St. Elmo's Fire

by Oliver Theakston

A cursed voyage of discovery that changed the world and destroyed the men who undertook it.

1519, the earliest years of European colonialism.

After years of planning, Ferdinand Magellan is finally ready to plunge into the uncharted oceans of the New World in his search for a mythical strait and the untold riches beyond.

Joining him is Juan de Morales - a physician desperate to break free from the ghosts of his past. But de Morales' hopes of a new beginning are quickly dashed as he discovers the web of treachery into which he has unwittingly entangled himself.

From the windswept tundra of Tierra del Fuego to the searing emptiness of the Pacific Ocean, St. Elmo's Fire is a descent into the madness, mutiny and cruelty of the first circumnavigation of the globe.

Kindle Edition

Published June 18, 2022

About the author

Oliver was born in Greenwich, grew up in Cumbria and lives in Belfast. His debut novel, St. Elmo's Fire, is out now.

Follow him at:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theakstonol...
Medium: https://medium.com/@o.theakston
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OliverTheakston

Reviews

[Lexi · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like historical fiction and see-faring than this book is for you. It tells the incredible tale of Ferdinand Magellan’s circumnavigation of the globe. I absolutely loved reading the story and became hooked by the complexity of the characters. I would definitely read this book again. Well worth it.

[Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this misanthropic but faithful take on the first circumnavigation. Without breaking the realism or feeling revisionist, it shows the white saviour complex, misogyny and warped sense of morality the conquistadors had. The viscerally violent and bloody events it describes are shown without honour or glory, presenting them as senseless death, pain and suffering for the indigenous people and the crew of the armanda. We see this barbarism of western emperialism through the eyes of de Morales, an unwilling participant, who may be appalled by what he sees, but is powerless to do anything about it. Amongst all that any book that exposes, highlights and condemns rape/injustice/ cultural genocide gets an extra star in my reviews.

[John Sailors · Rating 5 out of 5]

With St. Elmo’s Fire, Oliver Theakston found a delightful way to explore the first circumnavigation. The novel is based on the actual history and historical characters, but gives us something history cannot: a taste of the sort of personality conflicts that must have existed on the three-year voyage. The story shows the expedition through the eyes of Juan de Morales, a surgeon on board Magellan’s flagship, the Trinidad. Like many of the men who went to sea on these expeditions, de Morales is seeking an escape, in his case from a life he has come to hate. For de Morales, the voyage is a chance to search for new meaning in life, but he finds more than he bargained for. Importantly, this book is well researched on everything from the clothes they wore to the surgical instruments de Morales carried with him. And the book paints a clear picture of how unpleasant those voyages were for their crews. Magellan’s ships carried between forty and fifty men who constantly competed for space with cargo and provisions including livestock. I highly recommend this book for fans of historical fiction.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loneliness, betrayal, grief, madness...it's all here. St. Elmo's Fire kept me interested until the end. It's the perfect balance between a page-turning plot and a character study.
I especially liked how the author leaves a few questions unanswered. The book is very focused on a single point of view and if the main character doesn't see something happen, then the reader doesn't either. I love it when books do this - it's more realistic and it keeps you interested and keeps you thinking about it after you've put the book down.
I would definitely recommend it to any fan of historical fiction. It was a great example of the genre that stays true to history and isn't afraid to show the truth behind the events.

[EngIIrockz · Rating 2 out of 5]

There is no redemption here

The book just ends with no thoughtful
response to the brutality and death. I thought de Morales would be redeemed, but no. What a sorry waste of my time.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

It takes a few chapters to really get going but once it does St. Elmo's Fire doesn't let go until the devastating ending. This is a very bleak book that doesn't shy away from the violence of the time, but it never goes too far and the main character's arc frames the horror of Spanish colonialism really well. There are some great characters in here too. I like Espinosa and Elcano, but every character (even the 'villains' like Mendoza and Cartagena) is fleshed out so well that you can see where they are all coming from and why they act the way they do.