Pre-numbered label used for registration.

A customer review on Amazon.com:
First and foremost in this book's favor is that it bears no resemblance to the movie of the same name. Beyond the Poseidon Adventure (Gallico, Dell Publishing, 1978) was written in anticipation of the movie, and I wish Irwin Allen had read it before he approved his script.

I liked this story. Paul Gallico spent few words on exposition and concentrated on the action. Plenty of it, too, from running gunfights to single combat to racing against the sea, all while worthy opponents struggle to accomplish their respective missions. Frequently we'll see Gallico's subtle, dry wit emerge, as if playing the role of a gentle comic relief.

BTPA can confuse readers of the first excellent book, The Poseidon Adventure (also by Gallico), because this second book is a sequel to the blockbuster movie (with Gene Hackman and Shelley Winters). That movie and that first book had significant plot and character differences, but if you can accept this, you can enjoy the story.

Several of the original survivors reboard the still floating Poseidon scant minutes after their famous escape. Tough New York Cop Mike Rogo has unfinished business. They are joined by Captain Jason, a thinly-veiled Tyrone Power-swashbuckler who still manages to be entertaining, Hely the ruthless (and beautiful) grave robber who wants him at any cost, and the savage, debonair Ilich Bela, who is out to take what Rogo is determined to protect. Each character is vividly drawn in Gallico's spare prose, as he lets their actions and feelings do the describing.

As in the original novel, here Gallico fills the story with secondary characters, each drawn just enough so that the reader can recognize him immediately when he appears later. Here we see the boardroom schemers on both sides of the Atlantic, with a secret to hide, the whole world watching, and the murderous Bela on their payroll. We also see a long-retired Sailor thrust into the media spotlight as the only local who might be able to follow what is happening on the Poseidon, and his antics as he tries to live up to the billing. And we see two top military officers (different countries) who think the best solution to the whole mess is to blast the upside-down ship to little bits.

The author allowed many cliches into his story, although in the seventies cliches were much more popular than today. The old Dutch captain and his 16-year old daughter, the swashbuckler, the Communist (Bela) with a taste for decadence, the underdog (original survivor James Martin) determined to prove to everyone that he is a man, the pirate with a hidden heart of gold (Jason), etc. And while they struggle against each other, the unstable earth which spawned the notorious tidal wave is on the move again...

BTPA won't survive modern scrutiny, but if you willingly suspend your disbelief and just read the story, you can really enjoy the ride.

RELEASE NOTES:

To be freecycled - off to a new owner!

*Update: 4 May 2006* - I gave away a whole heap of books on Freecycle to one person (I reckon close to a hundred), and I guess he gave away those that he didn't want to the Salvos! Glad to see that this book made it to another bookcrosser, now to ponder what happened to the other 99 or so, hee hee...

Well, I don't know who the controlled release was meant to be, but I found this at the Salvos in their cheap book box outside the door. Couldn't pass up a BC book no matter what it was, but this one in interesting enought to read (eventually).

Hmmm, I caught this book 11 years ago :-)
Finally read it and was rather disappointed. I liked the way the original "Poseidon Adventure" was written and even though this was meant as a sequel to the movie and not the book, I didn't like the writing style. It was as if Paul Gallico was cashing in on the movie rather than writing a good book, it read like a cheap movie.
Oh well, the Poseidon is at the bottom of the ocean at last.

Off to mum who wanted to read it after her copy of The Poseidon Adventure.

Am very fond of Paul Gallico, but still need to read The Poseidon Adventure, and saw the film recently on TV.

After the huge success of the film, Gallico was asked to write a novel that would be a sequel not to his first novel, but to the film. It would feature a new group of people entering the still capsized ship and could be made into a second film. In response, Gallico wrote Beyond The Poseidon Adventure, which was published in 1978. However, once again the film that followed ended up bearing little resemblance to his book. Instead of sinking, the ship explodes.

Well that was a quick and easy read. Not one of Gallico's usual but it was obvious he was writing to a film director's wishes so there is lots of action, shallow characters and the baddies are bad, the goodies are good and the Americans are super. I would say that Gallico did not really want to write this sequel as it was not even to his original book, so he actually made this a sarcastic skit on disaster movies and superhero comics which at the time were all the rage in the cinema. Guess the film director didn't like it either. They are hard to please.

Release #261 for 2017 ...

Wow this commenced its journey back in 2006, it can rest awhile in Templestowe before contining. Caught at today's meet-up.

On to the shelves.

To the finder of this book -
Please let me know it is in safe hands by journalling that you have caught it, you are under no obligation to read it and Bookcrossing is completely anonymous.

The things you find when doing a big clean out tucked away on the shelf for who knows how long though an educated guess would say about two years