
Chronicles the life of Syms Covington, who becomes Charles Darwin's shooter and collector of specimens, from his early maritime adventures to his later years as he awaits his copy of The Origin of Species and ponders his part in altering the way the world thinks.

From one of Australia's most acclaimed authors, a dazzling and deeply imagined exploration of ambition, natural marvels, and scientific discovery, and one of history's most significant crises of faith. As a boy of thirteen, Syms Covington leaves his home in Bedford and goes to...


A tale based on the true life story of Syms Covington, servant to Charles Darwin on the famous voyage of The Beagle. It is a novel of ambition and adventure, masters and servants and an all-too-human quest for the truth.


