Firespill

by Ian Slater

A novel about a collision between an oil tanker and another vessel off the Alaska coast in the North Pacific. The resultant oil spill subsequently catches fire.

Genres: Fiction, Thriller

Paperback

First published September 1, 1977

About the author

Ian Slater is a thriller writer based in Vancouver, Canada. He has authored twenty-three adventure thrillers, including Firespill, Sea Gold, Air Glow Red, Storm, Deep Chill, Forbidden Zone, MacArthur Must Die, Showdown, Battle Front, and Manhunt. He is also known for his World War III series, which includes eleven stand-alone books, among them WW III: DARPA Alpha.
In addition to fiction, he has written Orwell: The Road to Airstrip One, a widely praised study of George Orwell’s social and political thought. He served as editor of the academic quarterly Pacific Affairs for twelve years and has contributed book reviews to major North American newspapers. His work also extends to film and radio, having written and produced radio dramas and short stories for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, as well as the screenplay for the National Film Board’s animated film Flash Point.
Before turning to writing, Slater held various roles, including working for the Australian navy, serving as a cipher clerk for the country’s Department of External Affairs, and acting as a defense officer for the Australian Joint Intelligence Bureau. He later worked as a marine geology technician, undertaking research voyages in the Pacific. Holding a doctorate in political science, he has taught courses in the humanities as both an author and lecturer.

Reviews

[Manu Christófalo · Rating 2 out of 5]

(Avaliação em português logo em seguida)

The theme of the book is interesting and has potential: human disaster with nature can be dangerous for humanity itself, even in unexpected scenarios - the sea literally bursts into flames after the collapse of an oil platform.

The work is very realistic in terms of describing events (deaths, despair, etc.) and addressing the central point effectively.

However, when it comes to narrative, the book fails to connect with the reader. The characters do not evolve and are described briefly and shallowly; reading is tiring even with all the action; some characters and scenes might not even appear in the book while others are simply poorly finished.

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O tema do livro é interessante e tem potencial: o descaso humano com a natureza pode ser perigoso para a própria humanidade, mesmo em cenários inesperados - literalmente o mar rompe em chamas após o colapso de uma plataforma de petróleo.

A obra é bem realista no quesito de descrição dos fatos (morte, desespero etc.) e aborda o ponto central de forma eficaz.

Entretanto, quando se trata de narrativa, o livro falha na conexão com o leitor. Os personagens não evoluem e são descritos de forma breve e rasa; a leitura é cansativa mesmo com toda ação; alguns personagens e cenas poderiam nem aparecer no livro enquanto outras são simplesmente mal finalizadas.

[Kyle Reekie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it, very hard book to put down, it was such a good read, I recommend it. The only thing I did not like about the book was the cliff hangers, every chapter there would be

[Doug Matthews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slater has done a very good job as a first novel. This is a fast-paced read and he has done a ton of research, especially technical research on the workings of subs and aircraft. The big fault that I found was the ending. The tension throughout the book was masterfully built up but there was no release at the end. Building one problem on another after another, the book is not satisfying in the end as most disaster stories should be. I get the feeling that Slater had the concept of "choose your own adventure" in mind but I think he chose the wrong one. It is something that actually could easily be corrected by stepping back in time by one disaster (i.e. the navigator with post traumatic stress) and reconsidering that particular character and what he did.

I would actually have awarded 5 stars if it had not been for his choice of ending.

As an aside, with all the concerns today about large tanker traffic on the west coast of North America, this book provides a scary insight into the potential for disaster. Also, Slater wrote the book BEFORE the Exxon Valdez disaster!

[Marie Jermy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I finished the book but I'm wondering if the author did. The ending was odd. The submarine was blown apart, someone dropping the bombs early, everybody dead, but what about the fire? It's probably still burning and America is a burnt crisp.

[Will Phillipson]

bad ending

[Calvin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well ...I read it

[Pam Whetton · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting read with bit of a confusing end that left you wanting something different but I still liked it