Editorial Content for Landfalls

Moving between different points of view, Naomi Williams creates a gripping story of the dramatic and tragic Lapérouse expedition of the late 18th century.

Moving between different points of view, Naomi Williams creates a gripping story of the dramatic and tragic Lapérouse expedition of the late 18th century.

In her wildly inventive debut novel, Naomi J. Williams reimagines the historical Lapérouse expedition, a voyage of exploration that left Brest in 1785 with two frigates, more than 200 men, and overblown Enlightenment ideals and expectations, in a brave attempt to circumnavigate the globe for science and the glory of France.

Deeply grounded in historical fact but refracted through a powerful imagination, LANDFALLS follows the exploits and heartbreaks not only of the men on the ships but also of the people affected by the voyage --- indigenous people and other Europeans the explorers encountered, loved ones left waiting at home and those who survived and remembered the expedition later. Each chapter is told from a different point of view and is set in a different part of the world, ranging from London to Tenerife, from Alaska to remote South Pacific islands to Siberia, and eventually back to France. The result is a beautifully written and absorbing tale of the high seas, scientific exploration, human tragedy, and the world on the cusp of the modern era.