Three Miles Down by Harry Turtledove

Published by Tor Books on July 26, 2022

Harry Turtledove often writes alternate histories. Three Miles Down might fit within that classification, or it might be taken as a previously unknown historical episode. The novel makes no dramatic changes in the world’s history, save for the discovery of alien life. If that discovery has an impact on the world, it isn’t explored. While the story involves first contact with aliens, most of the plot revolves around politics and the Cold War at the end of Nixon’s presidency and early in Ford’s.

Jerry Stieglitz is a grad student in oceanography. He’s writing a dissertation on the sounds made by whales. He also dabbles in writing science fiction. He’s about to get married but wonders if the downside of living with a woman is likely to be offset by the upside of regular sex. He also wonders how he will respond to the need for marital compromise, but that concern might be academic as his future wife seems intent on running the show.

Jerry is offered a good chunk of money to join a crew on a vessel engaged in undersea mining. He is required to keep the ship’s true mission secret, under penalty of death. He believes the vessel will be raising a Russian nuclear submarine from the ocean floor. While that was its mission at one point, the mission changed when the search for the sub discovered another vessel on the ocean floor. This one seems to be an alien spaceship.

Jerry is recruited because (1) he speaks some Russian, (2) he knows something about oceans, (3) he’s given some thought to how whales communicate (which might facilitate communication with aliens), and (4) he writes science fiction and therefore has greater insight into space aliens than the CIA agents and technicians who seem to be the mining ship’s primary crew. There are probably hundreds of people more qualified than Jerry to make first contact, but the reader needs to buy into the premise to enjoy the story.

After the spaceship is lifted, Jerry uses his knowledge of Lord of the Rings to gain entry. Jerry and a friend poke around for a while, object to the CIA’s attempt to chisel material from the hull, and are booted out of the project. The rest of the book follows Jerry as he tries to avoid assassination by the CIA. That was easier before surveillance cameras lurked on every corner.

Jerry’s references to Heinlein and other classic figures of science fiction are fun, as is the CIA’s decision to replace Jerry (who is something of a hippy and therefore unreliable in the CIA’s view) with Jerry Pournelle, a classic sf author whose politics were quite far to the right. Pournelle died a few years ago, so it’s impossible to know whether he would have been honored by his inclusion in the story. He seems to have had a big ego so I’m guessing he would be secretly pleased while finding something to gripe about.

A reader might question whether Jerry’s choices are smart, but Turtledove keeps the story moving. His prose is straightforward. While the narrative isn’t particularly suspenseful, it at least left me wondering what would happen next. The ending only resolves part of the story and might leave room for a sequel. Jerry is a likable guy, although he seems a bit flighty. His comments about his soon-to-be wife ring true for the early 1970s but might be seen as less than PC by current standards. I thought they were moderately entertaining, regardless. I had the same reaction to the book as a whole.

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