The Tower by Richard Martin Stern

The Tower was one of two books inspiring the 1974 disaster film The Towering Inferno (the other The Glass Inferno co-authored by Thomas N. Scortia and Frank M. Robinson). Both books responded to the building of New York's World Trade Center towers, and the fear of fire breaking out at over 100 stories. While not as exciting as the film, this had enough elements to make it a fun read.

If your idea of fun is people trapped in a blazing inferno.

The anodized steel World Tower structure rose 125 stories, surpassing the World Trade Center towers. Mechanical and electrical systems breathed life into this marvel, which was not quite finished the night of the top floor grand opening party for politicians, the influential, and the building owners. Unfortunately, no one as glamorous as Faye Dunaway.

In the plaza below, an electrician passes the police barricade with a toolbox of plastic explosives—a disgruntled ex-worker who knows the inspector and chief electrical engineer have evaded safety protocols to save money. Several workers who threatened to blow the whistle met mysterious deaths.

As the party begins, his explosives destroy the basement control room, sending an uncontrollable surge of power that melts the circuits buried within the walls up the entire height of the building, melting insulation and sprinkler systems on every floor.

At the base, building architect Nat Wilson works with the fire commissioners to deal with the unfolding disaster. On the top floor Tower Room, the fire doors have been blocked, and flames erupt in the emergency stairwells. There is plenty of time for them to get drunk, pontificate on life, fall in love, and hijack the elevator straight into raging flames as the rails have melted. Several people get fried before they enact a terrifying plan to connect a zip line to the Twin Towers below and sail out the blown-out windows.

The story unfolds in one night, a series of events that shouldn't have happened. The trapped partygoers were not so interesting, but the failing rescue plans kept the pages turning. Before each section, there are hints of the aftermath, so you know some will get out, and in perfect disaster tradition, others accept their fate, knowing the building will never be saved.

This doesn't beat The Towering Inferno (and I have yet to read The Glass Tower), but for action fans, this satisfies. On publication, it earned high praise from none other than The New York Times for its taut suspense, and barring some dated comments about women's libbers, it holds up well.

This is widely available in old paperback form and modern ebook.

1974 / Paperback / 303 pages

My other reviews of things getting destroyed:

Slide by Gerald A. Browne

The Bridge Over The River Kwai by Pierre Boulle

The Finest Hours by Michael Tougias and Casey Sherman