North Waters

The New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice: A 19th-century whaling ship sails to the Arctic with a killer on board, in this dark, sharp, and highly original thriller. Look at the man: foul-smelling, drunk, and brutal. Henry Drax is a whaler on the Volunteer, a Yorkshire whaling ship bound for the rich fishing waters of the Arctic Circle. Also joining us for the first time is Patrick Sumner, a disreputable ex-army surgeon with no money and no choice but to sail as the ship's medic on this violent, dirty, and fateful voyage. In India, during the Siege of Delhi, Sumner thought he had experienced the depths to which a human being could sink. He hoped to find temporary respite on the Volunteer, but respite is impossible with Drax on board. The discovery of something sinister in the ship's hold spurs Sumner to action. As the two men face off in the harsh darkness of the Arctic winter, the fateful question arises: Who will survive until spring? With indomitable ferocity and sharp intelligence, Ian McGuire weaves a remarkable tale of humanity under the harshest of circumstances in "Northern Waters."