Scend of the Sea

by Geoffrey Jenkins, Chris Foss (Illustrator)

Weaving fact and fiction into the fabric of an absorbing novel, Geoffrey Jenkins has written a highly imaginative story of adventure on the high seas.

Early in the twentieth centurey a crack passenger liner, the Waratah, went down in a raging storm off the coast of Soth Africa in a tragedy that left neither survivors nor witnesses.

A half century later a South African airliner disappeared over the very same spot in another gale, again without trace or explanation. Exhaustive investigations by numerous official bodies produced no explanation of either tragedy.

Now Geoffrey Jenkins has linked them in a dramatic novel that deals with three generations of the same family: Douglas Fairlie,first officer the the Waratah; Bruce Fairlie, piot of the vanished airliner; and Ian Fairlie, the hero of The Hollow Sea.

Ian Fairlie grew up with an infleible determination to solve the mystery of the Waratah's end. Later his determination was strengthened by the airliner crash -- and by his knowledge, as captain of the weathership that no shipping of offshore oil exploration woud be safe until the mystery had been solved. In the face of both official opposition and gale swept seas, at the risk of his career and of his very life, Ian set himself to unravel the secret of what had happened to the other Fairlies and to avoid the fate that had trapped them.

His dedication was such that his friends and sueperious alike came to fear his quest had become an irrational obsession, and only one loyal and beautiful woman, Tafline, stood beside him as he faced being discredited.

The, finally, in the heart of another raging storm, Ian Fairlie, with Tafline at his side, faced the opportunity to obtain the answer he had long sought to the mystery. As he seizes it, The Hollow Sea reaches a tremendously exciting climax.

Genres: Thriller, Adventure, Action, Suspense, Mystery, Novels, Fiction

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1973

Reviews

[Margareth8537 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this - Jenkins writes a bit like Hammond Innes

[J.T. Hieminga · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book on a whim as I found it as a free book and was intrigued by the blurb on the back. I must admit, I was underwhelmed by it. There are some major issues if you ask me. The relationship between the two main protagonists felt strange, strained, unclear, with some scenes that only left me wondering what the writer was thinking. They just did not make sense within a typical relationship.

There were some plotholes that felt really weird. The story of the ship, although strange, I could follow. The two aircraft just did not make sense, there are some big problems here that just distracted from the main story for me. If the writer had stuck to the marine element and left the aviation bits out, it would have been a better book.

The redeeming facts were the buildup to the story about the Waratah and the final bits that did contain an element of tension, excitement and surprise. I won't provide any more spoilers here. In short, I could have saved myself some time and would have been better off with another book.

[Петр · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thrilling read and up to Geoffrey Jenkins' high standard but not his best story either.
It combines a story of the sea, South African geography and history and a "boy's own adventure". I felt this one to be a little too fantastic.
Still very enjoyable and worth a read. It certainly spurs me on to learn more about Pondoland and add it to my "bucket list".

[Reader Clarence · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I appreciated about this book is the excellent research which went into the writing to make it a thoroughly credible reading experience, together with the author’s understanding of the sea, weather charts, ships, and the South African coastline, and blending it with a love story without sacrificing the historical details.

[David Goodhand · Rating 3 out of 5]

I forgot how much I enjoyed Geoffrey Jenkins. His writing style was similar to Hammond Innes and he clearly knows a great deal about sailing and the sea around South Africa. A rip roaring story of gales and search for a mystery of the past.

[Jeffk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much tighter plot and more fully developed characters than Grue of Ice, which I read after this, but before I added this review. I did like the “Flying Dutchman” plot combined with a real ship disappearance as the drivers of the plot.

[Will Macmillan Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've had this on my bookshelves - the real ones - for years. Not quite your standard action thriller, for the real villain is the sea itself. Not quite a 4* read, but good entertainment nonetheless.

[Grant Hogarth · Rating 5 out of 5]

As with pretty much all of Jenkin's books, this has interesting aspects of the southern African coast and the South Atlantic, mixed with bits from WWII and treasure/mystery.

[Paschalis]

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[Abbe]

EDITORIAL REVIEW: In 1909, the crack Blue Anchor liner, the Waratah, sinks without trace, or survivors, off the coast of South Africa. In 1967, the Gemsbok, a Viscount airliner of South African Airways disappears in exactly the same place. To some it is merely an uncanny mystery. To others a tragedy. People like Ian Fairlie, captain of the weather ship Walvis Bay--whose father was the pilot of the Gemsbok and whose grandfather was the first officer of the Waratah. Ian Fairlie has sworn that he will resolve the mystery. But to do so, he must face cyclonic winds and mountainous seas, risking his ship, his life and the woman he loves... "Geoffrey Jenkins can write with a rare compelling fervour." Times Literary Supplement

[Marin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Melodramatic and full of obscure boating terminology, there is nevertheless a thrilling mystery to this book. I could see this story made into a movie.