Dark Voyage
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Written by Alan Furst.
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“In the first nineteen months of European war, from September 1939 to March of 1941, the island nation of Britain and her allies lost, to U-boat, air, and sea attack, to mines and maritime disaster, one thousand five hundred and ninety-six merchant vessels. It was the job of the Intelligence Division of the Royal Navy to stop it, and so, on the last day of April 1941 . . .”May 1941. At four in the morning, a rust-streaked tramp freighter steams up the Tagus River to dock at the port of Lisbon. She is the Santa Rosa, she flies the flag of neutral Spain and is in Lisbon to load cork oak, tinned sardines, and drums of cooking oil bound for the Baltic port of Malmö.
But she is not the Santa Rosa. She is the Noordendam, a Dutch freighter. Under the command of Captain Eric DeHaan, she sails for the Intelligence Division of the British Royal Navy, and she will load detection equipment for a clandestine operation on the Swedish coast–a secret mission, a dark voyage.
A desperate voyage. One more battle in the spy wars that rage through the back alleys of the ports, from elegant hotels to abandoned piers, in lonely desert outposts, and in the souks and cafés of North Africa. A battle for survival, as the merchant ships die at sea and Britain–the last opposition to Nazi German–slowly begins to starve.
A voyage of flight, a voyage of fugitives–for every soul aboard the Noordendam. The Polish engineer, the Greek stowaway, the Jewish medical officer, the British spy, the Spaniards who fought Franco, the Germans who fought Hitler, the Dutch crew itself. There is no place for them in occupied France; they cannot go home.
From Alan Furst–whom The New York Times calls America’s preeminent spy novelist–here is an epic tale of war and espionage, of spies and fugitives, of love in secret hotel rooms, of courage in the face of impossible odds. Dark Voyage is taut with suspense and pounding with battle scenes; it is authentic, powerful, and brilliant.
From the Hardcover edition.
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TonyTT thinks this book is Excellent.
Dark Voyage by Alan Furst (2005 – Random House)
Alan Furst has carved out a very specific niche for his novels. They are all set in Europe during the period between 1933 (the rise of Adolph Hitler) and 1945 (the end of the war in Europe). His concentration on this period provides him with a wealth of background information and his meticulous research gives his novels an almost palpable texture and atmosphere. His novels read like true stories.
In Dark Voyage, Captain Eric DeHann, of the Dutch freighter Noordendam, is sworn into the Dutch Navy and undertakes several clandestine operations in support of the allied war effort. In May 1941 he embarks on his most dangerous mission under secret orders from the Intelligence Division of the British Royal Navy. Masquerading as the Spanish freighter Santa Rosa, DeHann and the Noordendam visit the ports of Tangier, Algeria, Alexandria, and ultimately sails into the Baltic Sea headed for a rendezvous on the coast of Sweden. The story that Furst fashions contains all of the elements of a great war novel; secret missions, tense and exciting battle scenes, spies and fugitives, stolen moments for love and intimacy, evil Nazi’s, unbelievable courage in the face of overwhelming odds and a thrilling and satisfying conclusion.
But there are no supermen in this story. You won't find a John Wayne or Sylvester Stallone in a larger-than-life role. The characters that Furst writes about are very real folk who are fleshed out with the utmost care and attention to detail. They are given complete back stories so that you understand their motivations, strengths and weaknesses.
And this is not a story about Americans in WWII. Many of his stories take place, at least in part, prior to the US involvement in the war. Most of his major characters are everyday Europeans caught up in yet another war that cuts across the relationships of family, friendship and business.
The good news, if you enjoy this novel like I did, is that Furst has written seven other novels including Night Soldiers, Dark Star, The Polish Officer, The World at Night, Red Gold, Kingdom of Shadows, and Blood of Victory. When I read them I always saw them in black and white and found that they reminded me of the (appropriately enough) 1940’s film noir masterpieces. I hope that one or more of these novels will eventually be made into films preferably on a low budget with unknown actors, hand-held cameras, and, of course, shot in black and white.
I highly recommend any and all of Alan Furst's novels for folks that enjoy historical fiction. These are slice of life gems that deserve to be widely read and enjoyed.