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Cybirdy Publishing
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Jack, a grieving Scottish miner, flees the coal-dusted shadows of 1930s despair for the brutal Arctic seas. Aboard a grim fishing trawler, he battles nature’s wrath and human cruelty, his heart haunted by the loss of his young son. Written in haunting verse, this visceral tale of survival and sorrow pulls you into a frozen abyss where hope fights to endure. Dare to sail with Jack into the icy unknown?
"
the first two days on board passed in thick silence
sailing over foaming waters
blue drift nets itching for a taste of the sea
night approached
candles dripped in their own greasy waters
men from all over Scotland
huddled together on deck for warmth like long lost animals
a half leaking sky was pregnant with storm
"
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John Gerard Fagan is a Scottish writer from Muirhead in the
outskirts of Glasgow, who currently lives in Dunbar. His memoir
Fish Town, about buying a one-way ticket to rural Japan, where he
lived for seven years, was published in 2021. Silent Riders of the Sea
is his first work of long fiction.
Q1: What is Silent Riders of the Sea about?
A: It’s a powerful novel about grief and survival in the Arctic, following Jack, a miner who sails into icy waters seeking peace after personal tragedy.
Q2: Is Silent Riders of the Sea based on a true story?
A: While the story is fictional, it is deeply rooted in real emotional experiences and historical settings of the life of Scottish miners and fishermen of the early XX century. The hardships of Arctic fishing and the mental toll of grief are rendered with vivid realism.
Q3: Who should read Silent Riders of the Sea?
A: Ideal for fans of literary fiction, nautical tales, and emotionally resonant stories.
Silent Riders of the Sea is a remarkable story of grief and struggle that seeps into your flesh and bones and lingers. It's a story that drags you through the coal mines and onto a freezing ship where sailors are sick and starving and the management are willing to let them die as they seek to earn as much as they can. It's told through the eyes of a miner-turned-sailor called Jack and reads like a fever dream. It's raising the bar on what I'll now expect from Scottish literature in the future, and with that being said, I can't recommend it enough.
I am a fan of the author and a big fan of his previous novel Fish Town. Silent Riders of the Sea is almost like a horror story but told in the most incredible way.
It is my book of 2024/25 so far. The struggle of Jack on the cold Scottish seas as he realises he should have stayed with his wife is heartbreaking.
I was recommended this book by a friend and I was glad they did. It broke my heart but I have only good things to say about it. Silent Riders of the Sea is phenomenal.
One of the ways I judge books is if I miss the characters when I’m finished.. and I miss Jack. It’s one of those stories that you can’t put down. A heavy story, but my favourite ones always are.
Brutal, beautiful, and one of the most captivating stories I have ever read. Phenomenal writing.
Books were delivered VERY promptly and the books were excellent reads.
I'm grateful to Cybirdy for (a) drawing my attention to the novel Silent Riders of the Sea, and (b) dealing with my order of a hard copy of the novel in a very timely, professional, and efficient manner.
So easy! Book chosen in less than an hour, delivered to my door in 48 hours and read in 5 days !
Review of Silent Riders of the Sea
This historical novel is set in 1930, and takes place on board a fishing vessel.
The author, John Gerard Fagan, has an impressive way with words and imagery, his use of language and striking metaphors being standout features of the novel.
It is told in an interesting and rarely-encountered way, as a work of free verse, like a long prose poem. For some, I suppose, this may take some getting used to. But the majority of readers of literary fiction will quickly adapt.
In terms of form it is not a million miles away from Solar Bones by Mike McCormack, a novel which takes a similarly radical approach to narrative form, and which won the Goldsmiths Prize and the International Dublin Literary Award.
While it is too soon to know whether Silent Riders of the Sea will win any awards, what I can tell you is that it is definitely worth your time. It will very quickly transport you to a world of hardship that is (thank God) for the most part forgotten in the U.K. Fagan’s writing is so vivid you will come close to enduring the hardships that Jack, the protagonist, endures. You will certainly feel for Jack and you will be taken on a highly-charged emotional journey.
So read this book, by all means.
A word of caution, though. If you are looking for an uplifting novel, this isn’t it. Silent Riders of the Sea, for all its poetic inclinations, is a gritty read, and is utterly unsparing in its attention to uncomfortable detail. Your emotions while reading it are likely to encompass pity and fear, and perhaps even horror.
You will not leave this book feeling uplifted. You will leave it feeling the same way you might after watching, say, a performance of King Lear. You will have the impression you have witnessed an unfolding of terrible events, and the experience will probably bring home to you how blessed you are to be living the life you have.
Which is the point of tragedy, isn’t it?
This book should be compulsory reading for all Doctors, Nurses, Surgeons, Students and everyone else involved in the medical profession. It is not a commercial book that will sell in millions, although it should. This is a heart felt, thought provoking examination of the meaning of the Hippocratic Oath and the problems and the triumphs faced in medicine today.
I enjoyed this book and once into it I could not put it down.
The main character Jerrett has a hard time from the start trying to understand why his country is in such a bad place.
Meeting others who are also not happy helps him and his family move on from loss of loved ones.
I personally found the book very thought provoking as our world is in trouble.
I can imagine this happening now
First, I have to say—the paperback itself is gorgeous. The quality fully deserves the special edition label. The illustrations, print, paper, and editing make it a genuine joy to add to my bookshelf. And for such a young author—f**k me—what a lucky lad.
The content is deliciously vile. It tackles mental health, the impossibility of being comfortable in one’s own skin, the restless mind, and the desperate urge to rip and tear your way free. This anthology is a treat for anyone who enjoys the more extreme side of literature. With time and experience, I can see this author walking in the footsteps of Jack Ketchum, Garrett Cook, and Wrath James White—if he chooses.
I’ll end with my favourite passage (and trust me, I don’t write many reviews):
I see so much, so much that you ignore. I’ve seen people dying, calling out for help, but their cries fall on your broken ears. Alcohol and drugs run rampant through your body, your gift, decimating what He has provided. You will not be saved.
This perfectly captures the beauty and terror of a mind reaching for a higher power that doesn’t exist—the essence of existential dread and the folly of existence. If you want an experience, give this young author a try.
A very well written story ithad me engaged from start to finish.....I would definitely recommend it.
