A classic Patrick O'Brian novel, back in print after many years with three bonus tales of nautical adventure.

Newly orphaned Derrick is entrusted to the care of his gruff uncle Sullivan, Captain of The Wanderer. After surviving a killer typhoon on the South China Sea, and accompanied by their eccentric elderly cousin, they set off across land to discover the treasures of Central Asia.

Derrick befriends a fierce Mongol warrior and must help him battle a ruthless Chinese warlord. Given a gift of priceless jade, the group is pursued into the inhospitable mountains of Tibet where they are caught between fierce mountain monks and a terrifying unnamed creature that stalks them through the snow.

This special edition includes three bonus tales - Noughts and Crosses, Two's Company & No Pirates Nowadays - that are prequels to the adventure of The Road to Samarcand, and are published together for the very first time.

About the Author

Patrick O'Brian, until his death in 2000, was one of our greatest contemporary novelists. He is the author of the acclaimed Aubrey-Maturin tales and the biographer of Joseph Banks and Picasso. He is the author of many other books including Testimonies, and his Collected Short Stories. In 1995 he was the first recipient of the Heywood Hill Prize for a lifetime's contribution to literature. In the same year he was awarded the CBE. In 1997 he received an honorary doctorate of letters from Trinity College, Dublin. He lived for many years in South West France and he died in Dublin in January 2000.

Reviews

'You are in for the treat of your lives. Thank God for Patrick O'Brian: his genius illuminates the literature of the English language, and lightens the lives of those who read him' Irish Times

'Any contemporary novelist should recognize in Patrick O'Brian a Master of the Art' Sunday Telegraph

'The best historical novels ever written'
New York Times

Book Information
ISBN 9780008112936
Author Patrick O'Brian
Format Paperback
Page Count 336
Imprint HarperCollins
Publisher HarperCollins Publishers
Weight(grams) 240g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 22mm