''The Watch Below'' (1966) is a

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

novel by British writer James White about a colony of humans stranded underwater in a sunken ship, who survive by air pockets, and a water-breathing alien species in search of a new home. The two

generation ship A generation ship, generation starship or world ship, is a hypothetical type of interstellar ark starship that travels at sub- light speed. Since such a ship might require hundreds to thousands of years to reach nearby stars, the original occup ...

s encounter each other in the Earth's ocean.

Reception

Algis Budrys Algirdas Jonas "Algis" Budrys (January 9, 1931 – June 9, 2008) was a Lithuanian-American science fiction author, copy editing, editor and critic. He was also known under the pen names Frank Mason, Alger Rome in collaboration with Jerome ...

of ''

Galaxy Science Fiction ''Galaxy Science Fiction'' was an American digest-size science fiction magazine, published in Boston from 1950 to 1980. It was founded by a French-Italian company, World Editions, which was looking to break into the American market. World Edi ...

'' liked the novel, stating that it was the first generation ship story to expand on

Robert Heinlein Robert Anson Heinlein ( ; July 7, 1907 – May 8, 1988) was an American science fiction author, aeronautical engineer, and naval officer. Sometimes called the "dean of science fiction writers", he was among the first to emphasize scientific acc ...

's ''

Orphans of the Sky ''Orphans of the Sky'' is a science fiction novel by American writer Robert A. Heinlein (1907–1988), consisting of two parts: the novella "Universe" (originally published in ''Astounding Science Fiction'', May 1941) and its sequel, "Common Sen ...

''.

References

External links

* * 1966 British novels 1966 science fiction novels Novels by James White (author) British science fiction novels Ballantine Books books 20th-century Irish novels Irish science fiction novels Underwater civilizations in fiction Novels about extraterrestrial life Underwater novels {{1960s-sf-novel-stub