Survival

I wish to express my gratitude to NetGalley and Troubador Publishing UK for the compelling adventure 'Survival' by David Fletcher. This was a pulse-pounding, thrilling, character-driven book that vividly described its dazzling environment. It combined suspense, terror, humour, and information in one well-written and researched book. I was pleased how vividly the author accurately depicted the environmental beauty, the variety of mammals and birds and enriched the story with historical facts. An underlying theme is the destruction that humanity has wrought upon our environment and with the endangerment and extinction of other forms of life. By googling pictures of the sites, readers can add to their enjoyment.

The MS Sea Sprite is carrying approximately 90 wildlife enthusiasts on an Antarctic expedition. These passengers are predominately elderly but in great physical shape. I made a similar voyage about 25 years ago, but without the luxury and amenities, and the passengers ranged from the young and active to the old and feeble.

Alex and Debbie are an elderly couple anxious to view the scenic beauty and explore the Antarctic bird and mammal life. Alex chooses his dinner companions carefully, ensuring their meals are with compatible, like-minded companions. There is much thought-provoking banter between Alex and his two elderly male table guests, a 'know-it-all' and a 'walking encyclopedia.' Their conversations are wickedly appalling and amusing, most never politically correct.

Meanwhile, a British intelligence officer, Stuart, is monitoring news reports at his recent post at the military base in the Falkland Islands. He is very bored and had been hoping for an exciting transfer to the Far East or the Caribbean, but instead ended up in this desolate part of the world. The news is always the same; trouble in the Middle East, hostilities in Syria, sabre-rattling by Putin, and absurd tweets by Trump. Something new is added. There is a flu in China which authorities say is under control. Then following skirmishes along the borders, nothing further is heard from China. It seems to have been obliterated from the world. Wild rumours and speculation are everywhere.

As Stuart grows increasingly alarmed, he and a female worker steal a Top Secret document from the military base. They learn of the calamity facing the world's people, and whatever started in China is rapidly spreading, causing death in its path. The desert by stealing a yacht from the base and head south into turbulent waters. Their vessel is wrecked, and those on the Sea Sprite rescue them. Once onboard, they inform the captain of the horror they have learned. The captain decides to head towards the Antarctic Peninsula for safety and sanctuary. They encounter hostility and danger from a few others along the way. Can they hope to escape and survive the plague, or are they all doomed?
I have posted my review on Goodreads and Amazon. Highly recommended!

I could not stand the arrogant 2 main characters , although having been on cruises I can believe they are based on real people ,their perceived superiority was palpable,
The author writes wonderfully re the animals/ birdlife they see and the natural environment and the actual descriptions of the ship and ship life are spot on ,there is drama,tension and excitement in the story and overall it is a well written story that although topical/current may be a bit too current for some
The research and effort gone into the book is applaudable

When you plan a luxury nature cruise to Antartica, survival is not the first thing on your mind. This is a dream trip for Alex and Debbie who have spent most of their retirement traveling the world on similar cruises. But this one will be very different. The first few days are uneventful. Alex and Debbie become friends with other passengers, take a few planned trips to the Falkland Islands and listen to lectures on history, plants and sea life. Then sporadic news bulletins begin to filter in. There is a virus, probably from China, that is causing near instant death. No one is immune. They listen in horror as it spreads quickly from country to country. What can they do to survive? And will they?

Survival, a character driven thriller, is well plotted and simply terrifying because it is so real. I especially enjoyed the lectures and information shared by different characters. Did you know that starlings were introduced to Central Park by Shakespeare enthusiasts? Which two countries have an albatross on their flags? Or the differences between the Gentoo and Macaroni penguins? These facts are interspersed thoroughout Survival so your pulse can return to normal. The only criticism I have is that Alex and friends are overly pompous know-it-alls. It’s hard to identify with a lead character with his personality. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Troubador Publishing and David Fletcher for this ARC.

The book strikes a chord that makes it very believable. Interesting book about what could happen. I enjoyed the book.

Sea Voyage Goes Awry…
A sea voyage to the Antarctic goes badly awry for those on MS Sea Sprite for whom survival had been the furthest thing from their minds on embarking. The main protagonists, Alex and Debbie, are hard to like but certainly are appreciative of the nature that surrounds them. With vivid and often beautiful description, a very readable and engaging suspense which keeps the readers interest throughout.

The author states it was written before the pandemic. Although the disease is not quite the same, its effects are equally earth-shattering and world changing as Coronavirus. I was attracted to the novel because the setting is Antarctica - and the descriptions evoke its rugged beauty and isolation. But this is not a cruise I would wish to undertake; and definitely not with the main protagonists. Events happen in China which closes itself down but not before something crosses the borders. An interesting, but very unsettling novel.

With thanks to NetGalley and Matador for an ARC.

I'll admit this book took me a while to read. At times I got so lost in the beauty that the author described with absolute honesty. The descriptions were such that if you close your eyes you could actually be there. He also includes a lot of historical facts which I'll admit are kind of amazing.

The down side unfortunately is the characters. Alex and Debbie are retired and travelling the world. They come across as arrogant no it alls. Always having opinions about other people, often wrongly. They are the kind of people who I would go out of my way to avoid. There superiority complex astounded me just in the first few pages on how they dismissed people with nothing more than a look. They also came across as self absorbed.

Even in survival mode they were superior or so they thought. I'll admit they put a downer on the book. I know this sounds cold but I wouldn't have been upset if they caught the virus.

But as I mentioned earlier the scenery, the animals and everything in nature was absolutly fabulous. That is why I gave the book four stars. If it were just on the characters they would get minus one.

Enjoy! I hope!

The author combines high tension with precise details of the fragile complexities of nature and ecology and an evocative tour of the Falklands, South Georgia and the Antarctic, all described in glorious technicolor prose.
The elderly passengers on the Sea Sprite have very outspoken views and offer a clear indictment of mankind.
The writing is powerful and mesmerizing and the threat to the human race as unsettling as John Wyndham's The Day Of The Triffids, tinged perhaps a little by The Island Of Doctor Moreau by H.G. Wells.
Despite all the horrors this is a painfully beautiful story and the ending took my breath away.

This was an incredibly intense book—at times, hard to read especially given world events at the moment. I thought it was an interesting book although quite depressing and heartbreaking at times.

I really enjoyed this book -- not only did it fulfill my love for all things Antarctica and bring the visuals to live so incredibly vividly, but it also served my desire to read about things that are absolutely terrifying and yet very much realistic. Living through a very real pandemic, gave truly a new insight to reading this book which I feel like most of us would not have related to had this been on the other side of 2020.

Even if you don't end up loving it, I believe it is a book worth picking up.

Alex and Debbie’s first voyage to the Antarctic looked to be plain sailing in every sense. The sea and the weather were both perfect for their passage to the Falklands and then South Georgia, and the forecast for their onward journey looked equally benign.

Then the news began to trickle through that something was amiss in China. Soon the news was much worse. On the other side of the world a calamity was overtaking the human race and whatever had started in China was now rapidly racing across the whole of Asia, scything down millions in its path.

There seemed to be nothing to stop it. It seemed impossible that the virus would not eventually arrive on the MS Sea Sprite. Was there anything they could do to avoid their dismal fate? Was there anywhere they could hide from the inevitable onslaught? Could they survive? Or would they simply be amongst the very last to succumb?’
Gripping

*Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and David Fletcher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

Review previously published at https://www.mysteryandsuspense.com/survival/

Alex and Debbie are an elderly couple, seemingly without children, that are taking the trip of a lifetime through Antarctica. They are excited to view the various islands and look at the Antarctic birds and mammal life. Neither are likable characters.

They observe at once that there are no fat people on this cruise and that is very acceptable to them. They choose their dining companions based on how smart they are and who can have an intelligent conversation, not open to the idea that all people have something to offer. Alex’s dinner companions believe that China is the “downfall of civilization.” While most of their conversations are thought provoking, there are many that are appalling, so we should know that this is not a politically correct book.

Stuart, a British intelligence officer, is stationed at a military base in the Falkland Islands. He is monitoring news reports every day and has been hoping for a transfer to the Caribbean, where it might be more exciting. But then he hears about an illness in China that is killing people almost instantly. But the news gets even more curious when it seems it has obliterated China from the Earth, completely wiped out. When his friend Gill presents him with an encrypted document that details the seriousness of the virus, they decide to abandon the Falkland Islands and set out on their own for survival. After a severe storm in the Antarctic, they are picked up by the cruise ship and taken in as deserters. Once onboard, they inform Captain Jose of what they have learned. The captain decides that instead of heading back to Port, they will head towards Antarctica for safety, and raid empty stations along the way. They encounter hostility and danger from a few others along the way, including one where they encounter the deadly spores that are killing off the world.

An interesting fact about this book was that it was that the author actually wrote this before Covid, so there was no inclination that this would become a reality for a lot of cruise ships, stuck on board for months. Survival offers vivid descriptions of local wildlife; birds, seals, penguins. In fact, the only pleasant quality of our two protagonists, Alex and Debbie, is how much they loved the wildlife. It was increasingly difficult to care about them as their bigotry, fat-shaming and sense of superiority became clearer. My one wish for this book is that the author had made more likable characters so we could root for them. Clearly, David Fletcher has written an engaging novel about a virus that cycles out of control and changes the world, made even more enticing knowing that he did not know it would become reality.