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Ship of the Damned
On October 28, 1943, a U.S. Navy ship was successfully teleported with disastrous effects on its crew. Crewmen died, developed rare or yet unidentified diseases, and most horrifying of all, some became fused to the metal, their arms and legs protruding from the bulkhead.
A team of psychologists has gathered at a small university to study and analyze the same reoccurring dream of seven completely different people. The dream involves a large navy ship in a vast desert with soldiers trapped inside the bulkheads. Slowly, by depriving the dreamers of REM sleep, the dreams are killing the dreamers.
What the dreamers do not realize is that another vessel; this one equipped with nuclear missiles has disappeared in a green-gray mist over the North Atlantic. Only Elizabeth Foxworth, a social worker studying the dreamers, can prevent nuclear disaster by entering the dream, and risking her life and the lives of the dreamers.
A team of psychologists has gathered at a small university to study and analyze the same reoccurring dream of seven completely different people. The dream involves a large navy ship in a vast desert with soldiers trapped inside the bulkheads. Slowly, by depriving the dreamers of REM sleep, the dreams are killing the dreamers.
What the dreamers do not realize is that another vessel; this one equipped with nuclear missiles has disappeared in a green-gray mist over the North Atlantic. Only Elizabeth Foxworth, a social worker studying the dreamers, can prevent nuclear disaster by entering the dream, and risking her life and the lives of the dreamers.
433 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 1, 2000
4 people are currently reading
106 people want to read
About the author
James F. David
25 books29 followersJames F. David has a Ph.D. from Ohio State University and is currently a professor of Psychology as George Fox University in Newberg, Oregon. He is the author of the thrillers Footprints of Thunder, Ship of the Damned and Before the Cradle Falls. He lives with his wife and three daughters in Tigard, Oregon.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
August 31, 2024
An odd, but entertaining book by David, with the infamous "Philadelphia Experiment" as a central motif. Back in 1943, the US government, working with famous scientists like Einstein, tried to develop a means to make ships invisible using magnetic resonance generators. David riffs on this, and has one of the ships so equipped, a cruiser, essentially 'transport' itself into another dimension. Flash forward 50 years and the story begins.
Apparently, the US government, utilizing similar magnetic generators, isolated the ship in its 'space' and as been monitoring it. The people on the ship occasionally find an exit into the 'now', although for them, time has barely moved. These escapees, however, often had mad Psi talents and often go on a rampage, killing all kinds of people. The covert government agency can track them, however, and then send out kill teams. Another story arc features a group of scientists who work on brain waves, and have managed via some crazy science, to be able to insert people into other people's dreams. The 'dream team', at a member's behest (a social worker), starts working on some people who seem to keep having the exact same dream-- being on a ship and endless wandering, with a stark sense of dread. Obviously, these two story arcs possess a relationship, but David takes his time establishing it.
Ship of the Damned reads more like a techno thriller than 'straight' science fiction and David does pace this accordingly. The science is a bit hand-wavy, but so it goes. I really wanted to like this one more, but the characters did not inspire much and were pretty flat. Also, it got increasingly harder to suspend my sense of disbelief as the story progressed. Very neat idea, but this could have been executed better for sure. Still, worth a read if you can find it and like this type of stuff 😎 3 conspiratorial stars!!
Apparently, the US government, utilizing similar magnetic generators, isolated the ship in its 'space' and as been monitoring it. The people on the ship occasionally find an exit into the 'now', although for them, time has barely moved. These escapees, however, often had mad Psi talents and often go on a rampage, killing all kinds of people. The covert government agency can track them, however, and then send out kill teams. Another story arc features a group of scientists who work on brain waves, and have managed via some crazy science, to be able to insert people into other people's dreams. The 'dream team', at a member's behest (a social worker), starts working on some people who seem to keep having the exact same dream-- being on a ship and endless wandering, with a stark sense of dread. Obviously, these two story arcs possess a relationship, but David takes his time establishing it.
Ship of the Damned reads more like a techno thriller than 'straight' science fiction and David does pace this accordingly. The science is a bit hand-wavy, but so it goes. I really wanted to like this one more, but the characters did not inspire much and were pretty flat. Also, it got increasingly harder to suspend my sense of disbelief as the story progressed. Very neat idea, but this could have been executed better for sure. Still, worth a read if you can find it and like this type of stuff 😎 3 conspiratorial stars!!
July 28, 2011
Like its prequel, "Fragments," I don't understand how "Ship of The Damned" didn't become a best seller, let alone go out of production less than a decade from its original publication date. It's filled with action from start to finish. It defies genre: is it sci-fi, adventure, or horror? Either way, the plot is easy to follow despite the complicated scientific and psychological vocabulary it contains.
August 1, 2017
This book is a definite improvement over James David's last novel, "Fragments." The author's skills as a horror/thriller writer definitely improved between the two books. There is a little more attention paid to character development, although part of this is due to fact that many of the same characters from "Fragments" are present in this one.
"Ship of the Damned" does stand well on its own though. The world that the author creates, the bubble universe in which the ship of the title resides, is compelling and draws you in, as do the people who have been trapped there. It does beg the question of what would happen if a group of people developed psionic abilities. You definitely find out here.
While the author has refined his skills somewhat, I believe he can refine them further. I would recommend that he observe the way that authors such Stephen King, Robert McCammon, Anne Rice and Clive Barker create characters. While I admit that King and Rice can get a bit long winded some times, on the whole they get you emotionally invested in the characters and let you get to know them as people.
"Ship of the Damned" does stand well on its own though. The world that the author creates, the bubble universe in which the ship of the title resides, is compelling and draws you in, as do the people who have been trapped there. It does beg the question of what would happen if a group of people developed psionic abilities. You definitely find out here.
While the author has refined his skills somewhat, I believe he can refine them further. I would recommend that he observe the way that authors such Stephen King, Robert McCammon, Anne Rice and Clive Barker create characters. While I admit that King and Rice can get a bit long winded some times, on the whole they get you emotionally invested in the characters and let you get to know them as people.
December 8, 2017
Confusing start but the list of characters helped. Great ending.
January 17, 2022
The legend of the Philadelphia Experiment has been run through the mill so many times one would expect another story to have as much flavor as last month's Juicy Fruit scraped off the bottom of a chair.
However, in Ship of the Damned, James David takes a fresh approach to an old story, and one that really has even less substantive urban legend details than Roswell.
Giving nothing away, I found it to be a fine read: a strong story with a refreshing plot - farfetched, but still with enough thread of plausibility to hook those who want to believe. Characters are strong; developed enough to emotionally invest in, without superfluous detail or side plots to distract.
The bad guys are clear (mostly). The good guys are clear (or are they)? And as in every good story, there lurkes a powerful and mysterious uber-organization, at all times above, around and influencing law and government.
A good read for science fiction, mystery and conspiracy theory fans, and no one hits an iceberg at the end.
Enjoy.
However, in Ship of the Damned, James David takes a fresh approach to an old story, and one that really has even less substantive urban legend details than Roswell.
Giving nothing away, I found it to be a fine read: a strong story with a refreshing plot - farfetched, but still with enough thread of plausibility to hook those who want to believe. Characters are strong; developed enough to emotionally invest in, without superfluous detail or side plots to distract.
The bad guys are clear (mostly). The good guys are clear (or are they)? And as in every good story, there lurkes a powerful and mysterious uber-organization, at all times above, around and influencing law and government.
A good read for science fiction, mystery and conspiracy theory fans, and no one hits an iceberg at the end.
Enjoy.
May 1, 2011
Being a bit of a closet afficianado (sp?) on the Philadelpha Experiment, I picked up SHIP OF THE DAMNED with high hopes ... and perhaps that was my undoing. Had I left my expectations at the door, I might've enjoyed the read a bit more than the 2-star rating, but, unfortunately, the author composes very short, almost terse chapters that do little to stimulate the imagination; rather, he just pushes the plot along. As his prose and storytelling style has been placed on par with Tom Clancy by some reviewer, I think it's a dramatic overstatement. Mr. David attacks his story with an almost "look, ma, I can write" mentality, giving very little depth to his characters or the events they fantastically find themselves caught up in. It's high on plot and low on facts and science, so leave the brain at the door if you want to enjoy this ride on the SHIP OF THE DAMNED.
December 13, 2011
I’m kind of embarrassed to admit I liked a book called "Ship of the Damned," but I did! So there! It revolves around the modern-day consequences of the Philadelphia Experiment which I’ve always found fascinating if it’s true. The characters and the pacing take a while to set up and then it becomes a simple good vs. evil story. But it’s exciting and has some really graphic and imaginatively disturbing images. I also liked the pseudoscience that was woven through. And one of the characters really grows on you. His name is Ralph and he’s a mentally handicapped man who’s immune to psychokinetic powers. I didn’t really expect it, but I was turning the pages like crazy because I got so caught up in it. I wouldn’t put it in a time capsule, but it was fun!
August 26, 2009
The second following of the characters from 'Fragments' and I think I actually liked this one more. But that could only be because I greatly enjoy ghostly stories on a ship. It's was just as intriguing as the first book, and I like that he continued with the two characters. If you liked 'Fragments' read this one!
June 7, 2008
The character of Ralph is absolutely wonderful! The book was engaging and extremely well done.
January 6, 2009
I really liked this book. Say what you will about the legend and conspiracy, it was a fun adventure read.
January 18, 2012
I really enjoyed it. It's a very fun action packed read.
December 12, 2012
So far I think this book is pretty good. David's background in psychology gives a legitimate voice to this story.
November 20, 2012
Excellent... the Philadelphia Experiment with a twist !!!
August 28, 2012
Good read if you are into things like the bermuda triangle and government experiments.
January 19, 2016
Si/Fi Thriller-GREAT!!!!
February 24, 2016
Fantastically put together with just the right mix of intrigue, suspense and horror. I found I did not want to put this book down until I finished it while not wanting it to end.
November 7, 2019
Innovative and creepy. This is a sweet read. A little over descriptive in places, but the story is strong enough to carry you past that.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews