The Perfect Storm

Sebastian Junger

Average Rating 5/10 (1 Review)

In meterological jargon, a 'perfect' storm is one of undisputed ferocity and duration - a description that fits the so-called Halloween Gale of 1991, once-in-a-hundred-years event. This story is of those - the fishermen, cargo crew, leisure sailors and rescuers - caught in the middle of the awesome natural power of the ocean in a rare fury.

'Junger moves seamlessly between the wrenching human dramas and the awesome details of the storm. The Perfect Storm is terrifying, sad, exhilarating, humbling and unforgettable.'

'Junger has found a language to match the stature of the sea at its worst, and so capture its mysteries... It's a chilling account that registers 12 on the Beaufort Scale.'

'Cuts every facet of raw material to flashing brilliance... It amounts to a Homeric epic in its control of overwhelming natural forces and the grim demands they make of human life and effort.'

'Sometimes a story comes along that's almost too good to be believable. The Perfect Storm may read like a novel but it isn't one. It's chillingly true... more fabulous than fiction, it will become a classic for a jaded modern world.'

'Masterly, an essay in fear... He writes like a poet who has benn to meterology school.'

Review by Crystal (301200) Rating (5/10)

Review by Crystal
Rating 5/10
This is Sebastian Jungers first book and I bought it when it was on offer and the film was about to come out.

It involves many boats that were affected by the storm in 1991. The writing style is unusual, because it is a non-fictional book written in a fictional way.

It took me quite a while to read this because it goes into detail about how to be a good swordfisherman, including all the equipment they have on board to make the boat safe, how to contact the main land and how to survive rough seas.

The main body of the book is good, but you know it all happened in real life and who survives, because the author quotes what they said to him.

I haven’t seen the film yet, but I think it will be very different from the book, and hopefully better.
Crystal (30th December 2000)