Pandora's Clock [Hardcover]

John J. Nance (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1995

There is no antidote for terror

Captain James Holland is the pilot on a routine flight from Frankfurt to New York, packed with people eager to be home for Christmas. When a passenger collapses from what appears to be a heart attack, Holland is forced to request an emergency landing at London's Heathrow Airport. But to his great surprise, the air traffic controllers will not let him land in England -- they tell Holland that his sick passenger has contracted a dangerous new form of influenza and that the plane must return to Germany.

But when German officials also refuse the landing, and other European countries follow suit, Holland begins to suspect that he's in much more trouble than anyone's letting on. In fact, his sick passenger is carrying a deadly virus accidentally released from a Bavarian laboratory, and it is feared that everyone on board is now infected. At the same time, someone with access to the CIA's computers wants to shoot the plane out of the sky, and there is a United States ambassador on board with powerful terrorist enemies who want to see him dead. While the panic on the ground spreads from the White House Situation Room to a small airport in the Ukrainian Republic, Captain Holland has only one concern: Where and when can he land?

Pandora's Clock -- the most gripping, heart-stopping read of the year.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A motley assemblage of travelers stranded?on plane, train or ship?by natural forces or man-made threat often provides fodder for gripping novels or movies. Nance (Blind Trust), well aware of this formula's potential, has concocted a doozy of a plot for his latest thriller. Shortly after Quantum Airlines Flight 66 departs Frankfurt, Germany, for New York, one of the passengers succumbs to an apparent heart attack. It may be, however, that Professor Ernest Helms was exposed to a doomsday virus just before boarding his flight; if so, more than 200 passengers and crew members could be dead within a matter of hours. Word of this imminent disaster leaks to governments and media organizations around the world, of course, and the jumbo jet is refused landing clearance everywhere. And when the CIA gets involved, its ambitious director schemes to have the plane destroyed by an infamous terrorist group. As the genre goes, so far, so good. But the suspense seldom mounts here, hindered by a surfeit of hyperbole ("What Erickson must be feeling is unfathomable!"), clunky writing and cliches. Though the author manages a few pulse-pounding sequences, his cardboard characters (most of the passengers are little more than props) and lame repartee keep this thriller on mundane terra firma. Still, Nance leaves the runway clear for a sequel, and fans hooked by Flight 66's dilemma can await the takeoff of #67. First serial to D magazine; major ad/promo; author tour. One-day (Sat.) giveaway at ABA.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Imagine that a man carrying the deadly Ebola virus is aboard an international aircraft that is headed for New York and full of people eager to be home for Christmas. Nance, accomplished pilot, author, and currently aviation consultant for Good Morning America, brings such a nightmare to life in this unforgettable thriller. Captain James Holland has his hands full trying to get his packed airplane safely home yet he also has to deal with a cocky young copilot and demanding passengers (including a jabbering TV evangelist and an important U.S. ambassador). These obstacles are nothing, however, compared to the pressure he faces when he's forced to make an emergency landing after a passenger dies of a heart attack, and he discovers that every country, including the U.S., is refusing him entry. It seems that the man who died had been exposed to a rare virus strain crafted by the Soviets--an omega strain with a mortality rate of 100 percent. Captain Holland is a sympathetic character; the reader detects his primal fear yet respects his commanding demeanor. A uniquely suspenseful and terrifying story; expect demand due to the book's timely topic and heavy promotion. Mary Frances Wilkens

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 357 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday; 1st edition (August 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385479441
• ISBN-13: 978-0385479448
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 6.1 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (52 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,172,957 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

John J. Nance, aviation analyst for ABC News and a familiar face on Good Morning America, is the author of several bestselling novels including Fire Flight, Skyhook, Turbulence, and Orbit. Two of his novels, Pandora's Clock and Medusa's Child, have been made into highly successful television miniseries. A lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force Reserve, Nance is a decorated pilot veteran of Vietnam and Operations Desert Storm/Desert Shield. He lives in Washington State.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars AUTHORITATIVE READING OF A SKY HIGH THRILLER, March 4, 2003

By 

Gail Cooke (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pandora's Clock (Audio Cassette)

John Nance, popular author of Turbulence, Headwind, and Blackout, gives an authoritative reading of his latest sky high thriller.

The days before Christmas are often filled with happy anticipation. Such is the case with the passengers aboard Captain James Holland's flight from Frankfurt to New York; they're all anxious to be home for the holidays.

Suddenly, a passenger keels over, apparently from a heart attack. Holland is, of course, forced to ask for clearance to make an emergency landing at London's Heathrow Airport. He is shocked when permission to land is denied by air traffic control with the word that the passenger is not a heart attack victim but has contracted a deadly virus, and the plane must return to Germany.

But German officials refuse permission to land, as do other European fields. Fear spreads that all aboard may now be carriers of the virus, and then the unthinkable - will the plane be shot down?

Another pulse pounder from Nance!

- Gail Cooke

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars TICK TICK TIME RUNNING OUT, October 31, 2002

By 

Michael Butts (Berkeley Springs, WV USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pandora's Clock (Mass Market Paperback)

I am one of those people who is terrified of flying. I have only done it when absolutely necessary. After reading "Pandora's Clock", I don't think I'll EVER get on a plane again. Quite a chilling premise, and overall, well told by Mr. Nance.
I sometimes felt that the dialogue was not realistic, and some of the scenes felt redundant and not totally necessary. The characters are fun to "ride" with---Captain Holland and aide Rachel are typical hero figure and very likeable. Holland's nemesis on the plane, a smarty-pants "reviewer" starts out pretty obnoxious, but turns out to be okay at the end. The chemistry between Rusty and Sherry Ellis is fun and provides some additional levity. Eager beaver and acting CIA director Jonathan Roth is one of those people John Lithgow or Tim Roth would play, and is effectively menacing. The killer Russian pilot Yuri is an interesting character, although what happens at the end with him is a little far-fetched. Nice climactic scene at the end, though, and does offer that chilling fear of "What would happen if this really happened?"
RECOMMENDED.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely Astounding, January 31, 2001

By 

"reading4ever" (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pandora's Clock (Mass Market Paperback)

I could not put this book down. Every time I am on a plane, or even see a plane for that matter, I can't help but wonder "What if...". It really makes you think twice about all modes of public transportation.

The next time you find yourself suddenly feeling sick, think back to the last 24-48 hours to all of the places, faces and things you've touched and then ask, "what if...".