Book Title: Lost!
ISBN 9781466191969
Part of Series: Integra Series
- Integra ,
Author: Nicole Stuart
Available at: Smashwords
, Barnes and Noble
, Kobo
, Apple , Diesel
, Baker-Taylor, Sony
Price: $4.99
Number of words (approximately): 53 356
Star Rating (of five): Four
Summary: Two executives
are traveling to Australia
Extract:
- “How long will we be floating around like
this?” Sally asked the question,
dreading the answer. The amount of open
sea surrounding the point where Don estimated them to be was frightening.
“I don’t have any good answer, Sally,” he
replied. “It depends on many
things. The duration of the storm, our
exact position relative to the storm, its track, our rate of drift, the rate of
current in the area. Other things
too. But my best guess is at least a
week, possibly up to three weeks before we come to any land.”
“A week to three weeks!” The thought of having to endure these
conditions for that long appalled Sally.
“How can we keep alive that long?”
“Water is the biggest problem we face, Sally. We can live for five or six days on the water
we have. We can live without food for
several weeks. If I die, you can eat
me! That’ll keep you going at least a
couple of months!”
“Don’t you dare die on me, Donald Bennings! I’ve got plans for you! And you promised to introduce me to your
parents!” Sally spoke the words
jokingly, as had Don, but there was an element of seriousness behind them. It was not lost on Don, but he chose not to
take up on it. Sally lay back and turned
her head to face Don, her eyes mere inches from his. “How do you rate our chances, Don?” Her voice underscored the uncertainty she
felt.
“I’d say fair to good, Sally. Much better than a half hour ago, when we
were in the plane, and even better than ten minutes before that, when we were
about to crash! It’s uncomfortable, but
that will improve as the storm subsides.
We’re past the worst now. We’ve
survived a plane crash in the ocean in a hurricane! What more can you ask?” Don spoke the words in a light tone. He did not want to lie to Sally, nor did he
want to analyze the real situation too closely.
To be stuck, drifting in a flimsy liferaft in a severe storm several
hundreds of miles from the nearest land, without an accurate position fix,
food, warm clothing, radio or any of the necessities of life that he would plan
for in such a situation was certainly not to be taken light-heartedly, but
moping would achieve nothing. Good
morale was critical in such a situation.
He looked into Sally’s eyes, finding them particularly interesting in
the half-light. She saw that he was
looking at her eyes.
“They’re a little funny, I know!” said Sally. “People sometimes comment about them! Even if they don’t comment, I can often feel
them looking!”
“I would not call them funny, Sally. They are certainly unusual, even
disconcerting, but not funny! They’re
very attractive. They’re beautiful. They’re like you.” Don looked again, and was rewarded with a
smile from Sally.
“How long will this storm last?”
“It will probably blow over in a day or two. I‘m not sure of how fast it’s moving, or even
what our position is relative to the eye of the hurricane. I’d guess that we’re on the south-west edge
of the storm, quite far from the eye. If
that’s the case, it will be past us in a couple of days at the most, but it
could be longer. These storm systems are
hundreds of miles across. We’ll just
have to wait and see! There is nothing
we can do about that at the moment.”
This news did not make Sally happy. She was cold and wet, and becoming
uncomfortable on the floor of the liferaft.
The size of the raft was not enough for either of them to extend their
limbs, taller than average as they were.
They could not stretch out straight in any direction. She was certainly not looking forward to
spending the next few weeks in that position. -
Reviewer’s Comments:
Structure: The book is
well written and presented, with no obvious errors or failings. It reads easily and smoothly.
Content: The book tells
of an episode in the lives of two people, of how they rise to meet the
challenges of survival in a situation where many would give in to despair. The characters are well described and
credible, the situations are realistic, the action flows without hiccups.
Reviewer’s Comments: The characters
in this book are almost real to me – I feel that I know both of them well, and
I felt that I was involved in their situations.
After Run!, this is my favorite book in the series. I read it in one sitting, and, when I was
through, I was keen to buy the next book on my list of Nicole Stuart’s
works. She has become one of my favorite
authors! Strongly recommended!
Karin B
No comments:
Post a Comment