The Shipkiller

A Novel

By: Justin Scott

Narrated by: Marc Vietor

Length: 13 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's summary

Before he was anointed to carry on the legacy of Robert Ludlum's Janson Command series, and before he collaborated with Clive Cussler on the fan favorite Isaac Bell series, Justin Scott created this suspenseful adventure tale, a novel of love and revenge set on the high seas. Written in 1978, this is considered by many to be one of the best maritime thrillers of all time. As an expert in the world of ships and sailing, Justin Scott creates an authentic maritime world, making The Shipkiller all the more thrilling because it could be a true story. Audible favorite Marc Vietor brings this suspenseful adventure tale to vivid life with his exciting and well-paced narration.

©1978 Justin Scott (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

“A stunner. Absolutely riveting. A marvelously taut, brilliantly told story of revenge, and the sea, and the dark forces than can shape the human condition.” (Robert Ludlum)

Entertaining

Where does The Shipkiller rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I give it a C +

What other book might you compare The Shipkiller to and why?

A little like some of Clive Cussler' works, but without the fantasy factor.

What three words best describe Marc Vietor’s voice?

Scratchy, accented and ok.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Not really. It did make you wanting to "turn the page" at the conclusion of a capter. Many of the endings of a chapter were cliff hangers.

not my cup of tea

If I had any knowledge of boating, or boat parts or how sailing works, I might have enjoyed this book. There is a plethora of exquisitely detailed descriptions of boats, and the demanding business of sailing and outfitting them. But since I do not, long parts of it were totally un-engaging. This book is written by someone who seriously knows their boating, or researched it to the point of insanity. Unfortunately, it is written as though every reader has the same depth of knowledge, with no even minimally helpful explanations. There is one passage, about a monster ship navigating a narrow seaway, that could have been moderately gripping, but was not because of the technical language. I buy these books to help me stay awake on long drives, not to be put to sleep =)

I didn't care for it much even past the technical language. The main character is strangely unsympathetic, esp considering what he has been through. A couple of the side characters become interesting, but are soon left behind. The circumstances are all just a little too pat, and a couple twists are so bizarre and out of left field, i had trouble wrapping my brain around them.

so, to summarize: if you really like sailing and boats, then go for it. if not, perhaps skip.

Wonderful Adventure

I couldn't stop reading. For someone who'd spent considerable time at sea in a small boat it brought back lots of recollections of encounters with bad weather and big ships. The story is very gripping, to the point where I was awake most of two nights reading it.

Good book!

Loved it! Very exciting description of sailing a yacht. The master of the oil tanker was a proper villain.

Couldn't get past all the sailing jargon

Knowing nothing about sailing, the nautical jargon in this book was just too much for me in spite of very good writing. I can imagine that a sailor would find the book fascinating, but I bailed out halfway through and skipped to the last chapter.

This book went on, and on, and on.

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

Somebody really into sailing. I mean really, really into sailing.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Don't know.

What aspect of Marc Vietor’s performance would you have changed?

Don't know.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

Not really

Any additional comments?

This book needs some serious editing. The hero gets out of one mess after another. I got to point where I said "enough already."

Contrived Story

Would you try another book from Justin Scott and/or Marc Vietor?

Maybe

Has The Shipkiller turned you off from other books in this genre?

No

Which character – as performed by Marc Vietor – was your favorite?

Oglevee

Any additional comments?

For those interested in nautical procedures and sailing, this might be a book for you. But the story is a contrived one mearly a venue to talk about sailing details.

Goes on and on and on and on and...

What would have made The Shipkiller better?

Ability to write plot

What do you think your next listen will be?

"Velocity"

What didn’t you like about Marc Vietor’s performance?

The reader was fine, but the book just stank.

What character would you cut from The Shipkiller?

the company captain, or even better the main character

Any additional comments?

I am fairly easy to please. For those who choose to listen to this book, it has 4 logical endings, yet theplot resets to zero and another tedious voyage is described, rignt down to the screws that hold the cleats. Note that the book was written in 1978 and is just now revived as an audiobook.Even though the book grinds on forever, it has clearly been edited with an axe. The main character, in his sailboat, hops from one place to another with no continuity. The author is a decent wordsmith, but this epic might have survived if cut by half. Anticlimactic ending.

Not what I expected

I shouldn't pan a book just because it wasn't what I thought it was but once I realized what it was (a novel not a fantasy) I listen on bravely but couldn't get into it.

Disappointing

What disappointed you about The Shipkiller?

Not much of a story.

Would you ever listen to anything by Justin Scott again?

not sure

Have you listened to any of Marc Vietor’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

never listened to this narrator before, but he was very good.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The Shipkiller?

the ending was ridiculous. I would re-write the ending.