The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David GrannMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Incredible journey of a British Armada headed to the West Coast of South America to intercept a Spanish galleon filled with silver from the New World. Britain and Spain are at war and it would be quite a coup to capture this ship and its wealth.
But, it is 1740, the Atlantic Ocean is a wide empty expanse, the Cape of Hope is treacherous and the season is all wrong. Disease is rampant on the ships, many of the sailors have been impressed so aren't necessarily the most adept and in some cases are actually quite old and/or infirm. Still, the Armada, or most of it, manages to make it around the Horn. Two ships turn back and the others become separated in high seas and poor visibility. One of them, The Wager, hits the rocky shore and is destroyed.
Alone, and stranded on an uninhabited, swampy, rocky island the crew and its officers must try to survive and maybe, get back home to England, if they cannot find the rest of the ships and complete their mission for the Crown. This is the story of the new horrors these men faced after the almost 6 months of the horrors of 16th century life in the World of Wood--the Royal British Navy and its strata of authority and servitude in an inhospitable barely seaworthy vessel.
Riveting, horrifying and mesmerizing--took only 2 days to read this page turner.
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