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Black Fish Down
Orca – the Killer Whale – one of the most intelligent animals on the planet.
It is the top predator in the ocean – preying on sharks and whales alike – yet no orca has ever killed a human in the wild.
But captive whales have.
Kate Foster has always loved orcas, dedicating her life to their conservation and freedom. But now activist billionaire, Ted Ryder, has opened a grand rehab facility for rescued Killer Whales – a private bay annexed directly into the open ocean. Armed with political connections of her own, Kate sees opportunity with Ryder’s facility… assuming she can take control.
Dr. Peter Nichols is the orcas' keeper – determined to protect his whales from them both.
No one suspects the orcas might have plans of their own.
It is the top predator in the ocean – preying on sharks and whales alike – yet no orca has ever killed a human in the wild.
But captive whales have.
Kate Foster has always loved orcas, dedicating her life to their conservation and freedom. But now activist billionaire, Ted Ryder, has opened a grand rehab facility for rescued Killer Whales – a private bay annexed directly into the open ocean. Armed with political connections of her own, Kate sees opportunity with Ryder’s facility… assuming she can take control.
Dr. Peter Nichols is the orcas' keeper – determined to protect his whales from them both.
No one suspects the orcas might have plans of their own.
- GenresHorror
100 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 8, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 30, 2026
Another solid installment to John Lee Schneider’s series. As per the normal fare, we have an enthusiastic, charismatic, philanthropist billionaire trying to use his power for a strange cause. Now I could give away why he spent a gazillion dollars on his orca sanctuary and such, but I don’t like spoiling stories. I will say that I felt like his reasoning needed a lot more substance than what he got. And our main lead, Kate Foster, was good in her somewhat abbreviated role here, but she also needed a bit more character development. She was written somewhat surface-level, and the focus was dramatically removed from her towards the end portion of the book, which all made it hard to connect with her at several points. Most notably, she had a lack of emotion during certain key events, which were big missed opportunities. Now this had more action than White Pointer, and each of those sequences was done well. I loved all the details on the killer whales biology and behavior patterns, and they really were the true showpiece here. The author continues to write these aquatic horror stories in a very simple, yet unique way, and it works very well for me. I’m all amped to read Blackfish vs White Pointer next!
July 17, 2020
Really good book.
Written really well. Kinda sad, really, just makes you think. Characters were vibrant, you could empathize with them. I enjoyed it.
Written really well. Kinda sad, really, just makes you think. Characters were vibrant, you could empathize with them. I enjoyed it.
July 12, 2019
This book is a short but fast-paced tale of what happens when you try to "rehabilitate" killer whales AKA orcas. Kate, an enthusiastic (if a bit naive) marine conservationist, is dedicated to doing whatever it takes to free captive animals used for people's amusement. She accepts an invitation to visit millionaire Ted Ryder's estate, where he has several orcas living in the surrounding waters. But not all is what it seems, and what happens next is equal parts action...and a fun learning experience about how orcas interact with each other and with humans. I really enjoy walking away from a book learning something new!
February 15, 2022
John Lee Schneider has a way of punching you in the gut with his prose. But he sucks the reader into the story first, letting you bond with the characters then twisting you into knots as he manipulates the lives of his characters. In this case the protagonists are Humans and Orcas. It's a slow build to the action with an underlying story of ecoterrorism.
But when the action began boy oh boy after all the rising tension it is nonstop. The reader is rooting for orcas and people but you never know who will survive this crazy ordeal. It's a great book that needs to be read in order to get the best enjoyment. I recommend #1 White Pointer, #2 Surface Prey, #3 this book Blackfish Down, then #4 Blackfish versus White Pointer.
There are some regular characters that appear in many of these books and even in the Crocodile books Hybrid Vigor and Gator Glades. I learned a lot about Orcas thanks to Mr Schneider.
But when the action began boy oh boy after all the rising tension it is nonstop. The reader is rooting for orcas and people but you never know who will survive this crazy ordeal. It's a great book that needs to be read in order to get the best enjoyment. I recommend #1 White Pointer, #2 Surface Prey, #3 this book Blackfish Down, then #4 Blackfish versus White Pointer.
There are some regular characters that appear in many of these books and even in the Crocodile books Hybrid Vigor and Gator Glades. I learned a lot about Orcas thanks to Mr Schneider.
March 24, 2021
This why you do not let killers live!
I should have read this book first. Oh well, this was a very quick read and I love Corky and the rest of the orca’s. Get the books and leave your reviews.
I should have read this book first. Oh well, this was a very quick read and I love Corky and the rest of the orca’s. Get the books and leave your reviews.
August 20, 2020
Orcas gonna orca.
October 1, 2020
Fast paced, great characterisation and a fun read. Definitely looking to read more by this author
May 6, 2023
Who would I recommend this book for?
Someone looking for a short, passable book about people getting attacked by orcas.
Liked
- Short and to the point. Just long enough to deliver on its premise.
Disliked
- Bad prose. Too many adverbs. Always using "literally". A lot of cliché metaphors. In fairness, Schneider's later books like "Surface Prey" and "White Pointer" were considerably better.
- Characters are pretty flat. We get some minor details about their backstories. But none of them really impact the story.
Someone looking for a short, passable book about people getting attacked by orcas.
Liked
- Short and to the point. Just long enough to deliver on its premise.
Disliked
- Bad prose. Too many adverbs. Always using "literally". A lot of cliché metaphors. In fairness, Schneider's later books like "Surface Prey" and "White Pointer" were considerably better.
- Characters are pretty flat. We get some minor details about their backstories. But none of them really impact the story.
November 28, 2019
Top of the food chain!
Enjoyable story about a billionaire who tries to take care of Orcas that have been kept in awful conditions in water parks all over the world. Tree huggers and the press have been effective at convincing people that they are nice and cute harlequin colored whales. People are going to learn the hard way that Orcas (killer whales) are the TOP of the food chain!
Enjoyable story about a billionaire who tries to take care of Orcas that have been kept in awful conditions in water parks all over the world. Tree huggers and the press have been effective at convincing people that they are nice and cute harlequin colored whales. People are going to learn the hard way that Orcas (killer whales) are the TOP of the food chain!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews