Product Description

It was one of the greatest human experiments ever undertaken: to populate an unknown land with the criminal, the unloved and the unwanted of English society. Amid conditions of brutality that paralleled those of slavery, 'The First Fleet' was sent to a place no European but the legendary Captain Cook had ever seen. Left to live or die on the hostile Australian continent, these convicts - and their equally isolated guards - occupy the centre of Colleen McCullough's compelling new epic. Richard Morgan - convicted felon and educated, intelligent, resourceful man - finds the will to survive, experience the joys of love, and finally make an indelible mark upon the new frontier. A thoroughly researched historical saga rich in romance, adventure and unforgettable characters, Morgan's Run has the makings of a modern classic.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #139000 in Books
• Published on: 2001-08-02
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 912 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
McCullough's Morgan's Run is a massive historical panoply presented to the reader in vivid poster colours, while powerful, larger-than-life characterisation galvanizes a narrative of nigh-operatic proportions. Set once again in Australia, it is a return to the grand level of The Thorn Birds.

McCullough's theme is the dispatching of criminals (and other undesirables) from the mother country to the unknown wilds of Australia in the 18th century. The brutality and savagery of the transportation scenes are conveyed with maximum impact, but it is the day-to-day existence of the exiles, abandoned on the inhospitable Australian continent, that most exercises McCullough's imagination.

Her protagonist Richard Morgan is an unlikely figure (a convicted felon who is both tough and resourceful but also sensitive and highly educated) but he's just the kind of hero to bestride an adventure of as large a scale as this. As Morgan attempts to deal with both natural disasters and the mendacity and subterfuge of his fellow survivors, we see a microcosm of the hardy society that Australia was to become taking shape before our eyes. The brilliantly realised and fastidiously researched period detail of the epic setting makes this most memorable (reproductions of maps, paintings, ships' plans and other material lends verisimilitude).

McCullough has created a yarn that comprehensively grips for all its 600-odd pages; her skill at creating convincing period dialogue being the strong thread that runs throughout:

"Your men stay here because I have no other place to stow them," said Sinclair. "As a matter of fact, they are occupying valuable space my firm contracted to fill up with more useful cargo than a lot of thieving, rum-swilling twiddle-poops not clever enough to get into the navy nor rich enough to get into the army. Ye're the entire world's leavings, Ross, you and your marines. Cluttering up my crew's galley, with two dozen dogs - look at my boot! Ye lowlands bastard without a mother!" "Who's the lowlands bastard, ye Glasgow bitch's by-blow?" There was a pause as both the combatants searched wildly for a new and mortally wounding thing to say.

Review
Amid conditions of brutality akin to slavery, the unknown land of Australia was populated with the criminals, the unloved and the unwanted of English society left with their equally isolated guards to live or die there. Richard Morgan, an intelligent and educated man, finds the will to survive, to experience love and finally to make an indelible mark upon the new frontier. A powerful new saga rich in romance, adventure and memorable characters.

About the Author
Colleen McCullough was born in Australia. A neurophysicist, she established the department of neurophysiology at the Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney, then worked as a researcher and teacher at Yale Medical School for ten years. Her writing career began with the publication of Tim, followed by The Thorn Birds, a record-breaking international bestseller. The author of a number of other novels, McCullough has also written lyrics for musical theatre. She lives on Norfolk Island in the Pacific with her husband, Ric Robinson.

Customer Reviews

How to build a new world . . .
Richard Morgan, a Bristol publican's son and Jack-of-many-trades, is caught up in the devious machinations of the British class system. In circumstances exacerbated by economic disruption caused by the American War of Independence, he's convicted of a contrived crime. After spending time in British prisons and hulk ships, he's transported to New South Wales to complete his seven year sentence. Morgan is a gifted survivor. Closed upon himself, he maintains a precarious balance between despair and fatalistic acceptance. It's a narrow path, but he manages it successfully. With close attention to details, McCullough uses Richard's tortuous path to display her research into everything from the details of building the famous British "Brown Bess" musket through convict and guard relations.

Morgan's trials and incarcerations give McCullough the canvas to portray the Georgian justice system. It's not a pretty picture, but his prosecution and detentions give the author time to build Morgan's emerging character. The loss of two children and a wife might have left a better man hopelessly melancholic, but McCullough uses the pieces of his shattered life to forge a new, stronger being. With the support received from uncles and unexpected friends, he emerges as an unwilling leader among the convicts. His abilities are recognized in the convict ships and settlements, places where artisans were at a premium. After time in Port Jackson [Sydney], he's sent to Norfolk Island where he truly blossoms. Given Norfolk Island's reputation as a convict hell-hole, this came as something of a surprise. Building on his artisan talents, Morgan's role takes a departure, becoming respected among convicts and marine guards alike. In sum, she paints the image of this man too boldly. His stature stands far above lesser mortals in surroundings where such prominence is unlikely. Many years after this story a debate raged in New South Wales over the status of redeemed convicts. No trace of that issue arises with Morgan, who, as a free man assumes a place in Norfolk society with amazing ease. He establishes a property straddling a stream - Morgan's Run.

Writing historical fiction presents numerous problems. To establish firm credibility, there must be a realistic mixing real and fictional characters. Today's writers on the early days of Australia as a convict colony tend to elevate their characters above the normal run of society. They're uniformly innocent or dupes. Just once, i'd like to see a portrayal of a real villain transported to Port Jackson. McCullough follows the path set by many good historical novelists - a treasury of research transcribed into a wealth of information. In unskilled hands, such abundance can overwhelm the reader, erode the characters and subdue the plot line. McCullough is anything but unskilled, but in this book her story line is timid and the characters only short of stereotyped. Also, her Australian roots led her away from the consensus view of most writing on the convict colony. Not one of the felons expresses a strong desire to return to Britain. The novelty of the land is expressed clearly, but the homesickness most writers convey is lacking here. It's not even fatalism, just indifference.

McCullough is a good read and anyone unfamiliar with the circumstances involved with the transportation of convicts will learn much from this book. As the first volume in a series, it's clear her research will bring forth new and entertaining circumstances. Morgan, only forty years of age at the end of this volume, will certainly find new fields to conquer. I look forward to the sequel, more for its information than from any interest in Morgan, who's bigger than life already. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

interesting but not a real page turner
I have read all Colleen McCullough's books and especially enjoyed her rome based ones, therefore I was really looking forward to this one. However, while this book was easy to read and interesting it didn't have the page turning qualities of some of her others. I was also a little disappointed to find I had already got 3/4 of the way through the book before Australia was even sighted. If you want an easy read this will be good for you, however, if you are expecting great things I would give this one a miss.

McColloughs Best Yet
Ive read quite a few of McCulloughs Rome based books and there ok but i found them to drag on unneedlesly in parts, this is the best ive read from her by far, the fact that it contains massive swings in the plot, moves through a peroid of great change in history and over continents made this constantly shifting story spot on for my taste. Just when you think things cant get any worse for the main character they do. and then they do again!

Possibly a more enjoyable read if you live near or have knowledge of the city of Bristol and the surrounding area, as theres plenty of reference to the citys history and many places that any bristolian will instantly assosiate with.

If you like here historical accuracy combined with a good story then you should enjoy this.