As a big Nelson DeMille fan, I was happy when I finally snagged this library ebook, but I have to say it was a big disappointment. Excruciatingly slow at points, the basic plot is a Navy violation of an arms treaty causes a missle to inadvertently transect a supersonic jet at 62,000 feet, causing death or brain damage to all but five people, who are either in the lavatories or sub-deck flight attendant station. Meanwhile, nobody seems to want the jet to return safely as the Navy seeks to cover its mistake and the airline and insurance carrier fear for their respective futures. Simply ludicrous. ( )

This book should be named "Zombies on the plane".

Zombies meets power hungry evil bureaucrats meets super hero and it's just as unlikely as it sounds. Yet the book tries to convey the impression that this could happen. Well, it could not. The chain of circumstances is just too long and contains too many unlikely events and persons that make unexpected (and immoral) choices.

The big mystery for me is how it ended up on my "to-read" list. I must have mixed it up with some better book with a similar name. Anyone has any idea which one that might have been? I have a weak memory it might have been something related to a true story in World War 2. ( )

Confusing as more and more characters are brought into the story. However most play a part in the scenarios that follow. Although a bit technical at times it held my interest. Raises several questions: how often has mistakes been covered up by higher ups interested more in their careers or the publicity; when is it more humanitarian to play God and save people future suffering; could an average human being do so many heroic things with minimal knowledge. John Berry as an casual pilot is almost too perfect, the few survivors were more truly believable. Ending stressful yet predictable. ( )

Well, you can't quite put this down, but no real reason to start. De Mille and high school (?) friend Block (a pilot) wanted to write a story about passenger planes designed to fly at some 60,000 feet, twice what they do now. Well, it's pretty horrific if something goes wrong, as their story shows. They also take the time to show what evil lurks in the US Navy, large insurance companies, airline companies, etc. ( )

the general premise of this is interesting and should make a good thriller, and i guess it mostly does. i think reading about corruption and how people don't do the right thing if it in any way can harm themselves can be interesting. but i didn't care about any of these people and i wasn't really interested in what was happening most of the time. the oxygen deprived people in the airplane read like zombies to me, and i truly hate zombie stories. i don't know if it was an accurate depiction of how that kind of brain damage would manifest in people and in their behavior, but it didn't feel right to me for them to be so inclined to violence. it also didn't feel right that the mentally capable didn't try anything with those people - like telling them to stay seated and buckled or in a certain part of the aircraft. maybe it wouldn't have worked, but it seemed odd that they just went right to being scared of them and violent toward them. it just didn't read as realistic at all to me. also, i know this was first written in the 70's, but they updated it in the late 90's and i'm sure that by that time it wasn't acceptable to call people "oriental" like they do a few times in this book.

i don't know. it wasn't as annoying or macho as i sometimes find his books, so that's a positive. but it also wasn't anything particularly good or well done either. i mean, i was glad that it was more than just a plane-going-down-thriller - adding in the corruption and conniving of the military and airline executives was a good move. but it wasn't enough for me.

this was my first audiobook so i don't know how to evaluate that part of the experience, but i think it was generally well done. the reader communicated different emotions and characters with small changes in his voice. i really didn't like the fadeout music that played at the end as it was wrapped up all happily (way too wrapped up) and don't know if that's typical or not. it was a good first audiobook experience and i will try others. ( )

Mayday was originally written back in 1979 and was a pretty substantial hit, twenty odd years later it's now been updated to (more) modern standards giving it a contemporary feel which doesn't feel at all dated.

The essence of the story is that a supersonic aircraft is rerouted due to weather through a military testing area, the military commander on scene is pressed for time and chooses to press ahead with his missile test without checking for civilian aircraft conflicts. The end result is a kinetic missile punches through the side of the 302 passenger supersonic aircraft causing catastrophic depressurisation, the lack of oxygen disables the pilots and majority of the passengers except for a handful in positive pressure zones of the aircraft. From here it's a battle to save the plane, keep it aloft and somehow get home.

Complicating the issue is that the radios have been disabled, navigational systems have been disabled and the only contact they have to the outside world is a text based data link system with the airline headquarters dispatch office. A dispatch office that is soon to be manned by a executive and insurance officer who are both more interested in limiting exposure than they are in getting the plane home safely. The military commander on scene, after realising what has happened is also more interested in limiting exposure than saving lives.

It's quite a gripping tale and I would recommend for people interested in thriller, disaster, aircraft novels. ( )

From the first page to the last, the action carries you in the cockpit with all the fear and excitement possible. As with all his books he does not leave much time for anything else until you are done and then want another. I have read all his books and only wait for his next to make my day. I believe this is one of my favorite Nelson DeMille Books. ( )

Outstanding modern thriller written by skilled writers who know their stuff. Series of neglect, deceit and cover-up create the setting for a believable and utterly horrible tragedy. The best DeMille I have read ( )

First rate suspense and thrills with a breakneck pace and well-conceived plot. Many twists and turns in the middle set up a big climax where the fate of many characters depends on the final outcome of the crisis.

Minor flaws are that the characters aren't fully developed since the big story question is "Will anyone survive?" Time is compressed so the entire novel spans a mere 12 hours or so—not enough time to get to know characters well, especially since so many have a role of importance in the plot.

This is the most "page-turning" novel I've read in a long time. DeMille certainly deserves mention with the best thriller/suspense writers of his generation. No doubt Block's career as a pilot adds chilling reality and believability to what happens on the plane. ( )

The time is the near future, and the Pentagon, in its infinite wisdom, has decided to preempt the Congress' arms limitations treaty by testing a very sophisticated new type of missile that is much more maneuverable than previous models. Unfortunately, because of a number of normally inconsequential but interlocked failures of equipment and personal situations of the participants, the officers of the Nimitz are unaware that a Boeing 797, the newest supersonic passenger jet, flying at 63,000 feet, has deviated slightly from its normal flight path and is flying dangerously close to the _target drone. The pilot of the F-18 that is supposed to fire the new test missile does see two _targets on his screen, but assuming one must be an electronic anomaly, he fires anyway, under pressure to have the test come off successfully. The new missile tracks the larger of the two _targets and strikes the 797. Because it has no warhead, the missile plunges through the jet causing a sudden decompression, which at 63,000 feet is deadly. The pilot throws the plane into an emergency dive, remembering to engage the autopilot just before losing consciousness. At that altitude, the oxygen does not help because of the lack of pressure. (If you don' like flying, this is not the book for you, because DeMille' description of the cabin' depressurization and what happens to the passengers is rather graphic.) Not everyone is killed, but all except two are left severely brain-damaged. The two who survived the decompression were in the lavatories at the time, enclosed spaces that decompressed much more slowly because the doors sealed, closing from the inside against the frame, and the compressors continued to supply compressed air through the vents. They could not open the doors to get out because of the extreme pressure and so did not suffer brain damage or fatal complications. (The lesson here, of course, is to spend your entire flight locked in the bathroom. Smoke, too, but leave the box cutters at home.) Commander Sloan, captain of the Nimitz, then plots how he can cover up the tragedy. The pilot reports seeing no one alive on the plane, so Sloan tries to persuade the only other person on the bridge, a retired, observing admiral, that given that the test was technically illegal because of the arms limitation treaties, shooting down the aircraft, now cruising along unaided at 11,000 feet, would be in the best interests of the Navy. In the meantime, John Berry, a small plane pilot and bathroom survivor, discovers two flight attendants who had been isolated in the lower galley, a little girl and another man who had also been lucky enough to be in the bathroom at the time of decompression. Together, they try to figure out what has happened and how they might get out of the mess they now find themselves in. Those passengers who had managed to put on oxygen masks were not dead but had suffered severe brain damage and several of them have begun behaving erratically, often in a threatening manner. John discovers that none of the four radios are not working; fortunately the data link, a special communications line to the company, still works. Using the autopilot to help keep the plane under control (following directions from the company over the datalink,) Berry begins a slow turn of the plane back toward California. The trailing fighter pilot now realizes there must still life — or at least a vase of flowers and assorted fruit and nuts — on board and he only pretends to follow Sloan' orders to down the plane. Clearly, DeMille has a cynical view of supervisors and those in command. In both books, those in charge spend most of their time basing decisions on how the results might affect their career or promotions rather than on what is right or what the facts may warrant. In Mayday, the insurance agent for the airline and the VP of operations both decide to vector the stricken airliner into the sea; the agent, because the liability of caring for the disabled people the rest of their lives is more exposure than the insurance company can bear; and the VP, because he was involved in the decision to save money by not spreading the risk, and is also afraid that some maintenance shortcuts may come to light, especially as they think it may have been a bomb that caused the decompression. They also react to the current American fetish that all accidents and mishaps must be somebody' fault and therefore someone — anyone — must be punished. This was one of DeMille' first books, and his co-author is an accomplished wide-body airline pilot. It lacks some of the delightful wisecracking of John Corey, hero of some of his later novels, but nevertheless already has the taut suspense-filled-fasten-your-seat-belt-can' content so typical of his books. ( )

I received this audiobook for review from Hachette Audio. I did not receive any compensation for my review, and the views expressed herein are my own.

This is my first DeMille novel, and it won't be my last! This heart-pounding thriller will have you gripping the edge of your seat!

I had no idea that this book was actually originally written in the 1970s. In order to update aviation procedures and technology, it was updated and re-released in the 1990s.

A commercial airliner (Trans-United Airlines' Stratton 797) is accidentally struck by a missile launched by the Navy during a secret (illegal) testing operation. Instead of hitting a drone _target, the missile blows through one side of the passenger jet and out the other. Some passengers are immediately swept away out the holes of the jet and others are injured in the immediate aftermath but what happens next is what is most frightening: The complete depressurization of the cabin at an altitude of 60,000 feet has left the majority of passengers and crew brain-damaged except for the few that were in pressure-stable areas.

The hero of Mayday, passenger John Berry, is a salesman and "weekend" pilot that has only flown small planes. He is the only person aboard that is capable of attempting to land the plane. Assisted by Flight Attendant Sharon Crandall, the two must defy the odds in order to survive aboard Flight #52.

**SPOILER WARNING

John Berry's only hope to land the Stratton is to have an expert pilot give him explicit landing instructions. John and Sharon manage to contact the airline's headquarters in San Francisco by data-link, which is a computer-messaging system. The vice-president of the company, Edward Johnson, and the company's insurance agent, Wayne Metz, intercept the SOS messages and concoct a plan to derail the Stratton's return to San Francisco, knowing that the payout to the families of nearly 300 brain-damaged individuals will put the company into financial ruin. They want to see the Stratton crash into the ocean, killing all survivors.

The Navy's Commander Sloan, wanting to hide the evidence of their illegal test operation, wants F-18 Pilot Peter Matos to sink the Stratton with the second missile which the Commander wants launched directly into the cockpit.

Not only does John Berry have to contend with government conspiracies, the brain-damaged passengers are "waking-up" due to the drop in altitude and their behaviour is becoming increasingly more violent.

Faults notwithstanding, you cannot help but root for John Berry. At every turn, obstacles are thrown his way but he keeps a clear head for the most part and perseveres. DeMille has created a flawed hero, but that is what makes him so likeable. Berry isn't perfect, which makes him easy to relate to.

But that's not the best part...where DeMille really shines is in his antagonists: Edward Johnson, Wayne Metz, and Commander Sloan are truly despicable. I can't recall when I last read a book containing antagonists who were more loathsome and vile. They are truly contemptible with total disregard for human life. Bravo, DeMille! I loved to hate these villains!

This is also my first experience with Scott Brick as narrator. I thought Brick did a fabulous job, and the urgency in his voice had my shoulders tensed. Brick softened his voice for the female voices, and his reading made it easy to distinguish between characters.

Fans of airline disasters and conspiracy theories will love this novel! If you have high blood pressure, listening to this audiobook is probably not a good idea because the action is pulse-pounding! Likewise, you wouldn't want to listen to this book while you are flying or if you plan to fly at any point in the near future or if you already have a fear of flying!

In the beginning of the audiobook, I had a little difficulty focusing on the extremely detailed aviation lingo. I think my eyes glazed over a bit, and that's the only reason why I'm not giving this 5/5 stars.

MY RATING: 4.5 stars!! I loved it!! Thank you, Hachette Audio! ( )

I really enjoyed this story,passengers suffering from brain damage through lack of oxygen and all pilots dead! All I can say is if you are scared of flying then don't read this book! ( )

Pretty slow beginning to this book. The middle to close to the end was great! Excellent use of zombies that always work for me. I kind of knew if they were going to make it or not, but wasn't 100% sure so the suspense was pretty good. Very disappointed in the corny ending. Wish it would have had similar results, but the way it happened was pretty bad. So 3 for beginning + 5 for middle + 1 for end = 9. Nine divided by 3 gives it the three stars. ( )

Easy read with a few ethical overtones. very compelling and page turnable ( )

Great thriller read of a supersonic airplane disaster and the crazy attempts to both save the airplane and destroy it. A quick read and a good, page-turning read. Highly recommended. ( )

A supersonic airliner has an unfortunate meeting with a navy test missile at high altitude. The plane depressurizes, and only a few crew and passengers survive without suffering from lack of oxygen before the plane levels out at a lower altitude. Led by a weekend pilot, the few survivors bravely try to bring the plane home, but they have to battle not only the elements, a plane full of irrational brain-damaged passengers, and their own fears, but also those who would rather see the plane crash at sea. ( )

Thomas Bloch and Nelson Demille have updated their novel to a more modern setting. From the get go this novel is seat of the pants action. A secret naval experiment goes wrong and hits the plane, killing people and causing massive decompression aboard. The few passengers that didn't die in the blast or get brain effected from the decompression have to band together and survive. With everyone out to bring the plane down for good it is up to part time pilot Berry to steer the plane back to safety. Utterly fantastic and unbelievable and written by the master of the airplane disaster Thomas Bloch who penned Orbit and Forced Landing. ( )

3553. Mayday A Novel, by Nelson DeMille and Thomas Block (read 24 Sept 2000) This is a reworked edition of the book that came out in 1979, and I found it absorbing and compelling, and unlaydownable. I thought the ending could have been less hurried. ( )

Advanced reading copy fine