SON OF HYDRA: A Historical Novel of Love, Exile, Redemption, and Australia’s First Greek Convict.

by Shelley Dark

He had everything — power, privilege, a future. One fateful decision cost him his name, his freedom, and everything he thought defined a man. Sydney, 1829.
Ghikas Voulgaris was born to command — the proud son of a powerful Greek shipping family, raised to believe the world would bend to his will.

When he and his friends attack a ship supplying the enemy during the Greek War of Independence, it shatters everything. His punishment is swift and exile to the raw penal colony of New South Wales, half a world away from his island home, stripped of name and status.

In Australia, the man who once dreamed of his own fleet now tends another man’s sheep and takes orders like a servant. His fellow workers don’t care who he was. And Mary — a fierce Irish orphan who will bow to no man — is everything he doesn’t want in a woman, and the one person who can see who he might become.

Ghikas believes he’ll survive his sentence, return home, and reclaim his birthright.
But the real fight is just beginning, not against chains, but against himself.

Inspired by a true story, Son of Hydra is a sweeping tale of love, loss, and redemption, a powerful blend of Greek and Australian historical fiction that explores pride, punishment, and what it truly means to be a man.

426 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 17, 2025

About the author

After a lifetime raising cattle on Queensland’s Granite Belt, my husband and I left life in the bush behind and I turned to full-time writing and travel — including a solo trip to the Greek island of Hydra in the tourist off-season in search of a pirate.
I’m a member of the ALLWRiTE Club, a dynamic and supportive writers’ group of memorable characters worthy of a novel on their own. When I’m not writing, you’ll usually find me planning another journey — preferably involving an island, an archive, or both.
My books include Hydra in Winter (2024), which tells the story of that journey and the discovery of my husband’s ancestor, Ghikas Voulgaris — Australia’s first Greek convict pioneer. And my latest is Son of Hydra, a historical novel inspired by Ghikas’ life, and Daughter of Cork — the story of his Irish wife, along with more travel memoirs. My short fiction appears in anthologies.
If you’d like to keep in touch — and perhaps join me on more adventures — I’d love you to subscribe to my readers’ group through my website, ShelleyDark.com, or find me on Instagram under @ShelleyDark.
My ultimate mission is the pursuit of the perfect cream bun.

Reviews

[Lailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I went into Son of Hydra expecting a historical adventure, but what I got was something quieter and more affecting. Ghikas’s fall from privilege is dramatic, yes, but the real power of this book is how patiently it sits with his loss of identity. Watching a man who once believed the world owed him obedience learn what it means to be stripped bare - of name, homeland, and certainty - is uncomfortable in the best way.

The Australian sections are especially strong. The penal colony doesn’t feel romanticised; it’s harsh, monotonous, and indifferent, which makes Ghikas’s internal struggle feel earned. Mary is a standout character - sharp, wounded, and stubbornly independent - and her refusal to admire or pity him forces Ghikas to confront himself in ways chains never could. Their relationship grows slowly and imperfectly, which made it feel real rather than convenient.

What stayed with me after finishing the book wasn’t the historical detail (though it’s clearly well-researched), but the question at its heart: if you lose everything that once defined you - status, power, ambition - what’s left? Son of Hydra doesn’t offer easy answers, and that’s its strength. It’s a thoughtful, emotionally grounded novel about pride, exile, and the hard work of becoming someone worth being.

[Peter Barber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Son of Hydra is, at its core, a historical adventure with a soul. Shelley Dark has achieved something quietly remarkable: she delivers the thrills and escapism we crave from a pirate saga, while also offering an honest meditation on identity and second chances. The novel’s entertainment value is undeniable, it’s as gripping as a well-spun campfire yarn under a starry sky, but it’s the emotional resonance that lingers after the final page. This book stays true to the emotional sensibility that underpins great works of literature: it acknowledges the brutal realities of its era without losing compassion for its characters. Son of Hydra celebrates the resilience of those cast far from home and suggests that redemption can be found in the most unlikely places. Dark tells this tale with the confident, unpretentious grace of a seasoned storyteller, blending literary intelligence with approachable insight. Incisive yet heartfelt, sardonic yet sincere, Son of Hydra left me both entertained and moved. For readers seeking a journey that’s equal parts grit and heart, this novel is well worth the voyage.

[Natasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extraordinary. One of those books I couldn't wait to get back to every time I had to put it down. It opened my eyes to a fascinating part of Australian history - the first Greek convicts to arrive in NSW, done for piracy of all things. The story of this real life Greek-Aussie folk hero was told with such pathos and humour and warmth, that it felt like I'd known Ghikas all my life. I loved reading about his journey to early settler Sydney, how he met the love of his life, and all his travails along the way. The mateship, the heroism, the love story, were extraordinary, and Shelley Dark's poetic writing is exquisite. Thoroughly recommend.

[Kyra Geddes · Rating 5 out of 5]

High stakes action, sweeping landscapes and a spirited love story, this beautifully written historical novel has it all. From riches to rags, to riches of a different kind, Ghikas emerges as the anti-authoritarian hero Australians love best. Son of Hydra is the follow on from the author’s previously published travel memoir Hydra in Winter, and I can wholeheartedly recommend both these wondeful books. Five stars from me.

[Catherine O'Neill · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully researched rendering of the story of the first Greek Australians. Shelley’s masterful rendering of the early colony and the struggle of free settlers and convicts alike is eye opening and entertaining. The layered characters and the vivid descriptions bring the story to life and makes me want to meet both Ghikas and Mary in person.

Congratulations Shelley Dark on bringing this story to life and showing us that the roots of our multicultural society are centuries old.

[Jk · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won a free Kindle copy of this book via a Goodreads giveaway and would like to thank anyone who made that possible.

I loved that this was based on a true story and found the author's recounting at the end of all the research she did on this story fascinating. I really enjoyed learning more about the island of Hydra and the penal colonies in Australia and watching Ghikas and his friends grow up and build lives of their own was very satisfying!

[Richard Boaden]

Enjoyable and informative. Recommended reading, especially if you’re interested in greek history and have visited Hydra. It encouraged me to go on to read “Hydra in Winter” by the same author.

[Fleur Creed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating, well-researched story about Greek convicts who arrived in Sydney in 1829, with interesting historical context on what was occurring in the Mediterranean at that time. A great read.