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The Devil's Voyage
Paperback.
- GenresHistory
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1981
54 people want to read
About the author
Jack L. Chalker
132 books358 followersBesides being a science fiction author, Jack Laurence Chalker was a Baltimore City Schools history teacher in Maryland for a time, a member of the Washington Science Fiction Association, and was involved in the founding of the Baltimore Science Fiction Society. Some of his books said that he was born in Norfolk, Virginia although he later claimed that was a mistake.
He attended all but one of the World Science Fiction Conventions from 1965 until 2004. He published an amateur SF journal, Mirage, from 1960 to 1971 (a Hugo nominee in 1963 for Best Fanzine).
Chalker was married in 1978 and had two sons.
His stated hobbies included esoteric audio, travel, and working on science-fiction convention committees. He had a great interest in ferryboats, and, at his wife's suggestion, their marriage was performed on the Roaring Bull Ferry.
Chalker's awards included the Daedalus Award (1983), The Gold Medal of the West Coast Review of Books (1984), Skylark Award (1985), Hamilton-Brackett Memorial Award (1979), as well as others of varying prestige. He was a nominee for the John W. Campbell Award twice and for the Hugo Award twice. He was posthumously awarded the Phoenix Award by the Southern Fandom Confederation on April 9, 2005.
On September 18, 2003, during Hurricane Isabel, Chalker passed out and was rushed to the hospital with a diagnosis of a heart attack. He was later released, but was severely weakened. On December 6, 2004, he was again rushed to hospital with breathing problems and disorientation, and was diagnosed with congestive heart failure and a collapsed lung. Chalker was hospitalized in critical condition, then upgraded to stable on December 9, though he didn't regain consciousness until December 15. After several more weeks in deteriorating condition and in a persistent vegetative state, with several transfers to different hospitals, he died on February 11, 2005 of kidney failure and sepsis in Bon Secours of Baltimore, Maryland.
Chalker is perhaps best known for his Well World series of novels, the first of which is Midnight at the Well of Souls (Well World, #1).
He attended all but one of the World Science Fiction Conventions from 1965 until 2004. He published an amateur SF journal, Mirage, from 1960 to 1971 (a Hugo nominee in 1963 for Best Fanzine).
Chalker was married in 1978 and had two sons.
His stated hobbies included esoteric audio, travel, and working on science-fiction convention committees. He had a great interest in ferryboats, and, at his wife's suggestion, their marriage was performed on the Roaring Bull Ferry.
Chalker's awards included the Daedalus Award (1983), The Gold Medal of the West Coast Review of Books (1984), Skylark Award (1985), Hamilton-Brackett Memorial Award (1979), as well as others of varying prestige. He was a nominee for the John W. Campbell Award twice and for the Hugo Award twice. He was posthumously awarded the Phoenix Award by the Southern Fandom Confederation on April 9, 2005.
On September 18, 2003, during Hurricane Isabel, Chalker passed out and was rushed to the hospital with a diagnosis of a heart attack. He was later released, but was severely weakened. On December 6, 2004, he was again rushed to hospital with breathing problems and disorientation, and was diagnosed with congestive heart failure and a collapsed lung. Chalker was hospitalized in critical condition, then upgraded to stable on December 9, though he didn't regain consciousness until December 15. After several more weeks in deteriorating condition and in a persistent vegetative state, with several transfers to different hospitals, he died on February 11, 2005 of kidney failure and sepsis in Bon Secours of Baltimore, Maryland.
Chalker is perhaps best known for his Well World series of novels, the first of which is Midnight at the Well of Souls (Well World, #1).
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 6, 2025
This is a fictionalized historical military novel, an account of the fate of The Indianapolis and its crew, the ship that transported the atomic bomb to its staging point in 1945 before it was dropped on Japan. It was one of the most horrible losses of the war, as 1200 men were stranded in shark-infested water. Chalker speculates rather heavily on such things as Russian involvement and the influence John W. Campbell's Astounding SF magazine might have had, but the true story of the fate of the sailors is heart-wrenching.
July 16, 2014
Though Chalker was known as a science fiction and fantasy author this is historical fiction of a military bent. It focuses on the loss of the USS Indianapolis and the events leading up to her sinking.
My assumption is that the Soviet plot to prevent the use of the atomic bomb was a pure fabrication by Chalker. It was constructed in such a way that it fit the available facts and would permit the suspension of disbelief needed in a novel.
The characters are a bit stiff and none of them felt real though many were based on real people, but the story itself was interesting enough to make up for that deficiency.
My assumption is that the Soviet plot to prevent the use of the atomic bomb was a pure fabrication by Chalker. It was constructed in such a way that it fit the available facts and would permit the suspension of disbelief needed in a novel.
The characters are a bit stiff and none of them felt real though many were based on real people, but the story itself was interesting enough to make up for that deficiency.
July 21, 2009
A novel about the Indianapolis, the ship that delivered the Hiroshima bomb and was sunk by Japanese submarine on the way back. The sharks got most of the crew before they were rescued.
November 6, 2020
Excellent book, apart of history about the war. I couldn't put the book down, read in a day and night.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews