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A review by advleon
The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann

adventurous challenging dark inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.75

A fantastic work from David Grann, I had not read any of his previous works but my partner rightly guessed this would be of interest to me!

The story of the Wager is almost unbelievable, sometimes you forget this is a true story as Grann masterfully weaves the various accounts to form a coherent story with protagonists, villains, plot-twists and an epic conclusion.

Byron stands out especially as a character who begins as a wide eyed midshipman, transforming into a hardened seaman through the utterly harrowing events of the Wager's expedition and wreck. Nonetheless he seems to keep his honour intact which makes him an ideal point of view character thanks in addition to his own written accounts.

The glimpses into the life of seamen in this era is unlike any other story. While I dearly love the romanticism often found in the Hornblower or Aubrey-Maturin series there is something far more visceral about The Wager, perhaps knowing that this actually happened makes the gritty reality sink in for the reader, you would not want to be a sailor on a ship like this. 

I can highly recommend. Some chapters do feel a little short, like the accounts didn't go into much detail and the time skips are often jarring. Nevertheless it was thoroughly enjoyed. 
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