The White Whale!

Just finished reading Moby-Dick. Hell of a read. The whole thing spirals off in myriad direction, mostly concerning whales and whaling, but also taking in religion, fate and so on. At times the plot is as elusive as the white whale himself.

There are some wonderful descriptions throughout the book though; one chapter in particular concerns what it's like to be atop the mainmast and says, essentially, that it's so soporific and beguiling, to be standing above such a vast expanse of blue with the entire planet wheeling away beneath you, that you risk losing your footing and falling if you allow yourself to be too drawn in. I read this section while on the tube, about as disparate a place as you could be from such a lofty perch - where instead of a fine salty air it is the sweat of a fellow traveller that wafts into your nostrils - and yet I could conjure up the image, almost placing myself there, with ease. At 600+ pages and written in a distinctly old style of writing it's not an 'easy read' though.

This will sound horribly modern and Hollywood, but they could make an excellent film adaptation of this, as long as they cast it correctly and didn't over do it with explosions and what not. However, knowing Hollywood, they almost certainly would.

Thar she blows!