The Beast of Cretacea - Hardcover

Strasser, Todd

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0763669016 ISBN 13: 9780763669010

Publisher: Candlewick, 2015

Synopsis

Master storyteller Todd Strasser reimagines the classic tale of Moby Dick as set in the future—and takes readers on an epic sci-fi adventure.

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.

About this title

About the Author

Todd Strasser is the internationally best-selling author of numerous books for children and teens, including Fallout and the classics The Wave and Give a Boy a Gun, which are taught in classrooms around the world. Todd Strasser lives in New York.

Review

Gr 6 Up-  A riveting tale that harkens back to the high-seas adventures of old, full of pirate encounters and other harrowing nautical perils... Strasser weaves futuristic technology into an old-fashioned maritime expedition, resulting in a setting that feels timeless. ... VERDICT A must-read maritime adventure story for a new generation.-- Liz Overberg, SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL

Equal parts Moby-Dick retelling, environmental cautionary tale, and coming-of-age story, Strasser's 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... 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. -- PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

You don't need to have read Moby-Dick to enjoy Strasser's science-fiction retelling. Ishmael wakes from stasis aboard the Pequod, on the pristine planet Cretacea, where he plans to earn enough to pay his foster parents' passage off of Earth. The bulk of the novel is an old-fashioned maritime adventure, filled with details of the sea life: close quarters, harpoon hunts, pirate attacks, storms, and shipwrecks. Strasser (Fallout, 2013) adds dystopian corporations, time travel, a secret legacy. Recommend to readers of pure adventure on the high seas.  -- Krista Hutley, BOOKLIST

"The story rips along at a faultless pace, thrusting us into the middle of high-seas adventures... The characters are finely wrought, from Ishmael and his friends; to Charity, the Pequod's stasis tech; to Tarnmoor, the old blind sailor who survived Ahab's first encounter with the Giant Terrafin... Events careen toward a conclusion that must be read to be believed. No spoiler alerts here. Even readers who often predict a story's ending are very unlikely to guess all the components of this grand finale." - NEW YORK JOURNAL OF BOOKS

"A thrilling interplanetary adventure based on Herman Melville's classic story of revenge and madness, Moby Dick... 17-year-old Ishmael is amazed by Cretacea, the clean, beautiful planet on which he finds himself. He hopes to earn enough money to save his foster parents, before the foul air and lack of water back on the coal-burning, oxygen-depleted Earth kill them. High-tech gadgets, from drones to virtual reality goggles, add a modern twist to this apocalyptic adaptation, part political satire, part environmental cautionary tale." --Lynn Becker, Shelf Awareness

Edition details

• Publisher: Candlewick
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 0763669016
• ISBN 13: 9780763669010
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 432