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The Wrecking Crew #1
The Wrecking Crew: A Novel
In exchange for his freedom from a secret Moroccan prison, deep-water salvage diver Jonah Blackwell agrees to lead a covert search for a missing research team in the dangerous coastal waters of Somalia, an area plagued by pirates and a deadly red tide killing all marine life within its reach. But when his expedition threatens the ambitions of billionaire industrialist Charles Bettencourt, Jonah’s survival depends on hijacking a hostile submarine and assembling an unproven crew who must simultaneously investigate the source of a mysterious oceanic plague and face down Bettencourt’s commandos.
A thrilling, fast-paced adventure set in the world’s last frontier, THE WRECKING CREW will resonate with James Rollins and Clive Cussler fans alike.
A thrilling, fast-paced adventure set in the world’s last frontier, THE WRECKING CREW will resonate with James Rollins and Clive Cussler fans alike.
438 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 23, 2016
219 people are currently reading
434 people want to read
About the author
Taylor Zajonc
10 books57 followersWinner, 2018 Clive Cussler "Grandmaster" Adventure Writers Competition
Finalist, 2019 Oregon Book Awards / Ken Kesey Award for Fiction
As an award-winning novelist, maritime historian, Explorers Club member, and deep-sea shipwreck expert, Taylor Zajonc's real-life adventures nearly exceed those of his fictional counterparts. His fascination with exploration began when he joined a Russian expedition to the deepest archaeological site on the planet, descending nearly three miles into the abyss of the Bermuda Triangle aboard a Soviet-era submersible. Since then, Taylor has joined two RMS Titanic expeditions and contributed to some of the most important shipwreck finds of the past decade, including World War II treasure ships and U-boats, Admiral Balchen's HMS Victory, and the treasure steamship SS Connaught. His novels include THE WRECKING CREW (Blank Slate 2016), RED SUN ROGUE (Blank Slate 2017), and THE MAW (Skyhorse 2018).
Finalist, 2019 Oregon Book Awards / Ken Kesey Award for Fiction
As an award-winning novelist, maritime historian, Explorers Club member, and deep-sea shipwreck expert, Taylor Zajonc's real-life adventures nearly exceed those of his fictional counterparts. His fascination with exploration began when he joined a Russian expedition to the deepest archaeological site on the planet, descending nearly three miles into the abyss of the Bermuda Triangle aboard a Soviet-era submersible. Since then, Taylor has joined two RMS Titanic expeditions and contributed to some of the most important shipwreck finds of the past decade, including World War II treasure ships and U-boats, Admiral Balchen's HMS Victory, and the treasure steamship SS Connaught. His novels include THE WRECKING CREW (Blank Slate 2016), RED SUN ROGUE (Blank Slate 2017), and THE MAW (Skyhorse 2018).
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
March 7, 2016
This made a great book, and would also make a great movie. Non-stop action, great dialogue and banter, characters that are diverse in a way that you can really, really get behind. Oh, and strong ladies- which as a lady I greatly appreciate. I wasn’t sure what to think before I started the book. I haven’t read a book quite like it in a long time, and didn’t know much about deep sea diving. However, the author manages to entertain while simultaneously throwing in some pretty great info on the mechanics and processes behind deep sea diving and exploration in general. I laughed out loud quite a few times- mainly because the characters are delightfully sarcastic and have some pretty great one liners. I finished the book both on an action high and with an intense curiosity about diving expeditions.
I’d try to compare it to something, but I wouldn’t know what. Maybe part Tom Clancy, Clive Cussler- or a bit of spy novel meets pirate adventure meets Indiana Jones? It falls in part to all of the above, but in the end becomes is own unique adventure.
All in all it is really a great book, and one that I can see (and hope does) have many sequels beyond it.
I’d try to compare it to something, but I wouldn’t know what. Maybe part Tom Clancy, Clive Cussler- or a bit of spy novel meets pirate adventure meets Indiana Jones? It falls in part to all of the above, but in the end becomes is own unique adventure.
All in all it is really a great book, and one that I can see (and hope does) have many sequels beyond it.
February 25, 2019
I thought, in the first 3 or 4 pages, that this was gonna be TOO SLOW. I was wrong. It actually turned in to a book I couldn't wait to get back to . Pirates and prisoners, billionaires and destitute Somalians, yachts and submarines, all mixed up in an exciting adventure.
November 13, 2015
I picked up The Wrecking Crew as a free pre-publication copy via NetGalley without much in the way of anticipation. It was very much one of those 'what the hell' picks where the plot sounded vaguely interesting so I added it to my request list. Once it had arrived it then sat on my Kindle for several weeks until, for want of anything else to read one day, I decided to give it a try.
I have to admit that I am pleased I did. Whilst by no-means perfect, The Wrecking Crew is a highly entertaining piece of action-adventure fiction. It’s also one of the more original works in this well-worn genre that I have come across in recent times.
The debut novel of real life diver and sub-sea explorer Taylor Zajonc, The Wrecking Crew is likely to be compared with the works of Clive Cussler due to its maritime theme. However, it really couldn’t be further from Cussler’s Dirk Pitt novel in both tone and subject matter.
Yes, it’s an escapist adventure featuring (fictional) man-made island cities, submarines, pirates, billionaire bad-guys and their psychopathic henchmen, but that’s about as much as it has in common with Cussler. Whilst ostensible hero Jonah Blackwell is the hyper-capable, all-action type he’s by no-means the square jawed do-gooder typically found at the heart of this type of story. His motivations are primarily focused on self-preservation and personal enrichment, at least initially, and he’s a prickly, had to love character at times.
Indeed outside the chief bad-guy, his hulking lead henchman and their army of supporting-henchpersons, who all remain very one-dimensional throughout, The Wrecking Crew nimbly avoids character stereotyping and almost seems to revel in upending the readers’ assumptions about individuals’ personalities and motivations. As a result a Moroccan doctor who initially appears to be a representative of an oppressive regime turns out to have entirely altruistic motivations, a young female engineer from Texas who initially seems to be have been included in the story solely to act as a convenient love interest for Blackwell turns out to have eyes for someone else and a Russian submariner and a Somali pirate form a very unexpected bond.
All this skewering of expectations when it comes to characters is mirrored in the plot itself, which also manages to upend convention in a number of ways. For a start, despite Blackwell being the ostensible hero of the novel, this is very much an ensemble piece, with everyone pulling their weight in one way or another. It also avoids turning anyone into an invulnerable superhero or making them infallible. In fact the opposite is the case, with the good-guys being hurt on a frequent basis and making some major, and sometimes fatal, mistakes along the way.
It all serves to lend the Wrecking Crew a sense of unpredictability that keeps you reading and wondering where Zajonc will take the story next and gives the whole book a freshness that is often lacking from more established series where every new novel seemingly tries to adhere to a standardised template.
Not the The Wrecking Crew is perfect by any means. Zajonc doesn’t always manage to get the right balance of tone, with some pretty dark moments of bloodshed and death sitting uncomfortably alongside more escapist elements. The plot also feels a little too hyperactive at times, as if the author was worried that readers would become bored if there was too long a pause between episodes of action, meaning that key moments sometime feel overly rushed and some parts of story feel strangely disjointed. And it would have been great if Zajonc had managed to develop antagonists who were as unpredictable and original as the protagonists, but instead he delivers the tired stereotypes of an evil, amoral hedge-fund manager and his psychopathic head of private security.
Some of the book’s wilder moments and concepts also fail to really convince. The bad-guys’ man-made island/tax haven works as basic concept but the idea that they would choose to locate it off the coast of Somalia doesn’t feel plausible, despite the book’s efforts to justify the decision. The apparent indestructibility of the submarine that plays such an important part in the story, and the apparent ease with which a small group of untrained individuals manage to operate it also strains at the edge of credibility.
Finally, after a great build up, the book’s dénouement comes as something of a disappointment, relying as it does on a last minute ex-machina save that results in a rather unoriginal Hollywood blockbuster style burst of epic property destruction that conveniently manage to not result in any innocent deaths.
These criticisms aside however, The Wrecking Crew remains a highly entertaining and pleasantly surprising read in a genre that produces far too many pedestrian, identikit novels written to well-worn, predictable formulae. For that reason Taylor Zajonc should be congratulated on a successful debut and I will look forward to seeing what he comes up with next.
I have to admit that I am pleased I did. Whilst by no-means perfect, The Wrecking Crew is a highly entertaining piece of action-adventure fiction. It’s also one of the more original works in this well-worn genre that I have come across in recent times.
The debut novel of real life diver and sub-sea explorer Taylor Zajonc, The Wrecking Crew is likely to be compared with the works of Clive Cussler due to its maritime theme. However, it really couldn’t be further from Cussler’s Dirk Pitt novel in both tone and subject matter.
Yes, it’s an escapist adventure featuring (fictional) man-made island cities, submarines, pirates, billionaire bad-guys and their psychopathic henchmen, but that’s about as much as it has in common with Cussler. Whilst ostensible hero Jonah Blackwell is the hyper-capable, all-action type he’s by no-means the square jawed do-gooder typically found at the heart of this type of story. His motivations are primarily focused on self-preservation and personal enrichment, at least initially, and he’s a prickly, had to love character at times.
Indeed outside the chief bad-guy, his hulking lead henchman and their army of supporting-henchpersons, who all remain very one-dimensional throughout, The Wrecking Crew nimbly avoids character stereotyping and almost seems to revel in upending the readers’ assumptions about individuals’ personalities and motivations. As a result a Moroccan doctor who initially appears to be a representative of an oppressive regime turns out to have entirely altruistic motivations, a young female engineer from Texas who initially seems to be have been included in the story solely to act as a convenient love interest for Blackwell turns out to have eyes for someone else and a Russian submariner and a Somali pirate form a very unexpected bond.
All this skewering of expectations when it comes to characters is mirrored in the plot itself, which also manages to upend convention in a number of ways. For a start, despite Blackwell being the ostensible hero of the novel, this is very much an ensemble piece, with everyone pulling their weight in one way or another. It also avoids turning anyone into an invulnerable superhero or making them infallible. In fact the opposite is the case, with the good-guys being hurt on a frequent basis and making some major, and sometimes fatal, mistakes along the way.
It all serves to lend the Wrecking Crew a sense of unpredictability that keeps you reading and wondering where Zajonc will take the story next and gives the whole book a freshness that is often lacking from more established series where every new novel seemingly tries to adhere to a standardised template.
Not the The Wrecking Crew is perfect by any means. Zajonc doesn’t always manage to get the right balance of tone, with some pretty dark moments of bloodshed and death sitting uncomfortably alongside more escapist elements. The plot also feels a little too hyperactive at times, as if the author was worried that readers would become bored if there was too long a pause between episodes of action, meaning that key moments sometime feel overly rushed and some parts of story feel strangely disjointed. And it would have been great if Zajonc had managed to develop antagonists who were as unpredictable and original as the protagonists, but instead he delivers the tired stereotypes of an evil, amoral hedge-fund manager and his psychopathic head of private security.
Some of the book’s wilder moments and concepts also fail to really convince. The bad-guys’ man-made island/tax haven works as basic concept but the idea that they would choose to locate it off the coast of Somalia doesn’t feel plausible, despite the book’s efforts to justify the decision. The apparent indestructibility of the submarine that plays such an important part in the story, and the apparent ease with which a small group of untrained individuals manage to operate it also strains at the edge of credibility.
Finally, after a great build up, the book’s dénouement comes as something of a disappointment, relying as it does on a last minute ex-machina save that results in a rather unoriginal Hollywood blockbuster style burst of epic property destruction that conveniently manage to not result in any innocent deaths.
These criticisms aside however, The Wrecking Crew remains a highly entertaining and pleasantly surprising read in a genre that produces far too many pedestrian, identikit novels written to well-worn, predictable formulae. For that reason Taylor Zajonc should be congratulated on a successful debut and I will look forward to seeing what he comes up with next.
November 15, 2015
Marine biologists have been sent to South Africa to determine the cause of red water and dead fish. Oh and there’s some spooky legend called “The Mertvaya Ruka”, which translates to the dead hand...
Enter Jonah Blackwell, inhabitant of prison 14 in the Moroccan lands of the Sahara desert. The prison does not officially exist on paper and there are no roads leading in or out. If you happen to end of up here, you’re pretty much a goner.
Miraculously, a prison doctor named Nassiri needs Jonah more on the outside than the inside, so he breaks him out of prison, thus beginning the initial stages of a very long and doubly dangerous mission.
It took me a moment to fully understand where this book was leading, but knew without-a-doubt, all of my conspiracy theory friends would love this book.
This is definitely a fast-paced action novel with many characters’ lives that eventually link into one whole story. The characters are all well developed and somehow the author has even managed to make me have a small crush on Jonah Blackwell. Sure he’s a bad ass with a criminal record, but he’s also this young handsome blond who’s both smart and strong. And he knows his way around a massive yacht, can hack into a secured computer system and is the best diver around. Who wouldn’t like him?
This book is jam packed with action from prison breaks to yacht stealing all the way to surviving a submarine full of Russian mercenaries. It’s almost a slam dunk. But unfortunately, something made me struggle to get through it. Since I liked the characters and the storyline, I am still going to give it 4 stars and guess that maybe it was just a bit too technical for me. It was very obvious to me that Mr. Zajonc has much experience in the ocean on ships and the machinery needed to run them, but I don’t need to know every technical detail about operating them to enjoy the story. Overall, I still did have a fun time reading this book and have a feeling I will be thinking of Jonah Blackwell for a while.
Enter Jonah Blackwell, inhabitant of prison 14 in the Moroccan lands of the Sahara desert. The prison does not officially exist on paper and there are no roads leading in or out. If you happen to end of up here, you’re pretty much a goner.
Miraculously, a prison doctor named Nassiri needs Jonah more on the outside than the inside, so he breaks him out of prison, thus beginning the initial stages of a very long and doubly dangerous mission.
It took me a moment to fully understand where this book was leading, but knew without-a-doubt, all of my conspiracy theory friends would love this book.
This is definitely a fast-paced action novel with many characters’ lives that eventually link into one whole story. The characters are all well developed and somehow the author has even managed to make me have a small crush on Jonah Blackwell. Sure he’s a bad ass with a criminal record, but he’s also this young handsome blond who’s both smart and strong. And he knows his way around a massive yacht, can hack into a secured computer system and is the best diver around. Who wouldn’t like him?
This book is jam packed with action from prison breaks to yacht stealing all the way to surviving a submarine full of Russian mercenaries. It’s almost a slam dunk. But unfortunately, something made me struggle to get through it. Since I liked the characters and the storyline, I am still going to give it 4 stars and guess that maybe it was just a bit too technical for me. It was very obvious to me that Mr. Zajonc has much experience in the ocean on ships and the machinery needed to run them, but I don’t need to know every technical detail about operating them to enjoy the story. Overall, I still did have a fun time reading this book and have a feeling I will be thinking of Jonah Blackwell for a while.
January 12, 2016
THE WRECKING CREW by Taylor Zajonc is a non stop action story featuring Jonah Blackwell,, an former prisoner who had been all but forgotten, who is freed by a doctor looking to rescue his mother who was doing some oceanographer research, but disappeared. The story jumps right in, quickly setting up the plot and throwing Jonah is a boat to make the rescue attempt. Jonah is a very likable character, he reminds me of a modern day Han Solo, just trade space for water and our Star Wars time for out present . The story doesn't slow down, with deviations from plot progression only to quickly introduce and understand new characters. In the end, Zajonc has created a motley band of people who now have a sub and seem to yearn for another adventure and I, for one, look to Zajonc for another book to tell the story of that adventure.
There are shades of the movies Hunt for Red October and U-571 and the suspense compares to them. I will say that there are a lot of submarine and boat terms in the book, but having only a passable knowledge of boating and submarine lingo, I still could keep up with the story.
Thank you to Taylor Zajonc, Amphorae Publishing Group, and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
There are shades of the movies Hunt for Red October and U-571 and the suspense compares to them. I will say that there are a lot of submarine and boat terms in the book, but having only a passable knowledge of boating and submarine lingo, I still could keep up with the story.
Thank you to Taylor Zajonc, Amphorae Publishing Group, and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
March 4, 2016
I don't read thrillers, generally, but the subject area--and the author's background and expertise--interested me, so I gave it a shot. And it was worth every fast-paced, intricately-detailed moment. The plot revolves around an American ex-pat, jailed in Morocco for some adventure we don't learn about but would like to, which involves under-sea treasure hunting, who is sprung by a doctor whose mother, a scientist, was shot down by Somali pirates just as she discovered a hideous problem of deadly pollution off the Horn of Africa. Whew. But we're not done yet. Throw in a thoroughly evil billionaire and his private army, a stolen yacht, a stolen submarine, a couple of mechanically-gifted women, a gay Russian navigator and Dread Pirate Dalmar, and you have a delicious stew worthy of the most seasoned thriller writer. That this is a debut novel is astonishing. It obviously is the beginning of a series of thrillers that should end up on best seller lists and movie screens before the author turns forty. Congratulations to the author and the publishers for a thoroughly entertaining, wildly exciting ride.
March 9, 2019
I thoroughly enjoyed the thrill ride provided by Taylor Zajonc in his book titled, The Wrecking Crew. Mr. Jonah Blackwell, a coveted deep sea diver and treasure hunter, is in prison for god knows what and is soon freed by the prisons' doctor and surgeon. Jonah was needed to locate the doctor's mother who disappeared over the pirate-infested waters of Somalia. The mother is a scientist who was investigating the red tide phenomenon which was invading the Indian Ocean, killing all sea life and people in the vicinity. Jonah and the doctor steal the world's largest yacht, hijack a submarine, and battle a group who want to keep the cause of the calamity a secret at all costs.
The book is a thrill ride of traps and escapes that the protagonist gets into with his crew of five. Luckily they have a skilled surgeon on board as he saves the crewmembers - some more than once - bringing them back from death with his skills. They finally join up with the most feared pirate leader in the area and together, take on the group responsible for all the mayhem. Defeating this group will take everything they have. Is this the end?
Great job Mr. Zajonc - Jonah Blackwell is a breath of fresh air and his character is definitely as good as anything offered by Clive Cussler. Highly recommended.
The book is a thrill ride of traps and escapes that the protagonist gets into with his crew of five. Luckily they have a skilled surgeon on board as he saves the crewmembers - some more than once - bringing them back from death with his skills. They finally join up with the most feared pirate leader in the area and together, take on the group responsible for all the mayhem. Defeating this group will take everything they have. Is this the end?
Great job Mr. Zajonc - Jonah Blackwell is a breath of fresh air and his character is definitely as good as anything offered by Clive Cussler. Highly recommended.
January 23, 2019
Great adventure book
This book kept me interested and wanting to read more. Lots of action. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series
This book kept me interested and wanting to read more. Lots of action. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series
June 1, 2016
By clicking the image above, you can read this review, as well as my other posts, on my blog, Brewing Up Books.
I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
The summary had me mildly apprehensive regarding the legitimacy and realistic nature of the plot, along with some concerns of the mysterious mention of pirates, but the majority of these concerns were quickly invalidated as I began to read. While there were quite a few instances of characters being in precisely the right place at the right time, none of the characters magically developed the ability to fly or were able to hop up and rejoin the fight after a mortal blow. The plot was fast-paced and exciting, and there were a number of unforeseen twists and turns that kept me on my toes (either that, or I've suddenly become horrific at guessing where the plot is headed).
I have fairly limited knowledge regarding ships, submarines, and the sort, as well as warfare/weaponry due to my limited (ie. nonexistent) personal experiences in these areas. While I initially had some reservations about the highly technical terms and descriptions that were provided throughout the text, I was able to infer the purposes of many of these items. While I have no doubt that my inferences were slightly off the mark to say the least, I was still able to grasp a basic understanding of how they would play out in the plot moving forward. When in doubt, I assumed any fancy word referred to a weapon. If potential weapon was in the hands of the protagonists, that was good; if the weapon was being aimed at the protagonists, that was bad - and there you have my highly technical description.
I particularly enjoyed the wide range of antagonists and the cunning tactics that they continually devised to oppose Jonah and his companions. They were determined, to say the least, and they put up a formidable fight. Zajonc avoided many of the stereotypical pitfalls of antagonists by ensuring that they were not always victorious or always unsuccessful in their endeavors. Like the protagonists, Charles Bettencourt and his henchmen underwent their fair share of disappointing defeats, as well as triumphs, adding a realistic dimension to the novel.
One of my only complaints was the surprising and excessive naivety of nearly all of the characters. While everyone has their moments of weakness, the characters that Zajonc portrayed seemed particularly unlucky in this respect. The majority of them were extremely trusting of complete strangers, completely disregarding one of the principle rules all small children can recite: never talk to strangers. Despite traversing one of the most dangerous oceanic regions in the world, the characters seemed unfazed by the potential for each new individual to be a pirate or employed by the antagonist. This misplaced trust led to several unfortunate yet easily avoidable encounters. The characters never learned from these mistakes either, which made them that much more frustrating.
I was also disappointed regarding the relative lack of romance, although I'm going to blame this on the book's categorization as an action novel - if I had been looking for a romance, I would have selected another book entirely. While Zajonc introduced the possibility of several relationships, none of them were further developed above and beyond some initial feelings and a few awkward encounters. Since Zajonc went to the trouble to establish these sparks, I would have liked to see how the relationships would have evolved throughout the course of the novel. Then again, I imagine one doesn't have ample amounts of time to devote to dating while trying to outrun pirates and a nefarious corporation.
Overall, I was immediately hooked by the compelling characters and plot, as well as the fluid, comprehensive writing style. This was a fairly quick and refreshing read for me, particularly after the slew of one and two star ratings I've been assigning recently. And while there is no promise of any additional installments, I would unquestioningly pick them up in a heartbeat.
March 8, 2016
Review for The Wrecking Crew
This book is a very fun and welcome breath within a genre suffering from nitrogen narcosis. Many of the elements found within the book, characters and settings may not be earth shattering, but the way they are composed and executed is fresh and original. A fast paced adrenaline pumping action story it may be, but that's where the standard literary cliches stop. I will try hard to not give any spoilers, but read this review at your own risk.
Let's start with the lead (as much as you can have a lead in an ensemble cast) Jonah. He's a terrible Captain. Read the book and you will realize that is not an insult or a condemnation of the book. If anything it's one of my favorite things about it. He's neither a high-speed low-drag former SEAL with a chip on his shoulder, or an shining example of leadership as a paragon of virtue and decisiveness. He's an embassy brat who drifted around after a shady and potentially criminal past, and he drinks too much and makes poor choices. Fuck. Yeah.
Next is the Doctor. A non-token Muslim character. He doesn't "fight" against anything, he just tries to do his best. No regime (changing or otherwise), no geo-political blinders or preaching. Just a guy living in the world. I won't list off the rest of the characters since that leans too much towards spoiling the book in my opinion, but trust me, they're pretty Fucking cool. I think the character choices overall show a bravery and originality I don't find in this genre, and rarely in others. Are they fully fleshed out with smooth back stories by the time the book ends? No. But you can tell this is an origin story that Deadpool wouldn't mind showing up in, and I'm looking forward to getting to know them better through the course of what I hope will be a very long and prolific series. Oh, and if you're already offended by the two F-bombs I dropped, this may not be a book for you.
The story progresses in a nice logical order. I never had to scratch my head and flip back thanks to a misplaced flashback or cut scene. The world and story are described in enough detail as to give the reader everything they need, without superfluous detail. Maybe it's the fact I'm a diver and former military myself (albeit it's been a few years) but I felt the technical details were just enough to give credibility without being distracting.
I appreciated the fact that the story was told with humor, while not stretching towards campy. As anyone who's been in the military or response professions can tell you, that's extremely accurate as well as entertaining. I laughed out loud several times through the book. Sometimes I felt bad about it. But still laughed.
The final praise I will give is that the story could have had a very ethno-centrist vibe based upon the subject matter and genre. But the author dodged that minefield perfectly. I felt that these characters exist in and are born into (through the course of the story) the murky waters of the international high seas. They are not "aligned" with a given country and its goals. They're a Crew, and they Wreck Shit.
This book is a very fun and welcome breath within a genre suffering from nitrogen narcosis. Many of the elements found within the book, characters and settings may not be earth shattering, but the way they are composed and executed is fresh and original. A fast paced adrenaline pumping action story it may be, but that's where the standard literary cliches stop. I will try hard to not give any spoilers, but read this review at your own risk.
Let's start with the lead (as much as you can have a lead in an ensemble cast) Jonah. He's a terrible Captain. Read the book and you will realize that is not an insult or a condemnation of the book. If anything it's one of my favorite things about it. He's neither a high-speed low-drag former SEAL with a chip on his shoulder, or an shining example of leadership as a paragon of virtue and decisiveness. He's an embassy brat who drifted around after a shady and potentially criminal past, and he drinks too much and makes poor choices. Fuck. Yeah.
Next is the Doctor. A non-token Muslim character. He doesn't "fight" against anything, he just tries to do his best. No regime (changing or otherwise), no geo-political blinders or preaching. Just a guy living in the world. I won't list off the rest of the characters since that leans too much towards spoiling the book in my opinion, but trust me, they're pretty Fucking cool. I think the character choices overall show a bravery and originality I don't find in this genre, and rarely in others. Are they fully fleshed out with smooth back stories by the time the book ends? No. But you can tell this is an origin story that Deadpool wouldn't mind showing up in, and I'm looking forward to getting to know them better through the course of what I hope will be a very long and prolific series. Oh, and if you're already offended by the two F-bombs I dropped, this may not be a book for you.
The story progresses in a nice logical order. I never had to scratch my head and flip back thanks to a misplaced flashback or cut scene. The world and story are described in enough detail as to give the reader everything they need, without superfluous detail. Maybe it's the fact I'm a diver and former military myself (albeit it's been a few years) but I felt the technical details were just enough to give credibility without being distracting.
I appreciated the fact that the story was told with humor, while not stretching towards campy. As anyone who's been in the military or response professions can tell you, that's extremely accurate as well as entertaining. I laughed out loud several times through the book. Sometimes I felt bad about it. But still laughed.
The final praise I will give is that the story could have had a very ethno-centrist vibe based upon the subject matter and genre. But the author dodged that minefield perfectly. I felt that these characters exist in and are born into (through the course of the story) the murky waters of the international high seas. They are not "aligned" with a given country and its goals. They're a Crew, and they Wreck Shit.
March 18, 2016
“The Wrecking Crew” eBook was published in 2016 and was written by Taylor Zajonc (http://taylorzajonc.com). This is Mr. Zajonc’s first novel.
I received a galley of this novel for review through https://www.netgalley.com. I categorize this novel as ‘R’ because it contains scenes of Violence, Mature Language and Mature situations. This novel is set in at various places in the contemporary Mediterranean and Indian Oceans.
The primary character is Jonah Blackwell, a diver, adventurer and sometimes criminal. He is rescued from a Moroccan prison by Dr. Hassan Nassiri. Nassiri wants Blackwell to help him find the wreckage of the plane his mother was on. Unfortunately, the area where the plane went down is near the Somali coast, well within the range of pirates in the area.
This starts an adventure that is full of harrowing moments and edge-of-you-seat Thrills. The pair steal a boat and find that they have inadvertently kidnapped an attractive young female engineer. They make their way to Anconia Island, a city-state created on an ocean platform in the Indian Ocean. Anconia is owned and run by billionaire Charles Bettencourt.
They are able to be resupplied and leave to find the downed plane. Before long they find themselves under attack. While the area is certainly at risk from Somali pirates, the crew discovers that the pirates are not the only threat. They also come to suspect that the plane carrying Nassiri’s mother did not go down by accident. As days pass, the crew grows in size as they pick up a few new members. They must risk life and limb time and again to save themselves and to overcome the deadly enemies that they have stirred up.
I spent 7.5 hours with this 436 page novel. It was an enjoyable read, reminiscent of books by Clive Cussler. As in most Thrillers, the story seems to stretch the limits of believability to carry the plot and preserve the primary characters. Not only is there action and adventure, but both Blackwell and Nassiri find love interests as well. The way the book concludes, we are likely to see sequels, and I look forward to reading them. I give this novel a 4.4 (rounded down to a 4) out of 5.
Further book reviews I have written can be accessed at http://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/.
I received a galley of this novel for review through https://www.netgalley.com. I categorize this novel as ‘R’ because it contains scenes of Violence, Mature Language and Mature situations. This novel is set in at various places in the contemporary Mediterranean and Indian Oceans.
The primary character is Jonah Blackwell, a diver, adventurer and sometimes criminal. He is rescued from a Moroccan prison by Dr. Hassan Nassiri. Nassiri wants Blackwell to help him find the wreckage of the plane his mother was on. Unfortunately, the area where the plane went down is near the Somali coast, well within the range of pirates in the area.
This starts an adventure that is full of harrowing moments and edge-of-you-seat Thrills. The pair steal a boat and find that they have inadvertently kidnapped an attractive young female engineer. They make their way to Anconia Island, a city-state created on an ocean platform in the Indian Ocean. Anconia is owned and run by billionaire Charles Bettencourt.
They are able to be resupplied and leave to find the downed plane. Before long they find themselves under attack. While the area is certainly at risk from Somali pirates, the crew discovers that the pirates are not the only threat. They also come to suspect that the plane carrying Nassiri’s mother did not go down by accident. As days pass, the crew grows in size as they pick up a few new members. They must risk life and limb time and again to save themselves and to overcome the deadly enemies that they have stirred up.
I spent 7.5 hours with this 436 page novel. It was an enjoyable read, reminiscent of books by Clive Cussler. As in most Thrillers, the story seems to stretch the limits of believability to carry the plot and preserve the primary characters. Not only is there action and adventure, but both Blackwell and Nassiri find love interests as well. The way the book concludes, we are likely to see sequels, and I look forward to reading them. I give this novel a 4.4 (rounded down to a 4) out of 5.
Further book reviews I have written can be accessed at http://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/.
March 26, 2016
Fast paced, all action thriller.
Jonah Blackwell is in big trouble. He is in a Moroccan gaol for unspecified crimes and is likely to stay until he expires when he is thrown a lifeline by a most unlikely saviour. However, the choice is stark. Die in prison or most likely die during a hare-brained expedition to save a mother’s life’s work. So starts the action.
It’s James Bond, Indiana Jones and John McClane rolled into one. The action is non-stop. The situations impossible to get out of and the unlikely characters who get together are most implausible. But it works and works very well.
The characters are larger than life. The men are men and the women are independent and beautiful and as a nod to modern life there is also just a little more than a suggestion of a developing gay relationship as well. Much of the action takes place on or under the sea which is not surprising given the author’s background.
As a thriller the book is good but what makes it excellent is the dry humour which peppers every page and the explosive interaction between the larger than life characters. This is a first novel and by any standard it makes for good reading. If the film rights are not snapped up soon I will be amazed.
mr zorg
Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.
Jonah Blackwell is in big trouble. He is in a Moroccan gaol for unspecified crimes and is likely to stay until he expires when he is thrown a lifeline by a most unlikely saviour. However, the choice is stark. Die in prison or most likely die during a hare-brained expedition to save a mother’s life’s work. So starts the action.
It’s James Bond, Indiana Jones and John McClane rolled into one. The action is non-stop. The situations impossible to get out of and the unlikely characters who get together are most implausible. But it works and works very well.
The characters are larger than life. The men are men and the women are independent and beautiful and as a nod to modern life there is also just a little more than a suggestion of a developing gay relationship as well. Much of the action takes place on or under the sea which is not surprising given the author’s background.
As a thriller the book is good but what makes it excellent is the dry humour which peppers every page and the explosive interaction between the larger than life characters. This is a first novel and by any standard it makes for good reading. If the film rights are not snapped up soon I will be amazed.
mr zorg
Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.
March 13, 2016
Full disclosure, I know the author and had an advance copy of The Wrecking Crew. In fact, my praise appears as a blurb on the book jacket. Nevertheless, I wanted to write a lengthier review of this very good book from a young, first time novelist.
Taylor Zajonc is well versed in the world of maritime adventure with his own experience searching for shipwrecks and other underwater treasures. He also writes plausibly about computer systems, power plants, weapons and best of all, airplanes! All this boy-toy background gives the book credibility without weighing it down.
But The Wrecking Crew has a larger story. Zajonc explores contemporary economic, environmental, geo-cultural, political and even gender issues in his complex, page-turning plot. His characters are mostly believable and always entertaining. The book ends with a hint that we have not heard the last of our hero, Jonah Blackwell - which can only be a good thing.
The name of my upcoming book, which appears on the jacket of The Wrecking Crew has been changed. Look for The Crash Detectives Investigating the World's Most Mysterious Aviation Disasters, to be published by Penguin in September 2016.
Taylor Zajonc is well versed in the world of maritime adventure with his own experience searching for shipwrecks and other underwater treasures. He also writes plausibly about computer systems, power plants, weapons and best of all, airplanes! All this boy-toy background gives the book credibility without weighing it down. But The Wrecking Crew has a larger story. Zajonc explores contemporary economic, environmental, geo-cultural, political and even gender issues in his complex, page-turning plot. His characters are mostly believable and always entertaining. The book ends with a hint that we have not heard the last of our hero, Jonah Blackwell - which can only be a good thing.
The name of my upcoming book, which appears on the jacket of The Wrecking Crew has been changed. Look for The Crash Detectives Investigating the World's Most Mysterious Aviation Disasters, to be published by Penguin in September 2016.
February 1, 2016
This story would make a great movie. A fast paced action thriller, that surprised me how much I wanted to keep reading it and do nothing else. Great characters, especially the main character Jonah Blackwell. The sort of guy you want next to you in a tight situation. The floating city on the ocean gave this story quite a unique spin. I hope the Author continues using these characters in a series. This is a great story and well worth a read.
May 4, 2016
A fun, engaging, entertaining and fast-paced book. I rarely read action novels, but this one kept me interested the entire way through.
February 22, 2019
Would have been a good story if not so much
nasty talking. It may be interesting to some that
have to listen to that way of talking. But not
necessary to have to read it.
nasty talking. It may be interesting to some that
have to listen to that way of talking. But not
necessary to have to read it.
March 4, 2019
Exciting
This was one I couldn't put down. Exciting from start to finish. I would have given it five stars except for the foul language.
This was one I couldn't put down. Exciting from start to finish. I would have given it five stars except for the foul language.
March 26, 2019
did not finish. Just too boring.
July 27, 2019
Good story. Interesting.
November 6, 2019
Enjoyed
A lot of action going at break neck speed. If you like the sea this is a must read .
A lot of action going at break neck speed. If you like the sea this is a must read .
June 18, 2020
Excellent Read
Book was exciting all the way through, hard to put down. Even a little romance to lighten it up. Highly recommend!!
Book was exciting all the way through, hard to put down. Even a little romance to lighten it up. Highly recommend!!
October 20, 2020
This was a very entertaining book. Great characters, lots of action, many plot twists. I highly enjoyed it!
May 7, 2022
This could have been a good book except for the continual bad language, even the commentary had it. I gave up couldn't take any more. I won't read this writer anymore.
May 4, 2016
Although I am an avid reader, my challenge is in starting a book. I can have a hard time getting into the new story because I don't want to leave the last one behind.
With that said, while it took me a while to really get the ball rolling on The Wrecking Crew, it was a book worth sticking to. Granted, the plot was predictable and there was not as much shock value as I had hoped, The Wrecking Crew will help you destroy a few hours of potential boredom. "Criminals" trying to do the right thing, Somali pirates who help the good guys, heart break, love and lust; it's all there. Just because it's predictable doesn't mean that it's not enjoyable.
With that said, while it took me a while to really get the ball rolling on The Wrecking Crew, it was a book worth sticking to. Granted, the plot was predictable and there was not as much shock value as I had hoped, The Wrecking Crew will help you destroy a few hours of potential boredom. "Criminals" trying to do the right thing, Somali pirates who help the good guys, heart break, love and lust; it's all there. Just because it's predictable doesn't mean that it's not enjoyable.
June 13, 2016
It was a great pleasure for me to read Taylor Zajonc’s novel - “The Wrecking Crew”. There was plenty of action and I especially liked the character development. No confusion over who was doing what, or why. There was not gratuitous violence. Don’t get me wrong - there WAS plenty of action but the book was written to tell a story and it tells it well. A quick read (because I couldn’t put it down). Personally, I am already getting impatient for his next novel.
August 2, 2016
Hard-to-put-down action adventure that will make a great movie someday. It's nice to see female characters portrayed equally tough and sometimes tougher than the guys. This book also appeals to my admittedly low bar for "ick" toleration. It was gritty, but not too graphic. I'm looking forward to reading the sequel.
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