Review by Fola_M -- Adrift by Charlie Sheldon
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Fola Moni
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Review by Fola_M -- Adrift by Charlie Sheldon
[Following is a volunteer review of "Adrift" by Charlie Sheldon.]
Adrift by Charlie Sheldon, is a gripping tale about sea adventure, survival, and loss. It’s a sequel to Strong Heart, the first book in the series.
Seattle Express is on fire. Steve Procida, its captain, wakes up to the fire alarm ringing shrilly in his ear. He and his crewmen try to figure out how to put out the flames, but it has already spread throughout the ship. They have no choice but to abandon ship even though they are 100 miles away from the nearest land in the dead of winter. They split two lifeboats between the 20 man crew, but Steve cannot see the other lifeboat in the water. Did the other crewmen make it out on time?
Meanwhile, Louise, co-owner of a family tug operation, is furious that her husband, Larry might be cheating on her. She, however, has to cast her marital woes aside when she hears there may be an abandoned ship they can claim if they get to it on time. Business is very slow, and this might be just what they need to survive the dry spell. However, other rival tug boats are aiming for the same prize. Worse still, the owner of the abandoned ship, Buckhorn, has sent out its own tug boats as well. Their business operation is bigger, and they have more sophisticated boats. Can Louise and Larry get to Seattle Express on time?
To start off, I must commend the author on this beautifully written piece. His biography at the back of the book shows that he was a seaman for several years so, it is obvious he has vast knowledge about ships and sailing. His descriptive writing style takes you through the entire journey of reclaiming abandoned ships and surviving shipwrecks, down to the last detail. Through his writing, the sea took on a life force of its own, raging and furious. I felt as if I was transported to one of the lifeboats, with the erratic waves carrying me towards an unknown destination.
I also love the way the author lets us into the lives of the main characters. Their pain and life experiences jump out at you from the book, sucking you in. I felt Steve’s anguish as he reminisces about the accident that changed his son’s life forever. Sarah Cooley is a 13-year-old in an old woman’s body. She has been through a harrowing experience no child should go through at that age. However, she remains strong, fearless and feisty. She also would never give up on her loved ones, no matter what. The way the author developed the characters and made them so relatable is one of the most endearing things about the book.
However, I didn’t like the fact that there was a lot of reference to Strong Heart, the first book in the series so, I’ll highly recommend reading it first to get a better understanding of the plot. Some things were also not clarified about the fire on the ship. I’m assuming these loose ends will be covered in the third instalment in the ongoing series.
Nonetheless, I did enjoy it immensely as a stand-alone book. It is one of those stories that is hard to put down once you get started. Learning about the cultures of the indigenous tribes is simply fascinating. I found myself researching the symbolism of bears in a vision after reading about Sarah and Myra’s experience. I also looked up Haida Gwaii, yearning to know more. The copious amount of research that must have gone into this book cannot be underestimated.
Overall, I’ll rate this book a 4 out of 4 stars for its extremely informative value. I found one typo and an instance where one name was mistaken for another but apart from these, I can say the book is professionally edited. There are no erotic scenes, but it does contain some profanity and a graphic accident scene so, I wouldn’t recommend it to younger/sensitive readers. Mature lovers of the nautical fiction literary genre would truly appreciate this book.
******
Adrift
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Adrift by Charlie Sheldon, is a gripping tale about sea adventure, survival, and loss. It’s a sequel to Strong Heart, the first book in the series.
Seattle Express is on fire. Steve Procida, its captain, wakes up to the fire alarm ringing shrilly in his ear. He and his crewmen try to figure out how to put out the flames, but it has already spread throughout the ship. They have no choice but to abandon ship even though they are 100 miles away from the nearest land in the dead of winter. They split two lifeboats between the 20 man crew, but Steve cannot see the other lifeboat in the water. Did the other crewmen make it out on time?
Meanwhile, Louise, co-owner of a family tug operation, is furious that her husband, Larry might be cheating on her. She, however, has to cast her marital woes aside when she hears there may be an abandoned ship they can claim if they get to it on time. Business is very slow, and this might be just what they need to survive the dry spell. However, other rival tug boats are aiming for the same prize. Worse still, the owner of the abandoned ship, Buckhorn, has sent out its own tug boats as well. Their business operation is bigger, and they have more sophisticated boats. Can Louise and Larry get to Seattle Express on time?
To start off, I must commend the author on this beautifully written piece. His biography at the back of the book shows that he was a seaman for several years so, it is obvious he has vast knowledge about ships and sailing. His descriptive writing style takes you through the entire journey of reclaiming abandoned ships and surviving shipwrecks, down to the last detail. Through his writing, the sea took on a life force of its own, raging and furious. I felt as if I was transported to one of the lifeboats, with the erratic waves carrying me towards an unknown destination.
I also love the way the author lets us into the lives of the main characters. Their pain and life experiences jump out at you from the book, sucking you in. I felt Steve’s anguish as he reminisces about the accident that changed his son’s life forever. Sarah Cooley is a 13-year-old in an old woman’s body. She has been through a harrowing experience no child should go through at that age. However, she remains strong, fearless and feisty. She also would never give up on her loved ones, no matter what. The way the author developed the characters and made them so relatable is one of the most endearing things about the book.
However, I didn’t like the fact that there was a lot of reference to Strong Heart, the first book in the series so, I’ll highly recommend reading it first to get a better understanding of the plot. Some things were also not clarified about the fire on the ship. I’m assuming these loose ends will be covered in the third instalment in the ongoing series.
Nonetheless, I did enjoy it immensely as a stand-alone book. It is one of those stories that is hard to put down once you get started. Learning about the cultures of the indigenous tribes is simply fascinating. I found myself researching the symbolism of bears in a vision after reading about Sarah and Myra’s experience. I also looked up Haida Gwaii, yearning to know more. The copious amount of research that must have gone into this book cannot be underestimated.
Overall, I’ll rate this book a 4 out of 4 stars for its extremely informative value. I found one typo and an instance where one name was mistaken for another but apart from these, I can say the book is professionally edited. There are no erotic scenes, but it does contain some profanity and a graphic accident scene so, I wouldn’t recommend it to younger/sensitive readers. Mature lovers of the nautical fiction literary genre would truly appreciate this book.
******
Adrift
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Moonlight Serenade by Terry Mark
