Skyscraper

by Robert Byrne

An engineer discovers that the sixty-six-story Zalian Building is flawed throughout and in danger of collapsing and that some people will do anything to suppress the facts

Genres: Thriller, Fiction

282 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published June 1, 1984

About the author

Robert Byrne is the author of seven novels, five collections of humorous quotations, seven books on billiards, two anthologies, and an expose of frauds in the literary world. One of his novels, Thrill, was made into NBC’s Monday Night Movie, which aired for the first time on May 20, 1996. Four of his novels were selections of Reader’s Digest Condensed Books and published in many languages. His style is widely praised for its clarity and wit. Byrne’s Standard Book of Pool and Billiards, published in 1978 and expanded in 1998, has sold over 500,000 copies. -byrne.org

Reviews

[Kurt Keefner · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this because I am interested in novels about heroic achievers--architects, industrialists, CEOs, etc. The hero of Skyscraper, Brian Mitchell, is an engineer brought into New York to investigate why the 66-story Zalian Builiding, dropped a window into the street, killing two people. It turns out the tower has far worse problems than it first appears, and Mitchell has to fight to save the day.

What rescues this book from being schlock is that it was written by an engineer and provides lots of details about the structure, which I found quite accessible without an engineering background. Subtract this streak of realism, however, and what you get is a 1970s disaster story, like The Towering Inferno. Characters do not grow and are rather flat, although Mitchell has the energetic charm of a rational man.

I don't mind sex scenes, but unfortunately, the graphic stuff here takes place between the sleazy building owner and his buxom chippy. Eww. I did not need to know so much about her breasts! I would have found it much sexier to read more about Mitchell and his heroine, but that was more discreetly handled.

Read it for the engineering material or for the Irwin Allen-style good clean fun. Literary fiction it's not.

[Tricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not what I would normally read but I thought the book was fast paced and kept me interested. There is a bit in there about building codes and structural engineering but it was just enough so you understood the problems the building was facing and the likely outcome.

Ending was a bit predictable with the "demise" of the nasty people.

Not terrible though and would be something I would recommend to others who are interested in these types of books.

[Theda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting, easy, thriller read - with a little info about building codes and structural integrity.

[Roddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read for those with some knowledge or interest in structural engineering. Very dated in other respects - not for the ladies (LOL) and a bit corny and rushed towards the end.

[Ally · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is hilarious and underrated
it does have a serious thread, which is important
but it is also aware of itself as a novel

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first adult novel I had finished reading.
Quite an extraordinary choice for a 12 year old kid.
"Skyscraper" was also the one which set the new record in my adulthood's reading-pace. It took me almost 3 weeks to finish.

"Skycraper" had this kind of story that blends fictions with arrays of interesting facts you can almost truly believe. It was also vividly-written one can imagine it just like watching a typical Hollywood summer blockbuster, with a very much logical story.

It tells about an engineer whose been assigned to investigate various fatal incidents involving one of the highest tower in Manhattan. What he found was a very dirty mountain-sized scandal, but then it was too late ...

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

In a post 9/11 world this storyline is marred because you can't possibly read about a skyscraper collapse and not think about that. I thought the character development needed more attention, and less time needed to be spent on technical descriptions of the building's failures. I was hoping for more action and suspense.

[Graziella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sped through this by-the-book urban made-for-tv catastrophe in the vein of something that would run on Scy-fy or TNT; what held my attention is that it was written by an engineer so the technical aspects are likely accurate (I assume). An easy read.

[Jamie Barry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of realistic detail males this a believable story.

[Diane Wachter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Skyscraper, Robert Byrne, RDC-M #3, 1984, 6/87. Fiction about building a skyscraper. Okay.

[Philip Pietrowski, · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the engineering thriller genre. Good character development. I wonder who Byrne was thinking about when he created the villan...