Overview
In the fall of 1669, the Nonsuch returned to London with a load of fur from Hudson Bay. It brought something else, too—the lost journal from Henry Hudson's tragic search for a passage to Cathay in 1611. The journal finds its way to the aged Robert Bylot and triggers disturbing memories of his life—memories of a plague-ridden city, the mysterious alchemist John Dee, and mutiny in the frozen wastes of Hudson Bay. Will the journal and memories finally allow Bylot peace of mind?
Synopsis
In the fall of 1669, the Nonsuch returns to London with a load of fur from Hudson Bay. It brings something else, too — the lost journal from Henry Hudson's ill-fated search for a passage to Cathay in 1611. The journal finds its way to the aged Robert Bylot and releases a flood of memories from his youth, some of them far from pleasant. As a young man, Bylot dreamed of becoming a famous explorer, and when his father died, he went to London where he faced the horrors of the plague — an epidemic that tragically claimed his sister. He then became the protégé of the notorious mathematician and magician John Dee. After learning navigation, he signed on with Henry Hudson on his doomed voyage. Dee also gave Bylot a secret assignment for the trip: to bring back the most powerful of alchemical secrets. Will the journal and the dark recollections they bring up finally allow Bylot the peace of mind that has eluded him all these years? John Wilson's deft interweaving of history, science, mysticism, and a hero's journey make this one of his most exciting narratives.
VOYA
Exploration, ambition, and betrayal all figure in this historical fiction novel by a Canadian author. When readers first meet Robert Bylot, he is an old man, waiting for death, but as the story of his earlier years unfolds, they learn that his life is full of mystery and adventure. As a young man, Bylot leaves his distant father and beloved sister to go to London to pursue ambitions of learning navigation and becoming a sailor. Bylot comes under the tutelage of Dr. John Dee, who promises to teach him all that he needs to know. Dee (as well as Bylot) was an actual historical figure, a philosopher, astronomer, mathematician, and advisor to Queen Elizabeth I. Dee undertakes Bylot's training in a late-sixteenth-century London, which is teeming with profiteers and adventurers hoping to become rich discovering new trade routes across the oceans. As his seafaring skills increase, Bylot soon meets another famous sixteenth-century figure, Henry Hudson. Bylot joins Hudson's ship for what will be Hudson's final expedition. Although the book begins slowly, tension rises and the reader's interest is engaged as Bylot encounters plague, alchemy, the struggles with his own desire for knowledge and adventure, and the intersection of his life with daring explorers and the mystical magus Dee. This book was nominated for the Canadian 2007 Governor General's Literary Award. Good middle grade readers and high school readers who like historical fiction and stories of adventure with some mystery thrown in will be drawn to this book. Reviewer: Tina Frolund