Set against the backdrop of an actual earthquake that ravaged Japan in 1923, this intense first novel opens with the ocean liner Oriental Monarch preparing to depart Yokohama harbor as the disaster strikes. Robinson, former editor of Yachting magazine and author of many nonfiction books on sailing, describes the quake and its aftermath, deftly depicting the technical problems of saving the liner from a fiery oil slick without either boring or patronizing the reader. Numerous subplots
a movie star's drug addiction, the ship doctor's alcoholism, the captain's love affair with a member of the Swedish consulate, the plight of two children orphaned by the quake
vary the pace and keep the disaster scenes from becoming overwhelming. A murder further complicates the busy narrative, which falters only at the very end, when the author succumbs to the temptation to tie up all the loose ends too quickly. Nonetheless, this is a believable drama written in clear prose that never resorts to hyperbole.
Publishers Weekly
A Canadian ocean liner becomes an island of safety during the earthquake that destroyed Yokohama in 1923. Former Yachting editor/nautical writer Robinson's first novel is based on actual events. Modeled after the author's real-life uncle, Captain Samuel Applebye is the calm eye of the storm in Yokohama Bay when the city is hit by an earthquake and subsequently ravaged by fire. Trapped pierside, Applebye's ship, the Oriental Monarch, fully provisioned for a Pacific crossing, becomes a refuge for the crowd that had assembled to wave off the departing passengers. Applebye takes on as many survivors as he can before the firestorm reaches the waterfront and threatens the ship. Using his formidable ship- handling skills, the captain muscles the liner away from the pier without the assistance of tugs, but the maneuver ties the Oriental Monarch to the freighter astern. Fires continue to threaten the coupled ships as pipelines spew fuels onto the waters of the bay and the closest help, a naval destroyer, is hours away. The captain also has other worries: His Swedish mistress, a miraculous survivor of the quake, is aboard with a compound fracture; radio communications have broken down; and the creepy functionary who's on the ship to evaluate the captain's performance for the owners prior to his promotion, is not pleased with Applebye's priority to save souls before ships. Playing minor roles are a tippling young ship's doctor, a rather cowardly officer, the captain's heroic steward, a fading movie star, and a couple of orphans. An old-fashioned story of modest heroics told in an old- fashioned Nevil Shute style that suits it perfectly.
Kirkus