Prior to publication, the manuscript was shortlisted for the 2016 First Novel Prize (UK) and was a First Place Category Winner in the 2018 Chaucer Book Awards for Pre-1750s Historical Fiction (USA).

In 2021, the novel (now published) won a Gold Medal in the 25th annual Independent Publisher Book Awards in the USA. Under one of two non-North American categories, 'Pelsaert’s Nightmare' was awarded its citation for Best Regional Fiction in the Australia/New Zealand/Pacific Rim.
 
In 1629 the 'Batavia' was wrecked off the coast of what is now Western Australia. One year later her merchant commander, Francisco Pelsaert, lies dying, the stigma of shipwreck and bloody mutiny foreclosing on his legacy, his mind haunted by the people and events that have shaped his life.