Dark Voyage (Tales From The Dark Past)

This was a truly thrilling story, and it was told so well! I loved every minute of it, and can’t wait to read the next one!

So glad to have found this enthralling novel by author Helen Susan Swift. It's my first by this writer but definitely won't be my last. Already looking forward to book two in this series.The premise is somewhat straightforward: newlywed Iian Cosgrove, a new doctor, and eager-to-please son-in-law is to act as ship surgeon aboard a small boat, Lady Balgay. His position onboard will provide Iian with an opportunity to secure real "life skills" for his future medical practice, his business mogul father-in-law (and owner of the ship) believes. Lady Balgay will travel to the north for one last sealing trip, bring home loads of seal blubber and skins and earn the crew pocketfuls of money.When near-disaster strikes, the ship is forced to gather tons of shale from a secluded island. Superstition and a strange, morbid tale permeate the area though, and some fear that its sinister presence follows the crew onboard.Things go from bad to worse when, following a brutal hunt, sailors begin to meet unfortunate ends. As tensions mount and mysterious strangers board the boat, the questions and superstitions continue to rage until a horrible tragedy befalls Lady Balgay.I thoroughly enjoyed this book and thought the author did a wonderful job portraying Iian, the sailors, and historic events. However, if you're a sensitive reader be warned: the seal hunts are very graphic and lack no detail. Other things that happen to people on board the Lady Balgay may be disturbing for you.The author is a great writer. The amount of detail regarding the time period, clothing, culture, and ships/sailing was very impressive and kept me grounded in the time period. I was so enmeshed in the story that coming back to reality was jarring. That to me is a sign of a great storyteller.

I really enjoyed this well written novel. It is a sea tale with some major twists of superstitions. It is written as a tale within a tale. It stars Dr. Iaian Cosgrove as a Doctor and a man making his life "bones" in the summer of 1914. He is on board a sealing ketch out of Dundee as a move to prove himself to his father in law. He never returns. The ketch is "cursed," or at least so claim some of the crew. In the end they burn two people as witches to erase the curse and the crew, afraid the doctor will tell the tale of their murderous nature, lock him on board the ship as they are taken aboard a rescue vessel. The ending I will leave to you to discover, its nature being twisted as well. This is my first experience with a book by this author. She did a wonderful job of editing, or had it done, and there are no distractions nor editing problems of which I was aware. The story, a tale within a tale, a difficult task at best, is beguiling, is consuming and hold your attention throughout. Well done.

Wasn’t able to read the seal slaughters. Bypassed it. Too hideous to read. It was a good book in all

I began this book anticipating a cheap horror thrill; or, at best, a well-written horror novel. Instead i discovered a fine, well-researched and crafted historical fiction novel. Scott's book keeps the reader wondering if the supernatural elements are real and imagined up to the very end.She has done her homework and given us a realistic portrayal of a world few of us have any knowledge about. In the beginning, we are shown brief glimpses of modern fishing off the coast of Scotland and early 20th century (before world war I) upper middle class society. But Swift quickly introduced to the life of what we're once called Greenlandmen - sailors aboard a combination steam and sail wooden ship headed to the arctic in search of seals. Once found, the sailors brutally bludgeoned deals of all ages in order to harvest their blubber which, once brought to England and Europe as oil, served to fuel the lamps that lit their world.Swift doesn't spare the reader any details that might offend modern readers. Personally, I applaud writers who portray the notes of historical cultures accurately without trying to protect anyone with hyper-sensibilities. The plot is satisfyingly complex as are the characters.I know nothing about this writer, but as soon as this review is finished U definitely plan to find out everything I can about her!

This book was an enjoyable read, however it does have a couple of issues, mainly in regard to tense changes which were a little disconcerting. It would appear the writer wrote the book in third person, but then decided to switch to first. The book would benefit greatly from an extensive edit.However, having said that - the book is an enjoyable horror story, and while the tensing issues did detract from the overall story - the spine-tingling essence of the story was thoroughly enjoyable, and will remain with me for some time.Set in the early 20th century, the main character has left his newly-wed wife to serve as surgeon aboard a seal-hunting ship in the far northern lands. From the very beginning, the scene is set for a fascinating story, as we discover that the Lady Balgay, upon which our character is travelling, is considered cursed - for a great many reasons by her crew. Superstitious fears abound, and things only grow more complicated as time goes on, and soon we discover that this voyage is very much 'a voyage of the damned'. The author has created a rollicking story, the pacing is excellent, and if it weren't for those problems I've mentioned, I would have happily given five stars. Despite it's problems, I'd still recommend it as a good read.