Title: Whalefall
Author: Daniel Kraus
Genre: Thriller, Science Fiction
Published on: August 8, 2023
Publisher: Atria, MTV Books
Source: digital (Netgalley)
Pages: 336
Synopsis:
Whalefall is a scientifically accurate thriller about a scuba diver who’s been swallowed by an eighty-foot, sixty-ton sperm whale and has only one hour to escape before his oxygen runs out.
Jay Gardiner has given himself a fool’s errand—to find the remains of his deceased father in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Monastery Beach. He knows it’s a long shot, but Jay feels it’s the only way for him to lift the weight of guilt he has carried since his dad’s death by suicide the previous year.
The dive begins well enough, but the sudden appearance of a giant squid puts Jay in very real jeopardy, made infinitely worse by the arrival of a sperm whale looking to feed. Suddenly, Jay is caught in the squid’s tentacles and drawn into the whale’s mouth where he is pulled into the first of its four stomachs. He quickly realizes he has only one hour before his oxygen tanks run out—one hour to defeat his demons and escape the belly of a whale.
My thoughts
(Spoiler free)
Whalefall by Daniel Kraus is a science fiction adventure thriller with a dash of horror all rolled into a deeply emotional story about a son’s complex feelings of grief for the death of his estranged father. And I didn’t want to put this one down, reading furiously to discover what would happen next!
“Jay’s not sure he believes in therapy. He definitely doesn’t believe in closure. People aren’t doors. They’re whole floor plans, entire labyrinths, and the harder you try to escape, the more lost inside them you become.”
Daniel Kraus, Whalefall
Jay Gardiner has decided the only thing that will bring peace to his family is to recover the remains of his father off the coast of Monastery Beach in California, a location proclaimed by his father as the most dangerous beach in America, as well as being labeled ‘Mortuary Beach’ by locals and fellow divers due to its powerful rip current and steep drop-off. Jay will reluctantly use his father’s teachings to guide him, but can anything really prepare you to be swallowed by a whale?!
When I was invited to read Whalefall in June, I knew it sounded like one I would enjoy, but I’ve been trying to restrict the amount of early copies I read in order to read more off my existing shelves. BUT it was hard to resist this one, so I penciled it in to reconsider closer to the publishing date. Then I started seeing it everywhere and heard an adaptation had already been optioned. I knew I had to read it. I ended up reading it in one day, almost in one sitting, and it’s a great reminder to trust my gut about books.
We alternate between the past and present in this nerve-wracking novel, which works perfectly. We meet seventeen year old Jay as he’s preparing to dive at Monastery Beach, with cobbled together equipment, his father’s instructions intrusively running through his mind, and as he’s trying to make it into the water without being noticed. The chapters are mostly short and to the point, effectively ramping up the building tension, but we learn about Jay and his relationship with his father as Jay works through the steps he needs to take to get him safely under water to begin his search.
And everything that happens after that is astounding, but written with scientific facts that make it wholly believable. This one is being compared to The Martian and 127 Hours, and it’s spot-on. I couldn’t help being reminded of The Martian when I was reading this one with its lonely protagonist facing insurmountable odds, an inhospitable environment that seems determined to prove its strength, all backed with scientific facts, thankfully explained in layman terms.
But in Whalefall, the circumstances seem even more dire because Jay only has a limited amount of air, which means the bulk of the story taking place in the present day happens within a few hours.
Whalefall is a shocking, terrifying undersea adventure. If you’re fascinated with the ocean or man versus nature or the complex relationship between children and parents, you’ll find something that will capture you in Whalefall.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to MTV Books and Netgalley for providing me with an advance copy.
(All quotes are taken from the advance copy and are subject to change in final print.)
My Rating:
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About the Author
Daniel Kraus
DANIEL KRAUS is a New York Times bestselling writer of novels, TV, and film. His collaboration with legendary filmmaker George A. Romero, The Living Dead, was acclaimed by The New York Times and The Washington Post.
With Guillermo del Toro, he co-authored The Shape of Water, based on the same idea the two created for the Oscar-winning film. Also with del Toro, Kraus co-authored Trollhunters, which was adapted into the Emmy-winning Netflix series. Kraus’s The Death and Life of Zebulon Finch was named one of Entertainment Weekly‘s Top 10 Books of the Year. Kraus has won the Bram Stoker Award, Scribe Award, two Odyssey Awards (for both Rotters and Scowler), and has appeared multiple times as Library Guild selections, YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults, and more.
Kraus’s work has been translated into over 20 languages. He lives with his wife in Chicago.
A Song For A Book
Kraus mentions a song in the book and it’s just too perfect not to highlight: “Free Fallin'” by Tom Petty.
…And I’m free
I’m free fallin’
Yeah, I’m free
Free fallin’
Free fallin’, now I’m free fallin’, now I’m
I wanna glide down over Mulholland (oh-ah)
I wanna write her name in the sky (oh-ah)
I’m gonna free fall out into nothin’ (oh-ah)
Gonna leave this world for awhile (oh-ah)…
Have you read Whalefall? Or did you add it to your tbr? Let me know in the comments!
Happy Wandering!
The cover of this one is so intriguing! I have to read this one. It sounds amazing.
It’s soooo good! I hope you get to pick it up soon!
What an intriguing plot! Glad you enjoyed it and was unputdownable.
Yes! So fascinating!
Wow, this is the first I’m hearing of this one, and I like that it is sci-fi and not fantasy, more the realistic science type of story for that being in a whale. Great review! Thanks for bringing this to my attention!
Yes! Absolutely more sci-fi than fantasy. I hope you enjoy it if you pick it up! 🙂