Island of the Lost: Shipwrecked at the Edge of the World

Joan Druett

Apr 2016 · Tantor Media Inc · Narrated by David Colacci

About this audiobook

Auckland Island is a godforsaken place in the middle of the Southern Ocean, 285 miles south of New Zealand. With year-round freezing rain and howling winds, it is one of the most forbidding places in the world. To be shipwrecked there means almost certain death. In 1864 Captain Thomas Musgrave and his crew of four aboard the schooner Grafton wreck on the southern end of the island. Utterly alone in a dense coastal forest, plagued by stinging blowflies and relentless rain, Captain Musgrave inspires his men to take action. With barely more than their bare hands, they build a cabin and, remarkably, a forge, where they manufacture their tools. Incredibly, at the same time on the opposite end of the island, the Invercauld wrecks during a horrible storm. Nineteen men stagger ashore. Unlike Captain Musgrave, the captain of the Invercauld falls apart given the same dismal circumstances. His men fight and split up; some die of starvation, others turn to cannibalism. Only three survive. Musgrave and all of his men not only endure for nearly two years, they also plan their own astonishing escape, setting off on one of the most courageous sea voyages in history.

Ratings and reviews

A fascinating read. Very well written and narrated. The ingenuity and team work of the Grafton crew juxtaposed against the bad luck and worse decision making of the Invercauld crew, both shipwrecked on the same island at the same time, just at opposite ends, was well done.

Few books have ever managed to pull me in so deeply. The struggle that these castaways faced is legendary and is a testament to teamwork and the drive to survive. At times I swear I could feel their dread and hardship. I would highly recommend this audiobook.

great book

About the author

Joan Druett is an award-winning historian and novelist, specializing in maritime history. Her many books include the Wiki Coffin historical crime series and the nonfiction titles In the Wake of Madness, Rough Medicine, and Tupaia.

David Colacci has been an actor and a director for over thirty years, and has worked as a narrator for over fifteen years. He has won AudioFile Earphones Awards, earned Audie nominations, and been included in Best of the Year lists by such publications as Publishers Weekly, AudioFile magazine, and Library Journal.