A man battles both nature and his fellow man on a tiny island in the South Pacific in Rogers's gripping and grim debut. The year is 1820, and the Dove, loaded with sealskins and oil, is en route to China from the cold, rocky islands far south of New Zealand. When her captain inexplicably anchors her in the lagoon of an uncharted island, disaster strikes: a fierce gale wrecks the Dove, and only four men make it ashore. There's Captain Tobit, the arrogant Bible-thumper; Mr. Morgen, the irascible first mate; Harrison, the gentle ship's carpenter; and Thomas, a hotheaded seaman who—reasonably enough—blames the captain for the death of his shipmates. Naked, without tools or weapons, the two officers and two seamen must struggle for survival. But finding food and water proves less of a problem than the pecking order, and tension quickly builds as the officers and men vie for control of their tiny kingdom. Hope arrives in the form of a ship, but when the captain—convinced it's manned by convicts and killers—ruins their chances for rescue, Thomas decides to strike out on his own. Though the deluded, power-hungry captain isn't an entirely believable character, Rogers's gritty, atmospheric tale is skillfully told and offers a balance of suspense and sea lore. And for unlucky sea cadets, it can double as a survival handbook: Rogers details tips for erecting huts, making fires, sewing clothes from animal skins, catching food and building a sailing canoe. (May)
