BooK Review: The Wager-A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder

June 16, 2025 / J. Paul Cooper / Leave a comment

David Grann’s book, The Wager – A Tale of Shipwreck, Murder and Mutiny, published in 2025 is a 406 page non-fiction masterpiece.

What I admire about narrative non-fiction writers is their ability to give the reader enough detail to appreciate what the main characters experience, but not so much that the pace of the story is diminished. Throughout The Wager David Grann draws the reader in with a page-turning drama, while at the same time providing an education about the lives of the British sailors who served on men-of-war.

It’s impossible for modern landlubbers to fully understand what it was like for sailors to climb masts, hanging onto dear life while the wind howled and waves crashed over the decks, but Grann does an excellent job giving the reader a sense of that terrifying experience. The drama unfolds as crewmembers die of scurvy, aboard all the ships in the original group, while the vessels are pounded by unrelenting storms.

When The Wager is separated from the rest of the fleet, the ship crashes on a rocky shoreline. The survivors find themselves on an island with very little food, surviving mainly on what provisions they can salvage from the wreck. Unlike today, no one is inspecting satellite images to try and find them and since this is before the telegraph, the chances of being able to make contact with the outside world is basically non-existent.

David Cheap, the Wager’s Captain, is determined to maintain order, but many of the sailors are driven to extremes by starvation. At one point Cheap is so frustrated by men stealing from their meager food rations, that he shoots one of them in the head. Now he faces possible execution for murder, if they ever return to England. Later, a group of men lead by the Wager’s Gunner, John Bulkeley leave the island using three of Wager’s smaller vessels, Bulkeley refusing to follow a route suggested by Captain Cheap. Although they claim it was necessary to leave Cheap because of his erratic behavior, they still risked being executed for mutiny because they abandoned their Captain.

The story continues, with Bulkely’s crew fighting the raging sea, only this time in smaller vessels. Miraculously some of Bulkeley’s group do survive, helped by indigenous peoples, but they end up being prisoners of Spain, which was at war with England at the time.

Eventually, Bulkeley and some of the sailors with him make it back to England, where they must face an inquiry to determine if they have broken naval codes of conduct. And then, when it appears only their account will be heard, Captain Cheap, who they believed dead, returns. He was also helped by indigenous peoples to survive. And finally, just to make things even more interesting, sailors and marines who Bulkeley had left abandoned on an island during their voyage, also return to England.

David Grann has written an amazing account with men struggling not only against the elements, but also with their consciences. Men like Bulkeley had to choose between loyalty to their Captain, or the lives of their crewmates. At the same time, Captain Cheap honestly believed their only hope was to strictly adhere to the rules of conduct, or their small colony would break down into chaos, which it did.

If you enjoy a tale of life of death battles against the elements, with constant twists and turns, you’ll thoroughly enjoy The Wager. The story is told from the perspective of young sailors and wizened old sea dogs and it draws you in from page one. Two of David Grann’s books have already been made into movies, The Lost City of Z (2016) and Killers of the Flower Moon (2023.) I hope The Wager will be the next.

Book Review: Fractal Noise by Christopher Paolini

July 9, 2023 / J. Paul Cooper / Leave a comment

Fractal Noise by Christopher Paolini is an excellent science fiction novel. The hard cover is 286 pages long, so unlike his previous sci fi novel, To Sleep in a Sea of Stars, it was easy to read within my local library’s twenty-one day borrowing limit.

Fractal Noise is the story of a four person team sent to investigate a giant hole on the planet Talos VII. The anomaly sends out a pulse about every ten seconds, and as the team approaches the hole, it increases in intensity as tension grows among the team members.

Alex, the main character is tormented by the death of his partner, Layla. When she died, she left him with a video record of all her memories. Throughout the unfolding drama, he often looks back at them, knowing he pain it’s going to arouse, but unable to overcome the addiction

What makes Paolini’s novel compelling, is how he reminds us that we’re vulnerable, despite technical advancements. Sand turns self-propelled sleds into burdens to be dragged. And human nature doesn’t change, as the hatred between the team leader Talia and geologist Puskin intensifies.

The rock-like entities on the planet, which Alex refers to as “Turtles,” are a constant presence. Since surface scans didn’t show any military threat, the only weapon they have is a bolt-gun used to drive in tent pegs for their shelter, and the pegs just bounce off the “Turtles.”

As the story unfolds, the team moves across the surface of Talos VII, sustaining injuries, pulling their supply sleds, while constantly struggling against sand blown by gale-force winds. The never-ending “Thud” of the pulse grates on their nerves, prevents sleep, and exhausts their energy, growing stronger, the closer they get to the hole. The pulse interferes with communication, leaving the team without any outside help or guidance.

Great fiction makes you wonder what you would do if you were in the same situation as those in the story. And that’s exactly what Christopher Paolini does in Fractal Noise, by creating characters we can relate to. You feel their fear, desperation, and ultimately, hope.

Book Review

March 12, 2023March 12, 2023 / J. Paul Cooper / Leave a comment

Becoming A Writer-Staying A Writer by J. Michael Straczynski

Benbella Books 2021 230 Pages

If you just read about J. Michael Straczynksi’s success writing scripts for television series, as well as feature length screenplays, and comic books, that alone would be enough to convince you to buy Becoming A Writer-Staying a Writer. And it would be a good decision.

Having worked in Hollywood for decades, Straczynski offers a wide range of advice useful for both new and experienced writers. My favourite chapter was Annnnd Here’s The Pitch. If you hear the term “pitching” the first image that comes to mind might be a movie producer’s office in Hollywood. Straczynski, however, notes that an editor who is publishing your first novel, might want know about the second book you’re planning to write as well. This is useful knowledge, since many writers conferences include pitch sessions with agents and editors.

I appreciate Straczynski’s approach, as he discusses both the challenge involved in approaching agents, and practical steps you can take to develop a reputation as a solid writer. According to the author, having short stories published and offering to write a script for an independent filmmaker’s first short film can help in that process.

Straczynski’s book discusses technical aspects of writing, as well as emotional issues like Writer’s Block and Imposter Syndrome. Becoming A Writer-Staying A Writer is a perfect balance of straightforward advice and humour; Straczynski never denies that writing is a difficult process, but he reminds us why it’s important that we keep trying.