Member Reviews
A captivating seafaring adventure, fraught with peril, where a captain's decisions affect many lives. Tom Chatto, the second mate, has made the move from sailing ships to steamer ships and is on board a journey from England to Valparaiso, Chile. Multiple problems plague the ship and the crew is faced with engine trouble, fire, influenza, and bad weather. Chatto has his hands full doing the right thing - he's definitely hero material. I found the descriptions of the officer's duties and of the ship very interesting.
While Tom Chatto was the most interesting character, I also liked the way others were developed. Patience was an unsavory character, but we saw another side of him under crisis. I liked Captain Fulton, with a moral character that guided him toward the best decisions.
I would recommend this book for anyone who enjoys adventure novels, especially sea adventures.