Batavia
FitzSimons, Peter, 1961-2012
Book
Total copies: 1
The Shipwreck of the Batavia combines in just the one tale the birth of the world's first corporation, the brutality of colonisation, the battle of good vs evil, the derring-do of sea-faring adventure, mutiny, ship-wreck, love, lust, blood-lust, petty fascist dictatorship, criminality, a reign of terror, murders most foul, sexual slavery, natural nobility, survival, retribution, rescue, first contact with native peoples and so much more. Described by author Peter FitzSimons as 'a true Adults Only version of Lord of the Flies, meeting Nightmare on Elm Street,' the story is set in 1629, when the pride of the Dutch East India Company, the Batavia, is on its maiden voyage en route from Amsterdam to the Dutch East Indies, laden down with the greatest treasure to leave Holland. The magnificent ship is already boiling over with a mutinous plot that is just about to break into the open when, just off the coast of Western Australia, it strikes an unseen reef in the middle of the night. While Commandeur Francisco Pelsaert decides to take the long-boat across 2000 miles of open sea for help, his second-in-command Jeronimus Cornelisz takes over, quickly deciding that 250 people on a small island is unwieldy for the small number of supplies they have. Quietly, he puts forward a plan to 40 odd mutineers how they could save themselves, kill most of the rest and spare only a half-dozen or so women, including his personal fancy, Lucretia Jansz - one of the noted beauties of Holland - to service their sexual needs.
Main title:
Batavia / Peter FitzSimons.
Author:
FitzSimons, Peter, 1961-, author
Work:
Imprint:
North Sydney, NSW : William Heinemann Australia, 2012.©2011.
Collation:
xxii, 490 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some colour), map ; 24 cm.
Notes:
"Betrayal. Shipwreck. Murder. Sexual slavery. Courage. A spine-chilling chapter in Australian history".First published: 2011.Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN:
9781864711349
Dewey class:
919.4104
Language:
English
Subject:
BRN:
703976