Son of Hydra: A Historical Novel of Love, Exile, and Australia’s First Greek Convict (The Hydra Collection)
by Shelley Dark
ASIN: B0G1FC3R1R
UK
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‘A transportive and beautifully written story that needed to be told.’
—Yvette Manessis Corporon, international bestselling author of Daughter of Ruins
‘As cinematic as Master and Commander, as heartfelt as Captain Corelli’s Mandolin.’
—Peter Barber, internationally awarded bestselling author of The Parthenon Series
Sydney, 1829.
Ghikas Voulgaris arrives in the penal colony of New South Wales as the first Greek convict in Australia. Found guilty of piracy, he has avoided the gallows but been exiled half a world from home—the final stop in a journey that began on the Greek island of Hydra.
Born into a powerful shipping family, Ghikas was raised to command men and captain his own fleet. But a reckless act during the Greek War of Independence—attacking a ship supplying the enemy—sets in motion a chain of consequences he cannot outrun, carrying him from the war-torn Mediterranean to prisons in Malta and England, and finally to the far edge of the British Empire.
In the colony, no one cares who he once was. Least of all Mary—an Irish orphan who refuses to bow to any man.
Ghikas is determined to survive his sentence, return to Hydra, and reclaim his birthright.
But Australia has other plans.
Inspired by a true story, Son of Hydra blends Greek and Australian history into a sweeping tale of love, exile, and the search for identity.Read moreReview"High stakes action, sweeping landscapes and a spirited love story — Son of Hydra has it all. Ghikas emerges as the anti-authoritarian hero Australians love best."
— Kyra Geddes, author of The Story Thief
"Dark's masterly portrayal of companionship and brotherhood is rendered with such intimacy that Hydra itself seems to pulse through their speech."
— Dean Kalimniou, poet, essayist, columnist, Neos Kosmos
"A transportive and beautifully written story that needed to be told."
— Yvette Manessis Corporon, international bestselling author of Daughter of Ruins
"As cinematic as Master and Commander, as heartfelt as Captain Corelli's Mandolin."
— Peter Barber, award-winning author of The Parthenon Series
"Once you start reading Son of Hydra, you cannot put it down."
— Heraklis Kalogerakis, Vice Admiral, Hellenic Navy (retd)
"Dark's vivid prose, attentive characterisation and commitment to ethical storytelling combine to produce a work that honours the complexity of the past without succumbing to nostalgia or triumphal mythmaking."
— Dean Kalimniou, poet, essayist, columnist, Neos KosmosRead more