Most notably though, it’s accompanied by a series of hauntingly beautiful illustrations that enhance the narrative tenfold. (Although there is some action along the way, and some of it is rather explosive). It’s also a story big on concepts, rather than explosive action, compared to something like Ness’ Chaos Walking trilogy. For starters, it’s a fairly brisk read – you can get through it in about an hour, if you try. By the end it takes some unexpected turns, and you’ll be left wondering: just what is really going on…? Monsters of MenĪt first glance, And The Ocean Was Our Sky shares a lot of similarities to Patrick Ness’ award-winning book, A Monster Calls. It’s a fairly simple, straightforward story, but there are plenty of interesting ideas bubbling away beneath the surface.
Part of a hunting pod led by the head-strong Captain Alexandra, we follow their hunt in a war against man.
Instead, our narrator is a whale called Bathsheba. But if you haven’t read the original tale, you’re at no disadvantage, and it’s still an accessible read. Sure, it takes inspiration from a lot of key beats and themes that familiar readers will pick up on. This is Moby Dick as you’ve never seen it before: the whales are our heroes, and mankind are the bad guys.Īlthough, of course, this isn’t actually Moby Dick turned upside down. Put aside your preconceptions, because this is a story all about different perspectives and interpretations. In this world, up is down and down is up.
And we really do mean that quite seriously. But in the case of And The Ocean Was Our Sky, Patrick Ness has simply flipped things on their head. Other times, it’s as easy as adding in a few puppets, like The Muppets Christmas Carol. How do you take something that people know and love so much, and twist it into something truly unique? Sometimes, you need to give it a modern makeover, like in Steven Moffat’s and Mark Gatiss’ Sherlock. Reimagining a classic is never an easy task. And The Ocean Was Our Sky, the latest novel from Class writer Patrick Ness, quite literally turns the story of Moby Dick upside down.
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