From Publishers WeeklyPerhaps the most surprising thing about this apocalyptic novel of the sea is that Brinkley has been able to spin so slender a plot to so great lengthmore than 500 pages. Global nuclear disaster has struck, and the guided-missile destroyer Nathan James, short on food and fuel, its crew of men and women seriously depleted by desertions, sails the seas in search of an uncontaminated landfall. The Nathan James is apparently the only ship afloatuntil it meets a Russian sub and a little belated glasnost is arranged. The destroyer's captain, a man given to Conradesque reflections more often ponderous than illuminating, describes how he struggles to assert his authority and maintain crew morale, how he establishes a settlement on an unpolluted Pacific island, assigning to his female crew the task of ensuring the continuation of the human race (he has a steamy affair with one of them himself) and how he handles, among other problems, a case of multiple murder. Brinkley (Don't Go Near the Water, Quicksand) clearly knows the U.S. Navy, and his narrative has its moments. However, his style here is turgid and the story as a whole, unlike the sleek and deadly Nathan James, sits pretty heavily in the water. Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.From Library JournalThe author of Don't Go Near the Water superbly depicts life on a U.S. Navy destroyer after a heavy nuclear exchange. That women are now integrated into the navy adds to the interest. The survivors hunt a safe haven where life and perhaps the human race can continue, away from radiation. A Russian submarine, apparently friendly, appears and then is gone, while a group of mutineers irrationally try to return "home." The captain's narration is thoughtful and sensitive. Inexperienced with women, he must oversee the desperate assembly-line attempts to conceive children that he himself does not join. More than a military adventure, this is a first-rate study of beauty amid ghastliness, engrossing to the end.William A. Donovan, Chicago P.L.Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. "Nevil Shute wrote a moving book,On the Beach, about the aftermath of a nuclear war... Now William Brinkley has used the same premise to tell and even more fascinating tale."Vermont Royster,The Wall Street JournalAn extraoridincary novel of men at war, a superb portrtait of naval command,The Last Shipis a powerful and exciting novel you will not want to miss.Anthony Hyde, author ofThe Red Fox,The Washington Post"Beautifullywritten...asifthenarratorhassethimselfthetaskofpreservingthelanguage,ofwritingitdownlestitbelostforever...Brinkley'splotcontainsaseriesofunexpectedreversalsandthetale'sconclusion is unforgettably intense Amagnificent book.John R. Alden,Cleveland Plain DealerWilliam Brinkley writes in expert detail about life on the sea Readers will be engaged by this ambitious tale, which draws on the legacies of Melville and Conrad but is full of its own nuclear-age quandaries and horrors.Andrew Postman,The New York Times Book Brinkleys tale has humanity, thoughtfulness and one inspired complication: women.Donald Morrison,Time what are the best sites to download free ebooks The Last Ship: A Novel
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Unique and InterestingBy knowidentWhat an interesting read. Really interesting. However, if you're coming here from the TV show there's almost nothing, except the ship's name and the title of the book that is simular to the show. Let this book make its own mark on you by giving it a chance.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. A good read if you want to feel the challenge of Command at sea. Read it before you watch the TV series if you can.By RADM Bruce Newel USN (Ret)Good study of the complexity of Command at sea. Very descriptive writing. Not quite Patrick O'Brien, but a nice try. I am watching the TV series, so I know the story from the Script writer. It's different. A little off-putting since I really liked the TV series.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Why we need cool heads in a nuclear world !By Joseph T. MoranThis could actually be a real life experience you could see happening if cool heads do not prevail in a nuclear world. Clearly the author did his homework in researching for the story and the twists and turns remind me of the twists and turns in the book One Second After. In each case the author had to really stretch his imagination in ways one not writing such a fictional story would ever have to. But even thought much imagination was used in this book you appreciate the need for it and how he brought the story to reasonable outcomes that held together very well.