The Boat

The Boat is a true story of survival of Walter Gibson at sea for a whole month in a small boat meant to carry only 28 passengers but in which 135 people clung on in the hope that rescue will come. Days pass, weeks go on and one by one people start dying in horrendous conditions. Its is a miracle of a story that Walter survives with another Chinese girl Doris Lim. This was about the time when the Japs were invading Singapore, Malaysia and taking prisoners. Its is a simple story, and the narrative is good, fast paced and riveting. Its unfortunate that so many horrors were taking place due to war. But as the title suggests, there is only instance of cannibalism in the entire narrative. Goodreads 5/5 

Black Wind

Black Wind is a thriller from Clive Cussler alongwith his son Dirk Cussler. During the world war II, a Japanese submarine carrying some deadly biological warfare was sunk by US boats. 40 years later, a North Korean businessman masquerading as a South Korean tries to get hold of those biological canisters in order to wreak havoc on the US. His logic - US forces are occupying the DMZ between North and South Korea and therefore preventing a re-unification between the two Koreas on North Korean terms. Enter Dirk Pitt Jr. and his sister Summer, both agents with NUMA, (National Underwater & Marine Agency), they stumble upon this rapacious plot of the North Korean to let loose biological warfare over the American air and soil during the G-20 summit. One thing leads to another, there is a lot of chase all over the place from Phillipines to Japan to South Korea and back to San Deigo. Dirk and Summer's father Dirk Pitt Sr. is also involved in the plot. Nice racy thriller a bit technical with all the nautical adventures but Clive Cussler has managed to keep the narrative flowing smoothly. Rating 4/5