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Down to a Sunless Sea
The six hundred passengers and crew members aboard a jumbo jetliner are left without a destination and a country when nuclear war breaks out and spreads devastation around the world.
A collapsed economy and an increasingly savage society were causing thousands to abandon America. Captain Jonah Scott was a pilot, hired to fly some lucky refugees to London. But once in the air, nuclear war broke out, and Scott became responsible for the entire human race!
A collapsed economy and an increasingly savage society were causing thousands to abandon America. Captain Jonah Scott was a pilot, hired to fly some lucky refugees to London. But once in the air, nuclear war broke out, and Scott became responsible for the entire human race!
352 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1979
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 113 reviews
May 7, 2025
I read this book when the Cold War was reaching its icy zenith, amidst new headlines about the Polish unrest of the eighties.
Leonid Brezhnev’s steely glare was not to be dulled by Ronald Reagan’s unremitting resolve, while a Polish Pontiff attempted to mitigate the mess, and Lech Walensa refused to budge.
It had all started for me MUCH earlier...
Back around 1961, you see, Ed Sullivan had internationally aired graphic line-drawn images of Japanese civilians at ground zero of Hiroshima in 1945, on his wildly popular variety show.
To this day I don’t know how he could have been so irresponsible.
Kids my age all over the world watched the horrific pictures fill the TV screen.
Nightmares? You betcha! 9 to 12 year old kids everywhere had ‘em.
And all that summer, whenever a Canadian Argus military transpport lumbered slowly across the sky, I watched warily to see if it was gonna unload the Big One on us...
Sure I was dumb. Aren’t most kids that age?
But somehow I know that social planners followed Freud’s lead in recognizing the value of fear in societal conditioning.
One recent domino event in the present can backtrack smack dab into larger, earlier dominoes from the past (traumatic events in our minds) quite easily...
Well, THAT’s my own Big Bang theory, anyway.
So why was the music of the fifties so comfortably corny? There was real fear in the air, wasn't there? My guess is that our Big Brothers simply wanted us to 'Keep Calm & Carry On.' If the economy was healthy, so were we!
I guess the advent of good honest rock 'n roll changed all that...
So by the mid-eighties (the timeframe of this book), as the contemporaneous flick LA Cop had it, the heat was on.
And when I hoped against hope by reading this vapid thriller, it’s for sure that like Dr. Strangelove, I was trying to stop worrying and LOVE the bomb.
Except it didn’t work. And couldn’t.
You can’t love something which scares you to death.
And when I got to the inexorable end, I was a bit disgusted with myself for even starting it.
Cause - quite simply - there‘s Nothing good that can come from a story (or a weapon) that ends by killing off everyone and everything you have ever LOVED.
And there's Nothing whatever that’s innately, humanly valid in that foul widespread depredation through stark, unnerving Fear of that most basic, cherished human quality of Love, that took place in the Cold War.
But that blatant depredation still continues, unchecked, Today - sugarcoated with cash.
Leonid Brezhnev’s steely glare was not to be dulled by Ronald Reagan’s unremitting resolve, while a Polish Pontiff attempted to mitigate the mess, and Lech Walensa refused to budge.
It had all started for me MUCH earlier...
Back around 1961, you see, Ed Sullivan had internationally aired graphic line-drawn images of Japanese civilians at ground zero of Hiroshima in 1945, on his wildly popular variety show.
To this day I don’t know how he could have been so irresponsible.
Kids my age all over the world watched the horrific pictures fill the TV screen.
Nightmares? You betcha! 9 to 12 year old kids everywhere had ‘em.
And all that summer, whenever a Canadian Argus military transpport lumbered slowly across the sky, I watched warily to see if it was gonna unload the Big One on us...
Sure I was dumb. Aren’t most kids that age?
But somehow I know that social planners followed Freud’s lead in recognizing the value of fear in societal conditioning.
One recent domino event in the present can backtrack smack dab into larger, earlier dominoes from the past (traumatic events in our minds) quite easily...
Well, THAT’s my own Big Bang theory, anyway.
So why was the music of the fifties so comfortably corny? There was real fear in the air, wasn't there? My guess is that our Big Brothers simply wanted us to 'Keep Calm & Carry On.' If the economy was healthy, so were we!
I guess the advent of good honest rock 'n roll changed all that...
So by the mid-eighties (the timeframe of this book), as the contemporaneous flick LA Cop had it, the heat was on.
And when I hoped against hope by reading this vapid thriller, it’s for sure that like Dr. Strangelove, I was trying to stop worrying and LOVE the bomb.
Except it didn’t work. And couldn’t.
You can’t love something which scares you to death.
And when I got to the inexorable end, I was a bit disgusted with myself for even starting it.
Cause - quite simply - there‘s Nothing good that can come from a story (or a weapon) that ends by killing off everyone and everything you have ever LOVED.
And there's Nothing whatever that’s innately, humanly valid in that foul widespread depredation through stark, unnerving Fear of that most basic, cherished human quality of Love, that took place in the Cold War.
But that blatant depredation still continues, unchecked, Today - sugarcoated with cash.
February 22, 2008
I learned three things from this book:
Air stops circulating at the equator. Past the equator, you have a whole different planetful of air!
You can tilt the planet so that your new home in Antarctica will be sunny and grow good food, if you explode lots of nuclear weapons in the Northern hemisphere.
How to fly a plane. yes, it's that detailed.
Air stops circulating at the equator. Past the equator, you have a whole different planetful of air!
You can tilt the planet so that your new home in Antarctica will be sunny and grow good food, if you explode lots of nuclear weapons in the Northern hemisphere.
How to fly a plane. yes, it's that detailed.
October 7, 2014
I read this book a long long long time ago, and then lost it. I have wanted to re-read this novel forever, but have never been able to find a copy. I think it is an excellent book and well written with a great story about a collapsing United States and an apocalyptic nuclear war. The whole story take place on board a Boeing 747 passenger plane carrying people, military and refugees from the United States to Great Britain. While en-route a nuclear war breaks out and the flight for survival begins. I really want to read this book again.
December 23, 2022
Ok, bad stuff first, this is still kinda schlock. I mean it tries to talk about higher stuff sometimes and occasionally someone will have a breakdown and show some real emotion but still. It feels most of the time very much like a late 50's film script, except for the sex scenes.
Its social outlook is also very dated with the authors idea of womens-lib being that they're liberated from their underwear and will sleep with anyone at the drop of a hat.
That aside its a real page-turner, quite compelling. Might have helped that i had no idea what the book was about going in.
Its set in a somewhat dystopian future, where america has suffered from an economic collapse followed by a social one but apart from some knock-on effects the rest of the world is mostly ok.
We follow a british pilot who has to stay overnight in what's left of New York. It felt like it might turn into Escape from New York for a while there. It also goes very Noir for a bit, i was picturing Bogart as the main character for quite a while ;) .
Anyway the main plot came out of nowhere for me which as i mentioned probably added quite a bit to how compelling it was.
I almost dropped a star due to.. how can i put this without any spoilers... lets call it the change of character relations, late in the book which seemed not only unnecessary but undermined earlier elements.
Overall, still a B-Movie with pretentions of something more, but pretty compelling.
Its social outlook is also very dated with the authors idea of womens-lib being that they're liberated from their underwear and will sleep with anyone at the drop of a hat.
That aside its a real page-turner, quite compelling. Might have helped that i had no idea what the book was about going in.
Its set in a somewhat dystopian future, where america has suffered from an economic collapse followed by a social one but apart from some knock-on effects the rest of the world is mostly ok.
We follow a british pilot who has to stay overnight in what's left of New York. It felt like it might turn into Escape from New York for a while there. It also goes very Noir for a bit, i was picturing Bogart as the main character for quite a while ;) .
Anyway the main plot came out of nowhere for me which as i mentioned probably added quite a bit to how compelling it was.
I almost dropped a star due to.. how can i put this without any spoilers... lets call it the change of character relations, late in the book which seemed not only unnecessary but undermined earlier elements.
Overall, still a B-Movie with pretentions of something more, but pretty compelling.
August 11, 2018
The plot is one of the more interesting spins on a nuclear apocalypse scenario. David Graham even manages to write captivating and convincing scenes that intrigues you to continue reading to find out what happens next (although the whole New York business in the beginning could've been cut down to just the essentials as it droned on and felt more like a post-apocalyspe Escape From New York-esque scenario than anything).
That's all and well. All throughout the entire book as a matter of fact
However, the book wholeheartedly disappoints in the redundant sexism. Some readers have noted racism as well, which I can't personally recall — although I would not be surprised given an example.
Yes, sexism. It is so prevelant and follows the book on almost every other page. Although the book was published in the very late 1970s, it reads like a 1940s novel in terms of sexism.
Virtually every woman in the book that is not mentioned in the context of a group (old Russian women etc.) is portrayed as an object for men to devour and enjoy.
This also steers us into another major flaw: there are plentiful occasions in the book where you can't help but roll your eyes and mumble "yeah, that happened" sarcastically.
It's a piece of fiction, even so David Graham manages to make the main character sound so full of himself, to the point that the fiction actually sounds like a lie. All the ingredients are there: women love our hero! Men honor him! The masses applaud and cheer him! He is a leader! Oh yes!
Yet ... our hero is so simple. Yes, just a simple man who just want to be Mr. Man, not Dear Leader Our Hero. Oh no, he does not.
Indeed our hero is quick to jump into the spotlight, order people around (and it's suspect as to how afraid he seems to be of some good ol' physical work) and mansplain women all day long.
But really, he just wants to be Mr. Man and enjoy a smoke and whisky. Like a man.
David Graham apparently wrote at least three different endings to this book. Perhaps while re-writing the last time, he should've just set fire to the pages and forgotten about it. I don't think the sexism in this book was particularly "fresh" even in 1979. And now, in 2018, while sexism still is alive and kicking, the type you'll find in this book is nothing but ancient.
You may want to consider reading something else. Plot is great, but you can only see glimpses of it behind the garbage thrown in page after page.
That's all and well. All throughout the entire book as a matter of fact
However, the book wholeheartedly disappoints in the redundant sexism. Some readers have noted racism as well, which I can't personally recall — although I would not be surprised given an example.
Yes, sexism. It is so prevelant and follows the book on almost every other page. Although the book was published in the very late 1970s, it reads like a 1940s novel in terms of sexism.
Virtually every woman in the book that is not mentioned in the context of a group (old Russian women etc.) is portrayed as an object for men to devour and enjoy.
This also steers us into another major flaw: there are plentiful occasions in the book where you can't help but roll your eyes and mumble "yeah, that happened" sarcastically.
It's a piece of fiction, even so David Graham manages to make the main character sound so full of himself, to the point that the fiction actually sounds like a lie. All the ingredients are there: women love our hero! Men honor him! The masses applaud and cheer him! He is a leader! Oh yes!
Yet ... our hero is so simple. Yes, just a simple man who just want to be Mr. Man, not Dear Leader Our Hero. Oh no, he does not.
Indeed our hero is quick to jump into the spotlight, order people around (and it's suspect as to how afraid he seems to be of some good ol' physical work) and mansplain women all day long.
But really, he just wants to be Mr. Man and enjoy a smoke and whisky. Like a man.
David Graham apparently wrote at least three different endings to this book. Perhaps while re-writing the last time, he should've just set fire to the pages and forgotten about it. I don't think the sexism in this book was particularly "fresh" even in 1979. And now, in 2018, while sexism still is alive and kicking, the type you'll find in this book is nothing but ancient.
You may want to consider reading something else. Plot is great, but you can only see glimpses of it behind the garbage thrown in page after page.
May 15, 2013
There's something almost comforting about reading a book about the end of the world that occurs in the 1980's. It's almost like we've collectively dodged a bullet....The Big One.
DOWN TO A SUNLESS SEA is a straightforward Action/Adventure tale of a nuclear apocalypse, and relates the adventures of the brave band of men and women who beat the odds and live to fight another day. The author's background is in aeronautics, and most of the action happens in the cockpit of a large airliner. The writing style and character development are pedestrian at best, yet the compelling storyline demands your attention. Nevil Shute's, ON THE BEACH and Pat Frank's ALAS, BABYLON offer the same story, yet so much better delivered. And, I'm sure there are many, many other examples, but if you are a fan of the genre, DOWN TO A SUNLESS SEA will not disappoint.
DOWN TO A SUNLESS SEA is a straightforward Action/Adventure tale of a nuclear apocalypse, and relates the adventures of the brave band of men and women who beat the odds and live to fight another day. The author's background is in aeronautics, and most of the action happens in the cockpit of a large airliner. The writing style and character development are pedestrian at best, yet the compelling storyline demands your attention. Nevil Shute's, ON THE BEACH and Pat Frank's ALAS, BABYLON offer the same story, yet so much better delivered. And, I'm sure there are many, many other examples, but if you are a fan of the genre, DOWN TO A SUNLESS SEA will not disappoint.
December 5, 2010
my all time favourite book, read it about 4 times now
October 3, 2014
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 apocalyptic 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 apocalyptic 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.
March 18, 2019
A repeat read on another one from my younger days I was, and still am, intrigued by the premise of global destruction due to nuclear war; we used to think a lot about that possibility and then get on with life. So a lot of these catastrophic scenarios made their way into our books, movies, and TV shows for a couple decades after WWII. What was different with Down to a Sunless Sea was it had a jumbo jet loaded with passengers heading from NYC to London and in the air when nuclear war breaks out. It then deals with trying to find a relatively safe destination as the world is actively disintegrating and places to safely refuel in transit. The author includes technical details about flying the jumbo jet that may not be to everyone's interest but I liked it. The wording is a bit dated and some of today's more enlightened beings may find some of the character treatments triggering, but I do not believe in judging books written decades ago by today's standards (think Uncle Tom's Cabin)! I read it again for what it is, an intriguing story about nuclear destruction that happened in today's past! If you are a fan of classic (science) fiction, you will probably like this book.
September 27, 2022
Sometimes you can never go back. Fortunately this is not one of those times.
First off, no 13-16 year old young woman should be allowed to read this book. They will get very wrong ideas about how women should be treated. That being said. I loved this book and tore through it just as fast as I did when I read it as a teen.
Several of the political aspects of this book are quite dated as it was written in 1979. This pulled me out of my suspension of belief. They have King Charles marrying an American girl. I just giggled about a world where there was no Princess Diana.
There is a bit of a build up of tensions from various political entities in the beginning of the book and that laid nice groundwork for the nuclear apocalypse to follow. As I commented before, the science in this book is very sus, but I really, really just enjoyed rereading this book from my childhood.
First off, no 13-16 year old young woman should be allowed to read this book. They will get very wrong ideas about how women should be treated. That being said. I loved this book and tore through it just as fast as I did when I read it as a teen.
Several of the political aspects of this book are quite dated as it was written in 1979. This pulled me out of my suspension of belief. They have King Charles marrying an American girl. I just giggled about a world where there was no Princess Diana.
There is a bit of a build up of tensions from various political entities in the beginning of the book and that laid nice groundwork for the nuclear apocalypse to follow. As I commented before, the science in this book is very sus, but I really, really just enjoyed rereading this book from my childhood.
January 15, 2013
I read this many years ago, in the 80s when the threat of nuclear war was something we grew up with and was fodder for a lot in many forms of media. I remember this being a great story. I had it in my book collection for many years, not sure where it ended up, I would be curious to read it again someday.
July 30, 2016
Utter and complete dreck.
A Gary Stu story if I ever read one. The author appears to be ignorant of (or willfully ignoring) basic economic theory. The book is unremittingly full of sexist, racist, classist characterizations. Not a believable female or American character.
A Gary Stu story if I ever read one. The author appears to be ignorant of (or willfully ignoring) basic economic theory. The book is unremittingly full of sexist, racist, classist characterizations. Not a believable female or American character.
June 23, 2010
This might be the 4th time I have read this book and it is as it ever was. Truly a "cannot put down" kind of story. For fans of apocalyptic books, this is a must read.
February 10, 2019
I have wanted to read this novel for a very long time. It's been on my list of must-read apocalyptic books, but it's very hard to get hold of. Finally, I bought a copy and put it on my list of books to read on my upcoming flight to the UK. I've only got 63 books on that list, so I'm pretty ashamed of myself that I've started on this one now.
After a slightly slow start I'm totally hooked. As it's a horrendous situation on an international flight, maybe it was a good thing I got to it early...
As usual, I'll update when done.
Finished this one today, sitting in the brilliant light of a New Zealand summer, but thinking about the premise of this novel: the world destroyed by a nuclear holocaust. It's odd, but I suppose we all dread the end of the world for different reasons. Some people dread the loss of life and see the survival of humans as the most important thing. Personally, it's not people I fear going, but the beauty of places. And not the grand ones, but the little things like an English churchyard, or a thatched cottage with foxgloves in the garden. So although the human race survives this apocalypse (or a few hundred do), all the rest is gone. So what is supposed by the author to be a totally life-affirming ending, rather chilled me to the core.
Fans of apocalyptic novels will definitely want to add this to their list. I think anyone interested in flying would as well, as the novel is, at its heart, the story of a technically extreme flight. Women might possibly want to skip this one though as the author is a man of his times (he was a decorated RAF WWII pilot), and his depiction of women is amusing and quaint to say the least. I particularly like Kate the air hostess who was likened at one point to the hot towels and bags of nuts available to anyone who needs a bit of freshening up. If you get my drift. Poor girl.
Well worth a read if you can find a copy.
After a slightly slow start I'm totally hooked. As it's a horrendous situation on an international flight, maybe it was a good thing I got to it early...
As usual, I'll update when done.
Finished this one today, sitting in the brilliant light of a New Zealand summer, but thinking about the premise of this novel: the world destroyed by a nuclear holocaust. It's odd, but I suppose we all dread the end of the world for different reasons. Some people dread the loss of life and see the survival of humans as the most important thing. Personally, it's not people I fear going, but the beauty of places. And not the grand ones, but the little things like an English churchyard, or a thatched cottage with foxgloves in the garden. So although the human race survives this apocalypse (or a few hundred do), all the rest is gone. So what is supposed by the author to be a totally life-affirming ending, rather chilled me to the core.
Fans of apocalyptic novels will definitely want to add this to their list. I think anyone interested in flying would as well, as the novel is, at its heart, the story of a technically extreme flight. Women might possibly want to skip this one though as the author is a man of his times (he was a decorated RAF WWII pilot), and his depiction of women is amusing and quaint to say the least. I particularly like Kate the air hostess who was likened at one point to the hot towels and bags of nuts available to anyone who needs a bit of freshening up. If you get my drift. Poor girl.
Well worth a read if you can find a copy.
June 23, 2016
I enjoyed enough aspects of this book to remain thoroughly engaged. The plot twists were great. The whole premise was entertaining and nicely laid out.
However!! The characters themselves detracted horribly from the events that unfolded. Much of the dialogue was dreadful. Physical descriptions beyond stock 40's/50's pulp were nonexistent. The fact that this was written in 1981 was hilarious...throughout I had to remind myself of that fact because it read as a book from the 50's. This feature went far beyond the misogynistic absence of the 60's and 70's! Frankly, I'm shocked an editor didn't clean this up more.
On the other hand...who cares? The story was great. It would make a good movie.
One of the main reasons I forgave the nonsense so easily was that I really enjoyed all the in-depth portrayal of flight operations. I can't imagine many readers will appreciate this as much as I did; so be forewarned: a LOT of Airplanese in here!
The week before reading this, I read an "Aeon" magazine article about the romance and origins of the global air traffic language, which added depth to this book for me. You may not be so lucky. Every radio conversation was faithfully included in the book!
However!! The characters themselves detracted horribly from the events that unfolded. Much of the dialogue was dreadful. Physical descriptions beyond stock 40's/50's pulp were nonexistent. The fact that this was written in 1981 was hilarious...throughout I had to remind myself of that fact because it read as a book from the 50's. This feature went far beyond the misogynistic absence of the 60's and 70's! Frankly, I'm shocked an editor didn't clean this up more.
On the other hand...who cares? The story was great. It would make a good movie.
One of the main reasons I forgave the nonsense so easily was that I really enjoyed all the in-depth portrayal of flight operations. I can't imagine many readers will appreciate this as much as I did; so be forewarned: a LOT of Airplanese in here!
The week before reading this, I read an "Aeon" magazine article about the romance and origins of the global air traffic language, which added depth to this book for me. You may not be so lucky. Every radio conversation was faithfully included in the book!
October 2, 2010
A post-nuclear thriller set around the crew and passengers of a jumbo jet that's over the Atlantic when the missiles start flying, and focuses on their race to find a haven free of radiation that gives them a chance at survival. Definitely dated by now, but this book has imagery that's stayed with me a long time. (There are two versions of the ending; the one I read was the "happy ending" version.)
February 29, 2016
This book made me cry in two different spots. A terrific "escape the apocalypse" thrill ride. The main character was a good guy and had a tad of a naive view on women (women are sluts or wives) but I blame the author for that. There's a couple of unlikely coincidences and a happy American ending. Worth a read, especially if this is your genre.
October 10, 2011
One of the best books I ever read. Written in 1979 so obviously dated, but it really didn't matter, I thought it was a great book. I plan to read it again one day.
December 14, 2021
There's story escalation, and there's Down to a Sunless Sea. Only problem is the blurb essentially spoils the big twist of the novel following right after the reader settles into what is already one crappy reality.
Oil has run out and US is hit bad. I'm talking "dollar is so worthless we can't even salvage our economy by reverting to gold standard... because we don't have enough oil to MOVE said gold so it can be sold" kind of despair. Surprising no one, anarchy ensues as we see in the brief glimpse of New York which has basically become a post-apocalyptic wasteland where not even rats remain because, couple of months into the crisis, everything worth scavenging was already devoured. We witness all this through the eyes of Jonah Scott, an English pilot doing refugee runs as he goes on his "off-shore vacation" and ends up fighting for his very life in one of apartments-turned-strongholds. Turns out that despite a major upheaval only the US got hit THAT badly. This means other major powers now see that weakness and act on it.
Unlike the summary, in case you end up going blind into this one, I won't spoil the big revel, but let's just say the war got hot. Hot enough to turn the entire planet into a hothouse. Our hero ends up with what could very well be the last 600-ish survivors in the entire world flying aboard his British Boeing 797 with nary a safe harbor in sight. I have to confess when the twist happened some hundred or so pages in I was positively glued by how almost casually it was delivered. Down to a Sunless Sea tends to favor that approach in general in how it conveys information to the reader - it is casually dropped that Catholic and Protestant Church joined to combat the crisis, for example.
Sheer speed by which escalation happens and general radio silence means we're confined to a limited cast of characters, and I'm torn on this matter. Saying the likes of Jonah, Valerie, etc. are hyper competent seems like a weird slight, but I think it functions within the reasonable framework of an outlandish story. Our captain and his crew are consummate professionals damn good at their jobs and capable of putting their feelings aside. In practical terms this means they make the best calls aka drama doesn't really come from within, but from how they tackle outside obstacles. I was pleasantly surprised how much depth Jonah brings to the table even if he initially comes of someone over-confident to a point of arrogance. He is human underneath it all and cracks more than once so it's a good thing he has an amazing support cast which fulfill their roles well enough. Especially Kate, head stewardess, as novel is unwilling to settle on what exactly their relationship is until it just decides they're not a thing later on. You have your usual military, some scientists and politicians who have ideas of their own on what to do until reality hits them. Literally, for some.
I liked Down to a Sunless Sea a lot because it checks quite a few boxes I already favor - builds a setting already different enough from our own, and I'm not just talking about Split cigars, only to deviate by setting up a completely new situation to contend with. I'm not sure if David Graham is a pilot or he just researched it well, but all the aeronautical details enforce just how real and vulnerable of a tether this 797 is for our characters.
You might raise an issue over how archaic some of the mannerisms present are, but that's up to you.
Oil has run out and US is hit bad. I'm talking "dollar is so worthless we can't even salvage our economy by reverting to gold standard... because we don't have enough oil to MOVE said gold so it can be sold" kind of despair. Surprising no one, anarchy ensues as we see in the brief glimpse of New York which has basically become a post-apocalyptic wasteland where not even rats remain because, couple of months into the crisis, everything worth scavenging was already devoured. We witness all this through the eyes of Jonah Scott, an English pilot doing refugee runs as he goes on his "off-shore vacation" and ends up fighting for his very life in one of apartments-turned-strongholds. Turns out that despite a major upheaval only the US got hit THAT badly. This means other major powers now see that weakness and act on it.
Unlike the summary, in case you end up going blind into this one, I won't spoil the big revel, but let's just say the war got hot. Hot enough to turn the entire planet into a hothouse. Our hero ends up with what could very well be the last 600-ish survivors in the entire world flying aboard his British Boeing 797 with nary a safe harbor in sight. I have to confess when the twist happened some hundred or so pages in I was positively glued by how almost casually it was delivered. Down to a Sunless Sea tends to favor that approach in general in how it conveys information to the reader - it is casually dropped that Catholic and Protestant Church joined to combat the crisis, for example.
Sheer speed by which escalation happens and general radio silence means we're confined to a limited cast of characters, and I'm torn on this matter. Saying the likes of Jonah, Valerie, etc. are hyper competent seems like a weird slight, but I think it functions within the reasonable framework of an outlandish story. Our captain and his crew are consummate professionals damn good at their jobs and capable of putting their feelings aside. In practical terms this means they make the best calls aka drama doesn't really come from within, but from how they tackle outside obstacles. I was pleasantly surprised how much depth Jonah brings to the table even if he initially comes of someone over-confident to a point of arrogance. He is human underneath it all and cracks more than once so it's a good thing he has an amazing support cast which fulfill their roles well enough. Especially Kate, head stewardess, as novel is unwilling to settle on what exactly their relationship is until it just decides they're not a thing later on. You have your usual military, some scientists and politicians who have ideas of their own on what to do until reality hits them. Literally, for some.
I liked Down to a Sunless Sea a lot because it checks quite a few boxes I already favor - builds a setting already different enough from our own, and I'm not just talking about Split cigars, only to deviate by setting up a completely new situation to contend with. I'm not sure if David Graham is a pilot or he just researched it well, but all the aeronautical details enforce just how real and vulnerable of a tether this 797 is for our characters.
You might raise an issue over how archaic some of the mannerisms present are, but that's up to you.
April 3, 2011
The United States' economy is ruined. Hunger and violence are everywhere. The people are desperate. Thousands crowd Kennedy Airport to escape to Europe.
Captain Jonah Scott fills his plane, the Delta Tango, with six hundred passengers bound for London. But while these lucky people are in the air, the ultimate horror engulfs the world. Nuclear holocaust.
Now these six hundred are the only people left on earth. Now the Delta Tango must search for a safe place to land. Now Captain Jonah Scott is not only responsible for the security of his passengers but for the survival of the entire human race. (cover blurb)
A sexist, somewhat racist look at the end of the world. While the concept is intriguing (nuclear war rages while a transatlantic flight is in air), I'm not sure it's entirely a coincidence that virtually the only people saved are Caucasian Americans and Western Europeans.
Several times while reading this book I had to turn to the copyright page to remind myself when it was published (1981). Yep, it was that recent. I wondered if it had been written years earlier. Even keeping in mind the general machismo of airline pilots, the sexism seems over-the-top for something put out in a post-feminism decade, and the bigotry, while subtle, is readily apparent in this politically correct day and age.
Still, I'm a sucker for a post-apocalypse storyline and this one is interesting enough to keep the reader turning the pages. It's somewhat Clancy-esque in its detail, with a little too much technology for my taste -- I cannot tell you how little I care about the bells and whistles of a jumbo jet, but the author, a WWII RAF pilot and former flight instructor, certainly did. There are some fine emotional moments: the sacrifice of the Russian women literally made me gasp, and some of the radio conversations with survivors on the ground are truly poignant. This could have been a excellent piece of work. Instead, it's marred by sexism and subtle prejudice. Pity.
(In truth, I bought this novel for its title. "Down to a sunless sea" is a phrase from one of my favorite poems, Coleridge's Kubla Khan, which the author quotes at the beginning of the story. And some imagery from the poem is appropriate to the story.)
SIDE NOTE: After reading through the Amazon reviews, it appears I have the version with the revised ending. I'm curious now as to the content of the original....
Captain Jonah Scott fills his plane, the Delta Tango, with six hundred passengers bound for London. But while these lucky people are in the air, the ultimate horror engulfs the world. Nuclear holocaust.
Now these six hundred are the only people left on earth. Now the Delta Tango must search for a safe place to land. Now Captain Jonah Scott is not only responsible for the security of his passengers but for the survival of the entire human race. (cover blurb)
A sexist, somewhat racist look at the end of the world. While the concept is intriguing (nuclear war rages while a transatlantic flight is in air), I'm not sure it's entirely a coincidence that virtually the only people saved are Caucasian Americans and Western Europeans.
Several times while reading this book I had to turn to the copyright page to remind myself when it was published (1981). Yep, it was that recent. I wondered if it had been written years earlier. Even keeping in mind the general machismo of airline pilots, the sexism seems over-the-top for something put out in a post-feminism decade, and the bigotry, while subtle, is readily apparent in this politically correct day and age.
Still, I'm a sucker for a post-apocalypse storyline and this one is interesting enough to keep the reader turning the pages. It's somewhat Clancy-esque in its detail, with a little too much technology for my taste -- I cannot tell you how little I care about the bells and whistles of a jumbo jet, but the author, a WWII RAF pilot and former flight instructor, certainly did. There are some fine emotional moments: the sacrifice of the Russian women literally made me gasp, and some of the radio conversations with survivors on the ground are truly poignant. This could have been a excellent piece of work. Instead, it's marred by sexism and subtle prejudice. Pity.
(In truth, I bought this novel for its title. "Down to a sunless sea" is a phrase from one of my favorite poems, Coleridge's Kubla Khan, which the author quotes at the beginning of the story. And some imagery from the poem is appropriate to the story.)
SIDE NOTE: After reading through the Amazon reviews, it appears I have the version with the revised ending. I'm curious now as to the content of the original....
December 10, 2014
The book starts off in an alternate reality Cold War era, where the US has collapsed economically and has turned into a lawless third world country. A British pilot operates a scheduled flight from New York to London, carrying scientists, relief workers, refugees to the UK. During the flight, a nuclear war breaks out, and all continents are destroyed in a few hours in a nuclear holocaust.
Unable to land at London, the plane aims for Madeira and Gibraltar, but accidents and catastrophes on the islands prevent them from landing. Then they land at an airport in the Azores, guided by a local resident. Another plane arrives shortly, carrying Russian refugees from the Soviet Union, and the two crews become friends.
However, the nuclear fallout is spreading, dark clouds of smoke, debris, and deadly radiation approaching the island. They must go on, and after some changes on the planes, they depart for Antarctica, where the fallout will not reach them, arriving safely.
This was a fantastic book, and I really really loved it. However, it has its shares of annoying things (such as the sexist overtones) and mistakes (the most grievous being: ). Nevertheless, my rating is five stars.
Unable to land at London, the plane aims for Madeira and Gibraltar, but accidents and catastrophes on the islands prevent them from landing. Then they land at an airport in the Azores, guided by a local resident. Another plane arrives shortly, carrying Russian refugees from the Soviet Union, and the two crews become friends.
However, the nuclear fallout is spreading, dark clouds of smoke, debris, and deadly radiation approaching the island. They must go on, and after some changes on the planes, they depart for Antarctica, where the fallout will not reach them, arriving safely.
This was a fantastic book, and I really really loved it. However, it has its shares of annoying things (such as the sexist overtones) and mistakes (the most grievous being: ). Nevertheless, my rating is five stars.
October 8, 2015
This is a book that has shown up onto my TBR from multiple sources, Goodreads being one of them. I initially had a hard time finding it, but finally procured a copy through Abe. What I received was not what I thought that I was getting, rather I found myself with a beat-up ex library copy. Down to a Sunless Sea sat on my shelf for many moons and coming off of a reading slump I decided to finally tackle it. The first chapter and a half was a bit of a drag and some of that was getting used to the writing. This is an apocalyptic story in a time in the near-past future coming off of the petro crises in the 1970's and America has fallen on dire straights. A fictitious Boeing 797 leaves NY with expats on their way back to the UK when Nuclear War erupts. Action ensues as they frantically try to find a way to safely land. What little science was in the book took is a bit too much to make believable and the epilogue could have been left out. Other than that this was a solid and highly entertaining read. If you checked this book out from The Baker County Library in Baker, Oregon. I think you left some spaghetti sauce in chapter 17. You might want to be a little more careful next time. Just saying.
March 16, 2012
Not exactly a classic of apocalyptic fiction, but refreshingly different. No military brass in a bunker, wasteland wanderers or small town survivors here - instead it focusses on a British airliner, en-route from a broken former USA when the nukes fly, leaving the plane no destination when the UK is splatted. Its crew desperately search for alternatives, and evaluate their options, looking for any slim chances of survival in a world much changed by large-scale nuclear conflict.
The airline captain, Jonah Scott - a chain-smoking, sensitive tough-guy who's irresistible to women - is a pretty dated, pulpy creation. Among those on board his plane is a contigent of SAS soldiers, including several officeres. In a life-and-death survival situation, I suspect they might not be so amenable to taking orders from a commercial airliner pilot. Still, author David Graham makes this vaguely credible by highlighting the technical demands of not just flying a massive aircraft, but flying it through radioactive filth and hellish climatic conditions. The descriptions of such sequences are the book's strongest element.
The airline captain, Jonah Scott - a chain-smoking, sensitive tough-guy who's irresistible to women - is a pretty dated, pulpy creation. Among those on board his plane is a contigent of SAS soldiers, including several officeres. In a life-and-death survival situation, I suspect they might not be so amenable to taking orders from a commercial airliner pilot. Still, author David Graham makes this vaguely credible by highlighting the technical demands of not just flying a massive aircraft, but flying it through radioactive filth and hellish climatic conditions. The descriptions of such sequences are the book's strongest element.
August 3, 2013
I forgot to review this. What is there to say, though? It was awful, and I hated it. Misogynistic, racist as hell, implausible and dumb plotting and ridiculous characters. It's disappointing because the premise was awesome but every part of the execution sucked. I already gave away my copy, actually.
The only positive I can mention was the scene where the second Russian pilot (forget her name already...) walked out of the plane with others to save the rest - stunningly beautiful moment and words. That's one page out of the whole book. Yeah.
The only positive I can mention was the scene where the second Russian pilot (forget her name already...) walked out of the plane with others to save the rest - stunningly beautiful moment and words. That's one page out of the whole book. Yeah.
February 20, 2018
Despite a generous dollop of proper arse patting sexism this was a great read. A concurrently lucky and unlucky crew of an airborne passenger jet witness the end of the world and make subsequent attempts at survival. A relatively hard sci fi novel I found this to be a gripping read albeit in short bursts as there were often many pauses for thought / rationalising of calculations mentally. Technically detailed yet full of Human emotion. Fans of “on the beach” by Shute would enjoy this , in fact it’s referenced in the book itself.
December 29, 2008
The danger of this post-apocalyptic world felt so real and so immediate that I found myself on the edge of my seat, and completely unable to put the book down. This is one of those books that makes you stay up until 2am because you just can't bear to go to sleep while the character's futures is still unresolved.
Was it perfect? No. I would imagine the science was iffy, and some of the plot points were in the 'too good to be true' category, but I loved it nonetheless.
Was it perfect? No. I would imagine the science was iffy, and some of the plot points were in the 'too good to be true' category, but I loved it nonetheless.
July 9, 2021
I struggled to pick a rating for this one - probably 3.5 stars. The story was excellent and had me fully gripped! Nuclear warfare and a 747 trying to survive. I could very much tell when the book was written though, and it was not quite long enough ago to excuse the way women were discussed at times. Pulled me out of the story a little.
January 22, 2011
I like this quite a bit. It may be because this was during the time that Neutron bombs were being discussed and I got this to read for a flight I was on. Two things that made it seem more believable. I did like the way the story went, and some may not agree with it.
January 10, 2013
read this years ago. lost the book. would love to have it again, but is out of print. still looking though!
February 8, 2016
A very nice read. Not the usual all action post-apocalyptic book. Very nice engaging plot and interesting characters. Very recommended
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