Beasts of the Sea: A Novel

Synopsis

&“Turpeinen matches the heights of Andrea Barrett&” in this sweeping and intimate tale about a fateful encounter between man and nature spanning three centuries and linked by a long-extinct denizen of the northern oceans (Publishers Weekly starred review). In 1741, thirty-two-year-old naturalist Georg Wilhelm Steller joins Captain Bering&’s Great Northern Expedition to scout out a sea route from Asia to America. Plagued with hardships, captain and crew never reach their goal, but they do make a unique discovery, a gentle giant that will be named for the young explorer who described it: Steller&’s sea cow. In 1859, the governor of the Russian territory of Alaska sends his men to recover the skeleton of the massive marine mammal rumored to have vanished a hundred years before. Two years later, a revered Helsinki professor hires a talented illustrator—a woman!—to make precise drawings of a set of bones sent from afar. The ill-fated beast will help introduce to a skeptical public the concept of human-caused extinction. Finally, in 1952, the Museum of Zoology assigns its most talented restorer the task of refurbishing the antique skeleton, a testimony to the sea cow&’s fate that will fire the imaginations of future generations. A breathtaking literary achievement and an adventure that crosses continents and centuries, Beasts of the Sea is a tale of grand ambition, the quest for knowledge, and the urge to resurrect what humankind has, in its ignorance, destroyed.

Copyright:

2023

Book Details

Book Quality:

Publisher Quality

ISBN-13:

9780316585859

Related ISBNs:

9780316585835

Publisher:

Little, Brown and Company

Date of Addition:

11/18/25

Copyrighted By:

Iida Turpeinen

Adult content:

No

Language:

English

Has Image Descriptions:

No

Categories:

History, Literature and Fiction

Submitted By:

Bookshare Staff

Usage Restrictions:

This is a copyrighted book.

Translator:

David Hackston