I'm not a huge non-fiction reader, so take that into consideration while you contemplate this opinion. I wanted to be enthralled by this book, but it never happened. I appreciate the level of research that went into this work. It's obvious that the writer did his homework. The time and care it would take to gather this information is no small feat, so I admire the effort. 

However, I felt that I wanted more of the authors' opinions or maybe more information on where some of these accounts were found. There are a few lines at the end about what was published on The Wager Affair, but I wish I knew more of that during the story. That way, I could decide for myself which tales I would put credit in. I felt so much of these events were treated as fact, and I find that strange. So much can be lost with time and pride. 

On another note, I wanted more out of the characters. I understand they are real individuals, but a good character can really help pull you into a story. I was missing that, and it reminded me that fiction is my literary home. 

On the purely positive side, I loved the breakdown of sailor terms and phrases. As well as the descriptions of ship life and sailing through storms. This was the original draw to read the book, and I wasn't disappointed there. 

I would recommend this to people who claim to hate fiction.