The novel “Lifeboat” by James White was published for the first time in 1972.

Doctor Mercer is Eurydice’s new ship doctor and his first voyage looks boring because the ship’s safety is absolute. The only problems seem to be in establishing a relationship with the passengers and even more so with the officers, who consider him a glorified steward.

On the route to Ganymede, a problem is detected in one of the nuclear reactors that power the Eurydice. The captain is injured during an intervention on the reactor, which at that point becomes impossible to shut down. As a result, the order is given to abandon ship, and Mercer finds himself trying to help the passengers from afar after they scatter among the lifeboats.