The Tower

343 pp. "An action-packed suspense novel, basis for the movie The Towering Inferno. Dominating the New York skyline is the new World Communications Center, the greatest building ever constructed. On the day of its dedication, a glittering cast of VIPs gathers at the very top. The junior architect, Nat Wilson, makes horrifying discovery: The structure is fatally flawed. And then in the core of the building, a chain of accidents and an insane burst of violence start an avalanche of events that threatens the center and everyone trapped in it." "Richard Martin Stern (March 17, 1915 in Fresno, California – October 31, 2001 in Santa Fe, New Mexico) was an American novelist. Stern began his writing career in the 1950s with mystery tales of private investigators, winning a 1959 Edgar Award for Best First Novel, for The Bright Road to Fear. He was most notable for his 1973 novel The Tower, in which a fire engulfs a new metal-and-glass frame skyrise. Stern was inspired to write the novel by the construction of the World Trade Center in New York City. Warner Brothers bought the rights to the novel shortly after its publication for roughly $400,000, and Stern's book eventually became the movie The Towering Inferno, directed by Irwin Allen and John Guillermin and featuring an all-star cast. With an incredible fourteen million dollar budget, the film went on to earn over a hundred million at American box office."