Where Fate Beckons: The Life of Jean-François de Lapérouse

French explorer and naval officer Jean-Francois de la Perouse (1741-88) was one of the greatest eighteenth-century explorers of the Pacific. In 1785, La Perouse was commissioned by Louis XVI to head an expedition into the uncharted regions of the Pacific Ocean. Setting out from France, the expedition was the first to map the coasts of California, Alaska, and Siberia. From there, La Perouse continued to Easter Island and Hawaii, where La Perouse Bay bears his name. After a stop in Botany Bay, Australia, La Perouse's two ships set out for the Solomon Islands. En route, they encountered a storm and were sunk; despite search efforts over the centuries, no trace of the wreckage of La Perouse's ships has been found.

Where Fate Beckons tells the story of La Perouse's remarkable life and provides a lively introduction to the world of French colonialism, exploration, and society in the years before the Revolution.