The Beast of Cretacea
-
-
4.7 • 3 Ratings
-
-
- $12.99
-
- $12.99
Publisher Description
When seventeen-year-old Ishmael wakes up from stasis aboard the Pequod, he is amazed by how different this planet is from the dirty, dying, Shroud-covered Earth he left behind. But Ishmael isn’t on Cretacea to marvel at the fresh air, sunshine, and endless blue ocean. He’s here to work, risking his life to hunt down great ocean-dwelling beasts to harvest and send back to the resource-depleted Earth. Even though easy prey abounds, time and again the chase boat crews are ordered to ignore it in order to pursue the elusive Great Terrafin. It’s rumored that the ship’s captain, Ahab, lost his leg to the beast years ago, and that he’s now consumed by revenge. But there may be more to Captain Ahab’s obsession. Dark secrets and dangerous exploits swirl around the pursuit of the beast, and Ishmael must do his best to survive—if he can.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Equal parts Moby-Dick retelling, environmental cautionary tale, and coming-of-age story, Strasser's (Fallout) fantastical SF epic blends disparate pieces into a harmonious whole. The saga begins with 17-year-old Ishmael setting off from a ravaged, dying Earth for life aboard a large fishing trawler on the planet Cretacea, hoping to send enough money back home to secure his foster parents' future. Along with his small, diverse group of nippers, or young crewmen, Ishmael struggles to adjust to a world with water and sunlight, while facing the kinds of trials that shape a person's future. The journey carries him through encounters with pirates, mysteries about his past, the search for his foster brother, and into the ultimate adventure of them all: attempting to capture the Great Terrafin. Filled with luscious depictions of life at sea that harken back to the golden age of science fiction, Strasser weaves an engrossing tapestry that evokes a sense of wonder and calls to the imagination. An unfortunately sanctimonious and heavy-handed ending is the only blemish on an otherwise pristine horizon. Ages 12 up.
