Dark Voyage

Night Soldiers #8

by Alan Furst

“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.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Espionage, Thriller, World War II, War, Historical

288 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 3, 2004

About the author

Alan Furst is widely recognized as the current master of the historical spy novel. Born in New York, he has lived for long periods in France, especially Paris. He now lives on Long Island.

Night Soldiers novels
* Night Soldiers (1988)
* Dark Star (1991)
* The Polish Officer (1995)
* The World at Night (1996)
* Red Gold (1999)
* Kingdom of Shadows (2000)
* Blood of Victory (2003)
* Dark Voyage (2004)
* The Foreign Correspondent (2006)
* The Spies of Warsaw (2008)
* Spies of the Balkans (2010)
* Mission to Paris (2012)
* Midnight in Europe (2013)
* Under Occupation (2019)

Stand-alone novels
* Your day in the barrel (1976)
* The Paris drop (1980)
* The Caribbean Account (1981)
* Shadow Trade (1983)

For more information, see Wikipedia.

Reviews

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 and 1/2 stars rounded down. This was a good spy story, set in Europe/Africa 1941. Eric DeHaan, a Dutch Captain of a tramp freighter is enlisted by the company's owner and the Netherlands Navy to help British intelligence in transporting men and cargo for spy missions. The plot moves slowly but the characters are well written, I thought that the marine descriptions were authentic.
One item that surprised and disappointed me was that the author identified Holland as a country. Holland is actually part of the country of Netherlands. When the Dutch Navy enlist him to help, they urge him to do so on behalf of Holland.
This was a library book.

[Left Coast Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another of these damn things. I don't blame the author that I turn to his works when I'm in a reading rut. They generally involve tangential aspects of the rise in power of Nazism, which distinguishes them from other books in the genre. In this one, the focus is not so much on the spies themselves or their mission, but rather how the Allies used commercial ships to carry spies from one point to another, along with their lumber, coffee beans and other cargo.

Driven by plot rather than character. Something to keep on the nightstand while looking for something better to read, but quite successful at what it sets out to do.

[Ed · Rating 5 out of 5]

In my mind Furst writes the finest espionage novels available. I like his stuff better than LeCarre's.

This particular story follows the travails of a Dutch Cargo ship that ends up running undercover missions for the British in early 1941.

Furst's ability to describe the atmosphere of those times is astounding. He draws Captain DeHaan in such realistic terms that I only wish I could meet the man.

The entire story gives us a peek into the past that is realistic, accurate, enticing, and absorbing. I wish I knew how he does it.

As with most Alan Furst stories the ending is ambiguous so we can draw our own conclusions as to what happened to the characters.

I can hardly wait to get to my next Furst novel.

[Lars Guthrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still good, but maybe my diet has been too heavily weighed toward Furst's spy thrillers recently. The formula is formulaic, even if it is a good formula.

'Dark Voyage' differs from Furst's other World War II espionage novels I've read so far in that there is an absence of eastern European intrigue. Somehow a merchant seaman from the Netherlands doesn't quite have the pizzazz of other Furst protagonists. Captain Eric DeHaan is a stolid burgher type and the attempts to spice up his love life are misbegotten.

That said, 'Dark Voyage' features some great nail-biting sequences as DeHaan's tramp steamer is enlisted by the British, shifts in and out of disguise sailing as a counterfeit Spanish freighter, and wends its way out of the Mediterranean and and through German mine fields in the North Sea.

Furst really makes you aware of the scope and geography of World War II, with a rich sense of the history before it.

[Marc A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another winner by Alan Furst. I haven't had this much enjoyment from historical fiction since Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey and Maturin series. If Furst can turn as many good volumes as he did (and he's well on his way), I'll be in heaven. I've often wondered what my father's (born in Poland in 1909) life was really like when the world around him went mad. Furst brings the WWII period as it looked to many ordinary (and some extaordinary) Europeans to life with great stories, peopled by beautifully realized characters with great empathy and wit. Most of the books don't (or just barely) even mention the U.S. ( which, I think, is generally what I've been exposed to when it comes to books and films on this period). Furst brings a whole new perspective to events that shook - and forever changed - the world.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really fascinating book for an adventure thriller.
The majority of the story takes place on the decks of the merchant ship Noordendam which belongs to a Dutch firm. The ship is commandeered by a British agent for a short mission. Afterwards, the captain pragmatically agrees to an even longer, more dangerous and unknown mission -- to masquerade as the Spanish ship Santa Rosa in order to sail under its neutral flag. With that action, he realizes that he and his crew were drawn into the shadowy dark side of the war with no guarantees of support or even success.
What especially makes this story fascinating is the pace. With that, Furst captures life aboard this ship -- technically in wartime, without a home port -- seemingly meandering first around the Mediterranean, then the Atlantic, the Baltic with vignettes of scenes on board and the crewmen punctuated with actions ashore and on board. He captures the essence of the shadowy figures that inhabited the dark side -- from the spymasters, to the agents, to the people one meets on shore -- never quite sure that they were who they said they were or even if you would see them again.
With seemingly little happening, but with so much "quiet" action, the tension is the current that propels the story.
Great stuff!

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

We listened to this book as we drove through Illinois & Iowa, finally finishing it in Nebraska on our road trip westward. We both found it hard to follow. We enjoyed the subject matter of subterfuge & ships & probably would have awarded four stars if it hadn't been for the abrupt ending. The ship had run aground, the engines had failed, we were gripped for the finale and.....were left hanging!

[Jacki (Julia Flyte) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alan Furst has written a series of novels set in Europe in the 1930s and early 1940s. They overlap and characters occasionally reappear in different books. I've now read all but one of his books and I've enjoyed them all, although some are better than others and like many authors the most recent few feel a bit more "dialled in" than the early books in the series.

Dark Voyage differs from the others in that it is set almost entirely on a Dutch cargo ship, the Noordendam. It is also one of the few that has a title that actually helps you to remember which book it was. I defy even the hardiest Furst fan to remember which was which among the generically titled Dark Star, Blood of Victory, The World at Night or Midnight in Europe.

The captain of the Noordendam is approached by British intelligence and asked to disguise his ship as a Spanish freighter so he can undertake clandestine missions for the Allies. The book starts slowly but Furst is a master at ramping up the tension and getting you to care deeply about the fate of Captain DeHaan.

British Agent Kolb turns up in Dark Voyage but what he's been up to is never explained. For an answer, you need to read Spies of the Balkans which immediately precedes this one (although it was written 6 years later). While it's not possible to read this series in perfect chronological order, because they overlap so much, this prompted me to try to compile a list of how you'd do it if you could:

1. Night Soldiers, Autumn 1934 - April 1945
2. The Spies of Warsaw, Autumn 1937 - May 1938
3. Dark Star, Autumn 1937 - October 1940
4. Midnight in Europe, December 1937 - July 1938
5. Kingdom of Shadows, March 1938 - June 1939
6. Mission to Paris, September 1938 - January 1939
7. The Foreign Correspondent, December 1938 - July 1939
8. The Polish Officer, September 1939 - November 1941
9. The World at Night, May 1940 - June 1941
10. Spies of the Balkans, October 1940 - April 1941
11. Blood of Victory, November 1940 - July 1941
12. A Hero in France, March 1941 - July 1941
13. Dark Voyage, April 1941 - June 1941
14. Red Gold, September 1941 - April 1942
15. Under Occupation, October 1942 - January 1943

[Richard]

This is the eighth volume in Furst's "Night Soldiers" series, although most of the series need not be read in the order published: only The World at Night and Red Gold relate directly as a sequential pair. For those that wish the read the books in sequence, Blood of Victory precedes this and The Foreign Correspondent follows.

[Elizabeth (Alaska) · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I opened this title on the Kindle, the first thing that is shown is a map of the Baltic. I bookmarked it, thinking I would refer to it again and again. I was right on that point. But then I was immediately confused because the story begins - and spends at least its half - in the Mediterranean.

Eric DeHaan is captain of the Dutch freighter Noordendam, dockside in Tangier. DeHaan is invited to dinner, but recognizes the invitation might be more of an order. His boss is there as are a very few others who he doesn't know. This is Furst's Night Soldiers series - did I think we weren't going to be meeting a bunch of Allied spies?

I thought the first more than half relatively tame, but with fewer than 100 pages remaining the tension ramped up. The plot is good enough though I admit there are better plots in novels that are longer. I thought the characterizations better than I might expect for the genre. Furst's writing gets the job done without his insulting my intelligence. There is no graphic sex, but I was mindful that this series is probably written more for a male audience and this, in particular, is men at sea. I make no apologies for sounding as if I'm stereotyping a group - I likely am.

My biggest complaint about this series is that the first two are longer than those that come after. I definitely liked those better than the others he has turned out. I can't make up my mind whether this is just a very good 3-stars or a somewhat "meh" 4-stars and I'll settle on the former. I'm not sure that is really the most fair I can be though.

[Kirsten · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love a good spy thriller. This one is very authentic set in the early days of WWII, in fact before Hitler invaded Russia. At points I wish there had been a "dramatis personae" listing in the front of the book as there were numerous characters. But the main character of the Dutch sea captain doing work for the Allies was well sketched out.

I would love to have seen a film made from this book.

[Doug Luke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pleasantly surprised how good this is, especially if you like any kind of maritime story. I will be checking out some of Furst's other books for sure.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been a fan of Alan Furst for years, but I do believe this is the best one I've read. I've come to think of him as the anti-Bond--his protagonists have very ordinary lives, and show spy craft as a project that is alternately terrifying and boring. One of the most nail biting moments in this book comes when the captain of the tramp freighter sees an untethered mine adrift in the ocean, and, because he can do nothing to maneuver to avoid it, has to simply watch it slide slowly by his ship. The paragraph while he walks the length of his deck, with one anxious eye on a floating mine 30 feet off the port side, is typical of the quietly suspenseful turns Furst often peppers throughout his books.

One of the things that makes this book stand out from his others is that it somehow seems in this book that I came away with a better understanding of the sweep of the war at that time (the summer of 1941). Very often, Furst's characters are focused on quotidian fights that are important to a particular city or a very restricted place. In this book, the Dutch tramp steamer has been commandeered as a clandestine war vessel, and she ranges along the coast of west Africa, through the straits of Gibraltar and all the way to the eastern Mediterranean, then up the west coast of England and around the northern tip of Scotland and into the eastern Baltic. Consequently, I felt like I came away with a better sense of how the politics of those nations and places were related in that particular phase of the war.

Highly recommended!

[John Caviglia · Rating 4 out of 5]

So far two Fursts, one finished, one but started.

First impressions.... His covers tend to darkness, his titles to "noir" ... the overarching series being Night Warriors. It comes as no surprise that Dark Voyage is ... well ... "noir." And Furst revels in his dark element. The prose is wonderfully nuanced, precise and crisp (Note to self: occasionally replace a comma with a period. For tight effect). His characters are such as live the complex life of "noir," where (World War II in northern Europe, in this case) no responsible human decision is black or white, so that—contrarywise (morally speaking)—"noir" connotes but endless foggy shades of gray.

"Noir" is nothing if not atmosphere. And Furst beautifully captures the historical moment to its last molecular detail. Bad weather is also a must. So it is fitting that the main character—a Dutch sea captain ensnared by nets of espionage—take his rust bucket crewed by a more than motley crew, spies and commandos as passengers, into the indeed very weather beaten Baltic, on a doomed mission to do his small part to stop the Nazis.... (Question to self: Did Melville, and his "drizzly November in my soul," create seagoing "noir?")

Very much enjoyed this excursion into darkness. And a tip of the hat to Don, for steering me to Furst.

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark Voyage was my introduction to Alan Furst's WWII spy novels. The book follows the ad hock crew of the Noordendam, sailing for the Royal Navy under a stolen Spanish flag. While the crew sails from port to port, we are given hints at the battles through letters, radio transmissions and their brief ports of call.

Furst's writing style is reminiscent of Grahame Green, especially when writing for Carol Reed. I was most reminded of Our Man in Havana and The Third Man.

The middle section, "Ports of Call" is written in a diary format. Each entry is headed with the coordinates of the ship and her itinerary. It is the most information heavy of the entire book, focusing more on the machinations of the various warring nations and less on the characters aboard the the Noordendam. History buffs will enjoy the chapter but I found my attention wandering at times.

Save for the one dry chapter, I enjoyed Dark Voyage enough to jump into another Alan Furst novel, Kingdom of Shadows.

[Andie · Rating 4 out of 5]

In May, 1941, a creaky old cargo ship, the Santa Rosa, ties up in the port of Lisbon to load cork, canned goods, and cooking oil bound for the port of Malmo on the Baltic Sea. But the Santa Rosa is really the Dutch ship Noordendam, and her captain Eric DeHaan, has been commissioned by the Dutch government in exile to work with the British secret service.

DeHaan is the typical Furst hero - a world weary msn of middle age who nonetheless, is a dedicated anti-fascist and not only brave, but also compassionate, especially towards his motley international crew who are all fugitives from something or other. Furst perfectly portrays the role of the spy steamer - long periods of fairly mundane work followed by bursts of abject terror. This book will have you on the edge of your chair from beginning to end.

[Darwin8u · Rating 4 out of 5]

A non-typical Furst novel, 'Dark Voyage' is primarily centered on a Dutch captain (DeHaan), his multicultural crew, and the merchant marine perils that faced sailors from the Mediterranean to the Baltic seas. Every book Furst writes appears to grow from the same thesis, but stretch into entirely new areas. This was a nice deviation from his normal East European or Parisian locals.

With every Furst novel, I become more and more amazed at the nuance of his novels. He seems content to write his novels in the periphery of history. His characters float past major events like mouches volantes through the dark vision of history. He wants to tell the story of minor characters, minor battles, minor countries that together all made a major difference in WWII.

[Tom Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

probably my favorite Furst but then whenever I finish my latest of the Night Soldiers series, it tends to be my favorite - this one though had that extra something - DeHaan was a very engaging protagonist - a whole crew of good fellows, not to mention the admirable Maria Bromen - the sea yarn held interest all through the voyage of the Noordendam - capital stuff!

[Dolf Patijn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent enough WW II spy/adventure novel. My main gripe is that the main characters don't get enough flesh on their bones. The tension only really builds up in the last chapters and the end could have been a bit better too. All in all an entertaining read but not the best WW II spy novel I've read.

[Bettie · Rating 3 out of 5]

mp3 workaday

My first Furst and it won't be my last.

[John Yelverton · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting story, but it was far from phenomenal and I really wouldn't recommend it.

[Saleh MoonWalker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Onvan : Dark Voyage (Night Soldiers, #8) - Nevisande : Alan Furst - ISBN : 812967968 - ISBN13 : 9780812967968 - Dar 264 Safhe - Saal e Chap : 2004

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding. I was surprised to see I had only read one of Furst's previous novels ("Spies of Warsaw"). I remember liking it, enjoying the detail and obvious research that went into its writing, but also wondering if this was a tired niche, recreating Another Time and Another Place, with the black & white neon of "Rick's Cafe Americain" flickering nearby. As much I enjoy my repeated watchings of "Casablanca," Furst's efforts seem to made of higher, more serious stuff.

In this installment Dutch freighter captain E.M. DeHaan is called to service by fellow Dutch patriots against the Nazi foe. It's small, heartfelt effort from a small group from a small country swallowed by the Blitzkrieg. Unlike many of Furst's other efforts, "Dark Voyage," takes place during the war. DeHaan's ship the "Noordendam" will be a small but useful tool in the effort. What follows is a series of adventures stretching from Crete to the Baltic sea. One strength is the novel's real is its characters, which, on a freighter, can be quite varied. There is of course the usual salty but reliable crew, each of them possessing some real depth. In the last adventure, a Russian journalist on the run, and a quirky, dumpy nondescript but dangerous spy named I Kolb (which I'm sure is not his real name). Another strength in the novel is how Furst shines a light on the lesser stories and histories of the War, and the the untold, unnamed heroes who met the foe in the Darkest Hours. 4 1/2 stars rounded up.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent. Furst writes a naval adventure; how can you not like that!? Following a Dutch captain and his Dutch merchant steamer in 1941, we find ourselves in the midst of British clandestine missions from Africa to the Baltic, with plenty of subterfuge along the way. By the end, one is left wondering: who is the main character: The captain or the ship?

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slim, taut novel of World War II. Furst is a master of the genre of period suspense and his theater of operation is Europe during the mid-to-late 30s and the war years themselves. This novel features a Dutch merchant marine captain whose tramp steamer becomes first an agent of the Dutch resistance, then the British war effort. Like all of Furst’s work, Dark Voyage is crisp, character and plot driven, and rich in period detail. Also, characteristically, the hero is not the sole agent of heroic and resourceful action. In one climatic scene it is his crew and a passenger that seizes the initiative. In others it is luck, or fate, that intercedes.
In fact, his novels almost always feature ordinary folks caught in the undulating drama of larger events and lifted or swamped by circumstances to acts of desperate courage and resistance. In a black and white war there are grays in character and behavior and shifting political priorities and alliances:

“And under what flag did they sail? Under Dutch flag, as an allied merchant vessel of Britain. Well then, he was told, the word wasn’t precisely surrender. True, Finland was at war with Russia, despite their treaty, and true, that made her an ally of Germany. Technically. But, the fact was, Finland was not at war with Britain, and those who set foot on Finnish soil would have to be considered as survivors of maritime incident. Was Finland, DeHaan wanted to know, at war with Holland? This produced a longish silence, then the authority cleared its throat and confessed that it didn’t know, it would have to look that up, but it didn’t think so.”

This is Furst’s eighth such novel. I’ve read five, the last two and his first three. I’m glad he keeps writing them and glad that I have three in reserve for future pleasure.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! After an unsatisfying previous read I was looking for something really different in tone, subject, genre, and this was perfect. Had not read any Furst previously or really even any spy novels. I thought this was so well crafted and paced, and even though the book takes place in settings I will likely never know (mostly during wartime on a freighter at sea in the Mediterranean and the Baltic, sometimes in back alleys or port offices or souks), DeHaan was in ways a more believable and human protagonist than some of the more quotidian characters in other recent reads. Loved him, loved the supporting cast. My own mental jury is still out on Maria Does she come to DeHaan's bed because she feels she owes him, or because she's truly drawn to him? Can it be both? How does one make decisions like that in such dire circumstances? This matters to me but we don't get to explore it much, because this book is almost entirely about men, which is okay, and arguably the focus on men is what made the book such a breath of fresh air for me, but I'm still chewing on this piece... but on the whole this was one of the most satisfying reading experiences I've had in a while.

(Recommended on the truly excellent podcast Strong Sense of Place, which I already adored but which has become a true balm for me in these strange times.)

[Neil · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is book №8 in the "Night Soldiers" series. There are 2 main 'characters' in this book, first we have Captain Eric DeHaan. He is a Dutch sea captain in charge of a merchant vessel during the early stages of WWII. The other principal character in his ship, Noodenham, which sometimes becomes a double of a neutral Spanish freighter the 'Santa Rosa'. The reasons for this subterfuge become all too apparent as the story unfolds.
Even though this book doesn't focus on a European city, in the lead up to, and during WWII, there is still the same atmosphere, and noir feel, as can be found in the rest of the books in the series. With much of the story based on board the ship, there is still plenty to capture the imagination of the reader.
It reads more like a wartime thriller than an espionage novel. I thoroughly enjoyed it, even if some of the dialogue needed a little polish.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rock on, Furst! If anyone can make me keep turning the pages of a book about a Dutch freighter posing as a Spanish tramper, wending its way through the Mediterranean and Baltic Seas on secret missions, you are the one.

This won't be my favorite of Furst's WWII thrillers, but in the end I was on board for the full ride. He has this amazing ability to slice in and out minor characters that make the mystery come alive with local color- fleshing out details that create vivid scenes.

The tension winds tightly in Capt. DeHaan, who is so very cool; a quiet leader, a born leader. We see the intrigue unfold through his brooding, romantic, solitary and tender eyes. Love and rockets provide humanity and thrills and the ending events unfold breathlessly.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

The most economical of Furst's novels that I've read so far, and also the only one in which the main action takes place after the outbreak of the war. This book deals with a Dutch merchant marine steamship that is coopted, willingly enough, to help in the English war effort in the spring/summer of 1941. The captain, De Haan, is like the king and protector of his own floating mini-state--which is a new theme, since most Furst books deal with lone-wolf characters. As usual, the novel is highly atmospheric, full of sounds and scents. I continue to be impressed with the specificity of Furst's imagining and look forward to allowing myself to read another in a few months.

[J.S. Dunn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Furst's historical thrillers have become a minor addiction. Easily read, absorbing, wonderfully atmospheric; even where the setting is quite macho --- a rusty tramp steamer. Plus he never throws in gratuitous sex or cursing or anachronisms.

Nor is he politically correct since that concept did not exist in the 30s/40s except perhaps for Stalin or Hitler, and as written so well by George Orwell. Let us then agree that some Fursts are more equal than others, this novel being slightly shorter in length.