Customer Reviews

Hungry as the Sea

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I think this is one of W.S.'s best. If you are tiring of reading his South Africa chronicles (I was), you will find Hungry as the Sea, set in modern Europe and USA, a nice refreshment. Also, the storyline is good, action-packed in places leaving room for the development of the plot as well. If you are a Wilbur Smith fan, you'll love it. And lastly, for the reviewer above, if you have a problem with Wilbur Smith's symbolic use of names, at least quote them correctly when you criticize them: The main character is Nick Berg, not Alex Berg. Alexander is the villain of the story!

This book is the story of a man who wins back his fortune and life from very difficult circumstances. He faces incredible storms and temperatures to salvage a boat with passengers off the coast of Antartica. He next saves an oil tanker who is also carrying his ex-wife and son.

As usual, Wilbur Smith writes in excesive detail, but makes every scene, every place and situation seems very real. The characters are also very life-like and you warm up to them imediately.

If there was anything I could say against this book, it would be that the author seems to spend too much time describing every scene during the storms and salvages, when it is hard to follow because it gets very technical. Also, the ending is a little disappointing because after he has warmed you up to his ex-wife and son you are left not knowing what happens to them.

However, it is overall a very good book and always a pleasure to read a book that is entertaining, alive and written in such a complete way.

I am a very big fan of Wilbur Smith. Especially his earlier works. Amoung these I consider this the best. The supense and decite give the book a wonderful flavour. Unfortunately his later works have mostly been lesser efforts. I did enjoy the seventh scroll though. I also recommend SUNBIRD from his early works.

A classic tale of man vs sea with a predictable ending. The book really does a good job of portraing man's vulnerability to the sea. Alex Berg is the type of man that women like and other men like to be. Well maybe not infidelity. I thought naming the hero Berg was a bit goofy since his grand plan invloved ice bergs.

The action in this story was exceptional but uneven. The first part is packed with fast paced, riveting scenes and the ending is also exciting. But there was a long and tedious portion in the middle of the book concerning relationships and business deals. The characters were an interesting mix. Those aboard the tug, Warlock, were fresh and original. Others were somewhat transparent and predictable. I realize that the character of Duncan Alexander needed to be exaggerated for dramatic effect, but his extreme stupidity only made him less believable, in my opinion. Still, a very worthwhile read, especially for aficionados of ships and seafaring adventures.

I have read this book many times and each time my pulse races as Nick and the crew of Warlock salvage Golden Adventurer. I have often hoped that Mr Smith would write a sequel. Without a doubt my favorite.

I actually never finished this one. Came recommended to me by a tug boat captain who started it while waiting for a dredge to fill up his hopper barge. I know how boring it can be steaming to and from the dumping grounds, especially at two knots, but a person would have to be lost on a deserted island to find this book even the slightest bit captivating. It starts out interesting enough, with some high stakes backstory about a captain going out on a financial limb to start his own salvage business, but it quickly degenerates into a cheap Hollywood actioner, complete with plastic characters and a forced romance to boot, which happens as soon as the main character reaches the antarctic to rescue a stricken cruise ship. If you ask me, you're better off with Jan De Hartog, Farley Mowatt, Joseph Conrad, Jack London, and for more contemporary sea fare, David Poyer.

A hurricane at sea is almost impossible to describe and even though many people have experienced them, it is not an easy thing to process let alone write about. I read this book to learn more about the salvage business and I was not disappointed. Many incidents I have observed over my career as a boat captain were described in detail in an entertaining manner. This book deserves to be on anyone's shelf of good sea stories.

This book shows you the very fine line between love and hate. How a person can say they love you and down the road could'nt care less about you.
And that you can't trust ANYBODY. The main character Nick Berg, lost his life's work because of his cold blooded belle wife. This shows you how a man can pull himself out of the gutter with shear determination and a cool intuitve mind. The book has ocean adventure and a bit of romance. Good read.

This is a great story I enjoy reading every year or two. It sweeps me up every time in its drama. Unlike other Smith books it doesn't have a military focus or background for the characters and that makes it more unique. In this story an elite group of men who are among the best of the best in competence and determination as sailors, mechanical and electrical engineers, radio operators, etc. doing maritime rescue and salvage in the extremes of the Antarctic and southern latitudes below Africa.

This book seems as contemporary as when originally written, with focus on tankers and global oil transport, the threats of human impact on the oceans due to carelessness, greed, and the colossal demand for oil. The portrayal of the oceans for their majesty and awesomeness is there as always.

The characters may be over drawn, but I like heroic, bigger than life characters. They are well beyond average in their own unique ways, from the glowing young female adventure tour guide, who turns out to have a PH.D in marine biology, to the motherly, flamboyant gay ship's cook who earns his berth on a top paying ship not just for his gourmet class edibles in tough conditions but also has several years of med school to serve as ship medic.