Fighting the Whales

by R.M. Ballantyne

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Genres: Fiction, Classics

84 pages, Paperback

Published August 31, 2007

About the author

R. M. Ballantyne was a Scottish writer of juvenile fiction.

Born Robert Michael Ballantyne in Edinburgh, he was part of a famous family of printers and publishers. At the age of 16 he went to Canada and where he served for six years with the Hudson's Bay Company. He returned to Scotland in 1847, and published his first book the following year, Hudson's Bay: or Life in the Wilds of North America. For some time he was employed by Messrs Constable, the publishers, but in 1856 he gave up business for literature, and began the series of adventure stories for the young with which his name is popularly associated.

Reviews

[Katja Labonté · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars & 4/10 hearts. I have always been a big fan of whaling stories. Okay, correction. Reading an adapted/abridged version of "Moby-Dick" as a kid set me off on a new obsession. Besides Moby-Dick, (which I have yet to read in full), I haven't found many whaling stories, so this one was a gem!! I was delighted with how Ballantyne took up the subject. No drinking! No swearing!! A chapter all about working on the Sabbath and how that shouldn't be done and isn't necessary!!! The Gospel!!!! There were a handful of things I disliked, but I can only think of one at the moment (a mention of stripping half-drowned man). I'll add the others when I reread it. Now, a note: the two versions on Gutenberg are ABRIDGED. I believe they're both printed by Blackie & Son Ltd. in 1915. I am not entirely sure of that. Anyhow, they are both missing quite a bit of story about Fred & the whole chapter about working on Sunday. I found another version on Archive, printed in 1869 James Nisbet & Co., and was able to download a PDF. So that's the one I recommend.

[alissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A simple narrative about life aboard a whaler from the perspective of a new recruit. Though Ballantyne mostly wrote about experiences outside of his own sphere, you can tell that the details were meticulously gathered from source material. What I loved about this and Coral Island is the sense of wonder in the young protagonist. It isn't overwrought. The narration balances the protagonist's internal response and the outward action neatly, facilitating our tour of his world. A great deal of modern YA fiction derails because of an unbalanced focus on action and emotional reaction in the plot -- such books a vicarious outlet with little depth, and aren't as memorable. The excellent voice narration in this edition also helps bring the tale alive where the language and pacing might otherwise be a little dated for readers of this century.

[Grant Pollerd · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has elements of Moby Dick in it, being an exploration of a whaling journey. It is a single thread of Moby Dick written for a young audience. There's fairly in depth description of catching and rendering down a whale.

Overall an enjoyable read and wonderful reflection of how far we've come in our treatment of our marine cousins and how far we still have to go.

Definitely going to look int some of Ballantyne's other works.

[Christina Gutke · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love a good sailing story. Any book that can transform my day by moving me to the South Sea in a whaling ship is never going to get less than 3 stars from me automatically. I liked this book. It was a fun adventure. I must say that I am not an advocate of whaling but I understand the old necessity for it. I am glad that times have changed.

[Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book of the early days of seafaring. It is easy reading and really makes the adventure of sailing in early days come alive. It is about a kid who goes to sea for the first time on a whaler.

[Nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Life was more than just different a 100 years ago

[Betty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whaling adventure filtered through the try pots for younger audiences, with many endearing passages. "The cutting up of the huge carcass covered the decks with oil and blood, making them so slippery that they had to be covered with sand to enable the men to walk about. Then the smoke of the great fires under the melting-pots begrimed the masts, sails, and cordage with soot. The faces and hands of the men got so covered with oil and soot that it would have puzzled any one to say whether they were white or black. Their clothes, too, became so dirty that it was impossible to clean them. But, indeed, whalemen do not much mind this. In fact, they take a pleasure in all the dirt that surrounds them, because it is a sign of success in the main object of their voyage. The men in a clean whale-ship are never happy." 

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining seafaring listening 🎶🔰

Another will written British seafaring adventure thriller short story by R. M.Ballantyne about a young man's 🚹 first whaling adventure from England to the South Seas. It is an interesting story of the ships whaling adventure and the mates that he makes and the return to England. I would recommend this novella to readers of historical adventure novels. Enjoy the adventure of reading 👓 or listening 🎶 to Alexa as I do because of eye damage. 🏡🔰👒😆 2022

[Iluzija O. Istini · Rating 2 out of 5]

An ok audio read in the background while working on something else. It is plain to see this is one of those stories that would be much more interesting if you were not familiar with the topic, since the writing itself that has nothing to offer.

[Dan Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent resource uncovers the world-building details of whaleships.