Just wasn't for me. I like historical novels and preferred that half of the book but felt I was reading two books at once. In the end I did give up. It is well written and I'm sure a lot of people will thoroughly enjoy it.

I’m up to date with Jess Kidd’s four adult titles. Two strong four star works, “Himself” (2016) and “The Hoarder” (2018) paved the way for her triumphant five star Victorian London-set work “Things In Jars” (2019) which ended up in my Top 10 Books Of The Year for 2019. I also had the pleasure of interviewing her for Issue 90 of NB magazine when her debut was published so I was very pleased to receive this pre-publication copy of her latest.
We have a dual time setting, firstly the 1628 voyage of a Dutch boat, The Batavia, setting sail towards the place it was named after (now Jakarta) with young Mayken on board accompanied by her nursemaid Imke. The ultimate destination is a father Mayken does not know, following the death of her mother. Running alongside this is a strand from 1989 where Gil arrives at Beacon Island on the Australian West Coast to live with a grandfather he barely knows following the death of his mother. These characters are mirrored beautifully in the early stages and it is not long before we discover Beacon Island is where the survivors of the Batavia shipwreck ended up. Ghosts always have a part to play in Jess Kidd’s novels, here their influence is quite subtle with the echoes of the events of the past constantly just nudging the twentieth century Australians. Both Mayken and Gil are great characters and both become touched by supernatural elements and the folklore of sea monsters.
Jess Kidd is using the real events and people of the ill-fated Batavia voyage. What I really love about this author’s work is how the history sparks her into imaginative realms. This was especially so in “Things In Jars” where the developments in medicine were seamlessly incorporated into a gripping mystery novel. I think here her desire to follow the events of what actually happened as a tribute to those who perished in the seventeenth century have stopped this from taking flight in quite the same way. The child’s imaginations of a sea monster being present for Mayken feels a little stodgy for Gil who comes across the story of the Bunyip in a discarded book.
These are minor gripes about what is, if not an Essential five star read like “Things In Jars”, a strong novel which shows how well Jess Kidd is developing as a storyteller and historian. This is my second favourite of her four novels and should continue to enhance her reputation as one of our most effervescent writers.
The Night Ship will be published by Canongate on 11th August 2022. Many thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for the advance review copy.

In 1629, Mayken boards the most impressive ship of its age. The young girl is searching for her father who lives far away. She uncovers hidden secrets above and below deck as the fate of the ship and all on board become uncertain.
In 1989, Gil is placed in the care of his grandfather following the sudden death of his mother. They live together in a shack on an island off the Australian coast.

This story is woven around the true story of the wreck of the Batavia. It's written with a strong voice but it didn’t work for me. The fantasy part I found a little silly and childish. There is no doubt that the book is well written with plenty of description but I didn’t think the subject worked.

A few chapters in and I already knew this book was going to be up there with my favourites of this year. Captivating. Poignant. Heartwrenching. One book, two stories woven in dual timelines, cleverly connected by a sense of place and character. Kidd delivers prose and imaginative storytelling of high-level ability that had me emotionally absorbed and keenly turning the pages throughout.
The characters of Mayken and Gil are entirely absorbing, and I liked the alternating chapters, some short, some longer. There is an effortless, flowing lilt to the prose, which is also beautiful and vivid, connecting the reader to the characters and the immersive atmosphere of the scenes. Kidd had me right there on the ship with Mayken and on the island with Gil, walking through his grandfather’s hut, the descriptions and imagery were terrific in drawing up the scenes in my mind’s eye. The supernatural elements, the Dutch folk monster Bullebak and the Bunyip from Australian Aboriginal mythology, that Kidd has Mayken and Gil engage with in their tales really strengthen Kidd’s novel, connecting the two children centuries apart, personifying threat and evil, most effectively, I think, in Mayken’s story. Though both characters are great, I enjoyed Mayken’s story the most; she is a memorable character for her unstoppable spirit and for the friends she made on the ship.
The pacing quickened in the last third of the book and it became impossible to put down. Kidd expertly takes the reader on a journey where the extremes of human behaviour are saddening and threaten to bring forth tears more than once.
Beautiful, devastating and expressive, The Night Ship is a clever, entertaining blend of historical fact and fiction that I would recommend to anyone. A great read. Thank you to Canongate and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC copy. I have not read any of Kidd’s previous works, but I will be sure to keep an eye out for any copies and any future publications.

The Batavia sets sail in 1629 with Mayken aboard headed to her new life with her father. A long pressured voyage and a storm to contend with. A story about what may have happened on and off the ship before and after she founded. We also look at the life of Gil whose Family lived on the island near where the ship sank.

A good read and characters. Fears and hopes of many people who wanted a new life. Read and enjoy.

Full disclosure: I was already captivated by the Abrolhos Islands after reading Emily Brugman's excellent debut The Islands earlier this year, when I requested an advance copy of this historical fiction novel from the publisher. While Brugman established the sense of place for me, anchored to the twentieth century, now Jess Kidd has come along and given me all the history I hadn't realised I needed. As a result, I've been struck down with Batavia-mania!

Two children, 360 years apart, both attached to the same tiny, insignificant coral-outcrop of an island off the coast of Western Australia.

In 1628 Mayken is the confident, curious, clever daughter of a wealthy Dutch merchant living in Batavia (modern Jakarta, Indonesia). When her mother dies in secretive circumstances, she embarks from Holland on the brand new ship, Batavia, with her nursemaid Imke to join her father whom she has never met.

In 1989 Gil at first seems to be Mayken's polar opposite. "One of a kind", his mother calls him. Or at least she did, because she's dead now. He's taken by the carrier boat from Geraldton to Beacon Island to join the grandfather he doesn't know very well.

As the story unfolds we begin to see that the two children have much more in common than was initially apparent, and both are heading towards their own pivotal moment on Beacon Island.

Many of the characters in Mayken's storyline are real historical figures, and Kidd has done a wonderful job in bringing the fascinating history of the Batavia's maiden voyage to life. I expect many readers will, like me, be drawn to other sources to find out more, or to determine what is in the records vs what comes from Kidd's imagination.

But equally well-done is the the development of Gil's story, at the same time parallel but also a contrast to Mayken's. Gil is Kidd's creation of course, and I gave a lot of my heart to this young boy. Beginning a new life, completely out of his depth and grieving the only person he's ever really been close to. The circumstances of his birth are hazy (my only real quibble with the book - I would have liked to explore his paternity with more certainty) but it's clear he and his mum had a strong and solitary bond, and his childhood has been rather unconventional. "Gil has learnt enough. He can read a road map, do a decent French manicure, put a grown woman in the recovery position and shoplift a square meal. Mum called these life skills." Life on the island is almost intolerably lonely for Gil until he is given a cranky tortoise as a companion and takes an interest in the history of his new home.

Because I kind of knew, or at least expected, Mayken's fate, it was Gil that was making me anxious. He had such a lot to deal with at such a young age, and he is what we would call an 'at risk' child. But in the end I think both children have a lot to teach us about being true to yourself. Very highly recommended.

What a fabulous story! We're introduced to Mayken in 1629 and Gil in 1989. Both have their own battles to fight. Mayken's travels begin on the Batavia as She searches for Her Father. The fearsome Bullebak strikes fear in to all those on the ship as one by one, misfortunes befall them. In 1989, Gil hears tell of the Bunyip that also inflicts suffering on those who meet it. Tragedy also befalls Gil and He goes in search of His Grandfather but due to His individuality, gets noticed by the wrong people. A fabulous read! Get ready to set sail!

'The Night Ship' by is my first Jess Kidd book, but I've been meaning to read her for some time. I'm thrilled that I jumped in with this novel, because it sets the bar remarkably high. 'The Night Ship' is, in my opinion, one of the great reads of this year.

The story finds its roots in historical events, but I found that I wasn't distracted in any way with questions of faithfulness to fact. The novel is muscular enough that readers are pulled through by the tension Kidd creates with her split narrative between the two protagonists and their experiences 360 years apart.

Everything experienced by Mayken and everything experienced by Gil is immersive and immediate. It is certainly noteworthy that Kidd has succeeded in animating both narrative strands with the same flair. Kidd draws her characters with conviction and both viewpoints - young female and young male - were compelling.

I don't hesitate to rate 'The Night Ship' four stars. The fifth star, however, I would withhold because, after interrogating the text, I'm left wanting for positive female representation. I couldn't find any female role models or paradigms who are not desperately flawed, or whose character isn't irreconcilably doomed.

That didn't stop me being drawn to this book, though. Each time I picked it up, it's imagery, plot, and characterisation were intensely vivid and thoroughly engrossing.

My thanks to Canongate for an early review copy.

Well this was one that I was happy to sail away with.
Massive thanks to canongate for these truly beautiful books especially my limited edition gold foil copy !

Bio :
The Night Ship is an enthralling tale of human brutality, providence and friendship, and of two children, hundreds of years apart, whose fates are inextricably bound together

This book really captured my imagination . Mayken and Gil became completely fully formed in my imagination and the locations in the book really became alive thanks to the vivid and descriptive writing.

This books writing flowed beautifully and I was completely gripped by the two stories which wove magically and seamlessly together.

Two books , two stories , it was made for #twofortuesday !

When enkidu suffered the ‘incident’ (trying my hardest here to not give away any spoilers) my heart broke and I had to read more at rapid speed to hear the outcome. There was so much emotional depth to this book, i don’t think it’s possible to become emotionally invested in our captivating hero and heroine.

This book completely stole my heart and I can’t wait to read more from the author.

The only slight negative and the reason that I didn’t go for the full 5 stars is I felt that the ending was slightly short and I would like for it to have been a bit longer!

This book is completely mesmerising !

This wonderful historical fiction is told over two timelines, mostly from the point of view of two 9 year old children. A girl, Mayken, in 1628/9 and a boy, Gil in 1989. Mayken is travelling by ship from Holland to her new home in the spice islands, thousands of miles away. Gil has recently moved to a small island off the west coast of Australia where his grandfather lives, and where there are rumours that the island is haunted by the ghost of a little girl who was shipwrecked hundreds of years ago.

Jess Kidd always writes fantastic, engrossing stories but this one is without doubt my favourite. There are some wonderful moments that made me smile, particularly when it came to the two amazing child characters. But along with those flashes of wry humour there is a lot of darkness too.

A belter of a book that will stay with me for a very long time.

I chose to read The Night Ship on the basis that it was historical fiction and featured a dual-narrative and when I got an inkling that the story was inspired by the true event of the wrecked Batavia I was even keener. Unfortunately nowhere in the premise did it mention magical realism and having never read Jess Kidd’s work before I wasn’t aware to expect it.

Three hundred years separate the narratives of two newly orphaned nine year olds with the fated 1628 maiden voyage of a Dutch East India Company ship bound for, and named after, Batavia, the capital of the Dutch East Indies. Onboard the ship is mischievous Mayken, travelling with her prophetic nursemaid Imke, to join the wealthy merchant father she has never met. Despite being well to do and sheltered from the below deck affairs, it is there precocious Mayken longs to explore. When she is helped in her quest she learns all about bullebak, an eel-like monster that soon becomes an obsession when Imke falls ill. But there are far darker things than bullebak going on aboard the ship and the machinations of under merchant Jeronimus Cornelisz are about to make the journey far more perilous.. In 1989 following the death of his mother, Gil has been sent to live with his taciturn fisherman grandfather, Joss Hurley, something of a pariah amongst the community on the Western Australian Beacon Island, a place dubbed Batavia’s graveyard. Life on the island holds limited appeal for the unconventional young man and although learning about the shipwrecked Batavia gives him an interest, it doesn’t make life on the island easier for a bullied outsider with the dark forces of bunyip present.

The Batavia doesn’t actually run aground on the reef until seventy percent of the way through the story and I felt the story of the mutiny and reign of terror that followed was crammed into the final thirty percent and felt very rushed and at times sketchy. Beyond the blatantly obvious aspect that both protagonists are orphans with treasured hagstones facing mythical monsters I found myself struggling to find the parallels between the lives of the Mayken and Gil. Normally in a dual narrative novel I find that at some point the two stories coalesce with a satisfying connection, but I never had this sense with The Night Ship and can’t say I found it a rewarding read. Of the two narratives, I found Gil’s the more compelling, probably because I found the magical realism component less intrusive that in Mayken’s tale but in all honesty I found this novel a bit of a slog. Jess Kidd writes brilliantly and I often found myself smiling at her wit and how well-observed both stories were, but unfortunately between bullebak and bunyip I wouldn’t recommend this novel to anyone not up for plenty of magic and myth. I am keen however to read more about the Batavia and would am grateful that this novel has enlightened me about the events.

The Night Ship examines the lives of Mayken and Gill over 350 years apart, connected by a remote fishing island of the Australian coast. Both motherless they are sent away to join their male relatives - unknown father and grandfather respectively.

Mayken is itnrigued by the bustling life aboard the Batavia as she sails to live with her father - the alien language, the mysterious superstitions and the life below deck that she is not privy to. Gill arrives with his grandfather on a remote fishing outpost where he must learn to negotiate the long held grudges and masculine culture.

Kidd cleverly links the two tales with the mysterious lore of the serpent who sucks the life-force from those around it. Both children are exposed to the brutalities of life untethered as they attempt to find friendship amongst those who are so alien to themselves.

Based on a true story, Kidd conjures up two worlds rich in a sense of gritty realism.

I have not previously read any books by Jess Kidd so had no expectations for this review. What initially drew me to requesting the arc on NetGalley was the dramatic description of the real-life inspired shipwreck and mutiny aboard the Batavia, I love a good swashbuckling historical epic and the synopsis sounded right up my street. Having an endorsement by none other than V.E.Schwab on the front cover also helped persuade me to take a peek.

The novel has a dual PoV as you follow the story of Mayken aboard the doomed vessel as she navigates being a child at sea and Gil brought ashore to an inhospitable island to live with his grouchy grandfather. The two timelines are cleverly connected by a sense of place and character. The Batavia was shipwrecked just off of the island where Gil is in his timeline and the surviving passengers lived and died there, their remains now being poked and uncovered by scientists. However, the connection I loved was the sense of bildungsroman, both Mayken and Gil are thrust into having to mature quickly due to their circumstances and we follow both of their journeys as they endure hardship and their characters are forged from it.

The novel surprised me with its helping of the supernatural. In Gil’s timeline, there is talk of ghosts haunting the island from the Batavia for whom offerings are left on the Raggedy tree and in Mayken’s timeline, she suspects there is a legendary sea monster called Bullebak skulking in the bowels of the ship that is the cause of all of the misery aboard. These supernatural and superstitious tinges make the novel incredibly atmospheric and transport you into the chilling fears of your childhood due to their evocative nature. Surrounding the theme of superstition, the core themes of the novel are brutality, heartache, death, madness and power. These themes are explored through the lens of children making them seem all the harsher as they are judged through the lens of an innocent.

The two main characters steal the show. Mayken is a feral little firecracker, whose feisty attitude is forgiven and adored by most around her. She thrives off exploration and her fine imagination, with which she hunts down the mythical Bullebak. Gil is an adorable boy whose fierce love for his tortoise is heart-wrenching and his backstory will have you weeping. From the very beginning as a reader, you become so invested in the outcome of their lives, especially Mayken, wondering whether she is one of the lucky survivors of the Batavia or if not, how and when she meets her pitiful end. The Night Ship is a glorious cocktail of history, horror and heartache that will quench the thirst of any fan of gritty historical fiction.

The Night Ship will be published on the 4th August 2022 by Canongate Books. Thankyou to NetGalley for a copy of the arc in exchange for an honest review.

The 'Night Ship' by Jess Kidd alternates between two eras, 1629 and 1989. In the first, Mayken, a young girl of high born origins boards the ill fated Batavia with her nurse maid, with the aim of joining her rich father in his house with red and white roses and stallions. In the second, Gil, a 9yr old boy, lands in Beacon Island to join his fisherman grandfather after the death of his mother. Among the fishermen on Beacon Island Gil also finds scientists drawn there by the discovery of the Batavia's wreck off shore. In both places lurks the Bunyip or Bullebak - fear given a monstrous form.

In this compelling novel, Kidd draws parallels between Mayken and Gil's lives. Both settings are brought brilliantly to life with lots of visceral details and Gil and Mayken are well rounded, interesting characters. The alternating between the two time frames works extremely well and the comparisons between the two, though clear, aren't rammed down the readers throat. The semi supernatural elements are also firmly rooted in reality. This all makes what happens when the Batavia is scuttled on the coral, and when Gil is illtreated due to him being different all the more unsettling, and results in this being a very emotional novel which will stay with me for some time.

What a wonderful book. Another triumph from Jess Kidd.

I had never heard of the Batavia so, for a short time, thought this an entirely original story which, if you've read Things in Jars you'd believe this writer capable of.

What we have is the heartbreaking and horrifying story of what happened to the Batavia's passengers as seen through the eyes of two children - Mayken who was on board the Batavia in 1628 and Gil who finds himself on Beacon Island in 1989 where some of the ship's passengers found themselves marooned.

Both children are motherless. Both estranged from fathers they have never met. As the story moves on their lives begin to intertwine and mirror each other.

This is another magical tale from a master storyteller. It weaves fiction, fact, myth and magic together so seamlessly it's often hard to tell what is true and what is not.

I enjoyed it all. Highly recommended for those who enjoy a well told story and don't mind a little of the supernatural woven in. Jess Kidd does it all so very well.

Jess Kidd’s latest novel is based on the shipwreck of the Dutch trading ship the Batavia in 1629 in the Abrohlos Islands off the coast of Western Australia. She was the pride of the Dutch East India company, on her maiden voyage to the East Indies as flagship of a fleet of eight vessels. Sailing from the Dutch port of Texel she was carrying a cargo of silver coins and 341 people including crew, soldiers and passengers.

They say that fact is stranger than fiction and story of the shipwreck of the Batavia and what followed afterwards is certainly extraordinary. Jess Kidd adds her own tough of magic to the tale by reimagining the journey through the eyes of Mayken, a nine year old girl, transporting us into the deprivation of living cooped up in a small, cramped ship for eight months followed by the horrific brutality that occurred following the shipwreck.

Mirroring Mayken’s life on the Batavia in many ways is that of another nine year old, Gil in 1989. Both children have recently lost their mothers and while Mayken is being taken by her nursemaid to her father in the East Indies, Gil is sent to live with his grandfather, a cray fisherman on the Abrohlos. Both are unusual children with active imaginations and have imaginary monsters lurking nearby. In Gil’s case it is the Bunyip, luring children into its waterhole and in Mayken’s case it is the Bullebak who she believes lives in the bottom of the ship. However, neither is yet aware that there are real monsters even closer who mean them real harm.

This is an excellent retelling of this historical event, meticulously researched and imagined through the eyes of a spirited child and infused with a little of Kidd’s magical realism. The two children are beautifully rendered and it’s hard not to feel a connection with both of them and feel for the heartbreaking trials they will each live through. It’s a haunting tale, wonderfully told and one that will linger in my thoughts for a while.

Two stories running alongside each other! One based on fact and the other fiction. One going back to 1629 telling of a young girl. Mayken aboard the Batavia’s maiden voyage heading for Batavia in the Dutch East Indies. Mayken is a feisty young girl with a vivid imagination being taken care of by her nursemaid Imke. Then we have Gil, a troubled young lad recently orphaned and sent to stay with his grandfather on one of the Abrolhos Islands where his father is an ostracised fisherman, ignored by the rest of the villagers. Life is not easy for either youngsters both troubled by their imaginations and their past! Mayken is vulnerable and haunted by old folk tales regarding a large eel Bullebak and Gil by a similar bad omen the Bunyip! I love stories that educate me and both these did just that with their history and characterisations. Neither are happy tales yet there were moments of humour, lightness and companionship. I immediately Googled Batavia on finishing the story and found the book all the more fascinating for its insight!

Two 9 year old children, both lost their mothers, Mayken is on board The Batavia sailing the treacherous route from Amsterdam ti Batavia to live with her father in 1628 & Gil sent to live with his reclusive grandfather on an island supposing haunted by Little May in 1989.
It took me a while to get used to the writing style & the story content (so soon after reading the similar set The Devil & the Dark Water) however by halfway through I was really enjoying it (& may even have shed a tear or two!)
I hadn’t realised until the end that the story is based on the true shipwrecked Batavia found off the coast of Australia.
4/5 stars

3.5 stars. The Night Ship is a dual time-line novel alternating between the stories of two 9-year-old children, living centuries apart. Both have just lost their mothers and are being sent to live with relatives. Mayken, a passenger on the 1628 Batavia voyage to a father she can’t remember, is a mischievous, feisty, and joyous child. In the 1989 narrative, Gil, a lonely eccentric boy, is moving to his estranged grandfather on Beacon Island. I enjoyed both these storylines but wished the connection between the two were more obvious.

As always Jess Kid’s writing is haunting, elegant, atmospheric, and beautifully descriptive. The reason this gets a lower rating is because I wanted more of her unique brand of magical realism, quirky characters, and humour. My expectations may have been t0o high as I adored her previous book Things in Jars.

I was so excited for this--I adored Jess Kid's last novel, Things in Jars--but sadly it's going to be a DNF from me. Jess Kidd's writing is still great, and I especially love the POV chapters set in the earlier timeline (Mayken is such a charming lead!), but overall the story just didn't come together into anything interesting for me. The plot dragged, and I couldn't really tell where the story was going, nor had any desire to to be honest. I'm still going to check out anything that Jess Kidd releases next, but I'm sad to say that this one just didn't work for me.