In the Heart of the Sea

Written from the journals of two survivors, this true-life story is said to be the inspiration for Melville's MOBY-DICK. Narrator Scott Brick introduces the listener to the nuances of whaling in l820. Following the voyage of the ESSEX, whose port is Nantucket, Brick's reliably tracks the mission of its crew, before and after it is rammed by a bull sperm whale and left in peril in the Pacific Ocean. Brick's casual yet composed manner reports this chronicle of courage and survival, creating an appreciation for the tale it tells. B.J.L. (c) AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine

May 1, 2000
With woody intonation and a suitably somber cadence, Tony Award-winning actor Herrmann reads this chilling tale of the Essex, a whaling ship that was sunk in the middle of the Pacific by an 80-foot sperm whale in 1820. The story would come to mark the mythology of the 19th century as the Titanic did the 20th--Herman Melville, for one, based Moby Dick on certain key elements of the tragedy. In Philbrick's spare, well-paced version, we learn much about how Nantucket's culture was affected by the whaling industry boom, from its economy to its social habits. But the horrific heart of the narrative details the fate of the 20 sailors who attempted to sail several thousand miles back to Chile using only three pathetic open boats. Reaching home 93 days later, only eight sailors survived the ordeal of thirst, starvation and despair. Near the tape's end, Herrmann delivers one of the finest funereal orations ever offered on behalf of seamen. Simultaneous release with the Viking hardcover (Forecasts, Apr. 10).