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nick_stern's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
lisa_setepenre's review
4.0
In 1692, the Dutch East India Company ship, Batavia, was wrecked off the coast of as-then undiscovered Western Australia. Stranded on an island with no fresh water, things looked dire. When the senior officers, including the captain and the commandeur, left to find drinking water a man called Jeronimus Cornelisz took charge and began a reign of terror where murder and rape came to be the norm.
The Company retells of this dreadful time through the eyes of Cornelisz himself, which is tricky to pull off. With a story so dark, told with the voice of such a disturbed and depraved individual, it could really be an incredibly off-putting book. Who, after all, wants to read about these vile acts as narrated by the man who caused them all?
Yet there's a deftness of touch there. Edge lets us know how awful Cornelisz, his "council" and his actions were, but never rams in the knife to make us see it in vivid technicolour. Most acts are mentioned, only briefly described, if ever – which would normally be seen as a bad or weak writing, but works here because a vivid description would be nauseating. It also makes some sense for Cornelisz to describe these atrocities in sparse terms.
I was not expecting to find this a decent read, was drawn to the book by the possibly accidental aged appearance of the book and the cheap price tag. I would never call this an enjoyable or pleasant read, but I will say it is a decent read, albeit dark and grim and not for the faint-hearted.
The Company retells of this dreadful time through the eyes of Cornelisz himself, which is tricky to pull off. With a story so dark, told with the voice of such a disturbed and depraved individual, it could really be an incredibly off-putting book. Who, after all, wants to read about these vile acts as narrated by the man who caused them all?
Yet there's a deftness of touch there. Edge lets us know how awful Cornelisz, his "council" and his actions were, but never rams in the knife to make us see it in vivid technicolour. Most acts are mentioned, only briefly described, if ever – which would normally be seen as a bad or weak writing, but works here because a vivid description would be nauseating. It also makes some sense for Cornelisz to describe these atrocities in sparse terms.
I was not expecting to find this a decent read, was drawn to the book by the possibly accidental aged appearance of the book and the cheap price tag. I would never call this an enjoyable or pleasant read, but I will say it is a decent read, albeit dark and grim and not for the faint-hearted.
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