She becomes frozen in the pack ice. After a year and a half, ship's navigator, Valerian Albanov and 13 shipmates set out on an eighteen month journey to reach land and rescue. This is the story as told from Albanov's journal. It does glow from within. Martin captures the local characters, many from his own Basque family, with humor and nuance, never averting his eyes from their flaws.
Mountain City is a real community.
This particular one is about Richard Morgan, who through various twists of fate finds himself on the first shipment of convicts from England to Australia in 1787. His life until then had been that of a devoted family man and hardworking craftsman. All that changed when he was accused and convicted of a felony. It enables him to survive some brutally difficult situations in prison, during transport, and eventually at his destination. This book is so full of human interest that it is hard to put down and will appeal to many.