Amid brutal conditions that paralleled those of slavery, the criminal, the unwanted and unloved of English society were sent to a place no European but the legendary Captain Cook had ever seen. This is a thoroughly researched historical saga, rich in romance and drama, set in Australia.
Colleen McCullough was born in Australia. A neuropathologist, she established the department of neurophysiology at the Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney before working as a researcher and teacher at Yale Medical School for ten years. Her writing career began with the publication of Tim, followed by The Thorn Birds, a record-breaking international bestseller. She lives on Norfolk Island in the South Pacific with her husband, Ric Robinson.
