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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The start of the story focuses on a world where the US is in real financial trouble due to depleted oil reserves. There is a lack of jobs, food and basic provisions and everyone is struggling to survive or leave the country. The central hero of the book is a passenger jet pilot who is in the process of transporting refugees to the UK, which is more-or-less living under normal conditions due to more careful management of their oil supplies. The first third of the book details the bad conditions under which the US population lives, and while it is interesting, it becomes rather irrelevant quite quickly, except as a way to fill in some character and story background.
While over the middle of the Atlantic, flying from New York to Heathrow, it becomes clear that a global nuclear war has broken out. This is where the story gets really interesting as the crew struggle to find somewhere safe to land. The mix of passengers on the plane seems somewhat unlikely, and a handy plot device to include a number of twists or aspects to the story, but this doesn't detract from the tension.
The book features quite a lot of time where the aircraft is in the air, and hence includes several scenes where the crew go through flight procedures in some detail. This is partly for the purposes of the plot, but is largely not necessary, although it appears to be technically accurate (even if it was first published in 1979). I personally found the engineering bits quite informative, but it might not be to everyone's taste.
There are a couple of plot twists near the end, where the story speeds up considerably, that I thought spoiled things slightly but for the most part this is an excellent book. The tension is incredible throughout and there are a number of incidents that are really quite touching. These mainly centre around the crews' radio contacts with other aircraft, airports and various radio operators, and feature some unique ideas that I haven't seen elsewhere in apocalpytic fiction (and I read quite a lot of it). The ending is amazing, and not what I expected at all.
In summary, an excellent book with particular interest for readers who like disaster scenarios, but with general appeal for fans of suspense/thriller stories.
While over the middle of the Atlantic, flying from New York to Heathrow, it becomes clear that a global nuclear war has broken out. This is where the story gets really interesting as the crew struggle to find somewhere safe to land. The mix of passengers on the plane seems somewhat unlikely, and a handy plot device to include a number of twists or aspects to the story, but this doesn't detract from the tension.
The book features quite a lot of time where the aircraft is in the air, and hence includes several scenes where the crew go through flight procedures in some detail. This is partly for the purposes of the plot, but is largely not necessary, although it appears to be technically accurate (even if it was first published in 1979). I personally found the engineering bits quite informative, but it might not be to everyone's taste.
There are a couple of plot twists near the end, where the story speeds up considerably, that I thought spoiled things slightly but for the most part this is an excellent book. The tension is incredible throughout and there are a number of incidents that are really quite touching. These mainly centre around the crews' radio contacts with other aircraft, airports and various radio operators, and feature some unique ideas that I haven't seen elsewhere in apocalpytic fiction (and I read quite a lot of it). The ending is amazing, and not what I expected at all.
In summary, an excellent book with particular interest for readers who like disaster scenarios, but with general appeal for fans of suspense/thriller stories.
16 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I can't add anything to the reviews I've seen here...but I would add a word of caution. I lost this book like another reviewer, and in the course of trying to get another, ended up with a US copy. It ends differently!
If you haven't read this amazing book yet, please don't buy the US one.
Fortunately, I managed to get the UK one in the end...
If you haven't read this amazing book yet, please don't buy the US one.
Fortunately, I managed to get the UK one in the end...
11 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I bought this book several years ago after quickly reading the back page synopsis and i am so glad i did.The shear thought of being aboard a passenger aircraft halfway across the atlantic and then a nucleur war starts is unfathomable. what do you do if your the captain with several hundred people on board of different nationalities with their lives in your hands? David Graham not only tells you with great nail biting suspense but also with accurate facts of what would REALLY happen to any planes in that situation.This book will NEVER leave your collection.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Top notch
Despite being written in the early 70's and set in 1985, this novel felt like a contemporary work of 2012. This makes it horrifying because the plot is so plausible today. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Harshest Critic
down to the sunless sea
I'll openly admit I sobbed at the end of this book, the charactors went through so much and if I even start talking about it I'm choked, so much happened, all of which could... Read more
Published 4 months ago by ss
great read
Really enjoying this book, a bit different, but a joy to read. Makes you think off what really could happen in the future.
Published 6 months ago by Mr. G. Dewar
unwittingly amusing
The premise is interesting and well thought out. As in most of this type of fiction you can guess what's going to happen at the end and the how we get there is the entertainment. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Simon A. Wright
I can't believe this gets such high reviews
I love post-apocolyptic fiction and after all the great reviews was looking forward to this. But it's terrible! Read more
Published 10 months ago by JonM
Uneven, but some genuine moments of horror and tension
Rather uneven post-apocalyptic novel. The first 100 pages are a bit slow, with preparations for a plane leaving the US taking 600 people away from a society that has collapsed in... Read more
Published 11 months ago by John Hopper
Down to a Sunless Sea
My brother recommended this book, wishing he could read it again. Amazon got it to me by the time he came home from holiday. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Meryl Evans
different ending
I read this book 30 years ago, and eventually the book fell to peices after much handling, This is why I was so keen to obtain another copy. Read more
Published 22 months ago by maggie
Great Book
Really really enjoyed this - I love apocalyptic stories and this one didn't disappoint a bit.
There are two endings, the US and UK. Read more
There are two endings, the US and UK. Read more
Published 22 months ago by N. G. Lake
rubbish
I am speechless at the good reviews of this book. It is childish, amateurish rubbish. Nothing about it, besides the premise, is anything other than offensively bad. Read more
Published on 15 Mar 2010 by mingo
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