A review by blairmahoney
The Death Ship by B. Traven

5.0

I was interested in this as it was a strong part of the inspiration for the JJ Abrams/Doug Dorst novel S. (with all of its additional elements). Traven was a mysterious figure and this novel, dating from the 1930s, is a mysterious work. It has strong shades of Kafka as the narrator battles with bureaucracy through the first part of the novel before he finds himself on the death ship of the title, a torturous vessel that seems to have lasted millennia. The descriptions of life on board the ship are as detailed an indictment of life for the working classes as you're likely to read. It's all done in a kind of deadpan ironic tone that can be very humorous, though. It's a really terrific novel.