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Great book! Philbrick makes the true story of the Essex's sinking sound like a novel. Although similar to "In The Heart Of The Sea," "Revenge Of The Whale" focuses in on the four teenagers who were among the crew, including the cabin boy, 14-year-old Thomas Nickerson, whose extensive memoires were only rediscovered over a century after the tragedy. After many months at sea and catching numerous whales, the Essex was rammed intentionally TWICE by an 85-foot-long sperm whale that bashed the ship's hull in and sank it. A whale attacking a SHIP had never been heard of. The 20 castaways set out in 3 small whaleboats after rigging sails for them from their overturned ship's sails and building up the little boats' sides a bit to give them a better chance against the sea. During their three-month, 3,500-mile odyssey across the Pacific, the sailors slowly turn into living skeletons. But incredibly, 8 out of the 20 survive. It is an amazing feat of navigation and endurance. The Essex tragedy was Herman Melville's inspiration for "Moby Dick." But the Essex really was sunk by a whale! "Revenge Of The Whale" includes great illustrations of what the Essex and its whaleboats looked like, plus a map of where they went during their journey, as well as other pictures. I recommend also reading "The Loss of the Ship Essex, Sunk By A Whale" (Penguin Books). It includes the first mate, Owen Chase's, full first-person account, as well as the long-lost full account by the ship's cabin boy, Thomas Nickerson. It also includes an account written by another mate, Thomas Chappel, plus letters and log entries from captains and others to whom the survivors, including Capt. Pollard of the Essex, told their story, and other items relating to the tragedy.Read full review
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