Item - Bound for Australia

While I found this book interesting and enjoyed reading it, it unfortunately has a lot of flaws. First of all, its mission is less than compelling -- finding the first Western settler of Australia is a somewhat vaguely-defined goal, and the ultimate solution has little to do with most of the adventure that leads up to it. Additionally, the book's portrayal of reality is a little more black and white than it is in the better books of the series -- Captain Cook, for example, practically glows with goodness, and while he may well have been a great man (I'm not historian enough to offer an opinion), his portrayal here still seems like it must be awfully exaggerated. Finally, the transitions between sections of the book aren't always smooth -- at one point, for example, you can jump ahead several months on a sea voyage without anyone (including your employer) asking where you were! Despite all of these flaws, though, the book is worth reading if only for the unique option it allows the reader when it becomes necessary to learn more about British convicts....

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