Conquering the Pacific

The story of an uncovered voyage as colorful and momentous as any on record for the Age of Discovery—and of the Black mariner whose stunning accomplishment has been until now lost to history

It began with a secret mission, no expenses spared.

Reviews

“A pacey account [of] a triumph of seamanship over wind and water. And credit for it, Mr. Reséndez shows persuasively, rests with a brilliant pilot whose role has long been neglected.” — Wall Street Journal “Riveting...Enlivened by lucid explanations of navigational techniques, larger-than-life characters, and colorful anecdotes from the age of exploration, this is a rip-roaring maritime adventure.”  — Publishers Weekly (starred review) “[Reséndez] makes the details fascinating and compelling. Readers of sailing and adventure stories will find this true account both enlightening and exciting.” — Booklist (starred review)“Andrés Reséndez’s Conquering the Pacific is a masterwork of narrative and conception. Reséndez magically transforms dogged archival research into a sweeping vision of the past, capturing the grandest of epochs—of sail, of discovery, of conquest, of slavery and the beginning of globalization—in the thrilling life of a heretofore anonymous master and commander.  A riveting tour-de-force.” — Greg Grandin, Pultizer Prize-winning author of The End of the Myth and Empire's Workshop “At once learned and lively, Conquering the Pacific is a remarkable journey of discovery. Conquering the Pacific has it all: a covert mission, mutiny and swordplay on the high seas, and a dynamic lead role in Lope Martín, the courageous and heroic Afro-Portuguese navigator. The crisp narrative whirls like a gyre, transporting readers to previously unknown seas and shores. A vital, captivating read.”  — Buddy Levy, author of Labyrinth of Ice  “A historian, sailor, and master storyteller, Andrés Reséndez pilots us brilliantly through the intricacies of long-distance Pacific navigation during the last decades of the Age of Discovery. His mesmerizing account of momentous deep-water voyages involving weeks out of sight of land is a masterpiece of detailed historical inquiry and writing. I couldn’t put it down.” — Brian Fagan, author of The Little Ice Age and Beyond the Blue Horizon“[A] taut reconstruction of the first recorded west-to-east crossing of the Pacific.” — New Yorker