Our friend and collaborator, Federico SupeRvielle Bergés, an officer of the Spanish Navy as well as a writer, has recently published the fourth installment of the adventures of the "Albatross", under the title "The drug submarine". Following the trend of the three previous works, it is an easy book to read, engaging from beginning to end, surprising for its approach and very enjoyable. What's more, we could say that it is, by far, the best of the four. Let's see why...
First of all, as much as it is subjective, this time it is not talking about pirates or nationalists, nor about drones, boats and AKs. Talk about submarines. Submarine warfare, without a doubt the most complex and exciting facet of naval warfare. For that reason alone it is worth buying. Furthermore, the assumption it raises could not be more current, with narco-submarines (not just semi-submersibles) making the route between South America and Europe, in this case through Cape Verde. What's more, submarines with all the law, armed with homemade torpedoes yes, but torpedoes nonetheless.
Before them, only the "Albatros", a BAM type ship, stands between them. (Maritime Action Vessel) built by Navantia, which operates as a privateer at the service of the French and Spanish governments under the command of the Kormoran corporation. Governed by a very particular crew, made up of former merchant sailors, former members of the FAS and the National Police, as well as other foreign armies and various other origins, each more strange, it will have to face increasing challenges. more complex. That is, precisely, the most interesting thing about the book: the ability to combine a fictional scenario with small concessions to the imagination, with the knowledge of both the author and one of his colleagues, specialized in this case in submarine warfare. Precisely the consultation of the latter is what guarantees that everything that appears in the book in the technical or tactical aspect is plausible and in many cases, perfectly true, since it does not differ from what many coast guard services encounter every day.
For the rest, the book delves one point further if possible into some characters compared to the previous adventures, plays with the reader and with the attachment to some of them and maintains the tension constantly. In this sense, it goes in growing from the first page to the last, the increasingly complex and dangerous challenges that the "Albatros" and its crew must face follow. The latter is important, as it gives the author the opportunity to show off and propose tactical scenarios that are exciting in themselves, although those less versed may have problems following the thread at times, which is not a problem in any case for stopping reading the novel. .
In short, a fast-paced and fun book that will delight those who have read the previous ones and that will surely add a good number of followers to the increasingly numerous legion of Federico Supervielle fans. The only thing we have missed in "The drug submarine" , to say the least -although I'm sure the author takes it into account for future installments-, it's a little bit more bad luck. This is not to say that we expect the ship to sink after hitting an iceberg, but it would be interesting to see the team deal with common problems on any ship, from a concussion to having half the crew out of action due to gastritis.
Now what we have left is to wait for the fifth installment. It will undoubtedly come, although we do not know for the moment what it may be about. We can think of many possibilities, from suicide drones operated by terrorists with small bomblets capable of knocking out the electronic systems of the "Albatros" to combat divers belonging to PMCs trying to protect a white slave business while placing explosive charges on the helm. of the ship, leaving it adrift. The good thing about the basic premise of "The drug submarine" and other books in the saga - the existence of a ship like the "Albatros" acting for a private company - is that with a little imagination it can be adapted to almost any situation we imagine. It will be a hard wait.
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