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The North Ground: A whaleship, stowaways, and the bloody hunt
Hull, 1804.
Captain Swift has never commanded a whaling ship before, let alone one the size of the Sovereign. On the trip to Greenland and the North Ground, they will hunt the bowhead whale and harvest the blubber and baleen that is worth a fortune back in Hull. The job is gruesome and dangerous.
Pack ice can crush or trap a ship. The cold punishes. With one flick of her tail, a bowhead whale can split a boat in half, and once a man is in the ice water, he’s dead.
When the Sovereign picks up two stowaway women in Shetland, Swift is too green to toss them overboard. He is not ruthless enough to command these rough Hull lads or use their skills to his advantage. He is out of his depth.
Perhaps the Sovereign will not make it back home after all - perhaps, with Swift in command, she was never meant to.
Captain Swift has never commanded a whaling ship before, let alone one the size of the Sovereign. On the trip to Greenland and the North Ground, they will hunt the bowhead whale and harvest the blubber and baleen that is worth a fortune back in Hull. The job is gruesome and dangerous.
Pack ice can crush or trap a ship. The cold punishes. With one flick of her tail, a bowhead whale can split a boat in half, and once a man is in the ice water, he’s dead.
When the Sovereign picks up two stowaway women in Shetland, Swift is too green to toss them overboard. He is not ruthless enough to command these rough Hull lads or use their skills to his advantage. He is out of his depth.
Perhaps the Sovereign will not make it back home after all - perhaps, with Swift in command, she was never meant to.
253 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 27, 2026
About the author
Chris Speck
33 books71 followersChris Speck is a writer and musician from East Yorkshire, UK.
He writes crime thrillers set in Hull, historical novels set in the East Riding of Yorkshire, and seafaring tales set out in the North Sea.
His latest book, Queen of Queens, is a murder mystery set in the legendary Hull pub, The Queens. Young Billie Jackson must find a killer before they find her.
The Witch at the End of the Lane is a historical thriller set in Beverley, 1794. Expect ghosts (four of them), a kidnap, and at least one murder.
Chris spent his twenties travelling the world — first as a guitar teacher, then teaching English in countries as diverse as Hungary, Spain, and Papua New Guinea — before returning to the flatlands of East Yorkshire.
He also plays washboard in the legendary skiffle group, Black Kes.
He writes crime thrillers set in Hull, historical novels set in the East Riding of Yorkshire, and seafaring tales set out in the North Sea.
His latest book, Queen of Queens, is a murder mystery set in the legendary Hull pub, The Queens. Young Billie Jackson must find a killer before they find her.
The Witch at the End of the Lane is a historical thriller set in Beverley, 1794. Expect ghosts (four of them), a kidnap, and at least one murder.
Chris spent his twenties travelling the world — first as a guitar teacher, then teaching English in countries as diverse as Hungary, Spain, and Papua New Guinea — before returning to the flatlands of East Yorkshire.
He also plays washboard in the legendary skiffle group, Black Kes.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 29, 2026
A superb novel set on a whaling ship out of Hull, with delightful cross overs to previous novels by the author although this still can be read as a standalone. Excellent characterisation makes this a standout read, it has a relatively open ending which I hope means the author may write more making this a series - however it has a satisfying ending, this is an author who goes from strength to strength a massive 5* from me
June 6, 2026
Enjoyable, realistic historical fiction about challenging lives at sea.
Chris Speck writes both contemporary and historical fiction and does so expertly. The North Tides series draws on tales of the sea from boats and people sailing from Hull/East Yorkshire. Each book has focused on a different fishing vessels from the city and has been set in different time periods - a fishing trawler during the Icelandic Cod War Era (1975), a trawler during the early part of World War I (1915) and now in North Ground a whaling ship sailing in 1804.
The North Ground is a realistic fictional account of a whaling ship, its crew, and journey to the Arctic Circle. The journey is destined to fail under an inexperienced captain who has to deal with both treacherous people and unpredictable weather, as well as political stowaways, a war with the French, and of course whales. The brutality and risk of working on a whaling ship is evident in this well researched book. The dynamic between lead characters - the rough and the smooth - is very good and the story is a quick read. One feels for Captain Swift, a descendant of the “Swift’s” from the North Burton Trilogy (my favorite historical fiction series), as he navigates dangerous waters and people, both above and below deck, and at sea and on dry land. Nothing is straightforward for Captain Swift.
Congratulations Chris once again. Loving these novels and discovering more about the history — and condition — of the people of Hull and East Yorkshire.
Chris Speck writes both contemporary and historical fiction and does so expertly. The North Tides series draws on tales of the sea from boats and people sailing from Hull/East Yorkshire. Each book has focused on a different fishing vessels from the city and has been set in different time periods - a fishing trawler during the Icelandic Cod War Era (1975), a trawler during the early part of World War I (1915) and now in North Ground a whaling ship sailing in 1804.
The North Ground is a realistic fictional account of a whaling ship, its crew, and journey to the Arctic Circle. The journey is destined to fail under an inexperienced captain who has to deal with both treacherous people and unpredictable weather, as well as political stowaways, a war with the French, and of course whales. The brutality and risk of working on a whaling ship is evident in this well researched book. The dynamic between lead characters - the rough and the smooth - is very good and the story is a quick read. One feels for Captain Swift, a descendant of the “Swift’s” from the North Burton Trilogy (my favorite historical fiction series), as he navigates dangerous waters and people, both above and below deck, and at sea and on dry land. Nothing is straightforward for Captain Swift.
Congratulations Chris once again. Loving these novels and discovering more about the history — and condition — of the people of Hull and East Yorkshire.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews