I picked this up after seeing it recommended on HN before. It was definitely not a genre I read very often, but for some reason I found it completely captivating. Loved it!

edit: it also made me much more excited for this discovery than I would have been otherwise!

I concur that the book is indeed a very entertaining read. It describes the ships (which btw were steam powered and had central heating) and the dreadful conditions that the sailors faced in great detail. Dan Simmons is a good storyteller.

You may also be interested in Batavia's Graveyard. Fascinating & gruesome account of a Dutch ship's voyage to Java. The descriptions of the personalities and motivations of those willing to undertake such a risky voyage, were in many cases like a gamblers last throw of the dice.

Very well researched, about 1/3 of the book is references/footnotes.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0609807161

I was hoping someone would mention this.

Usually I don't read historical fiction, but that book about this ship is amazing. It was 2007's Amazon customer pick for #1 book.

There's also Mordechai Richler's 'Solomon Gursky Was Here', which recounts its eponymous protagonist's grim experience as a member of the expedition. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solomon_Gursky_Was_Here)