Customer Reviews

The Last Whales

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

THE MOST THOUGHT PROVOKING BOOK I HAVE EVER READ. IT TELLS THE STORY OF ONE WHALES SEARCH FOR HOPE AND FAMILY AFTER THE THE WORLD AND MOST OF THE OCEANS ARE DESTROYED THROUGH A ATOMIC BOMB.

LLOYD ABBEY DOES GREAT RESEARCH IN REGARDS TO WHALES AND THE FEELINGS THEY MAY EVOKE.

The book is extremely well researched and teaches the reader a lot about undersea mammals like whales, orcas and dolphins.
Unfortunately the minutae of the main characters' pursuit of each other left me gasping about one-fifth of the way in and I put the book down.
I was hoping for a whale's-eye view of the end of the world and I got an overly-detailed view of whale behavior instead.
Sort of like if a Dean Koontz quest novel consisted largely of descriptions of how the car operated, whether the protagonists stayed at Days Inns or Motel 6's each night and the debates over choosing between McDonald's and Burger King. Every day.
I kinda forgot where the book was going.
The fact that this book has attracted only three reviews so far may be an indication of how many readers actually finished it.
Good reviews from the trade notwithstanding, no matter how well-designed a car is, if it doesn't go anywhere it's just a big paperweight.

Wow, I don't even know where to start with this book. I was very skeptical picking up a book about whales. But...I shouln't have been. It tells a story about animals that I would never otherwise consider. Ever. Before, when I thought about killer whales I thought "Seaworld." and "Shamu." Now the thought of orcas makes me shudder. Before, when I thought about a large whale, it was almost like thinking about an inanimate object...or maybe a goldfish. In my mind, they didn't do anything but flop on the water every so often in different places up north. Now...I think of whales as beings with fears and happiness, as facing dangers and obsticles, as doing specific things and having lives. This book portrays whales as having emotions, thoughts and ideas, as having exhaustive memories and family ties. It also gives us a glimpse into the lives of other creatures like dolphins.

It's a story, told well, that you may at first scoff at but will come away feeling schooled.

I read this book and was heart-broken as this whale searched for others like himself after a nuclear war. It follows his search throughout the seas, mostly in vain, to find someone, anyone to alleviate his loneliness in the war emptied seas. The book does not end happily and the outcome has haunted me for a long time. One of the best books I have ever read, I have recommended it and loaned it out several times. Now it is lost and I have returned to Amazon for a replacement. (Yes, it's that good)

Unusual first-person narrative of the search for survival and companionship through the Whaling Years. This book haunted me, and I have recommended it many times over the years. Titled "Leviathan" in England.