And The Ocean Was Our Sky is an extremely beautiful and somewhat odd story.
I do like how Patrick Ness’ books are rarely “the usual” because it’s fresh and different and unpredictable! And the illustrations of this one were just !!! That’s how you write a good review, kids. You say your opinion is “!!!” and pretend to be eloquent. I’VE BEEN DOING THIS FOR YEARS TRUST ME.
This is definitely not like any of the other Ness books. I thought it’d be like A Monster Calls, considering it’s illustrated too, but…not really. It’s extremely metaphorical and basically a fable that talks about war turning people into monsters, and how sometimes you make monsters by forever pursuing justice through violence instead of choosing peace.
So good stuff. I like.
It’s also an upside-down retelling of Moby Dick!
I have nOT read Moby Dick and all I know is that there’s a whale. I’m…I’m a little ashamed of me too. (I actually looked up the wikipedia synopsis about this and gUESS WHAT IT IS ABOUT A WHALE.) However you need to know the original to appreciate this one! But it is upside-down so it’s (a) narrated by the whales, and (b) the whales are harpooning the men now. Which quite frankly makes sense. Men…I can’t even with them. So it was weird but I was onboard (LOL LOL SHIP PUN) for a bit of oddity. Although I’m still confused about how the whales had ships? I couldn’t visualise it and there wasn’t an illustration for it.
Also Toby Wick (VERY CLEVER) was on the evil-human side but I am still 0% sure as to what he was. A man? An actual monster???
As a black-and-white sort of person, I did struggle to read between the lines of all the allegories.
It feels like an Aesop Fable in style really and the writing has an old-fashion voice so I had to really focus to stay engaged. But the illustrations were GORGEOUS. And they got super dark (so um, yes, this is not middle-grade ok). I also want to raise my hands and just say: “THANK YOU. ADULTS DESERVE ILLUSTRATIONS TOO.” 10/10 would like all books to have more illustrations.
And The Ocean Was Our Sky feels like it’s full of questions and meanings and leaves you thinking. It’s beautifully put together too! Even if I was a bit confused how a whale had a narrator…my imagination got a work out haa ha ha.
THANK YOU TO WALKER BOOKS FOR THE REVIEW-COPY. And The Ocean Was Our Sky by Patrick Ness is published September 2018.
With harpoons strapped to their backs, the proud whales of Bathsheba’s pod live for the hunt, fighting in the ongoing war against the world of men. When they attack a ship bobbing on the surface of the Abyss, they expect to find easy prey. Instead, they find the trail of a myth, a monster, perhaps the devil himself…
As their relentless Captain leads the chase, they embark on a final, vengeful hunt, one that will forever change the worlds of both whales and men.
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haha a whale 😂😂 that’s more than I know about Moby dick. The artwork looks gorgeous and it sounds like all the double meanings and allegories make this book kind of like a brain teaser. How much did you exercise your brain reading this? The concept sounds really great and thought provoking 😁
It was weird and simultaneously really good haha.😂Probably not my favourite Ness book, but beautiful though!
Patrick always tends to go more towards the weird though doesn’t he 😂😁
Well, this sounds weird. But I’m all for weirdness, so I’ll have to convince my library to buy it when it comes out (assuming its not out already).
Moby Dick retelling from whale’s point of view does sound fascinating though.
Honestly it is REALLY weird.😂But in a good way! And I love how creative it is.😂
I absolutely LOVE Patrick Ness. And, okay, fine, I’ve only read a couple of his books (A MONSTER CALLS and MORE THAN THIS) but I really like his style, so I think I would definitely enjoy this! And I 100% agree with you on the illustrations: I know they must be more expensive to produce & print, but they make books so much FUN (and it’s awesome to see how my vision of the book lines up with the artist’s.)
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I love how varied all his works are, too, right?! It’s like you never quite know what’s coming next from him and all his books are so heartful and aching and ahhhhh. I really want to reread A Monster Calls though. It’s been too long!!
Okay you don’t have to feel bad Cait because I haven’t read Moby Dick too and the only thing I know about it is that it has a whale in it. I’M SUCH AN INTELLECTUAL HA HA HA.
I actually haven’t read a Patrick Ness book yet but I have them all in my TBR pile. The illustrations in this book look so great but I’m not a fan of books with too many analogies too. My last three brain cells just can’t cope with them. I’m still interested with this though! A whale as a narrator sounds so weird and unique.
I would die for a Six of Crows illustrated book. SOMEONE MAKE THIS HAPPEN PLEASE.
*hi fives for our clear amazing intellect* Ok but we are NOT WRONG that Moby Dick is about a whale so I’m calling this a full win.😂(Also I have very little interest in reading the original ah hahah *cries*) But omg definitely try a Patrick Ness book at some point! My favourites are probably Release and the Chaos Walking books, but also A Monster Calls (OMG THE PAIN).
I haven’t read any Patrick Ness yet, though I want to. I’ve also been wanting to read Moby-Dick, so now I have an excuse to do both!
I should probably read Moby Dick myself too at some point but classics sort of make me shrivel up and die.😂
Hmm I really like the concept of this book! It sounds really interesting and I’m definitely adding it to my TBR cause I loved A Monster Calls and I love twists on classics, so I think I’d like it! Analogies always confuse me until the end, tho 😄
Oooh I’d love to see an illustrated Warcross in full color and with all the cool techy stuff, what it looks like inside the game of Warcross, Emika’s electric skateboard, her beautiful tattoos! Ahhhh now I can’t stop visualizing it!!
I get a bit confused when books are like “read between the lines to get the meaning of this tale!”…I’m just like JUST SAY IT OUTRIGHT. I NEED HELP HERE.😂😂 But heh. It’s still a great book and definitely recommend. Also YES to Warcross as an illustrated book ohhh it would be gorgeous!
HELLO PATRICK NESS AND HIS BOOKS ARE AMAZING. he really likes talking about monsters of men (wink wink nudge nudge) and dark things, doesn’t he? I remember The Knife of Never Letting Go trilogy and dayummm that was some heavy stuff for a fifteen year old me to be thinking about. In all, though, I really like his books, and the fact that they have such a powerful and punches-you-in-the-face sort of style.
THEY ARE I LOVE HIS BOOKS SO MUCH. And I love that he keeps talking about the world’s monsters.😂I actually only just finished the Chaos Walking books this year and fjadslafd I loved them so much but for sure they were heavy!
I put this on my TBR list yesterday. I’m skeptical because talking whales aren’t my thing, but I trust Patrick Ness. Also, there are pictures, so that makes me want it right away.
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Talking animals aren’t usually my thing either, tbh.😂But it was weird and still worked and it was so nicely written and illustrated!
This kind of reminds me of a game that was out forever ago. About deer hunting humans. I have to say that I loved that game. I haven’t had a lot of luck with this author’s other titles but I will have to see if I can get this one from the library because it sounds interesting.
I hope your library can get it in!
I kind of want to try this but I also kind of want to try something by him first. But this looks pretty short so maybe I’ll try it.
The books I kind of wish had illustrations are Warcross because there’s a lot that’s a bit hard to imagine and Six of Crows would be even more beautiful if there where illustrations
I also really recommend Release too (which is also super short, under 200pg, or A Monster Calls) and omg I can totally see Warcross with illustrations. It as a graphic novel would be amazing!
This is so aesthetically pleasing. Every book I’ve read by him has been amazing.
Agreed! I love how unique his books are!
I’m not sure this one is for me but the illustrations are beautiful! As a fellow reviewer, I can attest that the proper way to write reviews is with a lot of !!! and your caps lock on a lot.
Great review!
~Brittany @ Brittany’s Book Rambles`
I mean all caps and afjdkslafd and !!!! and gifs…wE’RE DOING THIS RIGHT.😂😂😂Professionals for sure.
Wow those illustrations look good. That cover omg
I’ve never read Moby Dick either, but I enjoyed China Mieville’s Railsea, which is another YA retelling/subversion of the Moby Dick story. Except it replaces the whales with giant moles. It’s weird. But a good time. (And it has pictures too…I guess Moby Dick just lends itself to visual storytelling?)
I haven’t read much Patrick Ness (Chaos Walking trilogy and More Than This) but I enjoyed all of it and I’m a sucker for pictures so I might pick this one up.
OH I’ve heard of Railsea but not read it yet either…I didn’t realise it was a Moby Dick retelling too so now I’m super curious?! I mean, I should also probably read the original someday buuuut anyway.😂 (I LOVE illustrated books though omg.) And this also made me feel like rereading more Ness, so I just reread Release and now I want to read More Than This again! It’s been so long.
This sounds like a pretty interesting book! 😯 I would love to know what whales thing about all the time. 😂
YES. Interesting is definitely a good word for it. 😂
I really need to read more Patrick Ness books! I loveeed The Knife of Never Letting Go, so I’m not sure why I haven’t read his other books?! Also AHH ILLUSTRATIONS!!
YOU DO!! I actually felt a real craving for Ness books after this and just finished rereading Release which I loooove so much.
Oh, the boat puns. I’m pretty sure I’m dying. The fact that there’s a whale is 100% legitimately pretty much everything you need to know about Moby Dick. It was also a dick (hence the name), but so were the people, so eh. Turnabout’s fair play?
I have never read a Patrick Ness book. I’ve never even heard of Patrick Ness. Oops? This sounds great, though, and I am completely in favor of illustrating YA books. I’m just reading Furyborne by Claire Legand, and I would like to nominate it for illustratorship, please. If someone could just get on that, I’d be very grateful. This is 100% not just because I want some epic Eliana/Simon stabby fight scenes, okay?
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There we go!! My Moby Dick predictions were RIGHT. I’m so good at guessing.😂
Omg how have you not heard of Patrick Ness though ahh!! 😂 I’m definitely hoping you’ll try something of his then. And agreed Furyborn could do with epic illustrations.😂
Holy crap, the finished copy is GORGEOUS. In the ARC, a lot of the illustrations are just rough sketches so I couldn’t really comment on them, but wow. I am really looking forward to getting a finished copy! Of course I read all the Patrick Ness. I think this might be high up there on my list of favorites of his- after Chaos Walking, of course. I just really liked it, and it was symbolism that I could actually kind of wrap my head around so he made me feel not stupid and so he wins.
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I don’t understand when they do ARCs of these kind of books but without all the illustrations?! Like how does that even WORK. 😂😂
I think Chaos Walking (or maybe Release?!) is still my favourite of his stuff but ahhh this was good.
Honestly, all I needed to hear was illustrated new book by Patrick Ness to get excited. After reading this review though I now think that I should read Moby Dick before reading this one, but I’m not sure if that’s an undertaking I can handle at the moment.
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Fair enough that you’d read the original first! I don’t think I could ever be bothered.😂
To be honest all I know about Moby Dick is that the whale is white, and it’s all about whaling so it’s a hard no from me. Which is why I don’t really know if I want to read this one? I mean if any whales die, I’m out. If the men die, I’m okay with that, though *cackles* The illustrations do look really beautiful, though! I wish we had some more illustrations that weren’t just front covers that more often get things wrong (like Throne of Glass, say, which depicts Celaena as having white hair… which she does not have but anyway). I’ll have a think about this one, because IDk if my mind needs a workout like yours had when reading this XD
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Same tho.😂I don’t really have any inclination to read the original and I like that the whales got to stab back at the humans in this one. Like not really feeling bad for the humans here oops. (But YES we deserve way more illustrations!!) I don’t understand the ToG covers at all tbh.😂
I JUST read my first Patrick Ness book a few days ago, and I still can’t quite decide whether I liked it, but I’m really keen to try more of his books, sooo… I must have at least sort of liked it! And your review has sold me on this one! Definitely going to have to give it a try!
His books are kind of seriously weird, right?! For me that’s a really good thing but they can take some getting used to!😂I hope you get to try more though.