This book reminded me a bit of Cloud Atlas in that it is a pretty complete romp over a huge amount of distance (and pages) but the comparison stops there. This book has a rather simple theme where as Cloud Atlas I still havn't totally figured out. English passengers is a book about racism, colonialism, and the prejudices of science and religion. Very interesting book with clear but sweetly paradoxical morals that are really quite enlightening. The real fun in the book is that its about a huge journey across the world in the time of pirates and "savages" and excitement. This book is great for someone who loves adventure but also has a proper conscience or at least cares about other people to the slightest extent. Great to see a book that deals with Tasmania and the extinction that occurred there.One of the most interesting couplings is between a priest and a scientist who are both totally self righteous and enormous jerks. Hard to read because you hate them so much but it makes you think of how people think when they're commiting attrocities. A few other characters give a really interesting tinsight into how westerners think when they're helping the "less fortuneate."
Recommended for someone who has a lot of time, especially if they're currently on a boat. At 500 pages its not for the faint of heart.
not blow away but enjoyed reading it for sure.
Andrew
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