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Code Red #1
Flash Flood
Ben's on a trip to London to meet his mum. But an accident at the Thames Barrier, combined with a tidal surge and a dramatic thunderstorm - and suddenly his trip turns into something totally different as the Barrier is breached and London is flooded. With streets underwater, communications down, rats pouring up out of the sewers and thousands of people in a state of panic, survival becomes a key issue. But as Ben tries to get across London to meet his mother, little does he know that two terrorists have a similar rendezvous . . .
311 pages, Paperback
First published July 6, 2006
48 people are currently reading
392 people want to read
About the author
Chris Ryan
327Ìýbooks991ÌýfollowersColin Armstrong (b. 1961), usually known by the pen-name Chris Ryan, is a British author, television presenter, security consultant and former Special Air Service sergeant.
After the publication of fellow patrol member Andy McNab's Bravo Two Zero in 1993, Ryan published his own account of his experiences during the Bravo Two Zero mission in 1995, entitled The One That Got Away. Since retiring from the British Army Ryan has published several fiction and non-fiction books, including Strike Back, which was subsequently adapted into a television series for Sky 1, and co-created the ITV action series Ultimate Force. He has also presented or appeared in numerous television documentaries connected to the military or law enforcement.
After the publication of fellow patrol member Andy McNab's Bravo Two Zero in 1993, Ryan published his own account of his experiences during the Bravo Two Zero mission in 1995, entitled The One That Got Away. Since retiring from the British Army Ryan has published several fiction and non-fiction books, including Strike Back, which was subsequently adapted into a television series for Sky 1, and co-created the ITV action series Ultimate Force. He has also presented or appeared in numerous television documentaries connected to the military or law enforcement.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
August 25, 2016
This was awesome! I didn't really have any expectations going in, but coming out, just woah! Definitely a book I would've loved when I was younger! Full of action, just awesome. Lots of different POVs, looking at the way character's paths cross, the results of some people's actions on others, different people's opinions on the same event, things like that. If I was Dan, I'd be disgusted having I'd be freaking out! But I'm pleased that And I'm surprised that I'm reading the second book already and I'm halfway through. Just as good! I'm excited to read this series.
January 13, 2020
It’s a action story really good if your into fast pace story’s . Good characters very interesting back story’s. There are 6 books in this trilogy this was the first. It was a very interesting book . I’m now reading book two “wild fire � as the last one was so good . At times it would be a sad story but Ben the main character would always overcome them. In my opinion I think the ending was good but maybe to others it might be boring. I think year 8 and up because I don’t think year 7s would find it interesting. It can be for both boys and girls it seems to be more aimed at boys but i think both would find it entertaining.
November 30, 2022
It started so well. Horrendous weather, a catastrophic shipping disaster and an almighty flood devastating London. This is going to be good. Then it got silly. 13 year old Ben surviving a whole series of events that beggar belief and just when you thought it couldn't get sillier......... The Tiger Shark. The Tiger Shark that has managed to get out of the Aquarium to happily swim about in a highly polluted flooded river Thames in the streets of London! Oh dear!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 4, 2024
2 stars.
I didn’t have high expectations for this book, which was good. I read it in a day, but it was so unrealistic - A FREAKING SHARK JUST RANDOMLY APPEARED OUT OF NO WHERE. The plot is literally just a 13 year old boy trying to survive a flash flood - SO SCARY - and about 2 criminals who escaped prison during this incident. The writing was, um, I don’t really know how to feel. It could have been a bit more descriptive, but I guess it’s alright. But, I did skim through, so maybe I should have read it a bit more thoroughly, but whatever.
Anyway, this book didn’t really entertain me, and I found it� strange. I DON’T KNOW ANOTHER WORD FOR IT.
Ok, GOODBYE
I didn’t have high expectations for this book, which was good. I read it in a day, but it was so unrealistic - A FREAKING SHARK JUST RANDOMLY APPEARED OUT OF NO WHERE. The plot is literally just a 13 year old boy trying to survive a flash flood - SO SCARY - and about 2 criminals who escaped prison during this incident. The writing was, um, I don’t really know how to feel. It could have been a bit more descriptive, but I guess it’s alright. But, I did skim through, so maybe I should have read it a bit more thoroughly, but whatever.
Anyway, this book didn’t really entertain me, and I found it� strange. I DON’T KNOW ANOTHER WORD FOR IT.
Ok, GOODBYE
March 23, 2019
Would "gritty kids' story" about sum it up?
Ben gets stuck in London when the whole place floods. There's the baseline horror of that sort of event (have you seen "The Impossible"?), but there is some extra drama thrown in for kicks.
Not my favourite of this genre, but it does kind of hammer home some of the possibilities for those of us who have not experienced a disaster of that scale.
Ben gets stuck in London when the whole place floods. There's the baseline horror of that sort of event (have you seen "The Impossible"?), but there is some extra drama thrown in for kicks.
Not my favourite of this genre, but it does kind of hammer home some of the possibilities for those of us who have not experienced a disaster of that scale.
April 7, 2024
I didn't enjoy this as much as I did Chris' other books.
It was a quick read and entertaining enough but I felt that Ben, as a character, didn't have much depth to him.
The plot in theory was good but how it was written felt a bit anticlimactic.
Overall, a good read though and I will read the rest of the series.
It was a quick read and entertaining enough but I felt that Ben, as a character, didn't have much depth to him.
The plot in theory was good but how it was written felt a bit anticlimactic.
Overall, a good read though and I will read the rest of the series.
March 13, 2025
2.5 stars // why make the mc a child if they are not going to behave like one? also the lack of people in the novel was strange. yes there is an emergency and so many people died but how do you barely run into any other survivors in the safe-ish zones, and those you run into you all happen to know? In London?
December 21, 2018
Reads great on a plane, but is very thin plot wise.
January 31, 2023
story
This book has been the worst book I’ve read out of a list of almost 300.
No beginning no middle and no end
This book has been the worst book I’ve read out of a list of almost 300.
No beginning no middle and no end
July 10, 2023
Disappointing considering I’ve loved everything else I’ve read of his. This seemed more like a novella to me and didn’t really get anywhere
Edit - I just realised these are kids� books! 😆
Edit - I just realised these are kids� books! 😆
October 21, 2024
3.5 stars.
May 24, 2025
read as a child - approx '09-'12
April 11, 2016
Rewritten Version:
So I read this book because my boyfriend recommended it to me and it is a book that he finished. Therefore I felt like I had to read it as he doesn't particularly enjoy reading but this kept him going with it.
I like that the chapters were short. If you have read any of my reviews then you will know that I am a sucker for short chapters. They ranged from 7-11 pages each which is great if you like to read a chapter before bed but it also can encourage you to read another chapter which turns into the whole book before you know it. I see this as a good motivator for me to carry on reading.
The reason why this book only got 4/5 stars is because I did not connect to any of the characters. I didn't favour or particularly like any of them. This may be because there were so many and the chapters kept flitting between them all, this also made the story more confusing for me because I would forget about who someone was or where we had left them so I had to try to remember everyone's stories.
The writing style did make me think I was back in an English lesson reading a book as it felt fairly childlike, but this did make it simpler and easier to read. However, when I think a bit more about this book I realise that the main character is young so he wouldn't be writing in a more mature style, especially about a traumatic event like a flood. Therefore I feel that this added to the story, looking back on it.
I also DID NOT like the end. The reunion didn't happen which is what I was holding on for.
All in all I would recommend this book if you want a quick read if you're bored one night.
So I read this book because my boyfriend recommended it to me and it is a book that he finished. Therefore I felt like I had to read it as he doesn't particularly enjoy reading but this kept him going with it.
I like that the chapters were short. If you have read any of my reviews then you will know that I am a sucker for short chapters. They ranged from 7-11 pages each which is great if you like to read a chapter before bed but it also can encourage you to read another chapter which turns into the whole book before you know it. I see this as a good motivator for me to carry on reading.
The reason why this book only got 4/5 stars is because I did not connect to any of the characters. I didn't favour or particularly like any of them. This may be because there were so many and the chapters kept flitting between them all, this also made the story more confusing for me because I would forget about who someone was or where we had left them so I had to try to remember everyone's stories.
The writing style did make me think I was back in an English lesson reading a book as it felt fairly childlike, but this did make it simpler and easier to read. However, when I think a bit more about this book I realise that the main character is young so he wouldn't be writing in a more mature style, especially about a traumatic event like a flood. Therefore I feel that this added to the story, looking back on it.
I also DID NOT like the end. The reunion didn't happen which is what I was holding on for.
All in all I would recommend this book if you want a quick read if you're bored one night.
March 5, 2014
As with the 'Alpha Force' series, the 'Code Red' books are written for the younger reader. As an adult, I have found all Chris Ryan's books to be very worthwhile, including these. 'Flash Flood' is the first in this series (published 2006), and this time the story is non-military, with thirteen-year-old Ben being our hero, as London is suddenly flooded when a ship crashes into the Thames Barrier, allowing for a tidal surge with devastating consequences. Ben suffers all manner of life threatening problems in his adventures during an unforgettable day. The death and destruction, along with related criminal activity and other problems, provide the reader with non-stop entertainment as Ben tries to meet up with his mother. It is ironic that Britain has been suffering the worst floods on record, since 5th December 2013, and that as I read this book (late February to 5th March 2014), the remaining floods, covering thousands of acres, are still being reported on the news every day. It will be months before some finally subside. I am sure that for many people who lost everything when their homes and businesses were flooded, that this book is the last thing they would want to read. However, for me, it made the whole plot more than a realistic possibility. Who knows what the future will hold for us?
June 16, 2012
This book was about Bel in London, England speaking to government officials about global warming and the environment, Ben is being delayed on the train to London because of rain, the Prime Minister of Canada asks to meet Bel while a ship crashes into the Thames barrier and London begins to flood. Ben is told to go to Charing Cross station right before the flood begins,winds up in a raft, Ben falls off the raft and almost ends up dying trying to get to Charing Cross Station (the revised rendez-vous) but a stranger saves him and they get picked up by evacuation forces. Bel is being evacuated and is caught along the chaos with government officials and tells them that all of this happened because of global warming, and rides in the heli being used to meet the Prime Minister and gets accounted for after.
I picked this book up because I read another of Chris Ryan's books, that one was OK. I also picked this up because I saw this book first but thought that the other one I read was the first one.
I finished this book because I didn't have any other books to read and because I like to finish reading what I started to read even though the book may be badly written.
I think people who like books/series with climates and/or adventure would like this book because the book covers mostly rain, but flooded areas, dry, dirty, rat infested sewers and the Metro station.
I picked this book up because I read another of Chris Ryan's books, that one was OK. I also picked this up because I saw this book first but thought that the other one I read was the first one.
I finished this book because I didn't have any other books to read and because I like to finish reading what I started to read even though the book may be badly written.
I think people who like books/series with climates and/or adventure would like this book because the book covers mostly rain, but flooded areas, dry, dirty, rat infested sewers and the Metro station.
July 10, 2016
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was on my reading list for school so I decided to pick it up and I'm so glad I have. The book was filled with unexpected twists and turns along the way which made it such an exciting read. I could not put this book down, it was amazing! Although, since there were so many characters introduced throughout the book I was unable to properly connect to most of the characters and at first I found it rather confusing when suddenly it switched to a different character throughout chapters. otherwise, it was a fantastic book. One thing that I loved about this book was how each character's story fitted in with other characters, I found it rather satisfying to see everything tying together at the end. The chapters were fairly short which I find makes me want to read more and faster. I loved the writing styles in this book and would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves some action as well as unexpected events.
October 19, 2011
Typical Chris Ryan fare. Action, adventure, survival, overcoming odds, predictable characters, but a jolly good story somewhere in there. Aimed at teens/young adult. Ben finds himself in London visiting his mother on the day that disaster strikes. The story follows Ben as he tries to survive the floods and the darker side of human behaviour to reunite with his mother. The additional twist is a good one, and is a great introduction to young people to the action/adventure/thriller genre. As a jaded oldster, I still found it entertaining and fairly compelling. The characters are rather obvious, and indeed many are stereotypes that never once challenge you to see beyond the public face. Still, a good read when you want a quick book. Glad I left this hanging around the house, and might even give it a second read in a couple of years.
September 22, 2012
This book counts as two
Flash Flood is an exiting book that takes you threw the life of a boy stuck in the middle of London, after the Themes Dame brakes.
This is a great book about a boy who has to try and survive in devastating conditions. He is stuck in danger situation, were he has to use all his skills to get out alive. Along the journey he makes new friends and enemies all in the quest to be reunited with his loved ones.
This was a fun book that didn’t take too much thinking but still drew you into the plot, and the characters life.
Flash Flood is an exiting book that takes you threw the life of a boy stuck in the middle of London, after the Themes Dame brakes.
This is a great book about a boy who has to try and survive in devastating conditions. He is stuck in danger situation, were he has to use all his skills to get out alive. Along the journey he makes new friends and enemies all in the quest to be reunited with his loved ones.
This was a fun book that didn’t take too much thinking but still drew you into the plot, and the characters life.
April 24, 2012
Ok, this was an okay book but the reasons I did not like it was
a) I felt the character didn't have much depth
b) other than CODE RED it didn't really seem to have a plot
c) It didn't have what I wanted in this book.
Of course I will read the rest of the series but I felt it should have been more intense, dramatic, panic. I felt it was more panic but then also relaxed and *It's okay we will be saved*
Though it was a quick and enjoyable read.
I would be glad to read the rest.
a) I felt the character didn't have much depth
b) other than CODE RED it didn't really seem to have a plot
c) It didn't have what I wanted in this book.
Of course I will read the rest of the series but I felt it should have been more intense, dramatic, panic. I felt it was more panic but then also relaxed and *It's okay we will be saved*
Though it was a quick and enjoyable read.
I would be glad to read the rest.
May 27, 2011
It's a short, quite enjoyable novel about climate change and what could happen from it. this time, it's about flood, but also some people who is trying to take advantage from it.
while the main character is quite fine, supporting character, or even the antagonist is weak, with a lot of illogical character and weak sub-plot.
overall, interesting premises, good story, but not that memorable
while the main character is quite fine, supporting character, or even the antagonist is weak, with a lot of illogical character and weak sub-plot.
overall, interesting premises, good story, but not that memorable
March 17, 2014
It's entertainment in a Clive Cussler type of a way. Although I can't help feeling its written for the 13 year old in me, being that the hero is a 13 years old, achieving non 13 year things... and surviving by the skin of his teeth several times. It's quick and easy to read, I polished it off in a couple of hours, and its a good mindless escape if that's what you want..
January 8, 2008
Ben is visiting his mother in London, when the Thames (a huge river in London) Barrier is collasped! The Thames floods all of London. This book is about how Ben survives a flood in London that kills hundreds of people.
February 2, 2015
One of my most favorite books. Ever. The book is a great thriller which will shock you and entertain, it is definitely a page-turner. To top it off, the first time I read it, it was during a thunderstorm in Sydney city.
August 23, 2015
Ok book, started off really well but I nearly lost interest for a bit. Great concept but not quite sure if Ben was very realistic, would a 13yo boy really do all that? Might check out some others from this author.
Read
May 19, 2016I can clearly visualize the part where Ben was sitting in the train and he saw the three teenagers sticking there head out the window. This is because the Author described it really well. London is having unpredictable rainfall and now it's starting to flood.
October 19, 2008
have to say that I prefer his SAS books - this one has nothing to do with the SAS but it's still a reasonably good read
August 4, 2009
Brilliant and easy Beach reading indeed.
June 16, 2012
Sometimes a bit too coincidental. but sometimes no matter unlikely stuff happens.
February 15, 2015
Weak book with weak characters. I didn't care about any of them. The boy in this book is almost as smart and a full grown man. Non-believing characters in my opinion.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
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