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Captain Cook's Apprentice
'What are they saying?' Isaac asked Taiata.
'They are calling us tupua. . . goblins and demons.'
'And what else?'
'They say they will come back and kill us all.'
When young Isaac Manley sailed on the Endeavour from England in 1768, no one on board knew if a mysterious southern continent existed in the vast Pacific Ocean. It would be a voyage full of uncertainties and terrors.
During the course of the three-year journey, Isaac's eyes are opened to all the brutal realities of life at sea - floggings, storms, press-gangs, the deaths of fellow crewmen, and violent clashes on distant shores.
Yet Isaac also experiences the tropical beauty of Tahiti, where he becomes friends with a Tahitian girl. He sees the wonders of New Zealand. And he is there when the men of Endeavour first glimpse the east coast of Australia, anchor in Botany Bay, and run aground on the Great Barrier Reef.
The enthralling true story of Captain Cook's voyage to Australia on the Endeavour, seen through the eager eyes of a cabin boy, by best-selling and award-winning author Anthony Hill.
Visit anthonyhillbooks.com
'They are calling us tupua. . . goblins and demons.'
'And what else?'
'They say they will come back and kill us all.'
When young Isaac Manley sailed on the Endeavour from England in 1768, no one on board knew if a mysterious southern continent existed in the vast Pacific Ocean. It would be a voyage full of uncertainties and terrors.
During the course of the three-year journey, Isaac's eyes are opened to all the brutal realities of life at sea - floggings, storms, press-gangs, the deaths of fellow crewmen, and violent clashes on distant shores.
Yet Isaac also experiences the tropical beauty of Tahiti, where he becomes friends with a Tahitian girl. He sees the wonders of New Zealand. And he is there when the men of Endeavour first glimpse the east coast of Australia, anchor in Botany Bay, and run aground on the Great Barrier Reef.
The enthralling true story of Captain Cook's voyage to Australia on the Endeavour, seen through the eager eyes of a cabin boy, by best-selling and award-winning author Anthony Hill.
Visit anthonyhillbooks.com
276 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2008
5 people are currently reading
81 people want to read
About the author
Anthony Hill
68 books23 followersAnthony Hill was born in Melbourne on 24 May, 1942. In a varied career he has been a newspaper and television reporter, political journalist, antique dealer, speech-writer for Australia's Governor-General, and now full-time author.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
July 3, 2013
The audiobook is actually fabulously well narrated and fans of seafarer stories would probably love this. It was just a bit too detailed for me; obviously Hill did A LOT of research writing this, which has turned this story into quite a dense one.
It's not bad necessarily, just too dense and thus boring for me. And I guess seafarer adventure/explorer stories are just not my cup of tea.
It's not bad necessarily, just too dense and thus boring for me. And I guess seafarer adventure/explorer stories are just not my cup of tea.
April 26, 2016
A different look at Isaac Manley's trip on the Endeavour.
We enjoyed learning about him when we read Jackie French's book, "The Goat Who Traveled the World" but this book told the story from a slightly different viewpoint.
We enjoyed learning about him when we read Jackie French's book, "The Goat Who Traveled the World" but this book told the story from a slightly different viewpoint.
August 2, 2018
This is a terrific novel! Aimed at a YA audience it also is a great light read for any adult who would like to be introduced to The Transit of Venus voyage of The Endeavour. Prior to reading this novel, I thought I'd learnt all there was to know about this voyage but there were obvious gaps in my knowledge. Being an Australian the parts of the voyage that were not along our coast line were brushed over in school. Also this was only one of Cook's voyages, so in biographies about Cook it only forms part of the whole.
The indepth research and the unique perspective makes this such a worthwhile read.
There are many notes on the Chapters which can also be found online at Scolastic http://www.scool.scholastic.com.au/sc...
There is also a teacher's guide available online: http://www.anthonyhillbooks.com/f/Tea...
This edition is printed for the 250th anniversary of the voyage and is 10 years after the novel's first publication.
I read the local library book copy, but would consider getting a copy of my own. The author lives locally and is giving a talk at the library, considering buying a copy for him to sign.
The indepth research and the unique perspective makes this such a worthwhile read.
There are many notes on the Chapters which can also be found online at Scolastic http://www.scool.scholastic.com.au/sc...
There is also a teacher's guide available online: http://www.anthonyhillbooks.com/f/Tea...
This edition is printed for the 250th anniversary of the voyage and is 10 years after the novel's first publication.
I read the local library book copy, but would consider getting a copy of my own. The author lives locally and is giving a talk at the library, considering buying a copy for him to sign.
May 13, 2021
It might be because it is aimed at a YA audience but this book felt a little as though it was a precis of a deeper and more intense book. Enjoyable all the same.
October 6, 2011
It was a really interesting book about the Europeans first impression of New Zealand and how Captain Cook's crew lasted. It is very detailed and obvious that Anthony had done a lot of research about what actually happens.
This is a novel. (non-fiction)
This is a novel. (non-fiction)
January 4, 2019
‘Permission to come aboard,’ cried the ferryman. ‘One young gentleman, name o’ Manley, with sea chest.’
In August 1768, HM Bark Endeavour, left Plymouth. There were ninety-four souls on board, including her captain, Lieutenant James Cook and Isaac George Manley, a servant to Robert Molineux (the ship’s master). Isaac Manley was thirteen years old. This was the voyage undertaken to view the transit of Venus in Tahiti in 1769, and the entire journey took three years.
This novel is told from the perspective of Isaac Manley and gives a fascinating insight into life aboard ship. I’ve been on the replica of the Endeavour and was amazed to think how many people and supplies, were fitted into such a small space.
But back to Isaac Manley. He is new to life at sea, and we experience the sometimes brutal reality with him. Men are flogged for disciplinary reasons, lives are lost, storms threaten disaster. Cook introduces sauerkraut to the men’s diet and makes it appealing by suggesting it is a privilege for the officers that the men may share. This helped to prevent scurvy.
‘There was no going home. Not, in truth, did Isaac want to.’
Then there’s Isaac Manley’s experience of Rio and travelling around Cape Horn into the Pacific. He will also see Tahiti (where he becomes friends with a Tahitian girl) and the circumnavigation of New Zealand. The east coast of Australia is next, landing at Botany Bay and when sailing north, running aground on the Great Barrier Reef.
During the voyage home, Isaac Manley is promoted to midshipman. And after the voyage? Isaac Manley never sailed with Cook again. He married and lived to the age of 81 (the last surviving member of the voyage) and had risen through the ranks to become Admiral of the Red in January 1837, less than a year before he died.
This is a novel for young adults (although this no-longer-young adult also enjoyed it). And it’s a great introduction to this particular voyage by James Cook. The book contains a list of other useful books and internet sites for those interested in learning more about the voyage.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
In August 1768, HM Bark Endeavour, left Plymouth. There were ninety-four souls on board, including her captain, Lieutenant James Cook and Isaac George Manley, a servant to Robert Molineux (the ship’s master). Isaac Manley was thirteen years old. This was the voyage undertaken to view the transit of Venus in Tahiti in 1769, and the entire journey took three years.
This novel is told from the perspective of Isaac Manley and gives a fascinating insight into life aboard ship. I’ve been on the replica of the Endeavour and was amazed to think how many people and supplies, were fitted into such a small space.
But back to Isaac Manley. He is new to life at sea, and we experience the sometimes brutal reality with him. Men are flogged for disciplinary reasons, lives are lost, storms threaten disaster. Cook introduces sauerkraut to the men’s diet and makes it appealing by suggesting it is a privilege for the officers that the men may share. This helped to prevent scurvy.
‘There was no going home. Not, in truth, did Isaac want to.’
Then there’s Isaac Manley’s experience of Rio and travelling around Cape Horn into the Pacific. He will also see Tahiti (where he becomes friends with a Tahitian girl) and the circumnavigation of New Zealand. The east coast of Australia is next, landing at Botany Bay and when sailing north, running aground on the Great Barrier Reef.
During the voyage home, Isaac Manley is promoted to midshipman. And after the voyage? Isaac Manley never sailed with Cook again. He married and lived to the age of 81 (the last surviving member of the voyage) and had risen through the ranks to become Admiral of the Red in January 1837, less than a year before he died.
This is a novel for young adults (although this no-longer-young adult also enjoyed it). And it’s a great introduction to this particular voyage by James Cook. The book contains a list of other useful books and internet sites for those interested in learning more about the voyage.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
June 15, 2018
I have received an advanced reading copy of the new edition of this book.
What a great read about Australian history. I believe it is well researched and is definately well written. I had many moments where I went, so that's what happened...I did not know that this August makes the 250th anniversary of the day Cook and Co set out aboard the Endeavour to discover new people and places in the South Pacific.
I also had no idea that Cook was so on top of Scurvy and it's causes. It was amazing how he kept on top of this. It was very interesting reading about how one young boy slowly climbed the Naval ladder through sheer will, persistance and work ethic. I believe that reading this story through his eyes gives the reader a different viewpoint on a trip that was mostly journaled by sea-faring men who had been there, seen that and left behind the bodies to show it.
This will be a good read for people of all ages but I think it will be a unique one that will cross down and favour teenage boys. Adventure, the high seas, death and danger - all the elements required to keep today's YA generation engaged and removed from their screens.
What a great read about Australian history. I believe it is well researched and is definately well written. I had many moments where I went, so that's what happened...I did not know that this August makes the 250th anniversary of the day Cook and Co set out aboard the Endeavour to discover new people and places in the South Pacific.
I also had no idea that Cook was so on top of Scurvy and it's causes. It was amazing how he kept on top of this. It was very interesting reading about how one young boy slowly climbed the Naval ladder through sheer will, persistance and work ethic. I believe that reading this story through his eyes gives the reader a different viewpoint on a trip that was mostly journaled by sea-faring men who had been there, seen that and left behind the bodies to show it.
This will be a good read for people of all ages but I think it will be a unique one that will cross down and favour teenage boys. Adventure, the high seas, death and danger - all the elements required to keep today's YA generation engaged and removed from their screens.
November 29, 2025
I genuinely enjoyed reading Captain Cook’s Apprentice. The story moved at a great pace and kept my interest throughout, blending adventure and history in a way that never felt dry or forced.
Set across Australia and the Pacific Islands, the book brings these places vividly to life. The sailing descriptions were exceptional — detailed, atmospheric, and written in a way that made life at sea feel both real and immediate. You can tell the author truly understands the world he’s writing about.
The characters were likeable and engaging, and the historical setting made them even more compelling. The writing itself was rich and immersive — it’s the kind of book that pulls you into another time and place and makes you forget you’re reading fiction.
What really stood out was the depth of research. The author’s sources and notes at the end of the book make it clear how much care went into keeping the detail authentic. It added an extra layer of respect and trust in the story being told.
An excellent read for anyone who enjoys historical fiction done properly.
Set across Australia and the Pacific Islands, the book brings these places vividly to life. The sailing descriptions were exceptional — detailed, atmospheric, and written in a way that made life at sea feel both real and immediate. You can tell the author truly understands the world he’s writing about.
The characters were likeable and engaging, and the historical setting made them even more compelling. The writing itself was rich and immersive — it’s the kind of book that pulls you into another time and place and makes you forget you’re reading fiction.
What really stood out was the depth of research. The author’s sources and notes at the end of the book make it clear how much care went into keeping the detail authentic. It added an extra layer of respect and trust in the story being told.
An excellent read for anyone who enjoys historical fiction done properly.
August 20, 2018
Having heard Anthony Hill talk with such passion about this project at the Canberra launch, I was excited about this read and it lived up to expectations. It's an easy, swift read true to the continual momentum of the sea voyage itself. Before you know it you've traveled the world, met amazing people, experienced an impressive list of the odd and incredible, and are suddenly home again ready for the next voyage with a sense of unreality about the last. The unique point of view of this narrator adds an endearing new dimension to a known story. Thoroughly recommend.
February 18, 2022
This one started really well. It’s no Bryce Courtenay or Robert Hughes, but it was a fun and engaging, if overly simple read. Think of it as Australian history meeting YA fiction.
However, it became clear very quickly that… light hearted, fun and engaging was as far as it went. As far as plot goes… there was none, other than a narration of Cook’s voyage. It was obviously going to be set against that backdrop, but I expected a plot, a storyline featuring the young protagonist, but no.
If you want to learn about the history of Cook’s first voyage, there’s other books.
May 7, 2023
The story of the Endeavour's trip to Tahiti for the Transit of Venus, New Zealandand Australia's East coast through the eyes of a young boy who is on his first trip. Isaac Manley as a second son has joined the trip as a way to make his way in the world. An interesting read, but I found some of the language and the way the story was told was not well enough balanced between trying to give the detail of sailing in a boat and tell the story of the trip. It is called a novel, but in some ways readls like a non fiction book.
October 23, 2019
Issac Manley joins Captain Cook on the ship Endevour to discover what is south, and fill the blank spot on the maps.
It was alright, and I liked the sense of adventure. Historical, and yet it was like a novel!
It was alright, and I liked the sense of adventure. Historical, and yet it was like a novel!
July 26, 2020
I enjoyed learning about Captain Cook's voyage to Australia, as seen through the eager eyes of a cabin boy - Isaac. He was the last survivor of the crew who sailed with Captain Cook during his first voyage around the world.
October 26, 2018
An easy read with so much information in it.
November 6, 2018
An interesting historical novel.
May 30, 2019
Read for research and novel study.
October 1, 2023
I think it's supposed to be a teen read but so much to be learnt and enjoyed no matter the age.
April 11, 2019
Having lived for a number of years in a Melbourne suburb where the streets are named after Cook, his ship, crew and the supernumeraries on board, I was constantly reminded of this famous voyage and was surprised that I had not come across the story of Isaac Manley until I became aware of this book.
This is a very interesting read, not only for the scope of the voyage undertaken, which lasted three years, but the details of life on board an 18th century sailing ship; in this case, a modified coal collier.
Isaac Manley's story of his first sea voyage begins with the thirteen-year-old shooting the rapids of the Thames to prove to himself that he is brave enough for the voyage he is about to undertake. Hill portrays Isaac's emotions very well, from his initial sadness at being separated from his family and wondering whether he will ever see them again, to his excitement and trepidation at going to sea for the first time.
Hill also describes Isaac's great work ethic that sees him apply himself to his studies to rise from cabin boy to Admiral, a rank he held at his death in 1837. Another interesting fact about Isaac is that he outlived all those who sailed with him on the Endeavour.
The Age of Sail has always fascinated me, especially how large sailing ships were manoeuvred, the skills required to do so and how crews dealt with any crisis that arose while at sea. It was no wonder then that I found the passages describing the repairs made to the Endeavour when it was holed on a reef, and the methods used to re-float it, amazing as well as educational.
Another interesting snippet of information that I hadn't known was how Cook tackled scurvy. He ordered his crew to eat sauerkraut. None compliance of this order resulted in a flogging.
Apart from observing the transit of Venus, Cook was commissioned to confirm the existence of a great southern land mass. While he was unsuccessful in this, he did map the east coast of Australia, naming features that still bear those names today. He also circumnavigated the islands of New Zealand.
I enjoyed this glimpse of history through the eyes of a boy unprepared for the reality of a life at sea, but who returned home a young man wiser in the ways of the world after a great adventure. I'm sure younger readers will enjoy Isaac's story too.
Thank you to Penguin Random House Australia for a complimentary copy of this book.
This is a very interesting read, not only for the scope of the voyage undertaken, which lasted three years, but the details of life on board an 18th century sailing ship; in this case, a modified coal collier.
Isaac Manley's story of his first sea voyage begins with the thirteen-year-old shooting the rapids of the Thames to prove to himself that he is brave enough for the voyage he is about to undertake. Hill portrays Isaac's emotions very well, from his initial sadness at being separated from his family and wondering whether he will ever see them again, to his excitement and trepidation at going to sea for the first time.
Hill also describes Isaac's great work ethic that sees him apply himself to his studies to rise from cabin boy to Admiral, a rank he held at his death in 1837. Another interesting fact about Isaac is that he outlived all those who sailed with him on the Endeavour.
The Age of Sail has always fascinated me, especially how large sailing ships were manoeuvred, the skills required to do so and how crews dealt with any crisis that arose while at sea. It was no wonder then that I found the passages describing the repairs made to the Endeavour when it was holed on a reef, and the methods used to re-float it, amazing as well as educational.
Another interesting snippet of information that I hadn't known was how Cook tackled scurvy. He ordered his crew to eat sauerkraut. None compliance of this order resulted in a flogging.
Apart from observing the transit of Venus, Cook was commissioned to confirm the existence of a great southern land mass. While he was unsuccessful in this, he did map the east coast of Australia, naming features that still bear those names today. He also circumnavigated the islands of New Zealand.
I enjoyed this glimpse of history through the eyes of a boy unprepared for the reality of a life at sea, but who returned home a young man wiser in the ways of the world after a great adventure. I'm sure younger readers will enjoy Isaac's story too.
Thank you to Penguin Random House Australia for a complimentary copy of this book.
February 7, 2016
really informative book about james cooks early voyages
April 23, 2017
A good, solid juvenile history. The titular apprentice, Isaac Manley was thirteen when his father signed him up to be a cabin boy on the Endeavour. Isaac is a willing novice who obeys instructions to "learn his ship" and does, becoming a proficient midshipman by the end of the voyage. There's not much conflict in Isaac's character. As a historical figure, who lived to 82 but didn't leave many diaries or memoirs, Anthony Hill chooses not to suppose too much. But it's not about Isaac, it's about the journey.
Isaac climbs the ship's rigging, crosses the Equator, and loses his way down a dark alley in Rio. A young reader who doesn't care too much about character development will thrill with Isaac at his first sight of nubile Tahitians. When the Endeavour sails to New Zealand, the reader is as puzzled as Isaac about how shooting the Maori is supposed to induce them to be friends with the Europeans. The Endeavour "discovers" Australia and Isaac is as disappointed as the reader that the Aborigines aren't interested in a cultural exchange. And by the time Isaac, two and a half years older and wiser in the ways of sailing ships, reaches the charted shores of Batavia and Cape Town, the reader will be yearning to get off the stupid ocean and back to England with him.
What really kept Captain's Cook Apprentice going was the description of life on a British vessel in the 1770s. Cook prevented scurvy by laying in massive amounts of good food. He had naval men on board for protection; a company of scientists, artists, and astronomers; sailors; carpenters and craftsmen; and the cooks, and they all had their role. One hears about ship discipline and, to modern ears, whippings for, say, drunkenness sound draconian, but the level of order needed to maintain peace and efficiency between so many factions while say, battling a storm, or inching around the Great Barrier Reef. Isaac knows everyone on board and has a place among them. Hill has clearly done vast amounts of research and every man on board's role and temperament is in the story where it needs to be.
I imagine that Captain Cook's Apprentice is read by every school child in Australia as an accessible account of their nation's founding voyage. If it's not, it probably should be. It's as good a concise historical narrative as any, and if you want to ease into voyages of discovery, and that's just fine.
Isaac climbs the ship's rigging, crosses the Equator, and loses his way down a dark alley in Rio. A young reader who doesn't care too much about character development will thrill with Isaac at his first sight of nubile Tahitians. When the Endeavour sails to New Zealand, the reader is as puzzled as Isaac about how shooting the Maori is supposed to induce them to be friends with the Europeans. The Endeavour "discovers" Australia and Isaac is as disappointed as the reader that the Aborigines aren't interested in a cultural exchange. And by the time Isaac, two and a half years older and wiser in the ways of sailing ships, reaches the charted shores of Batavia and Cape Town, the reader will be yearning to get off the stupid ocean and back to England with him.
What really kept Captain's Cook Apprentice going was the description of life on a British vessel in the 1770s. Cook prevented scurvy by laying in massive amounts of good food. He had naval men on board for protection; a company of scientists, artists, and astronomers; sailors; carpenters and craftsmen; and the cooks, and they all had their role. One hears about ship discipline and, to modern ears, whippings for, say, drunkenness sound draconian, but the level of order needed to maintain peace and efficiency between so many factions while say, battling a storm, or inching around the Great Barrier Reef. Isaac knows everyone on board and has a place among them. Hill has clearly done vast amounts of research and every man on board's role and temperament is in the story where it needs to be.
I imagine that Captain Cook's Apprentice is read by every school child in Australia as an accessible account of their nation's founding voyage. If it's not, it probably should be. It's as good a concise historical narrative as any, and if you want to ease into voyages of discovery, and that's just fine.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews