Book Review: Demon of the Waters

If you read my post over at Mad Genius this morning, you'll note that I finished my in-paper nightstand book last night. I've been working on it for an embarassingly long time, since I usually read ebooks before bed. This one has been my soaky-bath book. 

Demon of the Waters is the 'true story of the mutiny on the whaleship Globe' which was evidently the basis for Moby Dick, and a well-known saga. Only I hadn't heard of it prior to picking this book up. I'd gotten it while I was reading for research on Tanager's Fledglings, as I was reading accounts of trade, travel, and exploration both on the seas and in the Far West. The ebook is in KU and relatively inexpensive, so I thought I'd write it up here for my readers.

I'm glad I did grab it and read it, though, it was well worth my time. I'm not sad it took me so long to finish, the episodic nature of the book lent itself well to putting down, and picking back up again even weeks later. Even if you aren't interested in whaling, which you should be, as it was a big part of the early American economy, the humans in the tale are fascinating.

The author's premise is that he was able to find a previously-unknown journal of one of the characters in this global saga. There is everything in this book, from mutiny, discontent, greed and murder, to love and redemption. Although a bit dry in spots, when he gets into great, great detail about ship's rigging, I enjoyed it.