Wreckers: Disaster in the Age of Discovery

by Simon Park

A gripping new history of the shipwrecks and other failed voyages at the dawn of imperialism (15-16th C)


Wreckers sinks the old narrative of imperialism. In place of swashbuckling adventurers bringing home great riches. We see a series of failures on the part of the Europeans. Christopher Columbus suffers several shipwrecks and dies trying to persuade the world that America was, in fact, China. Vasco de Gama, known as the first European to reach India by sea, was in fact guided across the Indian Ocean by a Gujrati pilot.

Wreckers taps into a thirst for stories of the sea and throws myths we have long been told about European empire-building overboard, transporting readers instead on voyages tragically cut short and introducing them to new characters whose lives illuminate dark spots of a foundational period in world history. By looking at the disasters rather than the accomplishments we get a new and exciting take on history.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Audiobook

292 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 17, 2025

Reviews

[Maria E (de Enigma, Espada, Esfinge…)]

Descobrimentos - Um Projeto Bidimensional


“Ó glória de mandar, ó vã cobiça desta vaidade, a quem chamamos Fama! Ó fraudulento gosto, que se atiça cũan aura popular, que honra se chama!”
“A que novos desastres determinas de levar estes Reinos e esta gente? Que perigos, que mortes lhe destinas, debaixo dalgum nome [ideal] proeminente?” (Palavras do Velho do Restelo nos Lusíadas)

Seriam os Descobrimentos um empreendimento fruto duma ambição desmedida?! Será que a honra e a bravura estavam lá apenas para dissimular um projeto de cariz marcadamente amoral?!…

A voz sábia do Velho do Restelo é um alerta para um quadro onde a ganância coexiste com a morte e o desastre. Esta figura do poema épico de Camões é, também, o símbolo deste livro…


Wreckers revela-nos o lado oculto dos Descobrimentos. Aquele que a escola não ensina!


NOTA: A corresponde edição em português intitula-se Destroços dos Descobrimentos

[M D Stevenson]

Tedious retrospective p.c. anticolonialism

The author, expert medieval Portuguese linguist he may be, manages to ruin quite interesting detail to well known historical events by an irritating insistence on what he believes are novel interpretations of colonial history. In fact the two sided nature of the history, and it's problematic nature have long been accepted.

[Robin]

I really enjoyed this. Characters I didn't know and stories I hadn't heard. A real joy to read of the disasters amongst the striving for empire, wealth and discovery.

[Simeon Pickup]

it's fine, but kinda disappointing from the perspective of someone who's really interested in the age of exploration. there's an interesting range of stories told, although a) they're not always covered that interestingly, b) I was expecting more focus on, well, wrecked voyages.

it's a nice idea in principle for the author to try to interrogate the first century of the age of exploration, but this book feels more like a collection of stories with some analysis tacked on. the analysis isn't that deep or extensive

[Zack Long]

Not a particularly deep or meaningful exploration of the topic. However, if this was your first time exploring the subject... you could do worse.