The Wayfinder

The Wayfinder

By Adam Johnson

Pages

736

Rating

4.04

Year

2025

AdventureEcologyFictionMythologyHistorical FictionHistorical

Description

The Wayfinder is an epic, sweeping novel set in the Polynesian islands of the South Pacific during the height of the Tu’i Tonga Empire. At its heart is Kōrero, a young girl chosen to save her people from the brink of starvation. Her quest takes her from her remote island home on a daring seafaring journey across a vast ocean empire built on power, consumption, and bloodshed.

Far from a conventional swashbuckling adventure, it conjures a world of outrigger canoes and celestial navigation, weaving a narrative that is as much about survival and self-discovery as it is about the sweeping history of the Tongan people.

In this monumental literary work, Adam Johnson explores themes of indigeneity, ecological balance, and the resilience of humanity in the face of scarcity, marking the novel as a profound meditation on both individual and cultural legacy.

A historical epic about a girl from a remote Tongan island who becomes her people's queen. With the grandeur of Wolf Hall, Shogun, and War and Peace.

More Like This

See All
TypeeBring Up the BodiesThe Song of Achilles