The Caine mutiny

When Lieutenant Commander Philip Queeg is given the captaincy of the destroyer-minesweeper USS Caine, Ensign Willie Keith believes that the tough Naval Academy graduate will bring much needed discipline to the Caine's rough crew. But Queeg soon reveals himself to be a cowardly, paranoid man.

When his actions begin to endanger not just the crew but the war effort itself, Keith finds himself faced with a terrible choice: obey Queeg, and risk the lives of his shipmates and allies - or mutiny. Herman Wouk's boldly dramatic, brilliantly entertaining novel of life and mutiny on a Navy warship in the Pacific theatre was immediately embraced, upon its original publication in 1951, as one of the first serious works of American fiction to grapple with the moral complexities and the human consequences of World War II.

In the intervening half century, The Caine Mutiny has become a perennial favourite of readers young and old, has sold millions of copies throughout the world, and has achieved the status of a modern classic.