THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE - Paul Gallico

Anyone seeing the classic Irwin Allen film - which started off the hugely-popular disaster movie craze of the 1970's - knows the basic story of The Poseidon Adventure; ocean liner SS Poseidon, on its maiden voyage, is struck by a 99-foot wave caused by an undersea earthquake that literally turns the boat upside down in the water.  Capsized but still floating, those who survived the initial disaster find a strong leader in one of the passengers, Reverend Scott, who wants them all to band together and try to climb up through the overturned ship to the bottom, at the propeller shaft, where hopefully they will rescued.  When only a handful of survivors agree to go with him, the rest staying in the dining salon where they're sure help will be coming, it's up to Scott to lead those who believe in him to safety, the swiftly rising water and other hazards (including fellow passengers) standing between them and survival.  This is a tense novel, far different enough from the 1972 film (more characters and stronger characterizations, for examples) or its remakes, that it deserves to be read - if you're a fan of the film, especially.  That said, be forewarned: the book was originally released in 1969, so don't expect the political correctness of today to necessarily be reflected in the story or its people.  But there are parts of this novel that are just as tense and enthralling as the original film was, and while not always an easy read author Gallico has certainly made it a worthy one.  ****