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y separately published work icon The Investigators single work   novel   historical fiction  
Issue Details: First known date: 2023... 2023 The Investigators
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'A novel of high adventure, exploration, shipwreck and survival, based on the life of Matthew Flinders' cousin, fifteen-year-old midshipman John Franklin, by the award-winning author of Soldier Boy.

''Our discoveries have been great, but the risks and misfortunes many.'

'John Franklin always wanted to be a sailor. As a volunteer in the Royal Navy at age fourteen, he found himself in the Battle of Copenhagan, but nothing could prepare him for the adventure of a lifetime, when he set off in 1801 with his cousin Matthew Flinders on HMS Investigator as it sought to chart the first circumnavigation of Australia.

'Taking on responsibility for the chronometers, under the jealous eye of Flinders' younger brother, the young midshipman found all the action, adventure and excitement he'd hoped for in his new life at sea. It inspired him to become one of the great navigators and explorers of the 19th century.

'However, he wasn't quite so prepared for the other challenges that life onboard had in store - the rivalries with fellow shipmates, the shortages of food, and the harsh realities of what they encountered in the colonies. Danger, disease and death seemed to follow in their wake, and even the Investigator was at serious risk of survival, and had to flee to Koepang in present-day Indonesia for repair.

'The history books tell us that the first circumnavigation of Australia was completed on this voyage - but award-winning author Anthony Hill tells us how it was achieved. The Investigators is an unforgettable story of high adventure, exploration, shipwreck and survival as a young sailor comes of age.' (Publication summary)

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

    • Melbourne, Victoria,: Penguin , 2023 .
      image of person or book cover 5837178968826114874.jpg
      Image courtesy of publisher's website.
      Extent: 368p.
      Note/s:
      • Published 7th March 2023
      ISBN: 9781760896713

Works about this Work

'Such Sadism, Such Pain' : Three Novels about Historical Masculinity Stephen Knight , 2023 single work review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , April no. 452 2023; (p. 38-39)

— Review of A Man of Honour Simon Smith , 2023 single work novel ; The Death of John Lacey Ben Hobson , 2023 single work novel ; The Investigators Anthony Hill , 2023 single work novel

'In recent historical fiction, women authors have explored the Australian past from a female viewpoint, as in Kate Grenville’s A Room Made of Leaves (2020), focusing on Elizabeth Macarthur, and Anita Heiss’s Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray, River of Dreams (2022), about Wagadhaany, an Indigenous woman from the Murrumbidgee River. As if in response to such potent novels, now comes a trio expressing historical masculinity.' (Introduction)

'Such Sadism, Such Pain' : Three Novels about Historical Masculinity Stephen Knight , 2023 single work review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , April no. 452 2023; (p. 38-39)

— Review of A Man of Honour Simon Smith , 2023 single work novel ; The Death of John Lacey Ben Hobson , 2023 single work novel ; The Investigators Anthony Hill , 2023 single work novel

'In recent historical fiction, women authors have explored the Australian past from a female viewpoint, as in Kate Grenville’s A Room Made of Leaves (2020), focusing on Elizabeth Macarthur, and Anita Heiss’s Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray, River of Dreams (2022), about Wagadhaany, an Indigenous woman from the Murrumbidgee River. As if in response to such potent novels, now comes a trio expressing historical masculinity.' (Introduction)

Last amended 14 Dec 2022 13:09:41
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