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Treasure of the General Grant
On the 4 th May 1866 the General Grant, a 179-foot clipper carrying gold, came to grief on the cliffs of the Subantarctic Auckland Islands of New Zealand. Robbie, a Southland (New Zealand) sheep farmer suspects that his uncle a famous treasure hunter salvaged this treasure but the secret dies on his uncle's deathbed. Robbie's obsession to resolve this mystery takes him down a dangerous path where he brushes with unsavoury characters who have more than a passing interest in the gold. Did his uncle salvage the gold and who really was his uncle?
This thriller involves historical events woven into a work of fiction. In the early history of New Zealand and Australia, ships took the dangerous but fastest route to England sailing west to east through the Southern Ocean. Many ships disappeared hitting icebergs, coming to grief around the horn or ending up as wrecks like the General Grant on sub-Antarctic islands. In 1986 and 1996 salvage expeditions to the Auckland Island meticulously searched the seabed where the General Grant had come to rest but no gold was found. What happened to this treasure?
This thriller involves historical events woven into a work of fiction. In the early history of New Zealand and Australia, ships took the dangerous but fastest route to England sailing west to east through the Southern Ocean. Many ships disappeared hitting icebergs, coming to grief around the horn or ending up as wrecks like the General Grant on sub-Antarctic islands. In 1986 and 1996 salvage expeditions to the Auckland Island meticulously searched the seabed where the General Grant had come to rest but no gold was found. What happened to this treasure?
178 pages, Hardcover
Published October 30, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 5, 2022
Treasure of the General Grant by Brian Wilson is an intriguing mystery novel featuring Robbie, a New Zealand shepherd whose uncle's death leads to an estate inheritance that is as a Pandora's Box in his rural existence. He and wife Mary learn of the legend of the General Grant, a clipper ship lost over a century ago along the Auckland Islands. He and his neighbor Colin are fascinated by knowledge that Uncle may have salvaged a legendary treasure aboard the vessel. It sets off a fortune hunt that promises to rescue the Southlanders from their prosaic existence. Only betrayal and treachery cast shadows across their path. Can Robbie and Mary realize their destiny before their adversaries threaten their very lives?
The author weaves an enthralling tapestry with a historical backdrop authenticating the journey of the ill-fated vessel and the exploits of treasure hunters over two centuries. The first-person narrative immerses the audience into the storyline, enhancing Robbie's experiences as he negotiates the perilous adventure. Wilson's suspense novel is a worthy addition to his anthology that readers will thoroughly enjoy.
The author weaves an enthralling tapestry with a historical backdrop authenticating the journey of the ill-fated vessel and the exploits of treasure hunters over two centuries. The first-person narrative immerses the audience into the storyline, enhancing Robbie's experiences as he negotiates the perilous adventure. Wilson's suspense novel is a worthy addition to his anthology that readers will thoroughly enjoy.
June 3, 2021
Alright. As a concept this had potential. Who doesn’t love a good swashbuckling mystery? And main character is a sheep farmer from Southland - I can get behind that.
But this was not a swashbuckling mystery. My head is now swimming with the IRD, characters who were nothing more than names on a page, infodumps about various NZ cities, and cleaning up sheep’s bums. It needed a lot more editing, a LOT less dialogue, and a lot more action. I mean, some things happened. They went to Bali. But it was only for a few pages and Robbie spent the whole time complaining about third world countries and how much shopping his wife was doing.
Even the formatting of the book was uncomfy. Spaces after paragraphs?? That’s only supposed to happen on fanfiction sites. Speaking of fanfiction, I’ve read many fics with better grammar. A good edit! A good old fashioned proofread! It would’ve solve so many things! And the dialogue... the dialogue. I honestly have no words. That’s just not how people speak.
Also, it’s possible I’m overreacting because I was already grumpy with the book but there were several lines that didn’t sit right with me. Do I think it was on purpose? Absolutely not. Was it still casually racist? Yup!
Dear Brian Wilson, I don’t know if you will ever see this review, but I admire you for writing books because you want to. Writing books is hard. But dude........ don’t self-publish. Let someone help you make the book better before you throw it out into the world. The story deserves more than this!!
Sincerely,
Liz who finished this book out of stubbornness alone
But this was not a swashbuckling mystery. My head is now swimming with the IRD, characters who were nothing more than names on a page, infodumps about various NZ cities, and cleaning up sheep’s bums. It needed a lot more editing, a LOT less dialogue, and a lot more action. I mean, some things happened. They went to Bali. But it was only for a few pages and Robbie spent the whole time complaining about third world countries and how much shopping his wife was doing.
Even the formatting of the book was uncomfy. Spaces after paragraphs?? That’s only supposed to happen on fanfiction sites. Speaking of fanfiction, I’ve read many fics with better grammar. A good edit! A good old fashioned proofread! It would’ve solve so many things! And the dialogue... the dialogue. I honestly have no words. That’s just not how people speak.
Also, it’s possible I’m overreacting because I was already grumpy with the book but there were several lines that didn’t sit right with me. Do I think it was on purpose? Absolutely not. Was it still casually racist? Yup!
Dear Brian Wilson, I don’t know if you will ever see this review, but I admire you for writing books because you want to. Writing books is hard. But dude........ don’t self-publish. Let someone help you make the book better before you throw it out into the world. The story deserves more than this!!
Sincerely,
Liz who finished this book out of stubbornness alone
October 25, 2021
Reviewed by K.C. Finn for Readers' Favorite
Treasure of the General Grant is a work of fiction in the historical fiction, contemporary mystery, and interpersonal drama sub-genres, and was penned by author Brian Wilson. As the title suggests, the work makes reference to the sunken clipper, the General Grant, as the central theme of its mystery, notably the large amounts of gold that were said to be on board at the time of its disaster. We meet protagonist Robbie, a native New Zealander, who is determined to find out the true origins of his deceased uncle’s connection to the ship, and if indeed there is hidden knowledge which might take him to the treasure that nobody else has been able to find.
Author Brian Wilson takes one of history’s most fascinating mysteries and turns it into a fantastic tale of adventure, mystery, and intrigue for his reading audience. One of the things I really enjoyed about this concise novel was the amount of real history which it packs in, delivering an educational background to the trade routes and sailing practices of the nineteenth century. This wealth of research makes the novel all the more engrossing and provides solid foundations for the fun, fast-paced adventures of Robbie and his discoveries to take place. The dialogue too had some really witty touches, providing colorful characterization but also some great, accessible plot exposition. Overall, I would definitely recommend Treasure of the General Grant for fans of historical mysteries and modern-day capers with some great action and real history behind it.
Treasure of the General Grant is a work of fiction in the historical fiction, contemporary mystery, and interpersonal drama sub-genres, and was penned by author Brian Wilson. As the title suggests, the work makes reference to the sunken clipper, the General Grant, as the central theme of its mystery, notably the large amounts of gold that were said to be on board at the time of its disaster. We meet protagonist Robbie, a native New Zealander, who is determined to find out the true origins of his deceased uncle’s connection to the ship, and if indeed there is hidden knowledge which might take him to the treasure that nobody else has been able to find.
Author Brian Wilson takes one of history’s most fascinating mysteries and turns it into a fantastic tale of adventure, mystery, and intrigue for his reading audience. One of the things I really enjoyed about this concise novel was the amount of real history which it packs in, delivering an educational background to the trade routes and sailing practices of the nineteenth century. This wealth of research makes the novel all the more engrossing and provides solid foundations for the fun, fast-paced adventures of Robbie and his discoveries to take place. The dialogue too had some really witty touches, providing colorful characterization but also some great, accessible plot exposition. Overall, I would definitely recommend Treasure of the General Grant for fans of historical mysteries and modern-day capers with some great action and real history behind it.
October 29, 2021
‘Treasure of the General Grant’, is a historical fiction thriller including adventure, and mystery. On May 1866 the General Grant, a clipper, sank at the Auckland Islands. The many attempts to salvage the wreck and recover the gold have always come up empty-handed.
The overriding theme in the book, 'what happened to the gold?' remains a mystery though the author has provided in-depth research for the reader to reach their own conclusions. The story-line involves a South-land, New Zealand sheep farmer who believes that his uncle found the treasure and in his search for answers brushes with some unsavoury characters. The author has cleverly chosen a farmer as his main character in order to highlight the differences between the New Zealand urban environment and the 24-hour seven days a week, rural environment where holidays come as a luxury.
The author, Brian Wilson, with an honours Masters Degree in clinical psychology, would be expected to deliver strong realistic characters and he has as he has done in earlier books. The book received 5-star ratings in all five categories by Readers Favorite- a top USA reviewer. These categories inter alia included formatting and proofreading. I personally did not want to stop reading so I could see what happened. A really good read and I rate it 4.5stars.
The overriding theme in the book, 'what happened to the gold?' remains a mystery though the author has provided in-depth research for the reader to reach their own conclusions. The story-line involves a South-land, New Zealand sheep farmer who believes that his uncle found the treasure and in his search for answers brushes with some unsavoury characters. The author has cleverly chosen a farmer as his main character in order to highlight the differences between the New Zealand urban environment and the 24-hour seven days a week, rural environment where holidays come as a luxury.
The author, Brian Wilson, with an honours Masters Degree in clinical psychology, would be expected to deliver strong realistic characters and he has as he has done in earlier books. The book received 5-star ratings in all five categories by Readers Favorite- a top USA reviewer. These categories inter alia included formatting and proofreading. I personally did not want to stop reading so I could see what happened. A really good read and I rate it 4.5stars.
January 31, 2022
I loved this book! It fed into my sense of childhood wonder. It has an authentic Kiwi flavour that brings to life rural New Zealand (where there is more sheep than people), its Maori culture, and its pioneering spirit; to its complex yet a straightforward way of life.
As a child born in New Zealand in the early 1950's I was raised with the story of the General Grant and the treasure it held. The story was passed from generation to generation, and my grandparents told our family version to us as small children sitting around a hot open fire on a cold winter's night. The story would always end with "and who found the treasure?" My grandfather always quipped it was him, that he was part of the crew and that the gold was under the fowl house at the back of his property, to which we would all laugh.
As an adult, if anyone deserves the treasure, it's Bill Day, even if not for perseverance. But we did wonder if the gold had really been found and who held its secret? Perhaps it was someone we knew?
Brian plays on this fantasy by giving us the sense of closure we were always seeking as children. It's just a shame that the book was fiction!
The story held my attention all the way. It was well written, with typical New Zealand characters. If you want to really enjoy an intriguing read, then don't read the back of the book first. I rate it 5 star.
As a child born in New Zealand in the early 1950's I was raised with the story of the General Grant and the treasure it held. The story was passed from generation to generation, and my grandparents told our family version to us as small children sitting around a hot open fire on a cold winter's night. The story would always end with "and who found the treasure?" My grandfather always quipped it was him, that he was part of the crew and that the gold was under the fowl house at the back of his property, to which we would all laugh.
As an adult, if anyone deserves the treasure, it's Bill Day, even if not for perseverance. But we did wonder if the gold had really been found and who held its secret? Perhaps it was someone we knew?
Brian plays on this fantasy by giving us the sense of closure we were always seeking as children. It's just a shame that the book was fiction!
The story held my attention all the way. It was well written, with typical New Zealand characters. If you want to really enjoy an intriguing read, then don't read the back of the book first. I rate it 5 star.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews