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3.25 AVERAGE
3.25 AVERAGE
medium-paced
this book was way too long with way too much sailing info. I suppose its a good book for a sailing nut who enjoys Hollywood endings.
and I could not see glorifying an obsession that would cost human lives as a valid cause. and did I mention the romantic story did not ring true at all?
why would an educated beautiful woman fall for this lunatic?
and I could not see glorifying an obsession that would cost human lives as a valid cause. and did I mention the romantic story did not ring true at all?
why would an educated beautiful woman fall for this lunatic?
The Shipkiller by Justin Scott
Originally published in 1978, The Shipkiller is the story of Peter Hardin, a physician, inventor and skilled seaman, who sets out to destroy the largest ship in the world, a gigantic oil tanker named Leviathan. Hardin and his wife Carolyn were sailing in the Atlantic Ocean off the Azores when the Leviathan came out of a cloud bank and barreled into their ketch Siren, destroying it, before they had a chance to maneuver out of its way. Carolyn died, and Peter Hardin washed up unconscious on the coast of Cornwall, England. The legal entanglements of ship ownership, the law of the sea and insurance regulations leave Hardin with no options for redressing the wrong done to him but revenge, and he sets out to accomplish this with a single-minded determination.
This novel is definitely one for readers who love the sea and sailing. The technical jargon used for both the Leviathan and Hardin's small sailing vessels was a bit beyond my understanding. At the same time, since this book came out over thirty years ago, the advances in technology, especially in communications, make for some humorous situations. I especially enjoyed the scene where Hardin needs to make a phone call from his hospital bed in England to his lawyer in New York, and the nurse brings him a phone with an extra long cord to make the call.
Scott brings every tense scene to life, whether it is in a seedy bar outside a US Army base in Germany, where Hardin goes to buy a weapon, or on the bridge of the Leviathan, where her captain rules his men with a ruthlessness matched only by his skill and knowledge of his ship and the sea. Along with the massiveness of the Leviathan, the characters in this novel are larger than life, and this story of a man's fight against a man-made object more frightening than the sea itself make for great reading.
Originally published in 1978, The Shipkiller is the story of Peter Hardin, a physician, inventor and skilled seaman, who sets out to destroy the largest ship in the world, a gigantic oil tanker named Leviathan. Hardin and his wife Carolyn were sailing in the Atlantic Ocean off the Azores when the Leviathan came out of a cloud bank and barreled into their ketch Siren, destroying it, before they had a chance to maneuver out of its way. Carolyn died, and Peter Hardin washed up unconscious on the coast of Cornwall, England. The legal entanglements of ship ownership, the law of the sea and insurance regulations leave Hardin with no options for redressing the wrong done to him but revenge, and he sets out to accomplish this with a single-minded determination.
This novel is definitely one for readers who love the sea and sailing. The technical jargon used for both the Leviathan and Hardin's small sailing vessels was a bit beyond my understanding. At the same time, since this book came out over thirty years ago, the advances in technology, especially in communications, make for some humorous situations. I especially enjoyed the scene where Hardin needs to make a phone call from his hospital bed in England to his lawyer in New York, and the nurse brings him a phone with an extra long cord to make the call.
Scott brings every tense scene to life, whether it is in a seedy bar outside a US Army base in Germany, where Hardin goes to buy a weapon, or on the bridge of the Leviathan, where her captain rules his men with a ruthlessness matched only by his skill and knowledge of his ship and the sea. Along with the massiveness of the Leviathan, the characters in this novel are larger than life, and this story of a man's fight against a man-made object more frightening than the sea itself make for great reading.
Taking a break from the chick-lit so I picked up this thriller that involves a doctor and his wife who are sailing around the world. Then during a big storm their sailboat is run over by a giant oil tanker named "Leviathan". He survives while his wife is killed. He becomes obsessed with sinking the ship and pursues that goal to excessive extremes. He's pretty resourceful, but it keeps going on and on and on. It was written in the 70's but doesn't seem that old. Lots of detail.
Excellently '70s tale of high seas adventure and comically dodgy stereotyping. Really good in a totally popcorn way.