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Avalanche
In the tradition of disaster movies like The Poseidon Adventure , this tense and gripping thriller is set in an exclusive ski resort during the worst avalanche in living memory Every year thousands flock to the exclusive ski resort of Hauts des Aigles to watch the Race du Diable—the most exciting and dangerous downhill race in the world. This year six champions will compete for the prize—a rare diamond worth $12 million, donated by a mysterious Russian billionaire. But it is not only the six racers who will risk their lives in the coming days. Caught up in their own secret plots and passions, visitors and townsfolk alike are oblivious to the silent killer waiting for them in the mountains. When the avalanche comes, only three things can save them—fate, courage, and the will to live. Nothing can stop it. No one can stand in its path. Who will survive?
560 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1944
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46 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
June 9, 2020
Amazing. I could not put it down. A proper page turner. I can only find two novels including this one that he has written.
January 23, 2016
I really got into this book. It's not often that I stray into action plots but I'm glad i did with this one.
My only downside is the amount of characters- I'd suddenly have to riffle through mentally every character before recognizing the one being referred to.
but still really good
My only downside is the amount of characters- I'd suddenly have to riffle through mentally every character before recognizing the one being referred to.
but still really good
September 15, 2017
Do you remember the 70s? I don’t, as I was not around, but I do remember the 80s and all the cool 70s films that appeared on TV. My favourite were the disaster movies like ‘The Poseidon Adventure’ and ‘Earthquake’; films that had a bunch of aging Hollywood stars dying off one by one. These films were often based on books and over the years both fell out of fashion. However, one author had in mind to bring the disaster book back and not just in any form, but with the 1970s feel. Is Jack Drummond’s ‘Avalanche’ deliberately old fashioned, or perhaps just not very well written?
The setting for the book is Hauts des Aigles, a smaller ski resort nestled in picturesque mountains. However, although these mountains are pretty, they hide an ugly mountain face. The combination of quick snowfall and a warm winter means that the conditions are just right for avalanches. With the famous Race du Diable due in just days, the townsfolk are reluctant to shut the resort, but will they live (or die) to regret this decision?
‘Avalanche’ is at times a book that is so bad, it is good. Drummond’s style is almost lampoonish, but the straight telling of the story suggests that he meant the book to be taken seriously. One of the biggest issues with the book is the style – it feels so 70s. The characters are all cardboard cut outs and you almost get the feeling that this was a script that Drummond had mothballed until the 2000s and released as a book, never managing to update proceedings in the intervening years.
Things start off well with three young mountaineers getting into trouble. Their fate is surprising and promises a book full of action and twists. It is at this point that the book stops dead, for hundreds of pages. We now get introduced to countless residents of Hauts des Aigles and their daily lives; some in love, some having affairs etc. This is an obvious way of Drummond creating a collection of characters for the reader to know/care about and when the snow hits the fan, you are invested. However, you do not. In a film a quick whistle-stop tour of architypes is enough for a viewer to know who they are. The reason aging stars were often used was they gave instant recognition and you could move on. By following this trope in written form, Drummond does not have the Hollywood actors to rely on and instead spends time on too many people for the reader to comprehend or care about.
The book finally lifts in the final third as the real action begins. There are some epic and sweeping scenes in the book that do feel like a movie. However, here some of Drummond’s more expressive language ruins things a bit. He seems a little obsessed with describing humans dying in terms of food – a little julienning here. It is in the best parts of the book that you question the writing.
‘Avalanche’ is a fun book, but not always for the right reasons. The daft writing means that you grin as the action starts, but it takes a long time getting there. For someone wishing to relive the glory days of 70s disaster movies, there is a book here that will fill the void as it is a homage to that era. For most rational, modern readers, this is just a flawed title.
The setting for the book is Hauts des Aigles, a smaller ski resort nestled in picturesque mountains. However, although these mountains are pretty, they hide an ugly mountain face. The combination of quick snowfall and a warm winter means that the conditions are just right for avalanches. With the famous Race du Diable due in just days, the townsfolk are reluctant to shut the resort, but will they live (or die) to regret this decision?
‘Avalanche’ is at times a book that is so bad, it is good. Drummond’s style is almost lampoonish, but the straight telling of the story suggests that he meant the book to be taken seriously. One of the biggest issues with the book is the style – it feels so 70s. The characters are all cardboard cut outs and you almost get the feeling that this was a script that Drummond had mothballed until the 2000s and released as a book, never managing to update proceedings in the intervening years.
Things start off well with three young mountaineers getting into trouble. Their fate is surprising and promises a book full of action and twists. It is at this point that the book stops dead, for hundreds of pages. We now get introduced to countless residents of Hauts des Aigles and their daily lives; some in love, some having affairs etc. This is an obvious way of Drummond creating a collection of characters for the reader to know/care about and when the snow hits the fan, you are invested. However, you do not. In a film a quick whistle-stop tour of architypes is enough for a viewer to know who they are. The reason aging stars were often used was they gave instant recognition and you could move on. By following this trope in written form, Drummond does not have the Hollywood actors to rely on and instead spends time on too many people for the reader to comprehend or care about.
The book finally lifts in the final third as the real action begins. There are some epic and sweeping scenes in the book that do feel like a movie. However, here some of Drummond’s more expressive language ruins things a bit. He seems a little obsessed with describing humans dying in terms of food – a little julienning here. It is in the best parts of the book that you question the writing.
‘Avalanche’ is a fun book, but not always for the right reasons. The daft writing means that you grin as the action starts, but it takes a long time getting there. For someone wishing to relive the glory days of 70s disaster movies, there is a book here that will fill the void as it is a homage to that era. For most rational, modern readers, this is just a flawed title.
April 17, 2018
#jack_drummond #lavina
Malé horské středisko ve francouzských Alpách, Les Hauts des Aigles, se jednou ročně stává středem pozornosti celého lyžařského světa. Šest nejlepších sjezdařů sezóny se tu utká na nejkrkolomnější a nejnebezpečnější trati světa - čeká je takzvaný "Ďáblův závod". A nejde zdaleka jen o prestiž - vítěz získá diamant v hodnotě 12 milionů dolarů, darovaný tajemným ruským mecenášem. Nikdo ale nepočítá s tím, že do závodu zasáhne i neovladatelná přírodní síla; schyluje se k děsivé katastrofě a život si mohou zachránit jen ti nejpohotovější…
O knihe som predtym nepocula, ale zaujala ma obalka v kniznici, preciala som si obsah a bola to laska na prvy pohlad :heart_eyes:
O to viac som bola prekvapena, ked som si precitala, ze autor je pseudomym mojho oblubeneho autora Martin O'Brien, ktory pise detektivky o franc. detektivovi.
Kniha sa zacala dobre, traja lyziari sa splhaju na kopec a chcu ho zlyzovat na snowboardoch, no stane sa tragedia. Ale potom asi dalsich 250 stran sa zoznamujeme s postavami :fearful: A tych je nekonecne vela Ani neviem povedat, kto vlastne bol hlavna postava, lebo sa ich tam premlelo strasne vela. A ked uz som si zacala robit nejaky citovy vztah k niektorej postave, uz sme sa zoznamovali s dalsou.
No poslednych 200 stran uz bolo super, to uz bola ta samotna katastrofa, ci skor niekolko zaradom. Niekto prezil, vela postav vsak samozrejme zomrie.
Odporucam tym, ktore maju tento typ knih rady, len sa pripravte na tie rozne postavy. No kniha sa cital velmi lahko a rychlo. Za mna 4*
Malé horské středisko ve francouzských Alpách, Les Hauts des Aigles, se jednou ročně stává středem pozornosti celého lyžařského světa. Šest nejlepších sjezdařů sezóny se tu utká na nejkrkolomnější a nejnebezpečnější trati světa - čeká je takzvaný "Ďáblův závod". A nejde zdaleka jen o prestiž - vítěz získá diamant v hodnotě 12 milionů dolarů, darovaný tajemným ruským mecenášem. Nikdo ale nepočítá s tím, že do závodu zasáhne i neovladatelná přírodní síla; schyluje se k děsivé katastrofě a život si mohou zachránit jen ti nejpohotovější…
O knihe som predtym nepocula, ale zaujala ma obalka v kniznici, preciala som si obsah a bola to laska na prvy pohlad :heart_eyes:
O to viac som bola prekvapena, ked som si precitala, ze autor je pseudomym mojho oblubeneho autora Martin O'Brien, ktory pise detektivky o franc. detektivovi.
Kniha sa zacala dobre, traja lyziari sa splhaju na kopec a chcu ho zlyzovat na snowboardoch, no stane sa tragedia. Ale potom asi dalsich 250 stran sa zoznamujeme s postavami :fearful: A tych je nekonecne vela Ani neviem povedat, kto vlastne bol hlavna postava, lebo sa ich tam premlelo strasne vela. A ked uz som si zacala robit nejaky citovy vztah k niektorej postave, uz sme sa zoznamovali s dalsou.
No poslednych 200 stran uz bolo super, to uz bola ta samotna katastrofa, ci skor niekolko zaradom. Niekto prezil, vela postav vsak samozrejme zomrie.
Odporucam tym, ktore maju tento typ knih rady, len sa pripravte na tie rozne postavy. No kniha sa cital velmi lahko a rychlo. Za mna 4*
February 12, 2019
One of the most exciting books i have read in years.
December 22, 2022
Enjoyed this. Been a long time since I have read an action/disaster scenario.
July 8, 2024
Very good
March 15, 2019
Enjoyed the way this story was told. I dont read that often and this moved interestingly between the characters individual stories which kept the story moving at s good pace for me. There were however a lot of characters and an event at the end seemed a little far-fetched but I still enjoyed the book though. Recomended
March 27, 2008
That someone told this author once to 'Begin with a disaster and then make it worse' and his disasters did - again and again. He throws an avalanche at a picturesque town in the Alps with no warning, burying a hotel full of people wearing only evening dress. Then he does it again a few hours later and you think it cannot get worse or they'll be no one left, but wait a minutes - there are other things on a mountain that can fall besides snow - so down they come as well.
A great story, fast paced, never boring and very well researched. The characters were engaging too and Jack Drummond [or Martin O'Brien] lets you worry about whether your favourites are going to survive and/or find their loved ones before they freeze or die from their injuries.
It would make a superb film too. Loved it.
A great story, fast paced, never boring and very well researched. The characters were engaging too and Jack Drummond [or Martin O'Brien] lets you worry about whether your favourites are going to survive and/or find their loved ones before they freeze or die from their injuries.
It would make a superb film too. Loved it.
April 6, 2009
This book is quite different to the usual thrillers, more man against nature and as such the "villian" is nature.
The characters are nicely built up to the point you actually care about them which always makes for drama when they are threatened by the avalanche. Having been skiing in the past and having sayed in this type of village I can appreciate what the writer is describing which made the book more enjoyable for me.
A good yarn well told.
The characters are nicely built up to the point you actually care about them which always makes for drama when they are threatened by the avalanche. Having been skiing in the past and having sayed in this type of village I can appreciate what the writer is describing which made the book more enjoyable for me.
A good yarn well told.
July 3, 2008
Something different from what I'd normally read, the author does a good job of providing the reader with insight to a mountain / ski community. Entertaining read.
Read
August 2, 2011decent
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews