The Swarm (Schätzing novel)
US cover.
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| Author | Frank Schätzing |
|---|---|
| Original title | Der Schwarm |
| Translator | Sally-Ann Spencer |
| Country | Germany |
| Language | German |
| Genre | Science Fiction |
| Publisher | Regan Books |
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Publication date
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2004 |
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Published in English
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2006 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 881 |
| ISBN | |
| OCLC | 68373551 |
| 833/.914 22 | |
| LC Class | PT2680.A79 S3813 2006 |
The Swarm (German: Der Schwarm) is a science fiction novel by German author Frank Schätzing. It was first published in Germany and Austria in 2004 and soon became a bestseller.
The book follows an ensemble of protagonists who are investigating what at first appear to be freak events related to the world's oceans. The book has several sub-plots and will occasionally follow minor unrelated characters to illustrate how events unfold around the globe.
Sigur Johanson, a Norwegian marine biologist working at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim is asked to analyze a new species of marine worms, superficially related to Hesiocaeca methanicola. After several expeditions it becomes clear that the worms, together with bacteria, are destabilizing the methane clathrate in the continental shelf. When the continental slope collapses the subterranean landslide causes a tsunami that hits most of the North Sea's coasts, killing millions and severely damaging the infrastructure in the coastal regions.
At the same time Leon Anawak, a marine scientist who investigates the behavior of whales and works for a whale watching company, makes startling observations in the whales' behavior. In addition, he is called to investigate an incident where whales and sea-borne mussels seemed to have attacked and incapacitated a commercial freighter.
When he returns to his whale watching job, he witnesses how humpback whales and orcas attack the watcher's boats. The whales work together to capsize the boats and then kill the people drifting in the water. A large number of tourists and close colleagues of Anawak are killed.
The events that are witnessed by the protagonists are only part of a worldwide phenomenon. Several other attacks are briefly described in the plot: Swimmers are driven from the coast by sharks and venomous jellyfish. Commercial ships are attacked and sometimes destroyed in a variety of ways. France sees an outbreak of an epidemic that is caused by lobsters contaminated with a highly lethal type of Pfiesteria.
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