Here's something new I decided would work here, a review of The Abyss. In addition to the movie, I tried to cover the novelization and the theme of pacifist aliens. I confirmed I had previously invited feedback on underwater science fiction here when I reviewed the knockoff/ runnerup Leviathan. Another lead I have looked into more recently was the Bond franchise, which featured underwater action starting with Thunderball. One more question I have wondered about, was there much written underwater sci fi in the 1970s-1980s besides Michael Crichton's Sphere?
https://trendytroodon.blogspot.com/2022/11/featured-creature-one-that-sank-james.html

In article <bf1a80d1-9426-437f-9a84-b62e5f53a6aen@googlegroups.com>,
David Brown <davidnbrown80@gmail.com> wrote:
>Here's something new I decided would work here, a review of The Abyss.
>In addition to the movie, I tried to cover the novelization and the
>theme of pacifist aliens. I confirmed I had previously invited feedback
>on underwater science fiction here when I reviewed the knockoff/
>runnerup Leviathan. Another lead I have looked into more recently was
>the Bond franchise, which featured underwater action starting with
>Thunderball. One more question I have wondered about, was there much
>written underwater sci fi in the 1970s-1980s besides Michael Crichton's
>Sphere?

_Ocean On Top_ by Hal Clement

If you want to go back a little further you get _A Torrent Of Faces_,
_The Deep Range_ & _Under Pressure_.
--
columbiaclosings.com
What's not in Columbia anymore..

On 2022-11-24, David Brown <davidnbrown80@gmail.com> wrote:

> Here's something new I decided would work here, a review of The
> Abyss.

I think the movie has mostly slipped from consideration because of
its limited availability. There is no blu-ray. It has occasionally
aired on TV, even on HDTV, where people promptly start squinting
to see if it's an upscale or actually from an HD master source.

> One more question I have wondered about, was there much written
> underwater sci fi in the 1970s-1980s besides Michael Crichton's
> Sphere?

I think it has always been a small niche. I can mention Hal Clement's
_Ocean on Top_ (1973), which must be one of his lesser works, because
even though I have read it at least twice I can't remember anything
about it and nobody else ever brings it up. (And now Ted has also
mentioned it, oops.)

--
Christian "naddy" Weisgerber naddy@mips.inka.de

In article <slrnto1r55.191k.naddy@lorvorc.mips.inka.de>,
Christian Weisgerber <naddy@mips.inka.de> wrote:
>On 2022-11-24, David Brown <davidnbrown80@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Here's something new I decided would work here, a review of The
>> Abyss.
>
>I think the movie has mostly slipped from consideration because of
>its limited availability. There is no blu-ray. It has occasionally
>aired on TV, even on HDTV, where people promptly start squinting
>to see if it's an upscale or actually from an HD master source.
>
>> One more question I have wondered about, was there much written
>> underwater sci fi in the 1970s-1980s besides Michael Crichton's
>> Sphere?
>
>I think it has always been a small niche. I can mention Hal Clement's
>_Ocean on Top_ (1973), which must be one of his lesser works, because
>even though I have read it at least twice I can't remember anything
>about it and nobody else ever brings it up. (And now Ted has also
>mentioned it, oops.)

Clement also had Still River, which isn't really an under_water_
novel but which does turn on exposure to various fluids. Much of
the book occurs at temperatures at which water is solid.
--
My reviews can be found at http://jamesdavisnicoll.com/
My tor pieces at https://www.tor.com/author/james-davis-nicoll/
My Dreamwidth at https://james-davis-nicoll.dreamwidth.org/
My patreon is at https://www.patreon.com/jamesdnicoll

On Fri, 25 Nov 2022 16:26:13 -0000 (UTC), Christian Weisgerber
<naddy@mips.inka.de> wrote:

>On 2022-11-24, David Brown <davidnbrown80@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Here's something new I decided would work here, a review of The
>> Abyss.
>
>I think the movie has mostly slipped from consideration because of
>its limited availability. There is no blu-ray. It has occasionally
>aired on TV, even on HDTV, where people promptly start squinting
>to see if it's an upscale or actually from an HD master source.

Squinting at it to determine if it is an upscale is a measure of how
interested they are in actually watching it. And not good one.

>> One more question I have wondered about, was there much written
>> underwater sci fi in the 1970s-1980s besides Michael Crichton's
>> Sphere?
>
>I think it has always been a small niche. I can mention Hal Clement's
>_Ocean on Top_ (1973), which must be one of his lesser works, because
>even though I have read it at least twice I can't remember anything
>about it and nobody else ever brings it up. (And now Ted has also
>mentioned it, oops.)
--
"In this connexion, unquestionably the most significant
development was the disintegration, under Christian
influence, of classical conceptions of the family and
of family right."

On 2022-11-25, James Nicoll <jdnicoll@panix.com> wrote:

>>I think it has always been a small niche. I can mention Hal Clement's
>>_Ocean on Top_ (1973), which must be one of his lesser works, because
>>even though I have read it at least twice I can't remember anything
>>about it and nobody else ever brings it up. (And now Ted has also
>>mentioned it, oops.)
>
> Clement also had Still River, which isn't really an under_water_
> novel but which does turn on exposure to various fluids.

That describes several of Clement's novels. He was particularly
fond of water-ammonia mixtures, none more so than in _Star Light_.

_Still River_'s pièce de résistance is its multi-species team of
explorers, where each member's origin colors their views. At some
point diving into a pond of liquid comes up. The members from
planets without atmosphere are terrified, even though everybody is
protected by space armor, the human is up for a swim, and the
amphibious centipede is in her element.

> Much of the book occurs at temperatures at which water is solid.

Why, yes, everybody knows that dihydrogen oxide forms rocks.

IIRC, the human was the literally hot-blooded one. Everybody else's
body liquids were ammonia-based.

--
Christian "naddy" Weisgerber naddy@mips.inka.de

On Thursday, 24 November 2022 at 20:47:30 UTC, David Brown wrote:
> Here's something new I decided would work here, a review of The Abyss. In addition to the movie, I tried to cover the novelization and the theme of pacifist aliens. I confirmed I had previously invited feedback on underwater science fiction here when I reviewed the knockoff/ runnerup Leviathan. Another lead I have looked into more recently was the Bond franchise, which featured underwater action starting with Thunderball. One more question I have wondered about, was there much written underwater sci fi in the 1970s-1980s besides Michael Crichton's Sphere?
> https://trendytroodon.blogspot.com/2022/11/featured-creature-one-that-sank-james.html

Alan Dean Foster, 1980:
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cachalot_(novel)>

Arthur C. Clarke, 1990:
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ghost_from_the_Grand_Banks>

I suppose that Namor of Atlantis and Aquaman kept busy,
more or less. Namor doesn't have many long runs.

On Friday, November 25, 2022 at 11:30:08 AM UTC-5, Christian Weisgerber wrote:
> On 2022-11-24, David Brown <davidn...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > Here's something new I decided would work here, a review of The
> > Abyss.
> I think the movie has mostly slipped from consideration because of
> its limited availability. There is no blu-ray. It has occasionally
> aired on TV, even on HDTV, where people promptly start squinting
> to see if it's an upscale or actually from an HD master source.

It available on streaming, for example on Amazon Prime, the first
streamer I checked.

Pt