo que es uno de los libros de Clarke que muchos consideran "Obra menor" pero ha resultado ser un gustazo de leer.
Haciendo uso de un personaje atormentado con un trauma, que denomina Astrofobía, Clarke nos relata la rehabilitación de este y para ello nos sumerge en el mar. Por una vez la ciencia ficción de Clarke no nos lleva al espacio y se permite imaginar como será el aprovechamiento de los recursos marítimos dentro de unos 100 años. Granjas de placton, rebaños de ballenas, exterminio de tiburones, debates mundiales sobre el veganismo...
Un libro muy rápido que va enlazando una historia con otra sin llegar si quiera a flaquear. Será porque no esperaba mucho de el pero me ha dejado muy buen sabor de boca. Si sueles disfrutar con los libros de este autor este no puede faltar. Cierto que no esta a la altura de Cita con Rama pero no defrauda.
Haciendo uso de un personaje atormentado con un trauma, que denomina Astrofobía, Clarke nos relata la rehabilitación de este y para ello nos sumerge en el mar. Por una vez la ciencia ficción de Clarke no nos lleva al espacio y se permite imaginar como será el aprovechamiento de los recursos marítimos dentro de unos 100 años. Granjas de placton, rebaños de ballenas, exterminio de tiburones, debates mundiales sobre el veganismo...
Un libro muy rápido que va enlazando una historia con otra sin llegar si quiera a flaquear. Será porque no esperaba mucho de el pero me ha dejado muy buen sabor de boca. Si sueles disfrutar con los libros de este autor este no puede faltar. Cierto que no esta a la altura de Cita con Rama pero no defrauda.
April 19, 2011
In the future (as seen from 1957), submersible game wardens herd whales around underwater ranges. The whales are food animals which, along with equally farmed seaweed, have solved the world’s food supply problems. The story is about an ex-engineer on a spaceliner who suffered an accident and gets a new start as a warden.
This book has aged quite badly. While much of Clarke’s space based science fiction can be read with enjoyment today, this one is just plain tedious. So tedious, in fact, that I only got about half way through before giving up. The technology is not really fascinating anymore, but that’s not the problem. There just doesn’t seem to be a story here, and the characters are completely uninteresting.
http://www.books.rosboch.net/?p=595
This book has aged quite badly. While much of Clarke’s space based science fiction can be read with enjoyment today, this one is just plain tedious. So tedious, in fact, that I only got about half way through before giving up. The technology is not really fascinating anymore, but that’s not the problem. There just doesn’t seem to be a story here, and the characters are completely uninteresting.
http://www.books.rosboch.net/?p=595
May 6, 2015
My first story read by early Clarke. So, Deep Range has interesting ideas and solid technical background to stick those ideas together. But, its vague plot development and blunt characters make the whole story difficult to be in love with.
October 17, 2019
“Deep Range” by Arthur C. Clark
*** “I'm not going to tell you!”
Attention grabbing tale of under-water engineering and the search to find out why equipment has been ‘sabotaged’.
It is an ‘alien’ story under the Earth’s ocean. Most enjoyable.
*** “I'm not going to tell you!”
Attention grabbing tale of under-water engineering and the search to find out why equipment has been ‘sabotaged’.
It is an ‘alien’ story under the Earth’s ocean. Most enjoyable.
July 30, 2011
Very good book, highly entertaining.
December 27, 2024
There's not much of a plot in The Deep Range. It just tells the story of an ex-astronaut who joins the Bureau of Whales and works somewhat reluctantly his way up during the following decades. There are all sorts of submarine troubles and adventures, and especially in the last part of the book also some moral issues to be discussed.
I've read a fairly large proportion of Arthur C. Clarke's books, and this was one of the very few, perhaps even the only one, which I think has aged rather poorly. Plankton farming in the oceans is fine, but herding and slaughtering whales to cover a very large proportion of Earth's food consumption in the near future (perhaps the 2050s, or something like that) just doesn't seem believable to me in any sense.
The book was published in 1957 (based on a short story published a few years before) and the values presented in the book are very much those of the time: unique deep-sea creatures are being hunted to become tourist attractions, and women (or, in this case, the only woman in the book) abandon their academic careers to become housewives. In the world depicted by Clarke, all the major religions have become obsolete except for Buddhism, as have nation states. The theory of plate tectonics hadn't been invented in the 1950s, so some minor details regarding the depictions of the underwater world are notably wrong from today's point of view.
Although I truly love much of Clarke's work, The Deep Range didn't manage to really grab me at any point. It's not particularly exciting, and the main character is not especially interesting. The fact that Clarke got the predictions of the future quite wrong this time is interesting in its own way, but it would have been more interesting if he would have got it right in at least some aspects.
As a fan of both Clarke and Edgar Rice Burroughs, I loved Clarke's nod to Burroughs' Venus books on page 21: "Perhaps he was a space pilot who had been grounded after some inexcusable lapse, such as absent-mindedly arriving at Venus when he should have gone to Mars."
Overall, The Deep Range was somewhat boring, and not among Clarke's top twenty books.
3.25/5
I've read a fairly large proportion of Arthur C. Clarke's books, and this was one of the very few, perhaps even the only one, which I think has aged rather poorly. Plankton farming in the oceans is fine, but herding and slaughtering whales to cover a very large proportion of Earth's food consumption in the near future (perhaps the 2050s, or something like that) just doesn't seem believable to me in any sense.
The book was published in 1957 (based on a short story published a few years before) and the values presented in the book are very much those of the time: unique deep-sea creatures are being hunted to become tourist attractions, and women (or, in this case, the only woman in the book) abandon their academic careers to become housewives. In the world depicted by Clarke, all the major religions have become obsolete except for Buddhism, as have nation states. The theory of plate tectonics hadn't been invented in the 1950s, so some minor details regarding the depictions of the underwater world are notably wrong from today's point of view.
Although I truly love much of Clarke's work, The Deep Range didn't manage to really grab me at any point. It's not particularly exciting, and the main character is not especially interesting. The fact that Clarke got the predictions of the future quite wrong this time is interesting in its own way, but it would have been more interesting if he would have got it right in at least some aspects.
As a fan of both Clarke and Edgar Rice Burroughs, I loved Clarke's nod to Burroughs' Venus books on page 21: "Perhaps he was a space pilot who had been grounded after some inexcusable lapse, such as absent-mindedly arriving at Venus when he should have gone to Mars."
Overall, The Deep Range was somewhat boring, and not among Clarke's top twenty books.
3.25/5
September 22, 2024
There was a large portion of this book where I was not sure if I wanted to continue reading, not because I found it lacking in any way but because the protagonist was a whale rancher, keeping them safe only until they could be slaughtered for human consumption.
My devout veganism came into direct conflict with the great writing of Clarke
But towards the end of the book it took a turn and became strongly against animal farming of any kind, and I am very glad I finished it off. The Thero gave a speech on the sanctity of life and the killing of supposedly lesser beings, especially when there is other plant based options, that I thought fantastic, and the perspective of the main character changing in turn made a very satisfying end to the book.
With my moral asides aside, this was another great work from Clarke! It may not stand with his greater spacefaring existential masterpieces, but it is a thrilling adventure book with fun sci-fi bits sprinkled in, and I am a sucker for books about whales and divers, and this had plenty. It follows in the vein of moby dick or 20,000 leagues under the sea, but with modern writing that flows much better, and the standard grandness brought to any of Arthur C Clarke novels.
Definitely worth a read to any fans of science fiction, Arthur C Clarke, or underwater adventure.
My devout veganism came into direct conflict with the great writing of Clarke
But towards the end of the book it took a turn and became strongly against animal farming of any kind, and I am very glad I finished it off. The Thero gave a speech on the sanctity of life and the killing of supposedly lesser beings, especially when there is other plant based options, that I thought fantastic, and the perspective of the main character changing in turn made a very satisfying end to the book.
With my moral asides aside, this was another great work from Clarke! It may not stand with his greater spacefaring existential masterpieces, but it is a thrilling adventure book with fun sci-fi bits sprinkled in, and I am a sucker for books about whales and divers, and this had plenty. It follows in the vein of moby dick or 20,000 leagues under the sea, but with modern writing that flows much better, and the standard grandness brought to any of Arthur C Clarke novels.
Definitely worth a read to any fans of science fiction, Arthur C Clarke, or underwater adventure.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 4, 2021
Arthur C Clarke may be best known for books like 2001: A Space Odyssey, but his interests and writing took him from outer space to inner space. Based upon his short story published three years earlier, Clarke's The Deep Range follows the career of former spaceflight engineer Walter Franklin who, following a mishap, turns to the sea for the next chapter in his life. The novel then is the precursor, if a slightly dated one, to things such as the 1990s TV series SeaQuest DSV with its tale of undersea colonies and the economic effect upon them upon the larger world. Many problems may have solutions in the sea, but new versions of others exist. All of them fall under the purview of Franklin and his fellow undersea wardens, with the novel being a series of linked episodes rather than a single narrative. Combined with some dated elements, especially its treatment of its single significant female character, it does mean The Deep Range doesn't have quite the effect or staying power of Clarke's classics. Yet, as a vision of a future under the sea, one that's still unrealized, parts of it remain remarkably prescient, even decades later.
August 2, 2023
“When that time comes, the treatment man receives from his superiors may well depend upon the way he has behaved toward the other creatures of his own world.”
First published in 1957. The story starts with a third in. Prior to that Clark pontificates about herding whales. But that’s nothing compared to his hard sell on Buddhism, vegetarianism, and Sri Lanka (then called Ceylon) in the last third of the book. Potential five-star story crashed. Despite all that an instructive read, like a window into a parallel universe.
[Redacted] was amused to find himself thinking that so competent a woman would be very useful to have around the house.
On internal evidence, the story is set in the 2040s, but many of the social attitudes are antediluvian. No one under fifty will believe Clark was progressive for his day. He’d be boycotted today for his attitude toward the role of women in society.
“Does he always look on the black side of things?” “Not always. He’s cheerful at least twice a week.”
Quibbles: of course Clark missed much of the scientific and technological advances of the last seventy years, but surely he understood that neutrally buoyant subs don’t sink, that raising whales for milk still involves culling the unwanted male calves, that high pressure kills.
“Pressure never makes any difference … as long as it’s balanced. There may be a hundred tons squeezing on my lungs—but I’ll have a hundred tons inside and won’t feel it.”
First published in 1957. The story starts with a third in. Prior to that Clark pontificates about herding whales. But that’s nothing compared to his hard sell on Buddhism, vegetarianism, and Sri Lanka (then called Ceylon) in the last third of the book. Potential five-star story crashed. Despite all that an instructive read, like a window into a parallel universe.
[Redacted] was amused to find himself thinking that so competent a woman would be very useful to have around the house.
On internal evidence, the story is set in the 2040s, but many of the social attitudes are antediluvian. No one under fifty will believe Clark was progressive for his day. He’d be boycotted today for his attitude toward the role of women in society.
“Does he always look on the black side of things?” “Not always. He’s cheerful at least twice a week.”
Quibbles: of course Clark missed much of the scientific and technological advances of the last seventy years, but surely he understood that neutrally buoyant subs don’t sink, that raising whales for milk still involves culling the unwanted male calves, that high pressure kills.
“Pressure never makes any difference … as long as it’s balanced. There may be a hundred tons squeezing on my lungs—but I’ll have a hundred tons inside and won’t feel it.”
October 30, 2021
*3.5* This was a little different to the Clarke stories, I have previously read. Based entirely on earth, with minimal references to space. Our author's pragmatic writing style has you transported forward to earth's near future where our heroes are 'Wardens of our seas'. Their role predominantly being the care and well being of whales, which have now become one of the largest food sources for the human race. The novel follows Walter and his rehabilitation after an space incident which has left him mentally scared. A few 'deep seas stories and a philosophical ending makes this story a worthwhile read
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