White Whale (The Whalesong Trilogy #2‪)‬

WHALESONG introduced Hruna, a humpback whale, in an ecological parable of personal and spiritual growth. Now, in WHITE WHALE, meet Hruna's son, Hralekana, and enter a deep sea world that dazzles and delights.As he swims the oceans of the world, Hralekana, a magnificent great white whale, recounts his birth and frolicsome childhood—how he was teased for being all white, how he soon outgrew all his playmates, and how he came to discover the other inhabitants of the sea. He share traditional whale legends and warnings: to beware of great white sharks, killer whales, the giant squid, and most especially, humans, who sometimes capture sea creatures and make them perform strange games to earn their food—something that only dolphins, as natural show-offs, actually enjoy.Growing and learning his pod's feeding, mating, and migration habits, Hralekana is introduced to their moving and mysterious means of communication, such as the Song of Farewell, the Song of the Hunt, and the Song of Distant Love.Embarking on the Lonely Cruise, a yearling's rite of passage, Hralekana experiences the adolescent's fear and exhilaration as he sings the Song of the Open Sea. His adventures expose him to dangerous oil spills, frightening visions of the wreck of the Titanic, a kind and ecologically concerned human whom he befriends, and finally, a terrifying encounter with the dark side of humanity.From his carefree childhood to the dramatic challenges of his adulthood, Hralekana's trials, triumphs, and laughter contain lessons on love, nature, and sacrifice, for him and for the rest of us.**Acclaim for the novels of Robert Siegel**"Whalesong is one of those rare and wondrous things, a book which is born a classic. Robert Siegel has become one with the great song of the humpback whale, and the reader is drawn into the song with him. Hruna's tale of birth and life and terror and sacrifice and joy has the quality of true myth. Whalesong is an utterly beautiful book."—Madeleine L'Engle, author of A Wrinkle in Time"I was enthralled by Whalesong. Robert Siegel's book is a short masterpiece of imaginative fiction that should be read by every American. It should be read by every whale, which is to say that Siegel has humanized these greatest of earthly creatures, has made them talk, feel, and act like us, under the aegis of their singing. This is a masterful work combining mythology, philosophy, and poetry in a story that is exciting and convincing."—Richard Eberhart, winner of the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award"Robert Siegel's accomplishment is breathtaking, astonishing. He has made the ways of our huge warm-blooded kin come utterly alive without condescension or anthropomorphism. It is through him that we can now not only understand but live the meaning and being of the 'deepest beast'."—James Dickey, National Book Award Winner, author of Deliverance"This is a marvelous whale opera. I enthusiastically recommend these lyrics and hope someone will write the music. Maybe it will be a humpback whale..."—John and Toni Tilly, authors of Communications Between Man and Dolphin"This beautifully written and epic tale of a great species' struggle for survival deserves to be widely read by adults as well as children. Its special ability to illicit empathy and provoke outrage from readers could prove as powerful of all the voyages of Greenpeace in assuring that the whales will continue to sing their song."—John Ferell, author of Rain"Siegel's tales have the magic of Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia and the lyric majesty of Thoreau's prose. Highly recommended."—Library Journal"I've spent my entire writing career trying to capture the magic that Robert Siegel effortlessly captures in the pages of Whalesong. Be prepared to love this book."—J.R. Rain, author of Moon DanceCover design by Susanna at:www.photogravity.de