The Whale Warriors: The Battle at the Bottom of the World to Save the Planet's Largest Mammals

by Peter Heller

Book Overview

Author of the New York Times bestselling novel The Dog Stars For the crew of the eco-pirate ship the Farley Mowat, any day saving a whale is a good day to die. In The Whale Warriors , veteran... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1416532463
• ISBN13: 9781416532460
• Release Date: September 2007
• Publisher: Free Press
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.4" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

This One Will Hook You! (Pun Intended)

The book's cover convinced me to pick it up, but Peter Heller's writing and the Sea Shepherds' story kept my attention from that point onward. I'm usually not drawn to non-fiction unless I'm researching a subject, and generally never adventure "true life" material. This book, however, has changed that for me. Heller combines just the right amount of prose with conversation, facts with perspective. He enters into the fray of the Sea Shepherds' world with enough hesitation to cajole the more timid into joining him and with enough enthusiasm and objectivity to keep the attention of those with fixed opinions (for or against) about the subject of whaling. It really isn't a one-sided show. During the course of the book, the author questions his own ideas about the Sea Shepherds' methods, Captain Watson's zeal, and the legality/morality of the two-month venture into the Antarctic seas. While obviously sympathetic toward the whales, he isn't overly sympathetic toward the protagonists who are there to protect the whales by (almost) any means necessary. There is just enough cynicism in his approach to allow you to decide the black and white for yourself. The reader is swept along for the ride with Heller on this adventure and what a ride! It was very hard to put down the book and I read late into the night. Through Heller, I felt as though I were a mute crew member on the Farley Mowat during that expedition--present to observe the often humorous, occasionally mundane, sometimes terrifying, but always interesting activities and perspectives that the motley crew of the Farley Mowat experience and offer during that two-month period of time. I know it may sound trite, but I was truly inspired by their enthusiasm and resolve. I know more about the whaling situation and what it really means to fight for their existence on this planet after reading The Whale Warriors than I have after years of getting Greenpeace updates or the occasional news report. It is tangible to me now, this fight for the whales--something that I have a visceral attachment to and not just a subjective ethical opinion about. I sincerely hope that the recent change in leadership in Australia (global warming's supposed to be the top issue now) helps to bring a backbone to the political stage there instead of just popular support for antiwhaling enforcement. After having mentioned Greenpeace, I should note some of the more interesting clashes weren't between the Sea Shepherds and the whalers, but with their fellow environmentalists. It is a subtle and charged situation, but it was eye-opening to see the exchanges between the Sea Shepherds and Greenpeace from the inside. All of this said, I heartily recommend this book for a wonderful and fluid reading experience. You will definitely come away with an opinion on the subject and you undoubtedly will enjoy yourself during the adventure.

Grassroots Heroism - Sea Shepherd Is The Best!

Wow! I've been a lifelong member/supporter of Paul Watson and Sea Shepherd. Heck, I even worked with him back in the founding days of Greenpeace, when Greenpeace was doing what Sea Shepherd does now. I thought I already "knew" all about the 2006 campaign in the Antarctic, but Heller's book really brings to life what it would have been like to be on the ship. Really terrific writing, heartbreaking commentary about whales and Planet Earth that puts it all in perspective, and exciting descriptions of the encounter with the murdering bogus "research" whalers. This book is very credible for its honesty. Life on the ship in the treacherous Antarctic Ocean is not a pleasure cruise; the ice and the weather are impressively difficult to endure. But endure it they did, well enough to find the deceptive, cowardly whalers and to engage them in a confrontation that nobody else in the world - not even any Navy of any country - has the balls to do. The crew of the good ship Farley Mowat are all heroes and heroins. These great folks do everything on a shoestring budget and continue to be pioneers in stopping slaughter and awaking minds around the planet. Thanks to Peter Heller for writing about it so well.

Eye-Opening Trip

Read "The Whale Warriors" and you will never, I suspect, skip another story about whale hunting or international whaling conferences or anything in newspapers and magazines about the quality of our oceans and their health. Full disclosure that Peter Heller is a Denver-based friend but I had no idea about the level of detail and eye-opening account he tells in this book. The entire issue of whaling is told with balance and perspective and passion and zeal. The details are worthy of the most attentive reporter, the depth of analysis carries weight and heft. Finally, the big moral question is well probed. Your appetite for fish may drop, but your interest in people who spend their lives making a difference in this world will increase. To boot, the writing is terrific. Many writers have "done" the Antarctic but Heller brings a fresh, cool touch. "The next morning at nine we rounded the high cliffs of Cathedral Rock guarding the eastern cape and turned north into South Bay. Since dawn the south coast had been a ragged rampart of tall fluted cliffs and sharp guard rocks at the mouth of rugged coves. Low scudding clouds and damp air. Fog boiling over the tops of the headlands. As soon as we turned the corner, the wind hit, twenty knots offshore from the northwest, and cold, raking the bay into gray chop." This is a trip well worth taking -- to the Antartic and deep inside your own awarness of government-backed exploitation of natural resources and what committed soldiers can accomplish if they decide to make a difference.

fabulous writing, high adventure

This book has it all -- life threatening confrontations on icy seas, big boats crewed by men who don't mind flouting international law to continue an outdated and murderous hunt, a good guy with the face of a sea otter, nerves of tempered steel, and a heart full of devotion to the world's largest mammals... and Peter Heller's beautiful narrative that can swing from exquisite descriptions of Antarctica's ice coast to Ken Follet-caliber suspense. Once you've digested its message about the imminent collapse of the great whales as well as the other fisheries in our oceans, you'll never be able to order sushi again. Buy this book for the pleasure of the read, or buy it for the disturbing message about the state of our marine ecosystems -- it somehow makes the world feel more beautiful and more fragile than ever before. It made me feel simultaneously blessed to live on earth, and empowered to help it heal or slip away, depending on my actions. Bravo, Peter Heller! I'd give this book six stars if I could.

Adventure, poetry, and morality

Adrenaline is Peter Heller's drug of choice, and for those who share his addiction, reading this book is a fine and legal way to satisfy your craving. You will be carried away by his graphic descriptions of life on board the Farley Mowat, a small boat of doubtful seaworthiness manned by an all volunteer crew whose strength is dedication rather than experience, facing 100 mile an hour winds, 35 foot waves, 32 degree water, and island sized icebergs. The captain's sense of mission begs for comparison to Ahab's pursuit of the great white whale in Moby Dick, but in this case Evil is represented by a very large whaling factory boat backed by the full power of the Japanese government. Captain Watson does not believe in the efficacy of moral persuasion, he believes physical threat and intimidation are the only effective deterrents and to this end willingly puts his ship and crew at risk in a game of chicken on the high seas. You know, of course, that at least the author survived, otherwise your wouldn't be enjoying this tale he wrote, but it is easy to get absorbed and forget this fact, so the suspense continues to mount - the kind of reading experience every one has got to love, with the possible exception of the author's mother. If your reading interests are more aesthetic or cerebral, Peter Heller has something for you, too. In addition to being a professional adventurer, he is also a poet - I mean a very good one who writes poetry that most people can't understand. In this book he displays his talent, using beautiful and accessible language, to evoke unforgettable images of sky, water, ice, albatross, penguins, seals, porpoises, whales, and people that most of us will never experience in person. Interspersed with the adventure and beauty is a running comment about the precarious state of the world's oceans and their inhabitants, how they got that way, what to do about it, and the moral and health implications of eating fish - or any other animal products, for that matter. Neither a sermon nor a political tract, and remarkably free of ideology, this information is good food for thought. Speaking of which, after reading this book you almost certainly will never eat whale meat and will probably at least hesitate to eat any fish at all. You may even adopt a vegan diet and lifestyle like the crew of the Farley Mowat. In closing I feel compelled to reveal that I now know Peter Heller does not always tell the truth - at least not the whole truth. I leave it up to the reader to decide about the morality involved here. On December 25th, 2005, Peter called by satellite from the Antarctic Ocean to wish his mother and family a Merry Christmas and cheerfully told her everything was going fine - not to worry. On that day the Farley Mowat was experiencing dangerously bad weather and an imminent confrontation with the Japanese whaler which could have landed them all in 32 degree water with a chance of rescue and survival close to zero. In the book, Peter