This book is incredible. The plot is so unebelivable and so extraordinary, it is hard to believe that the entire thing is based on real stories and the lives of real people who lived only 150 years ago.

It follows the life of Robert FitzRoy, who was captain of the Beagle for two round the world trips, and Charles Darwin.  Darwin, obviously, is a well-known figure, but FitzRoy was also well ahead of his time.  He believed that “savages” were not lesser people to be brutalised, but equals, just without the same opportunities that “civilized” men had.  His interest in geology and science were the only thing that landed Darwin on the Beagle in the first place.

The journey they took was amazing - not just because of the discoveries that Darwin sent back - but because this was really a new world for Europeans - places that had never been mapped were being charted for the first time. Some of the things are so unreal I had to look them up on Wikipedia to see if they were made up.  (And they weren’t!)

12 year olds wrenched from their families to live a life on the sea; slaves still being traded as if they were animals; no concern paid to the well-being of the natives; London a completely industrial town, full of factories pumping out thick smoke & fog; people in power purely because of their family or wealth - the world has moved on in some ways and yet some things stay the same. Darwin at one point meets General Rosas, a political but brutal man, trying to create the country of Argentina and wipe out the natives. Because there is no record of what was said when they met, the author used quotes from Tony Blair’s justification of the war in Iraq to fill the gap. It is striking how well the rhetoric fits.

There is lots of action in the earlier years, battling storms and engaging with hostile natives, and life on board the ship really sucks you in.  The characters are also really well drawn. Their relationships are so real and complex - even though I side with Darwin on the evolution vs. God front, when Darwin & FitzRoy fall out, you really can see both sides of their arguments.  Although this book could have done with a bit more editing (it is over 700 pages long!!!), it is so interesting I’ll forgive it. Definitely worth a read if you have a long commute to get through or want something thought provoking to read on holiday.

This Thing of Darkness by Harry Thompson