jd 🔆 reviewed The Wager by David Grann
A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder
5 stars
Everything you want from a high adventure, high adrenaline story of the days of sail. And all true.
audio cd
Published April 18, 2023 by Random House Audio.
Everything you want from a high adventure, high adrenaline story of the days of sail. And all true.
The book delivers on its title. The author is the same guy who wrote Killers of the Flower Moon and he sure know how to write page-turners. Here, the basic story is about a squadron of British ships that, in 1740, were sent to chase after a Spanish galleon to steal its supposed load of silver. In order to do that, the squadron would have to round Cape Horn. A lot happens. Three different groups from the original crews make it back to England after about 6 years, some were shipwrecked, some carried out the mission, and two different groups of castaways ended back home through separate routes. It is a rich narrative, and a darn good story. Colonialism still sucks.