ICE WHALE

Hearing majestic whale vocalizations, listeners will be spellbound by the final story in George's saga of two hundred years in the life of a bowhead whale and its relationship with humankind. In 1848, young Toozak witnesses the birth of a bowhead calf but unwittingly leads whalers to the pod. A shaman metes out a penance: Toozak must protect the surviving baby whale, Siku, until his death. Narrator Christina Moore is equal to the task of bringing the generations of Toozak's descendants and their contemporaries to life. Given her steady pacing and distinct elocution, listeners can acclimate to each episode without losing the flow. The natural world plays a big part in this story, and Moore's elegant voice graces it with the import it deserves. Conversations with the author's sons, who finalized the novel, complete the production. A.R. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2014]