Dark Voyage

By: Alan Furst

Narrated by: Graeme Malcolm

Length: 5 hrs and 53 mins

Publisher's summary

May, 1941. At four in the morning, a rust-streaked tramp freighter streams 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 Malmo.

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.

One more battle in the spy wars that rage through the back alleys of the ports, from elegant hotels to abandoned piers, 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 Germany, slowly begins to starve.

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.

©2004 Alan Furst (P)2004 Simon & Schuster Inc. AUDIOWORKS is an imprint of Simon & Schuster Audio Division, Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Critic reviews

"It's no secret by now that Furst is a superlative chronicler of World War II, and his new novel is a splendid addition to an accomplished body of work....The book casts such a spell with its exact evocations of time, place, and language that one could swear Furst was a Brit writing out of his own experience in 1941 rather than an American writing today." (Publishers Weekly)

Good but not great

This abridged Furst novel seems to lack some of the substance of his other novels. Nevertheless, it is an engaging story that again shows the dark backdrop of WWII as interpreted by this prosaic writer. Not a top recommendation, but worth a read.

Intelligent, absorbing and superbly read

This is one of those audiobooks that make you wish there were an unabridged version, and wonder whether you should go out and purchase the book. The best audiobook that I've heard in a long time. The reader deserves special praise for bringing it to life.

The reader makes it great

If you could sum up Dark Voyage in three words, what would they be?

thoughtful, different, engaging

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

the last 45 minutes were very good, worth the listen.
the beginning is confusing and hard to keep one's attention, at least, mine.

Which character – as performed by Graeme Malcolm – was your favorite?

DeHaan.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

unsung Navel heroes of WWII

Any additional comments?

yes. i LOVE the reader! that's why i am writing the review, i'd read most anything of his and want to vote for him as the best!

Not enough of a good thing

This is a terrific book read by a talented reader, but its strength lies in the atmospheric details the author does so well and I feel cheated by the abridgement. More Furst, unabridged, please.

More Furst please

A very good book, exceptionally well read.