They are twelve men who shouldn’t be alive. They have survived the sudden blinding sandstorm that crippled their air freighter; survived a desperate crash landing in the Sahara of Central Libya; survived to face the slow, dry, agonizing death of the desert, for no rescue plans will seek their unscheduled flight.
Twelve men with one hope: to build a new plane from the wreckage of their Skytruck and make a flight out of hell, two hundred miles to the nearest oasis.
Only one man could build such a plane: Stringer, the brilliant and obsessed engineer. Only one man could fly it: Towns, the arrogant and tormented pilot. Both had been aboard the Skytruck, but both are mortal enemies whose consuming hatred for each other is a danger greater than the desert itself.
This tale is so riveting it has inspired two major motion pictures—the unforgettable 1965 film starring Jimmy Stewart and the 2004 film starring Dennis Quaid.
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"A fun one to listen to. The reader for the audiobook was very good, and had a unique voice for each character, which added a lot. Not overdone - just right. The story is a good one, and with some nice complexity to the characters and interactions without being over-the-top." — Bruce (4 out of 5 stars)
"A fun one to listen to. The reader for the audiobook was very good, and had a unique voice for each character, which added a lot. Not overdone - just right. The story is a good one, and with some nice complexity to the characters and interactions without being over-the-top."
“Gardner reads equally well with and American or a British accent. His calm voice offers and interesting contrast to the stressful circumstances of the story.”
“Grover Gardner individualizes the guilt-ridden pilot; two British military men; the plane designer on whom survival depends but who is not what he seems; the dying German boy; and others. He almost humanizes the forces of nature seeking to destroy these men…This classic 1964 adventure tale has twice been made into film but is equally riveting—and more informative—in this superbly read audio. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award.”
" After reading this book I felt the original version of the film (the only one I've seen) was pretty faithful to the text. I rate both as 'worth your time' - not for the technological part, but for the study in psychology such an event (plane crash) presents. "
" Sunshine State Book 2010-2011. "
" Read the book hard copy several times. Excellent. Read the cassette copy with the British reader a couple of times. Very entertaining. Tried to read this copy with the American Grover Gardner reading aloud. Very disappointing. No wonder David from Birmingham, UK thought the film was better. Gardner is poorly cast to read this story. A Britisher should be reading this story. "
" Haven't seen the movie, but I really enjoyed the book. Page after page there is good suspense wondering if these men who survive a plane crash can escape the Sahara. Highly recommend this great book. "
" Loved this as a nipper "
" This was one of the many books my paternal grandmother had up in her Michigan cottage. At the time of its reading I thought it quite an exciting adventure--better, certainly, than its latest movie incarnation. "
" After having seen the 1965 film, the book was disappointing. One of the few instances where the film is better than the book! I've not seen the remake. "
" I really liked the book. Even knowing the ending, the story was a page turner. "
" One of the best books I ever read. "
" This is not my usual type of book. I probably would not have started it were it not for Thom’s recommendation. However, I really enjoyed it. The author has done a fantastic job of creating believable characters. I found myself rather sad for the old British soldier. "
" I remember seeing the movie it was very good. I grab the book just for fun. Really enjoyed. It keep my interested. Very glad I picked it up. "
Elleston Trevor (1920–1995), who also wrote under the pseudonym of Adam Hall, was born in London but lived with his family on the French Riviera for many years before moving to Arizona. He was awarded the Edgar Award for his book The Quiller Memorandum, but his best-known novel is The Flight of the Phoenix.
Grover Gardner (a.k.a. Tom Parker) is an award-winning narrator with over a thousand titles to his credit. Named one of the “Best Voices of the Century” and a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine, he has won three prestigious Audie Awards, was chosen Narrator of the Year for 2005 by Publishers Weekly, and has earned more than thirty Earphones Awards.
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