Batavia's Graveyard

The True Story of the Mad Heretic Who Led History's Bloodiest Mutiny

By: Mike Dash

Narrated by: Guy Bethell

It was the autumn of 1628, and the Batavia, the Dutch East India Company's flagship, was loaded with a king's ransom in gold, silver, and gems for her maiden voyage to Java. The Batavia was the pride of the company's fleet, a tangible symbol of the world's richest and most powerful commercial monopoly. She set sail with great fanfare, but the Batavia and her gold would never reach Java, for the company had also sent along a new employee, Jeronimus Corneliszoon, a bankrupt and disgraced man who possessed disarming charisma and dangerously heretical ideas.

With the help of a few disgruntled sailors, Jeronimus soon sparked a mutiny that seemed certain to succeed - but for one unplanned event: In the dark morning hours of June 3, the Batavia smashed through a coral reef and ran aground on a small chain of islands near Australia. The commander of the ship and the skipper evaded the mutineers by escaping in a tiny lifeboat and setting a course for Java to summon help. Nearly all of the passengers survived the wreck and found themselves trapped on a bleak coral island without water, food, or shelter. Leaderless, unarmed, and unaware of Jeronimus' treachery, they were at the mercy of the mutineers.

©2002 Mike Dash (P)2016 Tantor

Critic reviews

"In a narrative reminiscent of Lord of the Flies, Dash describes the creeping sadism that sprang from Holland's religious conflicts.... Dash has taken [the Batavia incident] to a new level of grotesque accuracy." ( Publishers Weekly)

The horror... the horror...

This book is like a Saw film, a sick social experiment playing out in a history book. The book starts off pretty slow, explaining all the intricacies of the Dutch East India company the Batavia ship itself. It was slow enough I almost stopped listening. When this book gets going it's like if Charles Manson had a hundred followers all looking for new ways to kill people. It's sickening to know these people are from the same species. It's a good book, but you can't unhear this story once you've heard it.

My thought when I got this book was more along the lines of Mutiny on the Bounty. From the title I thought: oh it must have been a more chaotic mutiny than just putting people into a lifeboat and sailing away. No, this is more like Breaking Bad or watching a cat play with a mouse before eating it. Less about simple 'murders' and more along the lines of 'atrocities'. So... have fun with all that.

Interesting Story w/Too Much Unrelated Background

If I could I would have given "story" and "overall" 3.5 stars. The actual story is fascinating and depicted quite well with good narration that is easily understood. The level of detail is impressive and surprising. However, several VERY long “sidebars” of only (IMO) marginally related or marginally important (at best) historical references go on far too long and detract from the actual story. An example would be the description of the role of 17th century pharmacists. Once the core story concluded I did enjoy the "postscript" on related matters in the intervening years since the occurrence. It is a book worth reading/hearing.

Truth can be stranger than fiction

Love the story and learning about the mindset during this period, regarding punishment both on and off the high seas. The only thing I did not care for was the narration. Mr. Bethell's voice droned on to the point it was difficult to keep my mind from wandering, even during some of the most gruesome portions.

Absolutely Horrifying....in a good way

Please note that I will not be going back in time anytime soon to visit and or experience the 17th century Dutch East India Co fleet. These people endured so much without even having to go through what they did in this specific situation. An amazingly horrifying read, highly recommended

An historical winner

Amazing story - which was incredibly detailed and researched.
Hard to imagine so many specifics (names, dates, actions, etc) could be brought to light after four hundred years.