Melville's classic whaling tale is full of high adventure and some great characters with Captain Ahab looking for revenge against the largest sea creature on earth, while his shipmates attempt to stop the vessel for going down. Though some readers may find the passages relating to the intracacies of whaling a little difficult to fathom they are extremely effective in my opinion, underpinning the novel and making you feel like a bit of an expert by the end. A mammouth effort from a fantastic writer. Splash!

What can you say that has not already been said about this mind blowing epic of a book? In the narrated story of an obsessive hunt hunt by Captain Ahab for the white whale, we are presented with a host of concepts, characters, philosophies, imagery and beautiful language that takes you out of yourself. The book meanders from straightforward storytelling of hunting a whale to the arcane philosophy of meeting one’s fate to lots of biblical allusion and metaphor. The beauty of this book however is that Melville makes it all work since everything ultimately comes back an obsession to defeating a monster by one man. The descriptions of the sea are elegant, the characters are drawn in the same way that Shakespeare does but are not just copied, but on the same level. Ahab and Starbuck were meant for each other a “billion years ago” and their fates are entwined. The depiction of the sails under the light of the heat of the melting pots is stupendous. Ahab’s creation of a harpoon with which to kill the whale is monumental. The description of a carpenter as a creator, the description of what “whiteness” really is, the majesty of mankind, and numerous other topics all combine to give this book a metaphysical, spiritual and at the same time - earthly feel to it. The depiction of the horoscope, the description of everything involved in whale hunting and the storm will pull you in. Some scenes are so profound that you will want to read them over and over. When Ahab destroys his sextant because he shuns modern contrivances in the face of his instinct to hunt the whale is such an example. When Ahab reveals his destiny or Starbuck’s soliloquy about his weakness are scenes of the most perfectly drawn calibre. The book culminates in a short but vivid final hunt for the whale in which all the philosophies, characters and events combine to complete one of the best books I have ever read.

I bought this as a gift, hoping it would be the same version (i.e cover) as my own Everyman's Library copy, which has a classic white front without embellishment. Unfortunately, the cover on the Waterstone's site didn't match what arrived, which had a (tasteful!) whaling scene on the front. Still very nice to look at but not what I wanted. The novel itself is unforgettable - though a bit of a chore at times; by the time the last page hoves into view, you may well feel you've been on a three-year voyage including storms and spells in the doldrums. Melville is a bit of a baleen bore, intent on letting you know that he knows everything there is to know about whales and whaling. Ishmael (the main character) may be the newcomer to the Pequod but it is Melville who comes across as someone late on the scene who is over-keen to establish his credentials and set himself apart from the landlubber reader. Nevertheless, it's a powerful, poetic book that conveys the hardships and perils of a whaling life and paints scenes that may stay with you for life.

I was surprised by how funny this book is. I expected the whale, the obsession, the catastrophe — and I got all of that — but I wasn't expecting Ishmael’s wry, digressive company, or the way Melville can move from comedy to metaphysics in a single paragraph without losing his footing. It is a slightly daunting book, which is one reason I took so long to get round to reading it. And yes, there are chapters (like one on the taxonomy of whales) that read like a man daring you to keep up. Keep up. The cumulative effect is extraordinary: a world so fully realised that by the time the Pequod finally meets its fate, you feel the loss as something personal. One of the handful of novels that genuinely changes the scale of what you think fiction can do. If you’ve been putting it off, don’t.

This took me a while. I liked it, I liked its depth and how epic it was but it was certainly hard work! I was interested to read about all its digressions but it took a good deal of will power and I think that was largely due to the writing style. I had no problem with the language, I just didn't feel a flow through the book. I loved the humour, some parts really made me laugh to myself but in other parts a lighter style didn't seem so fitting. I thought Ahab was a great bad guy and Starbuck was the perfect antithesis. The philosophy of the book was very interesting and the political nature of it, very relevant today even. A great epic but you really have to work for it!