Voyage of the Devilfish

In the near-future of this uneven but exciting techno-thriller, the Russian Republic's newest super-sub, the Kaliningrad, departs for the Arctic Ocean under hard-liner Adm. Alexei Novskoyysp evidently ok . His objective: to coordinate a massive nuclear strike on the U.S. under the guise of a routine naval maneuver. Stalking the Kaliningrad in turn is the U.S. attack sub Devilfish --whose captain, Cmdr. Michael Pacino, learns just before sailing that Novskoyy sank his father's sub 20 years ago. Why an officer with personal motives for vengeance is assigned to such a vital mission is but one of the unnecessary implausibilities that burden the story line. These structural shortcomings, however, are secondary to convincing depictions of cat-and-mouse games in the waters beneath the Arctic icepack. As told by first novelist Dimercurio, a former submarine officer, collision poses a greater risk than do torpedoes and missiles as the submarines hunt each other at point-blank range, building to a page-turning, nuclear-tipped climax. (Aug.)