Mutiny on the Bounty

A saga of sex, sedition, mayhem and mutiny, and survival against extraordinary odds

By: Peter FitzSimons

Narrated by: Michael Carman

The mutiny on HMS Bounty, in the South Pacific on 28 April 1789, is one of history's truly great stories - a tale of human drama, intrigue and adventure of the highest order - and in the hands of Peter FitzSimons it comes to life as never before.

Commissioned by the Royal Navy to collect breadfruit plants from Tahiti and take them to the West Indies, the Bounty's crew found themselves in a tropical paradise. Five months later, they did not want to leave. Under the leadership of Fletcher Christian most of the crew mutinied soon after sailing from Tahiti, setting Captain William Bligh and 18 loyal crewmen adrift in a small open boat. In one of history's great feats of seamanship, Bligh navigated this tiny vessel for 3618 nautical miles to Timor.

Fletcher Christian and the mutineers sailed back to Tahiti, where most remained and were later tried for mutiny. But Christian, along with eight fellow mutineers and some Tahitian men and women, sailed off into the unknown, eventually discovering the isolated Pitcairn Island - at the time not even marked on British maps - and settling there.

This astonishing story is historical adventure at its very best, encompassing the mutiny, Bligh's monumental achievement in navigating to safety, and Fletcher Christian and the mutineers' own epic journey from the sensual paradise of Tahiti to the outpost of Pitcairn Island. The mutineers' descendants live on Pitcairn to this day, amid swirling stories and rumours of past sexual transgressions and present-day repercussions. Mutiny on the Bounty is a sprawling, dramatic tale of intrigue, bravery and sheer boldness, told with the accuracy of historical detail and total command of story that are Peter FitzSimons' trademarks.

Critic reviews

Good read.

Simply incredible!

This is one of the most amazing stories I’ve ever read, the facts and details are mind boggling. This book is brilliantly written, and the story never sags, I simply could not stop listening. I live in a Central American country and will never look at a bread fruit tree in the same light again!
I highly recommend this book. The narrator is also exceptional!

What a story!!!!

One story I hadn’t ever bothered to study in detail and I am glad I finally took the time to listen to this. It’s both historical and a psychological thriller.

Very good but.

So interesting I couldn’t stop listening. But I realized the amount of different conversations that were constantly being held by members of the crew had to of been added by the author, and not originally written in anyone’s journal or diary at the time. Now I understand words here and there to emphasize a point or what have you could be excepted, but they were having whole conversations. And this went on for awhile. For me personally, these kinds of things are very discouraging because I am such a history buff. I want to know exactly what was happening, and exactly what was said. But there was so much added that couldn’t have been said couldn’t have been documented that as I said, I was discouraged, not knowing if this was actually said, or this is what the author added. Other than that a fine book.

For All Bounty Hunters!

This is an exceedingly well-crafted story read by a professional with a great voice.

Absolutely Captivating

Peter FitzSimons truly brings history to life. He has the rare ability to make history feel like fiction. "Mutiny on the Bounty" is not a new tale, as it's been around as long as anyone can remember. However, FitzSimons makes it fresh and invigorating. Captain William Bligh is a monster, and FitzSimons makes him a living, breathing one. And Fletcher Christian is more than the mutinous subordinate. He's a truly frustrated man, torn between following orders and the woman he loves on Tahiti. What he does when pushed to the brink is something seemingly out of character for him. But is it? There is never a dull moment here, and once again FitzSimons proves he's the master turning history into a glorious adventure read.

Naturally, Michael Carman makes Bligh the brute he's written as come to life. His narration is perfection. Couldn't love FitzSimons and Carman combining forces more.