Notes

Land falls 315 pages : map Summary: When Laperouse leaves France in the spring of 1785 with two ships under his command, he knows that he sails with the full backing of the French government. This is to be a voyage of scientific and geographical discovery, but every person on board has their own hopes, ambitions and dreams. As the ships move across vast distances in their journey of nearly four years, different characters step forward and invite us into their world. From the remote Alaskan bay where a dreadful tragedy unfolds, to the wild joureny Barthelemy de Lesseps undertakes from the far east of Russia to St Petersburg, the reader sees the emotional, physical and mental toll exacted by such an endeavour. (From back cover)