Diving into Adventures: Submarines across fiction genres (IANS Column: Bookends)

Take a fairly large number of people together in a comparatively cramped space deep underwater a domain unfamiliar and fatal for unprotected humans, throw in the brewing tensions whenever disparate humans are in a confined space for a considerable time, and some existing/futuristic technology these are the basic makings of the "submarine story" a captivating sub-genre of the always popular maritime fiction adventures.

Though submarines are helpful for exploring the last unmapped space on our planet the deep sea and its wonders, their primary role is as largely silent, virtually undetectable machines of war. The characteristics of the vessel its strengths, the vulnerabilities, and the risks, the calibre and capabilities of its operators, and its tasks, can generate many more plot devices.

It's a sub-genre that lends itself well to visual depiction remember how many of the James Bond films