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Altitude
The plane can't land. It can't turn back. And the fuel's running out.
Reaching the end of a four hour flight, the crew of Phoenix Flight 375 find themselves facing an impossible dilemma: terrible weather, a natural disaster and a silent killer force them to decide not how to live, but how they might have to die. Half of the passengers want to survive. The others want a quick and painless end. They have one hour of fuel remaining, and then their choices will be over.
At thirty-seven thousand feet and five hundred miles per hour, you're not in control of anything. On this flight, neither are the pilots...
Reaching the end of a four hour flight, the crew of Phoenix Flight 375 find themselves facing an impossible dilemma: terrible weather, a natural disaster and a silent killer force them to decide not how to live, but how they might have to die. Half of the passengers want to survive. The others want a quick and painless end. They have one hour of fuel remaining, and then their choices will be over.
At thirty-seven thousand feet and five hundred miles per hour, you're not in control of anything. On this flight, neither are the pilots...
187 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 11, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
July 18, 2020
Much as I like aviation thrillers, this one piled on a few too many unlikely developments for my taste. The authenticity was also flawed - from little details like pilots using a lot more "wilcos" than they really do conversations with ATC, to having pilots use control columns to fly an Airbus 318 (famously, Airbuses use sidesticks) and lots of force (fly by wire aircraft don't need forceful inputs) to big annoying nonsense like "carbon dioxide scrubbers" being part of the air system (they're aircraft, not spacecraft. As they aren't closed systems, they don't need Co2 scrubbers to keep the air breathable, they just need to pressurise). Characters are paper-thin, and especially the passengers are cardboard cutout hysterical antagonists.
That said, the book(let) *is* thrilling and fast-paced. Tension is constantly being amped up. So it's a fast, exciting read, even if it feels a bit stupid, very unrealistic, and somewhat hollow. (Hollow because huge disasters with mass casualties are used as "scary scenery" without any emotional impact on anyone). If you like aviation-themed thrillers, this one is exciting enough to be worth a read.
That said, the book(let) *is* thrilling and fast-paced. Tension is constantly being amped up. So it's a fast, exciting read, even if it feels a bit stupid, very unrealistic, and somewhat hollow. (Hollow because huge disasters with mass casualties are used as "scary scenery" without any emotional impact on anyone). If you like aviation-themed thrillers, this one is exciting enough to be worth a read.
July 20, 2017
Altitude is a fantastic, gripping, edge of your seat thrill ride at 37,000 feet. With adverse weather conditions and fuel running low, the passengers and crew of Phoenix Flight 375 face major complications as their three hour flight from Gatwick Airport closes in on its destination, Keflavik in Iceland.
When radio communications suddenly fail at not one, but three locations in South West Iceland, the pilots of Phoenix Flight 375 face a hard decision: Remain on course to land at Keflavik despite the radio silence, or hail another runway at one of three possible locations.
However, with all airports within range inoperable and a catastrophic natural disaster putting their lives at risk, Captain Harrison Reed and First Officer Jason Harper, must remain calm enough to find a way to ensure the safety of themselves, their crew, and their passengers, by touching down safely on land before their fuel runs out.
Dean Crawford does a great job at entertaining his reader with his thrilling masterpiece, Altitude. It is clearly a well-researched and highly detailed novel which is intended to give the reader a very realistic feeling of being right there in the middle of the action, stranded on the plane along with all of the passengers. It is chock-full of suspense and action, coated with a paralysing fear, even for those not yet already terrified of flying.
It paints a very realistic picture of the high emotions, tensions, fears and the helplessness faced by airline passengers, as they confront a very difficult, confusing and potentially deadly situation. As an inexperienced flyer, I personally, would definitely hate to be faced with this dire scenario.
While this novel, unlike many others, has no obvious grammatical errors and the spelling mistakes are very minimal, the early errors in spelling between Keflavik and Kefalvik were a little irritating, as was the spelling of Ayrshire as Ayreshire. As Ayrshire is my home county I feel unable to let this annoying but mostly inconsequential mistake pass, and as a result I feel compelled to mark my review down from full marks to just 4.9/5. Apologies to the author for this, it is a fantastic novel with an enthralling story, but Ayrshire pride prevails.
Book number 32 in the 2017 Goodreads Reading Challenge is a page-turner that you will probably find yourself reading, from cover to cover, in just one sitting.
When radio communications suddenly fail at not one, but three locations in South West Iceland, the pilots of Phoenix Flight 375 face a hard decision: Remain on course to land at Keflavik despite the radio silence, or hail another runway at one of three possible locations.
However, with all airports within range inoperable and a catastrophic natural disaster putting their lives at risk, Captain Harrison Reed and First Officer Jason Harper, must remain calm enough to find a way to ensure the safety of themselves, their crew, and their passengers, by touching down safely on land before their fuel runs out.
Dean Crawford does a great job at entertaining his reader with his thrilling masterpiece, Altitude. It is clearly a well-researched and highly detailed novel which is intended to give the reader a very realistic feeling of being right there in the middle of the action, stranded on the plane along with all of the passengers. It is chock-full of suspense and action, coated with a paralysing fear, even for those not yet already terrified of flying.
It paints a very realistic picture of the high emotions, tensions, fears and the helplessness faced by airline passengers, as they confront a very difficult, confusing and potentially deadly situation. As an inexperienced flyer, I personally, would definitely hate to be faced with this dire scenario.
While this novel, unlike many others, has no obvious grammatical errors and the spelling mistakes are very minimal, the early errors in spelling between Keflavik and Kefalvik were a little irritating, as was the spelling of Ayrshire as Ayreshire. As Ayrshire is my home county I feel unable to let this annoying but mostly inconsequential mistake pass, and as a result I feel compelled to mark my review down from full marks to just 4.9/5. Apologies to the author for this, it is a fantastic novel with an enthralling story, but Ayrshire pride prevails.
Book number 32 in the 2017 Goodreads Reading Challenge is a page-turner that you will probably find yourself reading, from cover to cover, in just one sitting.
October 11, 2017
( Format : audiobook )
"Abort landing! Do not land!"
Forget marauding zombies, malevelant ghosts or viscous serial killers. You want real, visceral fear, the terror that slowly crawls up your spine and leaves you so transfixed that even the scream is frozen? Then this is the book for you. Because this is a 'this could really happen' feeling.
This is a remarkable book in several ways. Firstly, it is well written, slowly, but from very early in the story, ramping up both mystery and tension, playing on the natural human fear of flying. But all is held in check by the experience of having 'been there, done that's of the pilots. The problem is theirs to solve. No terrorists, not really. Just the unexpected conditions. Then there is the narration - or should that be production? This is so well done, it feels like a whole cast of actors has been employed here, rather than just Greg Patmore. His ability to become each and every player individually is remarkable and, by slight technical effects for such details as conversation via communication systems, made very real. His reading voice for the ongoing text is American but the British pilots' accented voicings and other nationalities of the passengers and flight assistants is absolutely spot on. Is this really just the one narrator? And finally, although this is a work of fiction, incidents similar to that portrayed in the story have actually occured individually in real life.
I was gifted a complementary copy of Altitude, at my request, by the rights holder, via Audiobook Boom. Thank you so much. I had expected a frightening tale of disaster, of horror in the air. I was totally unprepared for the way in which I was completely immersed, actually there, in the cockpit with the pilots as they battled to save their passengers and plane. So very realistic and understated on every page, this has been the most powerful book of it's kind that I have read. If I could, I'd award ten stars in all three categories. Recommended to anyone who enjoys their drama strong and moment by moment. And real. Unless, that is, they are soon to be flying to Iceland...
"Abort landing! Do not land!"
Forget marauding zombies, malevelant ghosts or viscous serial killers. You want real, visceral fear, the terror that slowly crawls up your spine and leaves you so transfixed that even the scream is frozen? Then this is the book for you. Because this is a 'this could really happen' feeling.
This is a remarkable book in several ways. Firstly, it is well written, slowly, but from very early in the story, ramping up both mystery and tension, playing on the natural human fear of flying. But all is held in check by the experience of having 'been there, done that's of the pilots. The problem is theirs to solve. No terrorists, not really. Just the unexpected conditions. Then there is the narration - or should that be production? This is so well done, it feels like a whole cast of actors has been employed here, rather than just Greg Patmore. His ability to become each and every player individually is remarkable and, by slight technical effects for such details as conversation via communication systems, made very real. His reading voice for the ongoing text is American but the British pilots' accented voicings and other nationalities of the passengers and flight assistants is absolutely spot on. Is this really just the one narrator? And finally, although this is a work of fiction, incidents similar to that portrayed in the story have actually occured individually in real life.
I was gifted a complementary copy of Altitude, at my request, by the rights holder, via Audiobook Boom. Thank you so much. I had expected a frightening tale of disaster, of horror in the air. I was totally unprepared for the way in which I was completely immersed, actually there, in the cockpit with the pilots as they battled to save their passengers and plane. So very realistic and understated on every page, this has been the most powerful book of it's kind that I have read. If I could, I'd award ten stars in all three categories. Recommended to anyone who enjoys their drama strong and moment by moment. And real. Unless, that is, they are soon to be flying to Iceland...
July 19, 2017
A twin engine jet is in route from Ireland to Iceland and as they approach Iceland they are unable to make radio contact with the airport at Keflavik where the plan to land. Unable to raise the airport or other sources from the area, they managed to reach a smaller airfield and got some unwelcome information. The airport at Keflavik was not answering, and the weather was bad and getting worse and they were fuel critical, they could no return to Ireland or reach an alternate destination with an airport big enough for them to land. What to do? The remaining book follows the problems on the ground, in the air and in the plane as the pilots try to get themselves and the passengers safely on the ground. Tension builds as more negative information builds to make their situation more desperate.
Not a long one but a good one for sure.
Not a long one but a good one for sure.
January 2, 2019
I have no idea what the Power Reads series is, but intend to find out. This is Book #1. A simple flight to Iceland could turn deadly as a volcanic eruption causes the Phoenix to lose contact with the two nearest airports big enough to land and with a huge, black volcanic cloud descending on them, leaves them short of fuel to fly to safety somewhere else. Tempers flare as passengers begin to realize they might die in this long aluminum tube. The crew quickly lose control as there is one passenger that seems intent on making this happen. This book was intense action from beginning to end. A great way to start 2019!
July 26, 2017
WOW!!!! Don't let this get by you!!!!!
Cannot believe the sequence of events!! First, it is bad. Then it gets worse. You won:t believe it, but it gets worser!! But wait!? It gets worsest!!! And then it gets really bad....... What a remarkable ride. I have read hundreds of flying stories - I fly myself and have had "close calls" - but this is over the top!!! Don't miss it - REALLY!!!!!!
Cannot believe the sequence of events!! First, it is bad. Then it gets worse. You won:t believe it, but it gets worser!! But wait!? It gets worsest!!! And then it gets really bad....... What a remarkable ride. I have read hundreds of flying stories - I fly myself and have had "close calls" - but this is over the top!!! Don't miss it - REALLY!!!!!!
August 19, 2017
Altitude (Power Reads #1) by Dean Crawford
This novel gives you the "what if" concerning one flight from England to Iceland. The flight encounters what is commonly referred to "MURPHY'S LAW" and what can happen when an individual's mental health issues overwhelm common sense and all hell breaks loose. Hang on to whatever you can get a hold of, this flight will give you the thrill of your life. Thanks for a great read.
This novel gives you the "what if" concerning one flight from England to Iceland. The flight encounters what is commonly referred to "MURPHY'S LAW" and what can happen when an individual's mental health issues overwhelm common sense and all hell breaks loose. Hang on to whatever you can get a hold of, this flight will give you the thrill of your life. Thanks for a great read.
October 7, 2017
My fIrst Dean Crawford book....
Don't know how I have missed them all these years, but am going to try and make up for it as fast as I can. I really like your style of writing,. My heart has started to recover from the last few chapters of Altitude. What a rush!!!! Quality writing , dialogue, characters, good storyline and great cross checking , only spotted one misspelled word. Thanks , Amarillo Turtle
Don't know how I have missed them all these years, but am going to try and make up for it as fast as I can. I really like your style of writing,. My heart has started to recover from the last few chapters of Altitude. What a rush!!!! Quality writing , dialogue, characters, good storyline and great cross checking , only spotted one misspelled word. Thanks , Amarillo Turtle
August 22, 2018
Absolutely ripping
The premise, the narration, the careful selection and weaving of characters, the tying of disparate real aviation incidents, all come together to make this a single sitting read.
Clear your schedule for you'll be compelled to complete the book first!
Having said that I wonder how the engines functioned on the ground at Keflavik when the air was all co2. Not just the aircraft's but the fuel trucks as well.
The premise, the narration, the careful selection and weaving of characters, the tying of disparate real aviation incidents, all come together to make this a single sitting read.
Clear your schedule for you'll be compelled to complete the book first!
Having said that I wonder how the engines functioned on the ground at Keflavik when the air was all co2. Not just the aircraft's but the fuel trucks as well.
December 16, 2018
Really, REALLY GOOD!!
I got this on the strength of the author to be fair as I've read quite a lot of Dean's work.
I also don't generally like short stories, or stories that feature the main protagonists in one particular place (in this case an aircraft) BUT....I WAS totally hooked from the first chapter.
Brilliant I really enjoyed this story from beginning to end and can't really rate this highly enough, excellent read and well recommended!
I got this on the strength of the author to be fair as I've read quite a lot of Dean's work.
I also don't generally like short stories, or stories that feature the main protagonists in one particular place (in this case an aircraft) BUT....I WAS totally hooked from the first chapter.
Brilliant I really enjoyed this story from beginning to end and can't really rate this highly enough, excellent read and well recommended!
July 31, 2017
Mostly Good, Well-Written
There are a few parts of this plot that I have issues with, and despite circumstances -- I think they push the credibility factor. And, while I liked the very beginning and thought it was exciting and interesting -- it was disjointed from the rest of the book, and should have blended in much better than it did.
There are a few parts of this plot that I have issues with, and despite circumstances -- I think they push the credibility factor. And, while I liked the very beginning and thought it was exciting and interesting -- it was disjointed from the rest of the book, and should have blended in much better than it did.
August 3, 2017
A WILD ride!!
Never have I read a more action-packed book! Author Dean Crawford has delivered-up one heck of a novel, with nicely fleshed-out characters, dialogue appropriate to all settings, and enough suspense to turn readers into nail-biters! An aviation-thriller, par excellence, this is not to be missed, if you're looking for your next book of this genre to read.
Never have I read a more action-packed book! Author Dean Crawford has delivered-up one heck of a novel, with nicely fleshed-out characters, dialogue appropriate to all settings, and enough suspense to turn readers into nail-biters! An aviation-thriller, par excellence, this is not to be missed, if you're looking for your next book of this genre to read.
August 25, 2017
Couldn't wait to find out if the people lived or not.
This was an ok booh, a lot different from otjet disasters books I have read. There was too many technical jargen, and not a lot of anything else. I guess if I was a plane fanatic I would have liked it more than I did. I just kept reading it to find out if they crash or not.
This was an ok booh, a lot different from otjet disasters books I have read. There was too many technical jargen, and not a lot of anything else. I guess if I was a plane fanatic I would have liked it more than I did. I just kept reading it to find out if they crash or not.
December 15, 2017
Despite somewhat amateurish writing, this was a truly fast-paced, engaging thriller. The hapless Flight 375 runs into multiple seemingly insurmountable problems. 'Altitude' is probably the best thriller involving a plane that I've read in a long, long time. Looking forward to reading more of Crawford.
February 25, 2024
A relaxing read while flying
Setting in a window seat reading this fast paced story might cause one to notice the bumps and shakes a little bit more. A quick look outside is probably going to take place.
Good story, well written and it will keep you up at night till you have finished it. The best books do that.
Setting in a window seat reading this fast paced story might cause one to notice the bumps and shakes a little bit more. A quick look outside is probably going to take place.
Good story, well written and it will keep you up at night till you have finished it. The best books do that.
August 10, 2017
Good author.
This book will keep u on your toes. A fast read for anyone. I enjoyed the characters and the difficulties the characters had to endure. My first book by this author and I am sure I will read more.
This book will keep u on your toes. A fast read for anyone. I enjoyed the characters and the difficulties the characters had to endure. My first book by this author and I am sure I will read more.
December 19, 2017
Wow!
While this book had lots of aviation technical information I didn’t understand, the story itself was tremendously exciting and scary. I only put it down once and that was because I HAD to go to work. Great book!
While this book had lots of aviation technical information I didn’t understand, the story itself was tremendously exciting and scary. I only put it down once and that was because I HAD to go to work. Great book!
January 18, 2019
Non stop action
Rarely do I find a book that I absolutely can't put down. This was one of them. It was exciting from from start to finish. The author does a great job being technical about air travel and the events occurring, but does not go overboard. Very well written.
Rarely do I find a book that I absolutely can't put down. This was one of them. It was exciting from from start to finish. The author does a great job being technical about air travel and the events occurring, but does not go overboard. Very well written.
January 25, 2019
Suspenseful from beginning to end
Excellent read, i didn't want to put it down. The story kept you wondering right up to the end.
If you like a book that will have you on the edge of your seat from start to finish then I recommend that you read this book
Excellent read, i didn't want to put it down. The story kept you wondering right up to the end.
If you like a book that will have you on the edge of your seat from start to finish then I recommend that you read this book
July 3, 2019
Are you flying soon?
Great read but perhaps not one to get into just before a flight. Apart from the aspects of the plot there is also the element of "what if" and certainly it would a case of "please never when I'm in the air."
Great read but perhaps not one to get into just before a flight. Apart from the aspects of the plot there is also the element of "what if" and certainly it would a case of "please never when I'm in the air."
July 16, 2019
Thrilling
What a fantastic tense thrilling book this is, I read it in about 4 hours and one sitting.
It is one of those books you cannot put down, but do not want to finish as it is so good.
What a fantastic tense thrilling book this is, I read it in about 4 hours and one sitting.
It is one of those books you cannot put down, but do not want to finish as it is so good.
September 3, 2020
What a ride! I could not put this down. Fast-paced intensity that still manages to shock you, even after you've reached the peak of action (or so you thought!) It would make a good film.
A fun, quick read for anybody who likes aviation thrillers.
A fun, quick read for anybody who likes aviation thrillers.
July 23, 2017
Fantastic!
Absolutely fantastic read! Kept me turning pages late into the night. Great stuff! Very different from previous works, but no less riveting.
Absolutely fantastic read! Kept me turning pages late into the night. Great stuff! Very different from previous works, but no less riveting.
July 25, 2017
Altitude Power review
Altitude Power is the first book in the Power Reads series written by author Dean Crawford. This is a very exciting story.
Altitude Power is the first book in the Power Reads series written by author Dean Crawford. This is a very exciting story.
July 25, 2017
edge of your seat thrill ride!
kept me on the edge of my seat and up later than I like when I have to go to work on the morning. Very good. Vey suspenseful.
kept me on the edge of my seat and up later than I like when I have to go to work on the morning. Very good. Vey suspenseful.
October 15, 2017
Impossible to put down
My first Dean Crawford Power read but certainly not my last. The author creates great pace and tension at the same time as giving detail
My first Dean Crawford Power read but certainly not my last. The author creates great pace and tension at the same time as giving detail
December 1, 2017
Altitude
What an amazing griping read could not put down I've been to Iceland a few times and that made the book even more enjoyable for me
What an amazing griping read could not put down I've been to Iceland a few times and that made the book even more enjoyable for me
March 13, 2018
What a fast and furious thriller. Not recommended for those who got heart problem.
This is the best aviation thriller I have ever read
This is the best aviation thriller I have ever read
October 2, 2018
Details 👍
Great read! The details were great, and as unlikely the combination of all this is, the plot line worked really well in its twists and turns.
Great read! The details were great, and as unlikely the combination of all this is, the plot line worked really well in its twists and turns.
December 20, 2018
A flight from Hell , this was certainly it ! Engrossing and scary reading .
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews