This was my first Hammond Innes read, and I'm confident that it won't be my last.

The story seemed to start a little slow, but once the characters were facing the onslaught of an epic ocean storm I found myself unable to put down the book. The naval aspects of the tale were especially interesting, with enough seafaring jargon and tactics to make it authentic, but not enough to lose the interest of a landlubber like me.

Definitely recommended for those who like a ripping good yarn. ( )

On occasions, Atlantic Fury rises to the level of literature, going above and beyond mere adventure fiction. I think I can see why. Innes seems inspired by Conrad, here. As with many other adventure novelists, Innes has burrowed into the roots of the genre and into Lord Jim. This isn't the first time he's done so, nor will it be the last. I think Conrad's Jim constantly loomed over him as a point of inspiration. The protagonist/narrator, Donald Ross, explaining and at times participating in the story, like Conrad's Marlow. The morally and spiritually exhausted brother of Donald, Iain Ross, seeking out a new life, a new chance, and the desire to leave the world behind, like Jim, and the court martial. It's Conrad's storyline. And it works. Marvelous fiction.

Comparatively speaking, Atlantic Fury matches up well against Innes' most popular and perhaps greatest work, The Wreck of the Mary Deare. His description of the storm and rescue attempt in Atlantic Fury almost equals the thrills and suspense of the chase across the Minkies in Mary Deare. There is also a serious psychological study going on. Of two people, the two brothers, with Donald often serving as the analyst for his big brother, Iain.

This is another work that illustrates Innes at the height of his power as a novelist. His greatest work came during the Fifties and Sixties, with some lapping over into the Seventies. The intimate world of men clashing against each other alongside a backdrop of savage nature plays time and again. And it never becomes tiresome. ( )

4955. Atlantic Fury, by Hammond Innes (read 12 Sep 2012) The book is fiction but the island, Laerg, is similar to an island in the Outer Hebrides which was evacuated in 1930. (See the interesting article in Wikipedia entitled St Kilda https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Kilda,_Scotland.) The narrator learns his brother, supposedly dead long ago, has a different name and is in the British military and is involved in evacuating a defense facility from Laerg. The book is hugely concerned with the fierce October weather and builds to an exciting time in the carefully plotted story, which I came to appreciate more and more as I read it. Lots of technical weather and navigational language but well worh reading, with an ending I appreicated. ( )

Hammond Innes is known as a writer of adventure stories, and this book about a huge storm in the north Atlantic (near the Hebrides) is one of the best books I've read about a storm at sea. I have always been fascinated with books about the sea and the dangers that are there, so this book was wonderful for me. Innes also writes about an old mystery that has come back to haunt some of the people that are trying to make a landing to save people stranded on the island of Laerg. Hammond's descriptions of the Atlantic Ocean, the storm as it builds and the scenery on the island are wonderful, and the tension that builds with each page kept me turning pages. The meterological descriptions were also very interesting, since I have a fascination for extreme weather. I really enjoyed this book. ( )