Title: Death to Moby Dick: a Love Story
Author: Stephen Melillo
Publisher: Westwood Books Publishing LLC
ISBN: 978-1648033827
Pages: 296
Genre: Fantasy
Reviewed by: Aly Avina
Pacific Book Review
Moby Dick by Herman Melville is a classic American novel. Whether you’ve read the book front to back a number of times or have merely just skimmed it, everyone knows the story of Captain Ahab and his obsession with a vengeance on the white whale who took his leg. It is a story that has been referenced an insurmountable amount of times in pop culture and is surely a book which will never leave the minds of its audience. So, it is no wonder modern-novelist Stephen Melillo has a fresh take on what a sequel to Moby-Dick would look like, from his own perspective.
Death to Moby Dick: a Love Story by author Stephen Melillo is the sequel to the classic Moby Dick; but this is not the first time Melillo has found inspiration and subsequently written a novel as a continuation of this story. He has previously written a prequel to this story telling of Ahab’s beginnings and life before the events in Moby Dick titled, Ahab, a Love Story. Now, in the sequel Death to Moby Dick, Melillo writes from the perspective of Ahab’s son, Isaac, and his own obsession with revenge.
Isaac is now a man wanting to exact revenge on the white whale who took his father’s life. This quest to destroy the whale leads to a wide array of events which have low points as well as high points. Isaac, as we learn, is a man who has survived tragedy, shipwreck, and the Civil War. While he meets and falls in love with an opera singer by the name of Irene, he cannot shake his past and devastation from the loss of his father and mother. This ultimately causes him to have one primary focus which is to find and kill Moby Dick, once and for all. But the risks he’s taking could all result in only more chaos and tragedy in the end.
Throughout this novel, there are many accurate historical references, which I found to be incredibly interesting and made the reading experience that much more enjoyable. Everything from astrological events, battles, and even ships’ names along with their manifests and schedules are accurate in the sequel, which is truly impressive attention to detail. I also enjoyed the added fantasy elements in this tale with the whale being a “Manifestation of the evil residing in the souls of men.” It only furthered my appreciation for this author’s writing style.
The way the author effortlessly takes you back in time, throughout the American Revolution to even the first World War, while also giving you an entirely new story based off a much-loved novel that has stood the test of time, is something which is rare and needs to be celebrated. Whatever you do, do not sleep on this one. Pick up your copy of Death to Moby Dick: a Love Story by Stephen Melillo – you’ll be glad you did!
