Customer Reviews

Pandora's Clock

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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

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.

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...".

This was the first book I ever read by John J. Nance, and it is my favorite by far. From page one, you are drawn in to the plot, and can easily get a certain feel for each character. Soon, you are turning the pages nonstop, with one new event overlapping the next. If you haven't read it yet, I highly suggest you don't read another book until you read this one. The aviation scenes are extremely exciting, and the end is very thrilling and realistic, providing Nance's best book yet.

This was my very first book by John J. Nance that I have read. I ended up liking Pandora's Clock a whole bunch. It was about an airplane that was thought to have a contagious pathogen disease on it and no airport would let the plane land. It was quite frightening considering the fact that I was reading it on a plane to Las Vegas and later on a trip to the Grand Canyon. The time passed quickly though, because this book was very hard to put down. I think I will read some other books by Mr. Nance now.

Why was the ill man even allowed to enter the plane ? Shouldn't the flight attendant call a Doctor right away ? And if he was that sick, wouldn't all the people in the airport have been exposed ? Never a mention that they had to isolate the airport. Also was there no navigator in the cockpit ? Never a mention of one--just the pilot and co-pilot. And the man is injected with 80 cc's and she puts the syringe in her purse. A very very very large syringe would be needed to inject that amount and the skin could not possibly absorb so much. A normal injection should not be over 3 cc's. The author might do well with the plane technology, but should have used more common sense in these areas.

Like many others who have reviewed this book, this was my 1st read by Mr. Nance, and I have to admit, it held me captive from beginning to end. I like nothing more than to be totally captured by a story and think of nothing but finding out what is going to happen next...if a book can get me to be THAT absorbed by its tale, then by default I give it at LEAST 4 stars. Pandora's Clock deserved 4 stars, but I reserve my 5th star for something truly special (to me at least) and while Nance may not have achieved that 'something special' for me, it was still an action-packed story that really did have me entertained all the way through. As I read, I kept wondering HOW Nance was going to keep this plane aloft for hundreds of pages while still maintaining an entertaining story, and without giving away anything too important, not all of the story takes place in the air--or even on the plane for that matter. Just TRUST me, if you are a fan of action/adventure stories, this is definitely one of the 'must reads' if you ask me. Oh, and by the way, his follow-up book was even better. All in all, Nance is a writer with a VERY promising future...IF he can keep writing books this good-- I for one certainly HOPE he does.

At the end of this novel, we find that all the passengers have been infected with the virus. Luckily for them, the virus has mutated into a nonfatal strain. Mr. Nance doesn't seem to have realized that an entire population does not mutate spontaneously to produce a new, avirulent population. Mutations are random events that happen to individual organisms. This was an incredible letdown.

Also, at the end of the novel, Captain Holland asks Rachel, one of the passengers, to marry him. Excuse me, he's known her for what, a few days, and he's decided he wants to spend the rest of his life with her? What is this, a Harlequin romance?

I'd say the only good part of the novel was the start, where the plane is constantly being turned away from airports. That was well-plotted and written. Unfortunately Mr. Nance needs to do some homework on genetics, and get the rose-colored stars out of his eyes.

I read this book for a project for school and I was afraid it would not be that interesting, but it is very interesting! I read it in a week. John Nance is a good author. I really did not want to read a book about biowarfare or airplanes but I'm glad I read this one. John Nance is a very talented writer, I had fun reading this book! If you want a good, exciting and adventurous book then read Pandora's Clock.

Do not miss this extremely suspenseful airborne thriller, written, I must add, by a commercial pilot who knows what he's on about when it comes to flying! The story starts in Germany when an American tourist is acosted by a fugitive from a bioresearch lab. Later, on board Flight 66 from Frankfurt to New York, the tourist dies of a heart attack. But it is later learned that the fugitive was carrying a disease engineered by a germ warfare weapon in an East German lab, and soon enough, several people are ill on the flight fall ill with the deisease which is apparently deadlier than Ebola. The European authorities refuse to let the plane land, even at Mildenhall air base in the UK, and the 747 is rerouted to Keflavik in Iceland where it is kept under guard. One passenger is shot trying to escape. The CIA, under orders from the President, reroute the 747 to Africa and a remote airfield . . . but hang on, this isn't all! Add to this a rogue CIA officer trying to do a deal with a Middle Eastern terrorist to blow up the plane, a final solution plot to nuke the 747, two FBI agents trying to uncover the truth X-Files style, terrified passengers and a crew doing all they can to overcome their problems which get worse and worse as the odds are stacked higher . . . you have a first rate thriller which I dare you to put down! Anyone who loves thrills in the highest league will love this novel. It was also made into an excellent 2-part TV mini-series which was known as DOOMSDAY VIRUS in the UK - Richard Dean Anderson was perfect in the role of Captain James T. Holland, the story's main character. A must purchase.