And the Ocean Was Our Sky by Patrick Ness Published by HarperTeen on September 4 2018
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Retelling
Goodreads
With harpoons strapped to their backs, the proud whales of Bathsheba's pod live for the hunt, fighting in the ongoing war against the world of men. When they attack a ship bobbing on the surface of the Abyss, they expect to find easy prey. Instead, they find the trail of a myth, a monster, perhaps the devil himself...
As their relentless Captain leads the chase, they embark on a final, vengeful hunt, one that will forever change the worlds of both whales and men.
I received a copy of this book for review from the publisher. This does not influence my thoughts on this book or this review.
I’ve been a huge fan of Patrick Ness for so long so any time there’s a new Ness novel, I know I have to read it.
With beautiful illustrations, And the Ocean Was Our Sky tells the story of Bathsheba and his fellow hunters, whales who hunt humans. A relentless captain leading the pod, Batsheba and his fellow hunters are on a chase to hunt down a legend, a hunt that may lead them to an actual monster.
And the Ocean Was Our Sky is a Moby Dick retelling, and I knew that going in but I think I definitely forgot to read the synopsis more carefully as I was definitely surprised that it was in the point of view of a whale. I know Ness is known for his retellings and fantasy novels that convey a deeper meaning but I’m not sure that I fully understood the purpose of this one. If I interpreted this correctly, I believe that the purpose of this novel is meant to teach people to not judge others based on what they look like or where they come from, though in my opinion, I feel there’s better avenues to explore that theme than a Moby Dick retelling.
Overall, I think the illustrations and overall writing of And the Ocean Was Our Sky was great but I didn’t really get the deeper meaning and I’m not sure that the metaphorical aspect worked for me.
