Plenty of reviews detailing the plot so won't add to it. But history brought to life! An amazing book, with incredible and exhaustive research that is not as huge as you might think, thanks to the 60 plus pages of notes. Easy to read, superbly engaging and a cracking good story. The British Empire was founded on journeys in large wooden boats to the other side of the world under atrocious living and working conditions, looking for land, fending off rivals, battles at sea. Disease, injury, storms, discontent in the ranks - so much that could and did go wrong in any of these journeys, it is a miracle any ship made it back to Portsmouth. What a life. It seems that discipline and rules and keeping everyone in their place was the key to the success of the British navy. But when all the holes in the cheese line up and it goes catastrophically wrong, falling apart, then a whole new world order emerges. Who will live and who will die? What an incredible story of survival, tenacity and bloody good luck. So good.