... it’s easy to assume that nothing new could be unearthed or written about it. But in his debut book, The Far Land: 200 Years of Murder, Mania, and Mutiny in the South Pacific, travel journalist Brandon Presser does exactly that, and brilliantly. By sifting through many of these prior texts, as well as other resources such as captain’s logs and interviews, Presser has managed to create a fact-based book that reads as grippingly as any thriller ... Although some facts remain a mystery (such as the breaking point that made Fletcher Christian snap and take over the ship from Captain William Bligh), Presser’s detailed interpretation allows many of the formerly fuzzy pieces to fall into place. His personal experience on the islands combined with fastidious research make The Far Land such an incredible, unforgettable tale that Presser had to stress in an author’s note that it is 'indeed a work of nonfiction.'
With painstaking detail, travel writer Presser tells the incredible story of Pitcairn and the people who have lived there since 1789 ... Presser does an able job blending Pitcairn Island’s dark present with its darker past. Travel enthusiasts and armchair explorers will find a lot to like here.
... meticulously researched ... Presser’s extensive research included hundreds of resources from old captains’ logs to newspaper clippings to the other tomes penned by writers who have similarly descended down into the darkness of Pitcairn. He also lived there for several months, and he found the people to be tough yet also gossipy and obsessive. Armchair adventurers will appreciate the author’s sharp and sympathetic eye, showing us the mechanics of a truly remote civilization ... Presser’s detailed account provides a sense of authority to a story too bizarre to be anything but true.
