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About this item
Highlights
- Spanning three centuries and linked by a long-extinct denizen of the northern oceans, a sweeping and intimate tale about a fateful encounter between man and nature.
- About the Author: Iida Turpeinen is a literary scholar writing a dissertation on the intersection of the natural sciences and literature.
- 288 Pages
- Fiction + Literature Genres,
Description
Book Synopsis
Spanning three centuries and linked by a long-extinct denizen of the northern oceans, a sweeping and intimate tale about a fateful encounter between man and nature. 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.Review Quotes
"A gorgeous, thought-provoking book about the consequences of the human exploration of the natural world. Its narrative moves through lives and times, with sailors, hunters, naturalists, and artists all playing their part."--Sarah Brooks, author of The Cautious Traveler's Guide to the Wastelands
"A sprawling, seething epic which intertwines the mysteries of the natural world with their destruction when myth and man collide. A delicately woven tale of exploration and exploitation; a sharp cry to protect what is precious in the world before it vanishes."--Lucy Steeds, author of The Artist and the Feast
"A wondrous, devastating novel...I challenge anyone to read Beasts of the Sea and not fall in love with--and mourn--the curious creatures it conjures...Reading this magical novel is like peering in awe and terror through the window of a cabinet of curiosities--I will be thinking about it for a long time."--The Bookseller (UK) "Fiction Book of the Month"
"Almost Shakespearean in its drama and its set-pieces, shifting to and fro in time and space, peopled with vivid characters and their fates...A beautifully written narrative, as deep and profound as the sea itself."--Phillip Hoare, author of William Blake and the Sea Monsters of Love
"Mesmerizing. Near to mythic. This profound and moving novel of lost histories and lives held me captured in its spell."--Essie Fox, author of The Fascination
About the Author
Iida Turpeinen is a literary scholar writing a dissertation on the intersection of the natural sciences and literature. Beasts of the Sea was published in Finland to wide acclaim, won the Helsingin Sanomat Literature Prize for best debut novel, and has been translated into twenty-eight languages. Turpeinen lives in Helsinki, Finland.Dimensions (Overall): 8.5 Inches (H) x 5.75 Inches (W) x 1.0 Inches (D)
Suggested Age: 22 Years and Up
Number of Pages: 288
Genre: Fiction + Literature Genres
Publisher: Little Brown and Company
Format: Hardcover
Author: Iida Turpeinen
Language: English
Street Date: November 18, 2025
TCIN: 1002749543
UPC: 9780316585835
Item Number (DPCI): 247-37-0646
Origin: Made in the USA or Imported
Shipping details
Estimated ship dimensions: 1 inches length x 5.75 inches width x 8.5 inches height
Estimated ship weight: 1 pounds
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