Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Book Review of Down to a Sunless Sea

Down to a Sunless Sea
Cattriona avatar reviewed on + 200 more book reviews


This was an interesting, believeable cold-war nuclear drama set in the 1980s. Nuclear war breaks out while a large "797" jet is midair on a cross-Atlantic flight, and the crew struggle to find a safe place to land and, potentially, save what remains of the human race. The main character, the plane's pilot, is a bit of a chauvinist pig, slapping flight attendants on the rear end by day and sleeping with them by night. There are a few "oh, that's convenient" plot elements which threaten the suspension of disbelief. Also, the story has 3 potential endings, depending on which edition of the book you have. My own copy (a 1986 printing from Fawcett Crest/Ballantine Books with 23 chapters) had the happier "Americanized" ending, which was more satisfying than some of the other options available. My understanding is that some editions end after chapter 21, and chapter 22. Recommended for fans of the post-apocalyptic genre.