The Swarm: A Novel
by Frank Schatzing
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Book Summary Information
Author: Frank SchatzingEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Published)
Format: Bargain Price
Published: 2006-06-01
ISBN: N/A
Number of pages: 896
Publisher: Regan Books
Book Reviews of The Swarm: A Novel
Book Review: An intriguing, scary book
Summary: 4 Stars
I read the Swarm when it was first released to American audiences in 2006. To this day it remains one of the scariest and best oceanic science fiction novels I have ever read. Frank Schatzing instantly made it to my list of preferred authors, and though I've yet to read his other works they are sitting on my shelf, recently purchased from Amazon.
The Swarm starts off with a small incident in Southern Pacific waters, and only escalates from there. Horrific events caused directly by sea creatures begin to occur all over the world, with normally docile Humpback whales going berserk and attacking boats in Canada, sea life destroying oil rigs and drilling equipment, and shellfish developing incredibly deadly toxins. Most, if not all events have dire consequences for thousands of people, and it is up to a select few individuals, personally selected by an international committee, to find out the cause.
Most U.S. readers will notice right away that this is not an American book. The majority of the cast is European, hailing from Norway if I remember correctly (keep in mind its been roughly 2 years since i read this). The characters are interesting and bright, each having his or her own distinct personality quirks. Schatzing easily manages more than a dozen characters without confusion or inconsistent breaks in the story, leading to a fluid reading experience. At a whopping 900 pages, Schatzing has plenty of time to draw you in and wrap you around the characters so that you get a true feeling of loss if and when any of them perish.
Being that you're looking at 900 pages, it is one heck of a wordy book. For me, that's great. For others, I have seen numerous complaints about the book being "too scientific". That's easily one of the most impressive parts of the book. As I read the Swarm, I got a general sense that Schatzing is not only a brilliant writer, but that he also did tremendous amounts of research. One of the books' most horrific events involving the North Sea Continental Shelf would make little sense had Schatzing not gone into so much scientific explanation. Not only did Schatzing's scientific research shine, but his geographical knowledge was impressive. One particular event that happens on Long Island practically occurs in my own backyard. Though not one-hundred percent accurate, his knowledge of Southern Long Island geography was impressive.
On the opposite end, while certain readers felt there was "too much science", I started getting nauseated by the politics. Don't get me wrong, as this book has the perfect setting for political intrigue. I just felt that certain aspects were laid on a bit too thick, which is where another criticism comes into play. While the book delivers a compelling story and frightening encounters in the first half, by the second half of the book, it seems that the whole story dissolves into fiercely anti-U.S. commentary.
While I'm not going to stand up and say "We are America and we are the greatest", I did feel a tad insulted during the second half, if only because every conceivable stereotype is shoved in your face numerous times, and Schatzing not-so-subtley modeled the government after the G.W. Bush administration. The equivalent of Condoleeza Rice played a major part as the President's most trusted right hand, except she was an Asian woman as opposed to African American. At some points, I honestly forgot I was reading The Swarm and thought that I was reading the Holy Bible, since the never named President broke out into so much biblical verse, prayer and scripture that it was utterly mind-boggling.
Other stereotypical events included American soldiers cowering in fear the moment a problem arose and turning on each other instead of facing the threat, "Evil" America stepping in to the world situation with aims to control the world, utter stupidity and laziness shown by all Americans caught in the situation, fat cigar chomping military and CIA big wigs with no regard for human life, and other such things. Like the average American, I'm not blind to the seemingly endless problems that plague the country, but I feel Schatzing's perception of Americans was formed primarily on typical European prejudice. If it is true that writers often display narcissism or shades of themselves in their characters, then Schatzing makes his personal feelings abundantly clear throughout the novel...almost every character goes into an internal monologue at some point that covers how much they despise Americans.
That major gripe aside, I felt the book was a great thriller. The frightening wonders of the deep sea never cease to chill you to the bone, and the endless questions that pop up regarding the intelligence at the ocean floor, and what the reason is behind the madness, will keep you turning those pages. I will admit that other reviewer gripes about the book being too wordy at some parts are partially accurate...books are nothing but words of course, but several parts of the book involve dozens upon dozens of pages devoted to people sitting around a table and talking. What that tells me is that Schatzing put in a ton of research, and worked very hard to develop a compelling story.
If you want some serious beach terror and want a good, solid book to keep you going a long time, I recommend the Swarm. Though it seems he's a tad anti-American, don't let it sway you from a great book. Swallow your pride (if you have any) and just take it for what it is: a well-researched, frightening look at what might happen if nature strikes back against humanity.
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