Description

The second book Patrick OBrian wrote about the sea and a brilliant sequel to The Golden Ocean

As in The Golden Ocean The Unknown Shore tells the tale of another illfated ship on Ansons expedition round the world the Wager Parted from her squadron in the fearful storms off Cape Horn the Wager struggles on alone up the ironbound coast of Chile before she is driven onto rocks and sinks The survivors include Jack Byron a midshipman and his eccentric protg Toby an alarmingly naive surgeons mate with a singleminded devotion to zoology
Faced with a surplus of rum a disappearing stock of food and a hard detested captain the survivors soon descend into trouble of every kind including drunkeness mutiny and bloodshed As they make their way northwards under the guidance of a band of stony and depraved Indians they at last find safety and good treatment in Valparaiso
Admirers of OBrians AubreyMaturin novels will see in Jack Byron a matteroffact bluff precursor to the great Jack Aubrey Whilst Toby raging in Greek against a corrupt Member of Parliament stripped by thieves in the Farthing Pie House asking the Commodore to carry his snake arousing the darkest suspicions in the Chilean Inquisition is an amiable companion whose vagaries afford endless diversion on a hard and dramatic journey