I'm dropping this at 35%. After the polar bears and second rape of a child, I'm done. The sample dazzled me when I read it: rich language, dark, and a favorite subject (whaling, remote places). I'd thought I was in the mood for it, having recently gone on a bit of a vengeance binge. But the language became too much; I don't need to constantly know how nasty everything smells. As I read I realized this would be one of those books that is about how ugly people are. Current events are reminding me of that enough.

I don't know why I have such a particular affinity for these whaling tales, but recently I recognized that I gravitated toward them. And being that authors are continually revisiting the subject, it's obvious I am not alone in my appreciation. The North Water bears many similarities to the classic whaling tale, but probably has more in common with the writing of Jack London and Cormac McCarthy than Melville. Aside from some wonderfully drawn characters and explorations of psychology, this is an adventurous novel filled with an abundance of grisly scenes of violence toward man and animal.

Perhaps it was just me and my aforementioned appreciation for whaling stories, but I did feel that the second half of this novel—largely taking place away from whaling—was considerably less appealing than the first half. So much action and intrigue develops in this second half, however, and so I was not horribly disappointed.

The North Water is a gruesome tale of man versus nature and man versus man—which of the two is more dangerous is a question you may ask yourself while reading this novel.

This book reminded me a lot of Terror by Dan Simmons albeit much shorter. It isn't however the same story by any means. Like Terror it is the story of a shipwreck in the Arctic. One man fights for his survival against starvation and freezing temperatures. He encounters polar bears and Inuit. What Terror doesn't have is the graphic description of gore and bodily emissions which this story has in spades. I'm not a squeamish reader but a few sentences really made me squirm. Not for the faint-hearted.

Sailing the high seas on a whaling ship in the 18th century with villains and good guys a plenty. There's trouble afoot when Henry Drax murderer, rapist and downright font of all evil joins the ship and continues his killing ways with not a care in the world. Enter our disillusioned hero Patrick Sumner ships medical practitioner and likable bloke. Can he stop the killer before it's too late? does Capt Brownlee hold a hidden agenda? Will the crew ever make it back to safety?....read on for a thrill a minute ride with a very satisfying and apt conclusion......

This was the most disturbing book I've read in a long time. After I read the first chapter I wasn't even sure I wanted to read anymore. It literally made me sick to my stomach. I figured though, if the author can provoke that much emotion from me in just a few pages, I better stick around to see what else he can do. Well if his goal was to paint a very realistic portrait of what some of humanities worst will resort to, I think he definitely succeeded. He has a way with words and development of dark characters that will make you glad that you never have to actually come across these people in real life. The story is not for the faint at heart. It's disturbing, it's vile, it's sick, it's gruesome and it will make you wonder what the hell the world has come to but all of those things are what make the story special and the author an exceptional writer. It's as real as you can get and it's not only hard to swallow but it will stick with you long after you finish that last page- just like a shot of 100 proof. If you think you can stomach that, I say drink up!