(Candlewick, 2015)
Seventeen-year-old Ishmael has volunteered for a dangerous assignment - a vaguely outlined stint on Cretacea, where he will work with other adventurers in an untamed environment, harvesting resources bound for Earth. Only the dismal outlook on Earth makes this option seem appealing. Stripped of its natural resources, covered in a perpetual shroud, and dangerously low on breathable air, Earth holds few attractions for Ishmael. His foster family is his only concern, but his foster brother is now headed for assignment, too, and Ishmael hopes to earn enough money on Cretacea to pay for passage from Earth for his foster parents.
On Cretacea, a prophetic warning from an old neighbor haunts Ishmael as he works onboard the Pequod under the command of the mad Captain Ahab who has set the ship's course to capture the Great Terrafin, a deadly sea creature of near mythical proportions. For Ishmael and his onboard companions, adventures abound in this cleverly crafted homage to Moby Dick. References to Moby Dick (for those familiar with them) are plentiful; however, despite its similarities to Melville's classic, The Beast of Cretacea is a sci-fi book for the modern age. The Beast of Cretacea confronts modern issues of environmental degradation, resource depletion, wealth and privilege, scientific possibility, and of course, the transcendent coming-of-age issue. Breathtaking excitement is measured with thought-provoking ideas, a rich plotline, and occasional flashbacks. At least one great twist awaits.
For ponderers, sci-fi enthusiasts, and adventure fans seeking a little something extra. Best for ages 12 and up.
On Cretacea, a prophetic warning from an old neighbor haunts Ishmael as he works onboard the Pequod under the command of the mad Captain Ahab who has set the ship's course to capture the Great Terrafin, a deadly sea creature of near mythical proportions. For Ishmael and his onboard companions, adventures abound in this cleverly crafted homage to Moby Dick. References to Moby Dick (for those familiar with them) are plentiful; however, despite its similarities to Melville's classic, The Beast of Cretacea is a sci-fi book for the modern age. The Beast of Cretacea confronts modern issues of environmental degradation, resource depletion, wealth and privilege, scientific possibility, and of course, the transcendent coming-of-age issue. Breathtaking excitement is measured with thought-provoking ideas, a rich plotline, and occasional flashbacks. At least one great twist awaits.
For ponderers, sci-fi enthusiasts, and adventure fans seeking a little something extra. Best for ages 12 and up.
On a shelf near you 10/13/15
Note:
Members of my monthly book club recently Skyped with Todd Strasser. They were impressed by his perseverance (only a summer's worth of reading kept him from repeating the 3rd grade!) and the sheer volume of his work (more than 140 books!). They appreciated his affability and willingness to delay an afternoon of surfing to accommodate us. As an added bonus, when his daughter (who created the beast on the book's cover) accidentally passed in camera view, he introduced us and gave us a short lesson in the evolution of a book's cover art.
I have two copies of The Beast of Cretacea. One was provided at my request from Todd Strasser, and the other was subsequently provided by LibraryThing Early Reviewers. Both will given to members of my book club who cannot wait to read it!!
A Beast of Cretacea Quiz created by the author:https://www.goodreads.com/quizzes/1115313-do-you-know-the-beast
A humorous video trailer:
I have two copies of The Beast of Cretacea. One was provided at my request from Todd Strasser, and the other was subsequently provided by LibraryThing Early Reviewers. Both will given to members of my book club who cannot wait to read it!!
More fun Beast of Cretacea content:
A humorous video trailer:
The Beast of Cretacea from todd strasser on Vimeo.
0 Comments on The Beast of Cretacea - a review as of 9/23/2015 8:56:00 AM
Add a Comment
Gail, very good post. Can i tell you something? This is not about me, nor am i bragging, my name not important here but I am the person who coined the term cli fi a few years and wrote about it on several websites in 2010 and onwards, including articles in Hollywood news sites and book blogs. Google "danny bloom" + CLI Fi and you will see I coined it. nobody in the MSM would give me the time of day, the NYT and NPR would not interview me, but now it' big news due to refent npr story and later christian science monitor article too. Neither article mentioned me or my role or reasons for coining CLI Fi nor the fact the my coinage was not going very far until....Margaret Atwood in Canada tweeted a tweet about "dan bloom's coined a new term for climate sci fi he calls it CLI Fi" google it too and the document of her tweet in on my Youtube account. so, gail, great post on your part here, pro and con, and do interview me, can you, ask me why i coined the term? danbloom At gmail will get you to my door. i am in Taiwan, tufts 1971 grad, age 64, a few more years left before i croak. google POLAR CITY RED to see the cli fi novel I produced as book paacker. in a year we sold 261 copies only. SIGh
Dan, When I was looking for information for this post, I did come across your name and "Polar City Red"'s. Not in reference to coining the term, but googling "climate fiction" or "cli fi" took me to you.
thanks for note. and yes, while i was setting up the book POLAR CITY RED, which was finally written by Jim laighter, not me, i was just the book packager wtihout a fee, haha, just my hobby, but jim wrote t the entire book all payments go to him so far we sold 271 copies in 12 months so go figure. when i was setting up the book idea which has the title i asked Jim to use, i came up with the concept of CLI FI and asked around, Margaret Atwood in Canada told me she loved the term so i stuck with it...when NPR and CSm did stories on this last week or so, neitther reporeter bothered to find out who coined the term or when or why. They did not do their homeworkd. haha. SMILE. but not importaant. the main thing is the TERM is not official. and not everyone likes it and i can live with that...let's see if oit has a long life or short life....wwant to intterview me by email abotu why i came up with the term, i am in Taiwan danbloom At gmail
ps - did you meant to provide a link to Polar City Red "here" of was this pointing to a different book above re ''[*Here* someone uses the term "cli-fi thriller" to describe the same book set 75 years in the future with climate disaster that Grist included in its review column. ]
'' or was that pointing to a grist book?
And one more note, Gail: the NPR and the CSM copycat piece that appeared after the radio show aired, both reporters got CLI FI wrong, since they are not climate activist themselves, nor are they cli fi writers or producers, they are merely good newsroom reporters trying to make a mountain out of a trend so they can write a fun story. But in fact, CLI FI is not what they say it is. Let me say this: cli fi is a subgenre of science fiction, and it can take place in the present, the near future and the distant future and the far distant future and even in the past, yes. It is not limited to the boundaries NPR gives it. That was a shallow piece, done on deadline and just to cover a trend and to boost Nathaniel Rich's novel with a push from his PR agent in NYC. See? That entire story was planted by the PR guy in NYC. CLI FI can take place in past presnt or fugure and cli fi can be dystopiean or apocalyptic, too, if the author wants to go there. Sure. And cli fi can also be pedestrain and not dystopiean at all. Cli fi just means the novel is about climate issues, pro or con, and the issues can be that climate change is NOI happening at all, or that it is happening. So NPR got it wrong and the NPR story made you react so strongly. I liked your post. It was good, But you were reacted to a poorly-reserached, shallow radio piece. THere will be better cli fi pieces soon, WAit. meanwhile, interview me about what i just told you here?