Hell's Heart, Alexis Hall

 

Hell's Heart by Alexis Hall is a retelling of Moby Dick as a science fiction novel

Started: April 1, 2026
Completed: April 11, 2026
Recommendation: Not recommended
Recommended By: I think I just saw a brief review of the book in a newly released list
Media:  Audio

Review:

There are things in this book that I liked.  There was a lot of sex and it felt like Hall seemed compelled to put in more sex, but opted not to do so.  The book itself, captured the feel of Moby Dick as it has frequently been retold, but missed the intimate detail of the process of whaling that was so fundamental to the original.  I'm not finding fault for that (and, surely, the original was painful to read in part due to this unending detail), but I'm just saying that I missed a nod to it.  Mostly, I didn't like the story...I didn't like how it felt 'constructed' instead of as a simple effort to retell a series of events.  I dunno.  Hard to nail down what I did not enjoy and capture it as one thing.