4 out of 4 stars
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The Seattle Express is a 700-foot container ship that is en route to Seattle. It is possessed by Buckhorn Industries. The fire alarms go off. The crew attempts to locate the position of the fire, but it is already too late. There is a lot of smoke, and the entire crew is in danger. The captain decides to promptly abandon the ship. There are two lifeboats. Therefore, the crew splits into two groups. One will be headed by the captain, Steve Procida, and the other by Randall, the first mate and fire captain. Meanwhile, a private salvage company, Sol Duc Towing, picks up a distress call on their radio which they always left on. Larry Hunt and his workmates decide to go and tow the ship. The pay they receive from towing it may help to keep the company running. Buckhorn also sends out two of their tugs to tow back their ship. Their tugboats are faster than the Sol Duc Towing company ship, Warhorse. Who will reach the abandoned ship first? Was the tragic fire an accident? How had all the fire sensors gone down without anyone noticing?
Adrift is a standalone sequel to Strong Heart. It falls in the genre of other fiction. The author of the book is Charlie Sheldon. It was published in 2018 by Iron Twine Press. The book is approximately 322 pages long. One does not have to read the first book to understand what is going on in the story. However, it will be good to read the first book because the background will aid the reader to get along with the characters. There are many characters in this book. Some were in the prequel. These include Sarah, Tom, Myra, Pete, William, Raymond, Sergei, and Roger. Others are new. All of them were adequately developed. It was at the time of distress that the unique traits of some characters were clearly revealed. Character development is one of the aspects I liked in the book.
The plot was also adequately built. The book was amazing down to the last page. There was no lengthy introduction that could be boring to some readers. The reader’s attention is captured right from the first page. The story was narrated in the first person point-of-view by different characters. The decision to allow the major characters to narrate the story from the first point-of-view was exemplary. It allowed one to read into their innermost fears and concerns about their loved ones. There was a lot of air of dreadful uncertainty between the two lifeboats. Both leaders were unsure about what had happened to their counterparts.
The story was completely realistic. I have to confess that at some instance I had forgotten this was a fiction book. The hazards at sea were described comprehensively. Conversations between characters were equally simple and realistic. The good thing is that the author has been at sea too. I have under no circumstances been at sea but the description was enough to make feel like I was part of the crew. This was not a story where the author takes some little time to describe a situation then jumps to something else. It was excellently done. The themes handled in the book included carelessness, survival, teamwork, leadership, sacrifice, and hope. What stood out for me was teamwork. You will have to read this to see how this theme shaped most of the events in the story.
The book was professionally edited. I did not discover any grammatical error. The language employed was straightforward and easy to understand although there are some few vocabularies associated with ships. I did not think that this would detract anyone from enjoying the story. I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. I honestly liked it and I heartily recommend it to all readers. It will appeal most to those who enjoy adventures, especially at sea.
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Adrift
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