THIS THING OF DARKNESS - Headline

Packed full of action, vivid characters, ideas and explorations of science and religion, this brilliant historical novel was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2005

In 1831 Charles Darwin set off in HMS Beagle under the command of Captain Robert Fitzroy on a voyage that would change the world.


Tory aristocrat Fitzroy was a staunch Christian who believed in the sanctity of the individual in a world created by God. Darwin, the liberal natural historian destined for the church, went on to develop a theory of evolution that would cast doubt on the truth of the Bible and the descent of man. The staunch friendship forged during their epic expeditions on land and sea turned into bitter enmity as Darwin's theories threatened to destroy everything Fitzroy stood for . . .