Tales of shipwreck, mutiny and murder are all often found throughout the swashbuckling tales of pirates and the battles of the high seas, yet in The Wager, these events all come true for one bleak and bewildered group of British sailors in the South Atlantic Ocean.

The Wager is a gripping history book that delves into the troubled and staggering past of the HMS Wager, which, attempting to sail around the base of South America to track down Spanish gold, found itself caught within terrible weather conditions and shipwrecked on what the sailors coined ‘Wager Island’, just off the coast of present-day Chile. Grann’s work focuses on the breakdown of law and order, and the erosion of novice Captain David Cheap’s control, in a mutiny that scandalised the British Navy in the 18th century.

It is a fascinating book which chronicles the building of the ship and its initial success under the charismatic Commodore George Anson, before being lost in a terrible storm. It is once the ship is wrecked on the island where the drama organically pours from the page, with Grann’s forensic writing, largely lifted from the writing of lead mutineer John Bulkeley, who kept detailed diaries during his experience. On the island, Grann introduces us to the cast of shipmates, each fighting for survival, and what begins as a tale of high-seas adventure soon delves more deeply into a dangerous and desperate attempt for survival.

Despite using Bulkeley’s source material, Grann also relies on the writing of John Byron, grandfather of the poet Lord Byron, to help colour the events more vividly. Byron’s accounts provide a fascinating insight into the men’s suffering, but also a look into the conflicted mind of those who initially mutinied, wrestling with their conscience against a backdrop of strong British naval values. Grann’s writing, which brings the men of this event to life so vividly, is rich in detail and in imagery, and it impactfully sheds light on a period of naval history long buried amid the shame and scandal it triggered. 

What Grann also achieves well in his piece is a sense of impartiaility. While Byron and Bulkeley write when events are still raw, Grann’s approach enables readers to understand both sides of the mutiny here. Bulkeley’s desperation to survive is clear, and somewhat understandable, even if the means are increasingly shocking, while Captain Cheap’s reckless violence, which in part triggers the mutiny, is just as problematic. 

At its core, The Wager is a superb glimpse into a fascinating chain of events which gripped and threatened to shame the Royal Navy. Grann’s writing richly brings to life the shocking events which unfold, in a manner that creates a thrilling and shocking story of survival, strength and violence.