The Whaler.

?It's common knowledge that the Captains of whaling ships are a breed of men more deranged than most, but Grice was the worst these parts have ever known. He was a stone-hearted bastard, full of hate for the world and everything in it, but he had a special kind of hate for whales. He exalted in their murder.?

In 1852 the whaling ship Nautilus leaves New Bedford and embarks upon a route to the South Pacific, a journey that will lead them to the hunting grounds of the magnificent sperm whales.

Once there, they set about their business of killing whales, a task that Captain Grice relishes beyond any other Earthly pleasure. After the harpooners have done their job, Grice lances each whale until it is almost dead, and then climbs out onto the great body to attack it with his favourite axe.

But one of the whales they hunt is different.

Sick, already dying, the men attack it and find something inside, something rotten and dangerous and alive. It's a thing that will bring about the destruction of the Nautilus, and bring doom to Grice and the crew. It appears that Grice is not the most formidable hunter these waters have ever seen ? something else is out there, hunting whales, and it has been this way for centuries.......

The Whaler harks back to the good old days of the short horror story, where the world was not yet conquered and still held mystery.

Amazon.Com Review:
This is a gem floating among the flotsam of self published stories on Amazon. The author grabs the attention of the reader early with a dark yarn told over a cold brew in worn down pub by the sea. What better place to hear a frightening tale of the black depths? Overtones of Poe can be felt throughout and the story didn't falter once as the horror continued to build. Well depicted characters and a creepy central idea make this a keeper that will stick in the mind after it's been read and put down. The only thing I would add is the author could have expanded more on the idea, basically it could have been longer. With a little more plot it would make an excellent novel. I would recommend this story to anyone who loves a quick scary read! I appreciate the author's talent, it makes searching through the many badly written works worthwhile when you find something like this! Well worth the money!

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