From the very beginning of their voyage, the portents are ominous when the Kreya sets sail from Dublin to Copenhagan: bad weather, discontent among the crew, suspicion and secrecy amongst the passengers. Then, during an horrific storm, in midst of humongous swells, disaster strikes: a smashed rudder that cannot be repaired, followed by a mutiny.
The passengers and ship's officers who are left, are completely at the mercy of the mighty ocean, drifting helplessly, driven inexorably north by wind and waves towards the most terrible ordeal of all.

I have had this book for about three years, sitting on my shelf; alternately being shifted in and out of my field of vision. I don't know why I just didn't just sit down one day and read it straight out. Maybe it was a sense that I just really wasn't in the mood to read this book at certain times.

However, I finally took the plunge and read it. I'm so glad that I did! It was heart-stopping for me in places and I found myself alternately booing and cheering the characters actions. I whole-heartedly give this book an A+! and was saddened to learn that Mr. Youd (John Christopher is just one of his many pseudonyms) passed away recently from cancer. He was probably better well-known for his science fiction, however he did write quite a number of books in a variety of genres.

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