Desolation Island is the fifth novel in Patrick O’Brian’s acclaimed Aubrey–Maturin series, set during the Napoleonic Wars. In this installment, Captain Jack Aubrey is appointed to command HMS Leopard on a mission to Australia to assist the deposed Governor William Bligh. Accompanying him is his friend and ship’s surgeon, Stephen Maturin, who has been tasked with monitoring Louisa Wogan, a suspected American spy among the convicts being transported.   The voyage is fraught with peril: a deadly outbreak of typhus decimates the crew, and the undermanned Leopard is pursued by the formidable Dutch warship Waakzaamheid. A dramatic chase ensues through the treacherous southern seas, culminating in a fierce battle amid towering waves. After narrowly escaping destruction, the Leopard sustains severe damage from a collision with an iceberg, forcing the crew to seek refuge on the remote Desolation Island for repairs.

ISBN: 9780393308129