Published in 1864, the Adventures of Captain Hatteras follow the crew of the Forward from Liverpool to a destination first unknown, then revealed to be the North Pole, that Captain John Hatteras wishes to discover for the glory of Great-Britain. The first weeks of travel are easy enough but as the ship sails further north, issues begin to appear and discontent grows in the crew.As they are left stranded in an ice-field during the polar winter of 1860, Hatteras and three companions try to reach a store established by a previous expedition to get coal and food but fail and when they come back to the Forward, they find the ship destroyed and most of the crew fled with the first mate.Left to their own devices, the abandoned men must face snow storms, polar bears, dissenssions in the team... until they finally reach their destination and Hatteras fulfil the dream of his life... to the expense of his sanity.
The novel displays the following tropes:
- Asshole Victim: The crew of the Forward minus Bell, Johnson and Clawbonny, who are found dead of either cold or starvation after they abandon their captain and burned the ship to try and reach Canada.
- Since Hatteras lied to his men, threatened them and refused to acknowledge his mistakes, it is hard to really feel sorry for him when he ends up in an asylum.
- Bad Boss: First Mate Shandon is described as a very strict and harsh man who refuses to hear the crew's complaints... unless it serves his own purposes.
- Hatteras as well, who had to hide his identity and the aim of the expedition in order to find a crew, since he got the previous one killed to the last man.
- Bears Are Bad News: Hatteras and his group of explorers often cross paths with polar bears during their travel and each time they must avoid being hunted and eaten.
- Call-Forward: In a meta way, there is a ship named Nautilus anchored in New Prince's docks at the beginning of the novel, and later Clawbonny mentions that people could try and travel to the Earth's core.
- Cold Ham: Hatteras is not physically impressive nor does he raise his voice often, but he still manages to get his crew's obediance (at first), and the complete loyalty of his remaining companions.
- Crazy-Prepared: For his expedition to the North Pole, Hatteras amassed enough food, powder and other supplies to last six years. There is also enough coal for two years of navigation aboard, which at first seems enough but Hatteras burns through it far too generously, which leaves the ship stranded when the stores he intended to use to resupply are found empty.
- The Determinator: Hatteras, and how! Even faced with the most rotten odds and the very real possibility of death, he still carries on with his mission, to the point it becomes less determination and more utter madness.
- Foreshadowing: At the beginning of the novel, one of the sailors commenting on the Forward and its potential destination states that trying to reach the North Pole would need recruiting a whole crew fit for Bedlam. Cue Hatteras' final fate.
- Hypercompetent Sidekick: Clawbonny is a doctor first and foremost, but he also dabbles in physics, chemistry, meteorology, history, botanics... and gets his companions out of tricky situations several times thanks to his extended knowledge and quick thinking. He's not a bad shot either.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Shandon, Pen and the other sailors, regardless of their actions, are right to point out that Hatteras did not consider all the difficulties of sailing to the North Pole, and his reckless use of their steam engine rather than sails cost them too much coal to even think about travelling back home.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: The American captain Altamont can come across as brash and arrogant, but he is quick to share his resources with the people who rescued him and saves Hatteras' life twice despite the tensions between them.
- Kick the Dog: Some sailors can't stand Duk, Hatteras' dog, which he uses to deliver messages to the crew, and at one point try to drown him under the icefield so much the animal spooks them
- Meaningful Name: Hatteras named his ship the Forward. And indeed, it never sails back.
- Motor Mouth: Doctor Clawbonny can't seem to shut up and loves showing off his encyclopedic knowledge, drowning his interlocutors in information.
- No Party Like a Donner Party: It is mentioned several times that explorers stranded up north during winter had to eat their dead colleagues to survive. The heroes stumble upon the remains of their runaway comrades toward the end, and realize from the condition of the corpses that the trope must have taken place with them as well.
- Screw the Rules, I Have Money!: In order to recruit a full crew, Hatteras promised the men five times the usual pay, and a bonus for each degree of latitude they cross towards the Pole, regardless of the dangers they will have to face. Without it, he would have never found anyone willing to go, as his previous attempt left him as the sole survivor.
- Solar-Powered Magnifying Glass: Dr. Clawbonnie used a lens made of ice to start a fire.
