First published 1950
Young Jim Belden signs aboard a whaling ship bound for the treacherous waters around Cape Horn. The vessel carries him far from his New England home into the vast Pacific hunting grounds where sperm whales roam. Jim must prove himself among the hardened crew as they pursue their massive quarry through storms and calm seas alike. The work tests every man aboard as they lower boats to chase whales across open ocean. Jim learns to handle harpoons and navigate by the stars while the ship searches for the oil that will make their voyage profitable. The months at sea transform the inexperienced boy into a seasoned whaler. He discovers what it means to depend on his shipmates when death lurks beneath every wave. The ocean demands everything from those who seek to master it.
Genres: american-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, adventure, 19th-century
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, suspenseful
Tropes: coming-of-age, fish-out-of-water
Setting: New England, Pacific Ocean, Cape Horn
Period: 19th Century
244 pages · Hardcover · Harcourt