![]() ![]() Humans kill whales and sell their parts for profit. In this world, the whales are also the hunters. But in this world, the whales fight back. As in our world, humans have been hunting whales for hundreds of generations. Written in first person view from a young whale known as Bathsheba, the story follows a pod of hunting whales, led by Captain Alexandra, as they follow the trail of a legendary man known as “Toby Wick” (Yes, it’s kind of silly. ![]() And while he does keep the introspective style of Ishmael’s narration, it’s still very much Ness’ writing–lyrical in a quiet kind of way. I was curious as to see if he would try to emulate Melville’s prose (to some degree, at least–this is a YA novel after all). But Ness, for the most part, makes it work. In someone else’s hands, the story could have easily turned belly-up. And I fucking love that.Īnd the Ocean Was Our Sky is one of Ness’ stranger creations in which he tackles an inverted retelling of Moby Dick. And even if his ideas don’t always work, the world is made better for having them. His books are a heady mix of originality and poignancy and he’s constantly pushing boundaries in the YA speculative field. Patrick Ness is up there as one of my favourite authors. ![]() “Harpoon strapped to my back, swimming along the decks of the great hunting ship Alexandra, our sails catching the currents, the Abyss below us, the ocean our sky.” Genre(s) and Subject(s): YA, Fantasy, Retelling ![]()
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