Translated from German by Sally-Ann Spencer
Paperback: 881 pages
Publisher: Hodder Paperbacks; New edition edition (22 Feb 2007)
ISBN-10: 0340895241
ISBN-13: 978-0340895245
Copy: Bought in bookshop
Reviewer: Cara
From the back of the book:
A novel of the deep
Something strange and terrible is happening deep in the oceans. Tides and currents are shifting, normally peaceful creatures are attacking, ships are sinking, fishermen drowning. The world ecology is in crisis... and this is just the beginning.
Led by the claret-loving Norwegian Sigur Johanson and the Inuit whale expert Leon Anawak, a motley group of scientists find themselves in a race against time to prevent a global cataclysm - and to head off those who want to exploit it in their own pursuit of power.
I read The Swarm in 2007, when it first came out in paperback in the UK. Recent events, such as the oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, the crisis in cod and tuna fish stocks and the acidification of the oceans led me to revisit this book as I considered it purely speculative fiction three years ago. Now I am not so sure... are we killing the oceans? And will the planet fight back? One thing is for sure, The Swarm is a warning to us all to protect our precious ocean resources.
The Swarm opens with a series of seemingly random events… fishermen going missing off the coast of Peru, whales attacking tourist boats off Vancouver Island, vast colonies of tubeworms accumulating around methane hydrate deposits in the North Sea, zebra mussel swarms appearing on the underside of a large tanker rendering the rudder and propellers useless… the only common factor being they are ocean-related. Something unusual is happening around the world and scientists are beginning to sound warnings. A task force is set up to study the phenomena and the possible causes, under the auspices of the US Government (of course!) and then the disasters start happening.
To cut a (very) long story short, the ocean is fighting back against human encroachment. Pollution, overfishing, oil drilling, noise from ships and submarines are disrupting the delicate balance of the marine ecosystems, but there is more life in the ocean than human science is aware of. A sentient being, the Yrr, is behind the phenomena, but how do humans communicate with such an alien lifeform?
While the plot is strong, the execution is a disappointment. I felt that Frank Schätzing wrote The Swarm with one eye firmly on possible film rights, as there were several references to characters looking like well known movie actors, Jodie Foster being one example. The characters were well drawn and sympathetic and references to film stars undermined their credibility in my opinion. In addition, giving the US Government a controlling role in the research aspect of the plot seemed strange to me, given the author is European, so the idea of the US as the only nation able to co-ordinate such a project jarred with me somewhat.
Although very well researched, too much of the book was taken up with complex and detailed scientific explanations when a brief summary would have sufficed. This happened frequently and served more as a distraction, losing the plot amidst a mire of degree-level marine biological information. At a guess, many readers gave up on the book because of this unnecessary information, something that should have been prevented by a more thorough editing process. Factual information in context is usually good, but there was just too much extraneous detail.
To be fair, I enjoyed The Swarm and have recommended it to friends who I know have an interest in marine science and the ecology of the oceans. Despite the faults mentioned above, it is an enjoyable read and a solid thriller, but only if you have the time and patience to read all 881 pages.
Plot: 7
Characters: 6
Style: 5
Rating 6/10
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