Now this is adventure for younger readers. 'South Sea Adventure' begins where 'Amazon Adventure' signs off, and improves in practically every way. Where 'Amazon' was a bit overstuffed with events, 'South Sea' is well balanced. 'South Sea' is also well rooted in its own present, with lots of evidence of the post-war situation in the South Pacific, which is nice and adds a lot of context.
In this entry in the 'Adventure' series, Hal and Roger Hunt are sent by their father to the South Seas to find some aquatic specimens and experience being at sea. They also agree to visit a secret and experimental pearl bed for a family friend, who is very worried about hostile intervention from some less than honest pearl buyers. We therefore get the introduction of the only recurring bad guy the series, good old loopy Kaggs. Kaggs, posing as a missionary reverend, hitches a ride with the Hunts on a small expedition to the pearl island, and maroons the brothers and their friend Omo, which instigates the major portion of the story.
The trio are marooned on a true desert island, with no obvious resources, food or water. It's only by freak occurrences that they manage to make a shelter, and there's only a temporary water supply thanks to a preceding typhoon's water draining through the rocks into an underwater current. It's all empty and ruined coconut shells and bamboo, and it's excellent. By focusing on this episode for half the book, it becomes a lot more thrilling.
Kaggs is a real creep of a villain, and sea journeys are always interesting. Once again, we get a cruel fate for the bad guy, and a good lead-in to the next episode. Oh, and there are also manta rays, octopi, squids, a sunfish, and more. What's next?
O.
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