Denver is Missing

by D.F. Jones

A scientist reports to a stunned "The whole earth may be shrivelling up like a punctured balloon." The flight from cities at high altitudes--whose nitrogen gas accidentally released from the earth's core is gathering to cause mass death--to the coastlines creates political chaos and violent anarchy. But worse is in store for mankind--for the coastline holds only temporary haven. ... The great oceans of the world are about to deliver destruction on a scale never before envisioned even in nightmares of nuclear holocaust. Two men and two women in a flimsy yacht in the Pacific may hold the key to the earth's survival . . .

Genres: Science Fiction, Apocalyptic, Post Apocalyptic

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1971

About the author

Librarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name

Dennis Feltham Jones, a British Science Filction Author wrote under the byline D.F. Jones

Reviews

[Tannie Olsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a truly off-the-wall book. Drilling operations in the Pacific Ocean hit a large pocket of gas. It turns out that the gas is Nitrogen and when it drains enough, the ocean collapses into the void, breaking open an even larger pocket. This pocket explodes in dramatic fashion, sending tidal waves all over the Pacific basin.

And Nitrogen gas starts streaming into the atmosphere. Most don't think much of it, until people at higher altitudes start dying. Quito, Ecuador is the first to go. The percentage of oxygen keeps declining until humans just can't exist there anymore. And the gas keeps gushing forth. You can see from the title, "Denver is Missing", where this book is heading. Off-the-wall, but fun to read.

[Joe Stamber · Rating 3 out of 5]

Denver is Missing was first published in 1971 and it shows. The gender stereotyping is typical of the era, and although Bette, the main female character, is strong, the general attitude is that she "does well for a woman". For all that, it's not a bad tale and the pages fly past quickly. Geologists on a ship drill deep into the sea bed and disturb a lake of nitrogen, leading to a disaster of the apocalyptic scale. Two of the party, Mitch and Bette, team up with Bill, a stiff upper lipped Brit, and his squeeze, Karen, to escape. Bill has a yacht and the foursome take to the ocean in an attempt to outrun the impending disaster. Despite the pretence of peril, it's all quite gentle really, although at the time (the 70s) I suppose it was more exciting. The author attempts to spice things up with the rescue of a feisty teenage survivor from a cruise ship, but it's unnecessary and lame. I've read a lot worse, and Denver is Missing turned out to be a bit of light entertainment an easy read that just about deserves its three stars.

[Rachel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don't pick the flowers and don't read this piece of garbage.

[Roby_Hood_ · Rating 4 out of 5]

In questa nostra epoca in cui si parla e si assiste sempre più a catastrofi naturali, la lettura del tutto casuale di questo romanzo fantascientifico pare cadere proprio a fagiolo!
La catastrofe raccontata da D. F. Jones non è propriamente del tutto naturale, ma causata dalla trivellazione della crosta terrestre sottomarina per scopi scientifici (almeno inizialmente, poi si può presumere che sarebbero diventati economici, come purtroppo ci insegna la Storia), ma quando l’uomo diventa troppo invasivo nei confronti della Natura, quest’ultima risponde nell’unico modo in cui può farlo e cioè con una catastrofe (la fuoriuscita di gas dal sottosuolo vulcanico provoca esalazioni mortifere e un maremoto che sconvolge tutti i mari sulla superficie dell’intero pianeta Terra), che provoca milioni di morti dapprima negli USA e poi in tutto il mondo.
Solo i protagonisti di questo romanzo riusciranno a salvarsi, grazie ad una crociera che ben presto si trasformerà in una fuga dal disastro attraverso l’oceano verso l’Australia, inseguiti dalle onde del maremoto. Una storia sicuramente al cardio palma, ma che tuttavia un po’ mi ha annoiato perché mi è risultata dal ritmo narrativo troppo lento a causa dell’indugiare dell’autore nelle molteplici descrizioni fin nei minimi dettagli degli avvenimenti; sullo sfondo poi una storia d’amore che ha contribuito alla noia, non essendo proprio nelle mie corde questo aspetto narrativo. Comunque nel complesso sono stata contenta di aver letto questo Urania del 1982.

[Connor DeMareo · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book kept me gripped but some of the scenarios were a bit unbelievable. The main character was also kind of a creep at times but I guess that’s what you get out of a book written in the 60s? I’d recommend it overall though

[Serena · Rating 1 out of 5]

Noting here for myself in the future just in case - do not read; Seanan McGuire/Mira Grant mentions on SF Squeecast ep 11 that the hero rapes the heroine at the end of this book -and is still the hero! it's shrugged off as "boys will be boys".

[Alien · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ein Katastrophenroman. Bei einer geologischen Tiefsee-Erkundungsbohrung wird ein riesiges Stickstoffreservoir angestochen.

Autor Jones war mir unbekannt, doch hat er die Vorlage für den SF-Filmklassiker "Colossus" geschrieben. Er war hauptberuflich bei der Marine und Geologe, das merkt man. Gemäss dem Motto "Write what you know" spielt die Geologie in dem Roman eine bedeutende Rolle, aber vor allem auch eine Bootsfahrt über den Pazifik. Wie üblich bei Büchern mit Booten wird mit Fachausdrücken nur so um sich geworfen, es wird vom Leser erwartet, dass er ein alter Seebär sei.
Das was er über die Folgen des Stickstoffausbruchs schreibt, scheint mir weit weniger im wissenschaftlich Plausiblen verankert.
Die miese Bewertung bei Goodreads finde ich aber nicht gerechtfertigt. Manche Leser regen sich über Mysogynie auf, doch für die 70er ist das harmlos. Immerhin ist eine der Hauptersonen, die Ärztin Bette, sogar eine "starke Frau".
Ich fand es auch gut, wie der Ablauf der Katrastrophe geschildert wurde, wie man die neusten Entwicklungen von Ferne aus der Sicht der Flüchtlinge erfährt.

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit choppy especially later in the book with crossing themes and memes.
References to smoking and attitudes on sex definitely date this book to the early 70's.