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July 11, 2004

The Last Ship by William Brinkley

THE USN destroyer Nathan James survives a nuclear holocaust, but is alone in the North Atlantic with only a 6 month supply of fuel and food. Cut off from all radio communications, the Nathan James and her crew (152 men, 26 women) face perplexing questions: are there survivors? how to replenish supplies? is there an uncontaminated port? are they alone? and how do they perpetuate the human race?

The story is narrated by the captain, and we see inside his thinking and into life on a navy ship. The writing is somewhat wordy but once you settle into it, paints rich and detailed pictures of the captain's state of mind.

The book is a great thought experiment--and remains intriguing and satisfying to the end. There are so many angles: life on the high seas, navy discipline, a post nuclear world, and most interestingly, the relations outnumbered women to men in a small society.

Well crafted, hefty (600+ pages), and a surprising but satisfying ending.

Amazon: The Last Battleship by William Brinkley

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