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aaronrosenblum's review
3.0
A fast-paced YA sci-fi story with a strong ecological message and some fun final-act twists. The Moby-Dick homage is cute.
booknut7159's review
4.0
Ishmael has risked everything to travel in stasis to work on another planet. Although he is not used to the fresh air and the leagues of ocean, he is willing to work hard hunting the beasts of the oceans in order to send money back to his foster parents and hopefully earn enough for them to leave Earth before the planet is completely dead. The beasts in the waters are everywhere, but the captain of the ship continually tells the crew to ignore them in order to chase a monster few have seen and lived to tell about it. Ahab has seen this monster and will stop at nothing to capture it and achieve revenge for the leg he lost to the beast.
The Beast of Cretacea is re-telling of Moby Dick that takes place on another world in a future time. Although the original story would be considered a realistic fiction tale, this account is more on par with science fiction. With that said, those who enjoy adventure stories will be able to lose themselves in this re-telling. Strasser’s version will entertain readers and also peak their interest in the original saga as well as the many non-fiction books available about the original Whale Ship Essex.
The Beast of Cretacea is re-telling of Moby Dick that takes place on another world in a future time. Although the original story would be considered a realistic fiction tale, this account is more on par with science fiction. With that said, those who enjoy adventure stories will be able to lose themselves in this re-telling. Strasser’s version will entertain readers and also peak their interest in the original saga as well as the many non-fiction books available about the original Whale Ship Essex.
octavia_cade's review
adventurous
fast-paced
3.0
This novel is clearly heavily inspired by Moby Dick which, fair warning, I have not read. It's on my list of things to read, but admittedly it's not very high up that list. I just can't make myself get excited at the thought of tackling it, classic though it may be. I did enjoy this YA scifi version of it, though.
Seventeen year old Ishmael leaves Earth, which has become a crapsack world, to work on a not-whaling ship on the idyllic planet of Cretacea. I mean, it's a whaling ship in every meaningful sense, but what Captain Ahab's after isn't the great white whale, it's the great white stingray. Oh, the stingray's called a terrafin, but it's essentially a stingray, and it's not happy about being hunted. Why would it be? In these stories, I'm always on the side of the grumpy homicidal beast, so it didn't matter how boringly virtuous Ishmael was, I was still hoping he'd get chomped.
He didn't, but there's a decent twist at the end which I found entertaining. I do think that the book's a bit repetitive, and it probably could have lost at least a third of its bulk with no ill-effect, but whenever I look at a copy of Moby Dick on a library shelf I think the same thing there too, without benefit of reading, so take my preference for concision with a pinch of salt.
Seventeen year old Ishmael leaves Earth, which has become a crapsack world, to work on a not-whaling ship on the idyllic planet of Cretacea. I mean, it's a whaling ship in every meaningful sense, but what Captain Ahab's after isn't the great white whale, it's the great white stingray. Oh, the stingray's called a terrafin, but it's essentially a stingray, and it's not happy about being hunted. Why would it be? In these stories, I'm always on the side of the grumpy homicidal beast, so it didn't matter how boringly virtuous Ishmael was, I was still hoping he'd get chomped.
He didn't, but there's a decent twist at the end which I found entertaining. I do think that the book's a bit repetitive, and it probably could have lost at least a third of its bulk with no ill-effect, but whenever I look at a copy of Moby Dick on a library shelf I think the same thing there too, without benefit of reading, so take my preference for concision with a pinch of salt.
caitlinrae27's review
5.0
The Beast of Cretacea by Todd Strasser is a re-imagining of Melville's classic Moby Dick, but it is about so much more than just one man's dangerous obsession with an ocean creature.
Ishmael wakes up on a distant planet from deep sleep aboard the Pequod, a ship that harvests ocean creatures and sends the vital resources back to Earth. Ishmael marvels at the bright sun, the clean air, the sparkling water, and the healthy plant and animal life - nothing like the dirty and dying Earth he left behind.
He and his crew must survive aboard the Pequod, but their lives are constantly threatened by their shipmates, the weather, the prey they hunt, pirates, and dangerous life on land. Ishmael has so much more to worry about than just himself. He must find his foster brother who has also been stationed on a ship on this strange planet and he must make enough money to send home to his foster parents so they can escape the life-threatening conditions on Earth.
The Beast of Cretacea is an epic sci-fi adventure, an environmental warning, and one teen's quest to save the ones he loves.
Ishmael wakes up on a distant planet from deep sleep aboard the Pequod, a ship that harvests ocean creatures and sends the vital resources back to Earth. Ishmael marvels at the bright sun, the clean air, the sparkling water, and the healthy plant and animal life - nothing like the dirty and dying Earth he left behind.
He and his crew must survive aboard the Pequod, but their lives are constantly threatened by their shipmates, the weather, the prey they hunt, pirates, and dangerous life on land. Ishmael has so much more to worry about than just himself. He must find his foster brother who has also been stationed on a ship on this strange planet and he must make enough money to send home to his foster parents so they can escape the life-threatening conditions on Earth.
The Beast of Cretacea is an epic sci-fi adventure, an environmental warning, and one teen's quest to save the ones he loves.
jordanimals's review
4.0
This book is a retelling of Moby Dick in a futuristic setting (or so I'm told. I haven't read Moby Dick, so I have no idea how much this strays from the original). However, the characters names are the same, and instead of the great white whale, we have a great white monster/beast on a planet called Cretacea. This book was a pleasant surprise to me. I thought it was very well-written and loved the action. It keeps you wanting to know what happens next-- the whole book feels like one big action sequence. I think that people who love thriller or action packed books will love every minute of this one. The character development leaves a little to be desired. I felt that most of the main heroes and villains were a little two-dimensional, but people might disagree with me on that. I also loved the twist/hook at the end! I think this is a great book for 5th or 6th grade and up, with action lovers especially being drawn to this book.
bookgirl4ever's review
5.0
Ishmael signs up to work on a distant planet in order to save up enough money to get his foster parents and friend off the terribly polluted Earth. He arrives on Cretacea with four other teens to catch sea creatures on the ship Pequod (yes, this is a sci-fi Moby Dick retelling). Cretacea has humongous, ferocious sea and flying creatures. The mainland is rumored to have terrible beasts and is too dangerous for people to inhabit. When obsessive Captain Ahab offers a large reward for helping him to capture the massive white, winged terrafin, Ishmael is determined to volunteer so he can send money home to Earth, whose living conditions are worsening every day. Exciting and adventurous!
JHS/HS
JHS/HS
woodshroom's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
babyfacedoldsoul's review
4.0
I loved this book. I love Moby Dick and environmental justice. I have little experience with sci-fi and found this book to be a great introduction.