Anthony D. Hill Livres

"Oxford 1863: Young Samuel Speed sets a barley stack alight in the hope it will earn him a bed in prison for the night. He wants nothing more than a morsel of food in his belly and a warm place to sleep off the streets. What he receives is a sentence of seven years' servitude, to be served half a world away in the penal colony of Fremantle, Western Australia. When Samuel boards the transport ship Belgravia, he is stripped of his clothing and even his name, and given regulations of when to rise, eat, clean and sleep. On arrival at Fremantle Prison, hard labour is added to the mix and he wonders if life can get any worse. The only solace he finds is a love of reading, which allows the likes of Tom Sawyer and Oliver Twist to become his lifelong friends. Samuel is granted a ticket of leave in 1867 and full freedom in 1871, but what sort of life can a man forge for himself in the colony, with no skills, no money and no family? Will it be the beginning of the life he has always dreamed of, or do some sentences truly never end?"--Provided by publisher

A novel of high adventure, exploration, shipwreck, and survival, based on the life of John Franklin, a fifteen-year-old midshipman and cousin of Matthew Flinders. John always dreamed of being a sailor. At fourteen, he volunteered for the Royal Navy and participated in the Battle of Copenhagen, but nothing could prepare him for the adventure that awaited in 1801 aboard HMS Investigator, as it aimed to chart the first circumnavigation of Australia. Tasked with managing the chronometers under the watchful eye of Flinders' younger brother, John experienced the action and excitement he had longed for. This journey inspired him to become a notable navigator and explorer of the 19th century. However, he faced numerous challenges onboard, including rivalries with shipmates, food shortages, and the harsh realities of colonial encounters. Danger, disease, and death loomed over the crew, and the Investigator itself faced peril, necessitating a retreat to Koepang in present-day Indonesia for repairs. While history records the successful circumnavigation of Australia, the story reveals the trials and tribulations encountered along the way, painting a vivid picture of a young sailor's coming of age amidst extraordinary circumstances.