Morgan's Run,

by Colleen McCullough,

(Arrow, £6.99).

Colleen McCullough started off her prestigious literary career in Australia, and in her latest book she has returned to southern shores.

Spanning the years of 1775 to 1793, Morgan's Run tells of Richard Morgan of Bristol. Based on the life of a real man, not a fictional hero, it is a chilling tale of degradation, privation and hope.

Richard, a free, educated man, goes about his business.

A respected man, he falls foul of disreputable men who, by their connections, contrive to have him executed for theft.

His fate is worse than death by hanging; he is condemned to transportation.

The squalor and privation is dreadful, and it comes as no surprise that many of his fellow felons die in the most dire circumstances.

When his voyage begins it is his education, wit and strength of character that help him survive.

His arrival in Botany Bay heralds further cruelties, and it is only by his character, one of diligence and quiet strength of purpose, that he is among those convicts sent to Norfolk Island in the Pacific.

Well respected by his gaolers, his place in the burgeoning community becomes more secure.

Richard Morgan's great-grandchildren still live on Norfolk Island today.

His story is compelling and makes wonderful reading.

Annie Dendy.