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13th out of 17 books
—
71 voters
Mayday
by
Nelson DeMille (Goodreads Author),
Thomas Block (Goodreads Author)
Twelve miles above the Pacific Ocean, a missile strikes a jumbo passenger jet. The flight crew is crippled or dead. Now, defying both nature and man, three survivors must achieve the impossible. Land the plane. From master storyteller Nelson DeMille and master pilot Thomas Block comes Maydaythe classic bestseller that packs a supersonic shock at every turn of the page....t...more
Paperback, Revision of 1979 original, 480 pages
Published
January 1st 1998
by Grand Central Publishing
(first published 1979)
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If you're into planes or disaster scenarios, you should definitely pick up this book. It's written by a pilot so the descriptions of the plane, protocols, etc. are extremely detailed (almost too detailed for the average person). It's actually pretty gory in some parts and that turned me off although I can see why some of those parts were in the book. The book has characters you'll cheer for, characters you'll hate, and even those you'll feel sorry for. I've heard that some people have problems w...more
This was good in a hollywood blockbuster Diehard/Con Air sort of way. Meaning it was written very well, entertaining, but it was so action packed that it was unrealistic. But it is just a story after all and makes a very entertaining read.
SPOILER ALERT BELOW!!!
I thought it was really good up until they got too the braindamaged passenger/zombie part. It was still good after that but that is where I had to first deduct a star from the rating of the book. They might as well have been zombies for c...more
SPOILER ALERT BELOW!!!
I thought it was really good up until they got too the braindamaged passenger/zombie part. It was still good after that but that is where I had to first deduct a star from the rating of the book. They might as well have been zombies for c...more
Jun 07, 2013
Will
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone
Shelves:
thriller,
airplane-disaster
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
The book is stated as "one of the greatest air disaster novels of all time". They weren't kidding, as it is tremendous in its drama, horror, suspense, and redemption of the human spirit. A missile is inadvertently shot through a giant passenger airplane in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The utter deveastation is heart wrenching, and almost all either die or are incapicated. Only three people are coherent enough to follow through: a recerational pilot, a flight attendant, and girl adolescent. T...more
I don't give out a lot of 5's, so I really need to explain this one for this very reason in addition to this book is way outside of my usual reading genres. I've always felt that if the author can properly evoke an intended emotional response in a reader, then the book is fairly well written. And while this book does stray outside of the realm of possibility on a number of occasions, I don't necessarily discount stories that take creative liberties. Isn't that why they are called stories?
With a...more
With a...more
Absolutely insane, but really fun to read. It's trashy and implausible, but the idea of a guy fighting off what basically across as zombies in a decompressed, half-blown apart air-liner is pretty fun. No, they're not zombies, but they might as well be.
Use it to kill some time in the dentist's office waiting room. That's what I did.
Use it to kill some time in the dentist's office waiting room. That's what I did.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Aug 19, 2011
Darlene
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
read-in-2011,
books-given-for-review
I received this audiobook for review from Hachette Audio. I did not receive any compensation for my review, and the views expressed herein are my own.
This is my first DeMille novel, and it won't be my last! This heart-pounding thriller will have you gripping the edge of your seat!
I had no idea that this book was actually originally written in the 1970s. In order to update aviation procedures and technology, it was updated and re-released in the 1990s.
A commercial airliner (Trans-United Airlines'...more
This is my first DeMille novel, and it won't be my last! This heart-pounding thriller will have you gripping the edge of your seat!
I had no idea that this book was actually originally written in the 1970s. In order to update aviation procedures and technology, it was updated and re-released in the 1990s.
A commercial airliner (Trans-United Airlines'...more
Ok This is just what you want to read when you are flying in a couple of days, kinda like reading Jaws before a week at the beach. A secret missile test goes awry over the Pacific Ocean and hits a jumbo passenger jet. The missile is not armed but goes through the fuselage. The oxygen masks fall and all that crap but it doesn't do much good. The plane loses elevation, and everyone is without oxygen for a little too long, except for a few people who were trapped in locations where the oxygen level...more
One word ... Epic.
This book is a masterpiece. And the details in the book are authentic too, since author Nelson DeMille has teamed up with his pilot friend, Thomas Block.
The duo have done a fantastic job.
The action starts right from page one, and then keeps you engrossed throughout the book.
The book does contain some gory scenes which makes it not suitable for children.
Plot: (beware, spoiler ahead) An illegal missile is being tested; the plane becomes an unfortunate target. With the pilots de...more
This book is a masterpiece. And the details in the book are authentic too, since author Nelson DeMille has teamed up with his pilot friend, Thomas Block.
The duo have done a fantastic job.
The action starts right from page one, and then keeps you engrossed throughout the book.
The book does contain some gory scenes which makes it not suitable for children.
Plot: (beware, spoiler ahead) An illegal missile is being tested; the plane becomes an unfortunate target. With the pilots de...more
This is a book that can be discussed on so many levels. It is fast paced and more about being "very afraid" of government cover ups and big business-$$$, than the fear of flying. Because that is a true fear on its own. It is full of agonizing and gut wrenching decisions by all involved. I could hear myself saying, "Don't go down there!; What are you thinking?; Should you really be saying that out loud?" As well as, Yikes, yikes, yikes! My head can't wrap around the aftermath of the ending and th...more
A supersonic jetliner flying over the Pacific is inadvertently struck by a dummy missile fired from a Navy plane on a secret practice mission. While the plane continues to be airworthy the strike occurs at 62,000 feet and the subsequent depressurization of the cabin causes all but a handful of the passengers and crew to either die or suffer brain damage due to the lack of oxygen. One of the surviving passengers who happened to be in an area of the plane where depressurization did not occur happe...more
The first Nelson DeMille novel I ever picked up was "Plum Island" and I was blown away! Because of Goodreads, I discovered this book, which is a collaboration between DeMille and his lifelong friend and aviation expert Thomas Block. DeMille was very wise to have his friend help him with the aviation parts of this gripping novel. It works so well and draws you in to a world at 62,000 feet above the surface of the earth and super sonic speeds! Suddenly, that world is rocked by a wayward missile an...more
As a big Nelson DeMille fan, I was happy when I finally snagged this library ebook, but I have to say it was a big disappointment. Excruciatingly slow at points, the basic plot is a Navy violation of an arms treaty causes a missle to inadvertently transect a supersonic jet at 62,000 feet, causing death or brain damage to all but five people, who are either in the lavatories or sub-deck flight attendant station. Meanwhile, nobody seems to want the jet to return safely as the Navy seeks to cover i...more
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This was a different type of Nelson DeMille book, probably because it was written with his good friend, Thomas Block, who is a pilot. Much of it takes place aboard a supersonic commercial airplane. Leaving out the Navy pilot who fired the illegal missile, though following orders, the main characters end up being John Berry, a passenger with some flight experience, Sharon Crandall--a flight attendant, and Linda Farley, a young girl. Will they make it? Will the Navy pilot shoot them down? How far...more
A disaster thriller like I have never experienced before. DeMille weaves a story where even the most veteran commercial flyer will wonder about their next flight. This book is fast-paced,with heart-pounding sections and non-stop terror.
An illegal Navy drone accidentally blows a hole right through a 797 cruising it's way to Japan from San Francisco. From there on 300+ passengers on this flight experience decompression symptoms, some face their death while 5 manage to survive without injury or oxy...more
An illegal Navy drone accidentally blows a hole right through a 797 cruising it's way to Japan from San Francisco. From there on 300+ passengers on this flight experience decompression symptoms, some face their death while 5 manage to survive without injury or oxy...more
The plot is this book was great; there was enormous potential for this to be a great read. Then there was the dialogue. Shamelessly repetitive and filled with eye-rolling cliches. At one point, instead of sitting on chair in suspense I started laughing at what at times seemed to be scripting off a grade c combination detective - horror flick. Aside from the plot, one word pretty much sums it up...immature. I wish I could get rid of my compulsion to finish books after I've started to read them. S...more
So, apparently I rate books based on how fast I read them. This one is 400+ pages and I finished it in a week, so....It was good! So good! And, I completely ignored the warning in the first paragraph not to read this book on an airplane, and did read it on an airplane and when we touched down for landing I almost screamed out loud. So good and scary (I never really understood how a book could be scary) and suspenseful. Couldn't put it down! (4 star rating because of some language I could have do...more
I listened to this book on tape.It is the story of an a jumbo jet that is shot at during a missile test. One of the passengers figures out how to fly the plane and brings it back to the airport where it started from. The airline and the military both attempt to bring the plane down to cover their butts. The suspense is way overdrawn. It takes the plane about 20 minutes to fly the last 1/2 mile to the runway. The ending is predictable. Useful for low intellectual level trash reading (or listening...more
The time is the near future, and the Pentagon, in its infinite wisdom, has decided to preempt the Congress' arms limitations treaty by testing a very sophisticated new type of missile that is much more maneuverable than previous models. Unfortunately, because of a number of normally inconsequential but interlocked failures of equipment and personal situations of the participants, the officers of the Nimitz are unaware that a Boeing 797, the newest supersonic passenger jet, flying at 63,000 feet,...more
Probably not a good novel to read on a plane, I thought this was great fun. A jumbo jet loaded with passengers over the Pacific is accidentally struck by a missile fired by the military. There is decompression, which not only kills the flight crew, but lack of oxygen has turned most of the passengers into brain dead zombies. A few passengers escape this fate by being in a spot on the plane that did not decompress. How will they survive, and land the plane? What will the military do when they rea...more
A civilian aircraft accidently enters a no-fly militarized zone, and is accidentally hit by a new kind of missile that leaves the plane in the air, but has all the passengers and crew dead or crippled. Except 4, who have to land the plane, before the pilot who fired the missile attempts to down the plane to destroy evidence.
One can actually visualize all that happens as you read, and be able to see pictures between words. Crisp storytelling and words is the essence of this book!
One can actually visualize all that happens as you read, and be able to see pictures between words. Crisp storytelling and words is the essence of this book!
This book was written TWICE! It was first written by these 2 authors in the 1970s and updated in the 1990s, although I don't know why they bothered. The first one was fine. This thriller portrays a commercial airliner which is struck by an errant, experimental missle. Most, but not all, of the persons on board are killed or have suffered extensive brain damage. The 2 or three left try to bring the plane safely to ground.
A good beach book but not one of DeMille's gems. Even though you know most of how it will end (because the plot and characters are formulaic) you do find yourself hanging on. One weakness is the unrealistic portrayal of nearly every character as antagonist to the good guys. (Reminded me of the conspiracy to murder Julius Caesar: more of the characters are in on the dastardly efforts than not. It's farfetched that so many different people are working independently to foil the hero.) Another is th...more
this was an outstanding book that i picked up, then let sit for a month, then thought, "what the hay, i love Nelson"...finally finishing after 2 sleepless nights (reading) ~ one reason i thought it was so intriguing was likely that a week later i was making one of my regular 12 hour flights from Philadelphia to Honolulu.... <<>> <>
If you are a pilot, this is such a great book to read. It's so real in terms of the leadership military, and the administrators in the aviation business caring only about their own careers and agendas to a point of murder. But the way they DeMille describes flight, and the aircraft, and aerodynamics, and aersopace medicine and and and ...is so authentic. I just loved this.
Got lucky and found this book at a Half Price Bookstore. I have always enjoyed every Nelson DeMille novel I've read and this one was no different. Timely, swiftly paced, and updated to account for advances in technology (the original was released in 1979), "Mayday" provides complelling and detailed characters as well as necessary (and enjoyable) subplots. Strongly recommend.
Great book for listening to on audio, while driving on vacation. Has enough suspense and characters but not so much that you can't leave the car and sit in the drive way to see what happens next. This story has a bit of romance but not too much, a bit of suspense, Navy, Airline, and Insurance politics and a large need for egos to be satisfied.
Fascinating premise. On one hand, I found myself distracted by the technological limitations of yesterday that were important to this plot but would not be a factor today. On the other hand, some of the basic motivations and human interest angles are timeless. Not DeMille's best, but I enjoyed it.
Original even after three decades (I read the latest edition). Even as one knows how it is going to end, where the identity or motives of the bad guys are not at all kept secret and where all the events are just towards landing a damaged plane, the story moves along extremely nicely. A classical thriller.
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Nelson Richard DeMille was born in New York City on August 23, 1943 to Huron and Antonia (Panzera) DeMille. He moved as a child with his family to Long Island. In high school, he played football and ran track.
DeMille spent three years at Hofstra University, then joined the Army and attended Officer Candidate School. He was a First Lieutenant in the United States Army (1966-69) and saw action as an...more
More about Nelson DeMille...
DeMille spent three years at Hofstra University, then joined the Army and attended Officer Candidate School. He was a First Lieutenant in the United States Army (1966-69) and saw action as an...more
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