Tom Swift and the Electronic Hydrolung by Victor Appleton II

My name is Bud, and my best friend Tom is the most brilliant eighteen-year-old scientist in the world. He was in charge of a Jupiter rocket responsible for collecting valuable information about the largest planet, but a missile diverted its landing and  crashed it into the ocean. We're certain the Brungarians are behind it, and we now find ourselves in a race to recover the spaceship first. While searching for remains, we were forced to dodge torpedos from an unseen submarine. The enemy is able to hide their ships from detection, so they can attack or evade us at any time. Tom has taken on the challenge, and I have no doubt he'll think of something. But the dangers of the hunt are only getting worse, and time may be running out. 

I absolutely loved this series back when I was young. Despite the "ancient" copyright, the story's concept withstands the test of time. The main characters being a little older is a non-issue, since life was much simpler back then. The boys have girlfriends, but they go on simple dates, including a squard dance! The plot moves along "swiftly", which makes the book a quick-read. Events sometimes progress without detail, and it's very noticeable when compared to today's novels. It probably would become a four-hundred page book if it was published now. The time span of the story isn't clear, but the quality and quantity of Tom's inventions is remarkable. The turnaround time between an idea for the hydrolung to its production is a matter of days. Most of Tom's inventions this time concern safely navigaing underwater and detecting other ships. Overall, it was fun to read a story from my youth, but it will probably appeal to a select audience of today's readers. Finding a hardback copy may be impossible. I downloaded my copy free from the Project Gutenberg's Ebooks, a source I'd never used before. Give it a shot if you're in the mood for a quick, entertaining, science-fiction novel.