Hungry as the Sea

This storyline is so technical about the running a tug to rescue a disabled ocean liner that I had to give up 27% through the book. Paragraph after paragraph went into such detail about cables, machines, motors, etc. that the storyline was lost. Too bad because I really like Wilbur Smith. Very disappointed.

The first section of the book about the salvage of the Golden Adventurer is good fun, though the technical details are pretty amusing. Anyone doing what Nick Berg and Beauty Baker attempt, won't salvage anything and will certainly get killed. There are some nice characters at the start, such as the "camp cook" angel and the unsociable radio operator.
The final climax is also great; but again pushes your margins of belief to the limits. None of that actually matters, the first and last sections are a good tense read and well worth it.

The trouble is the middle section. As with all of Smith's novels he has to bring a love interest in and the interaction between "love interest" and hero is mostly teeth grating stuff "Sunlight was made for Samantha..and on it goes with a middle aged guy having excellent times with a happy pleasent 24 year old beauty, who is also a PHD; I had to flip over these sections. Then there is the ice-cool beautiful Ex Wife, who having shafted the hero royally, now wants him back, a revolting character I also had to flip over.

Much more entertaining is the nasty sauve Mr Alexander, Nick Bergs enemy - but we go in the same direction as Bendict Van der Byl and Johnny Lance in the Diamond Hunters; so it is pretty clear where it will all end up.

But who really cares? I can forgive the guy who wrote When the lions feeds, pretty much anything

Smith accomplishes a near-impossible feat. One of his characters is a Persian/Iranian woman, and he fails to convey her beauty, allure, and mystery to the reader. Since (IMHO) these women *are* incredibly beautiful, alluring, and mysterious, Smith's failure is especially egregious. His other heroine is a near caricature American woman: bold, aggressive, interested in causes. Conclusion: Smith can't write about romance, love, and intimacy.
In addition, his book should have been reviewed by an American before publication. Americans do *not* eat "shrimps" any more than they eat "trouts" or "turkeys". In that context, these are nouns of mass, not nouns of number. Also, there is no United States Coast Guard Service. It's just the U.S. Coast Guard.
Finally, Smith starts with a thrilling tugboat-liner rescue, then bores the reader to insensibility with interpersonal relationships among the main characters, and then ends with the extremely unsurprising rescue of another ship (kind of) by our hero in his tugboat. When I can summarize a book in one sentence, it's always bad news. "Tugboats save some ships, some lives, and Planet Earth."
Finally, compare Smith's action/inaction pattern with someone like Dean Koontz, who almost always grabs the reader on the first page, keeps up the suspense and thrills, adds a *believable* romantic subplot, and ends with a satisfying and frequently happy conclusion. Smith could learn a lot from Mr. Koontz.

The action in this story was exceptional but uneven. The first part is packed with fast paced, riveting scenes and the ending is also exciting. But there was a long and tedious portion in the middle of the book concerning relationships and business deals. The characters were an interesting mix. Those aboard the tug, Warlock, were fresh and original. Others were somewhat transparent and predictable. I realize that the character of Duncan Alexander needed to be exaggerated for dramatic effect, but his extreme stupidity only made him less believable, in my opinion. Still, a very worthwhile read, especially for aficionados of ships and seafaring adventures.

From the moment Warlock rescues the cruise liner to the beginning of the hurricane that threatens Golden Dawn, I read this book with great interest for the sea tale of daring-do. While not one interested in the boardroom politics or bedroom manuevering, both items were essential to the story and were told with wonderful emphasis what drives a man to risk everything, more than once. I would love to read more of Berg's adventures on the Warlock. The development of Nicholas Berg's character is equal to Clive Clusser's Dirk Pitt. A most enjoyable read.

The first scenes of this book, a seaborne rescue mission into Antarctic waters, is one of the best openers I've ever read. From start to finish this is classic Wilbur Smith with desperate characters, empires at risk, and just enough romance to warm the heart. Read it.

Greg Barron, author of Rotten Gods and Savage Tide

A hurricane at sea is almost impossible to describe and even though many people have experienced them, it is not an easy thing to process let alone write about. I read this book to learn more about the salvage business and I was not disappointed. Many incidents I have observed over my career as a boat captain were described in detail in an entertaining manner. This book deserves to be on anyone's shelf of good sea stories.

Wilbur Smith might have created a new genre with this book -junkscience-fiction.
The first quarter of this book draws the readerinto the action as the protagonist effects a harrowing rescue/salvage operation at sea in seemingly impossible conditions, leaving the reader hungering for more. Unfortunately it never comes.
After the initial fun, the story turns into a shipwreck of ridiculously exaggerated characterizations and baseless political rhetoric. This is a shameless tactic usually employed only by second rate authors.
The main character is portrayed as truly god-like, defying death at nearly every turn, able to rule all who encounter him with little more effort than a single glance. Of course, this infallible hero eventually becomes the champion of the political statement which, make no mistake, is the underlying purpose of this book.
The drudgery of reading the last three-quarters of the book rewards the reader with nothing more than thinly veiled political/environmental demagoguery where facts are irrelevant, environmental-whackos are saints, and capitalists are evil who shouldn't be, and often aren't, allowed to live. Smith tries to spin a yarn of certain extermination of nearly all life on earth if one particular evil capitalist is allowed to have his way....
Next to the word "hyperbole" in the dictionary, one would expect to find a picture of this book.
The writing is rough and doesn't flow smoothly. You'll find yourself periodically checking to see if you accidentally skipped a few pages, wondering how you got to this point. The authorship is as poor as the quality of paper it is printed on.
This book went adrift early, and never recovered. If you are going to spend the time to read a book, don't waste time with this one. Upon finishing the book, I felt cheated as will you if you read it.

Until the age of 25, I never read fiction. After noticing this book on a coffee table I opened it in the middle and then would not put it down. I went back to the beginning, and then read all of Wilbur's other books, and now I can't stop reading! Thanks Wilbur!

This book shows you the very fine line between love and hate. How a person can say they love you and down the road could'nt care less about you.
And that you can't trust ANYBODY. The main character Nick Berg, lost his life's work because of his cold blooded belle wife. This shows you how a man can pull himself out of the gutter with shear determination and a cool intuitve mind. The book has ocean adventure and a bit of romance. Good read.

This book and the other 20+ books that Wilbur Smith has
written are incredible. I have a website dedicated to Smith
at [...]
If you are a big fan also please visit, and make sure you
e-mail me. This book is fantastic, a nonstop adventure

Immense and satisfying attention to technical detail. Wilbur Smith's novels are educational - placing the reader inside the vernacular of the setting. I was very disappointed in the shallow female characters with an annoying overemphasis on physical attractiveness and sexual prowess. Relationships were stereotypical and predictable. If Mr. Smith is going to venture into novels about relationships, he should'n leave the reader handing. I read a review below suggesting that he got tired writing the novel and simply quit a chapter or two early. I agree.

You know the feeling... every page you turn you already know what is going to happen. Probably more boring than watching paint dry. I finished it just because I simply have to do it with every book I start. One of my friends named his boat "Warlock" after this book:I wanted to sink her...

This book is the most compelling book I have ever read. I have read it twice 10 years apart and it was just as exciting both times.
Do not start it unless you have the time to finish it in one sitting!!!!