NOVEMBER 1941. Lieutenant Ralph Trewin, D.S.C., arrives at Singapore as second-in-command of the shallow-draught gunboat, H.M.S. Porcupine. To Trewin, still shocked from wounds received during the evacuation of Crete, the gunboat and her five elderly consorts seem to symbolise the ignorance and blind optimism he finds in Singapore. And the captain of the Porcupine is as unwilling as the rest to take heed of Trewin's alarm, for to him the gunboat represents his last chance. The following month, the Japanese invade Malaya. In three months Singapore, the impregnable fortress, knows the humiliation of surrender. Through the misery and despair of this bloody campaign Trewin and his captain are forced to draw on each other's beliefs and weaknesses, and together they weld the little gunboat into a symbol of bravery and pride.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Tale of one of the War's Wrenching Tragedies
Dec 13 2000
By Andrew S. Rogers
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover
In a war filled with terrible shocks, the fall of Singapore in 1941 was, for the British, one of the worst. Impregnable from the sea, Singapore collapsed before a Japanese force fighting its way through the 'impenetrable' jungle of the Malay Peninsula. Only at the last moment did the civilians on Singapore realize the danger they were in. And then they'd do anything to get out.
This novel features two of Reeman's standard characters: the crusty, traditional, martinet career Royal Navy officer, and the young R.N. reserve officer, unpolished but skilled, and increasingly experienced as the war progresses. As is common in many Reeman novels, the tension between these two men drives much of the story in the early part of the book, until they both realize that, as another hero of the era might have put it, the problems of two little people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world. By the time they figure that out, they've got bigger problems, like how to make it out alive.
As noted, this novel has many of the things that cause some people to call Reeman's novels 'formulaic.' But I think it's a darn good formula, personally, and Reeman is a good enough story teller that even if some of the characters seem vaguely familiar, the story itself still draws you in and keeps you reading.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Classic
Jun 2 2011
By John
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Mass Market Paperback
One of the best war stories I have read. And it was written back in, I believe from 1959. If you like strong plots then this is a truly classic read. The characters were so well defined.
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