Bestselling author Hampton Sides takes readers on a high-seas adventure in his latest book, "The Wide Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook."
The nonfiction book recounts the voyage that would lead to the death of Cook, a once celebrated, now controversial explorer.
Sides, a New York Times bestseller, is drawn to adventure and characters when he's searching for a new subject.
"I'm looking for great characters," the author told KCUR's Up To Date. "I'm looking for complicated characters who perhaps, in today's age, are viewed both as villains and heroes. Cook is certainly one of those guys."
NY Times Bestselling author Hampton Sides presents "The Wide Wide Sea," 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jul. 10 at the Unity Temple on the Plaza Fillmore Chapel Kansas City, Missouri 66112.