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Gone Whalin'
Cormac McIlhenney is a college student with one minor problem: every other day, he’s been waking up on a whaling ship in the nineteenth century. Which really wouldn’t be that big of a deal if his roommate back in the present wasn’t such a dick.
While Cormac attempts to make the most of his newfound world of harpoons, rum, and erotic scrimshaw, his roommate Vance is determined to exploit the situation for maximum profit. His unlikely partner? The corrupt, shillelagh-toting dean of their college.
Can Cormac survive in a time that is not his own? Can he turn around the fortunes of the most inept whaling ship on the seven seas? And exactly what the hell are Vance and the dean up to in his bedroom on the days he goes back in time?
Gone Whalin’ is a hilarious novel full of pirates, wharf rats, stadium seating couches, cults, dogs wearing sunglasses, journalism scandals, sea shanties, and enormous whale genitals. Beat that, Moby Dick.
While Cormac attempts to make the most of his newfound world of harpoons, rum, and erotic scrimshaw, his roommate Vance is determined to exploit the situation for maximum profit. His unlikely partner? The corrupt, shillelagh-toting dean of their college.
Can Cormac survive in a time that is not his own? Can he turn around the fortunes of the most inept whaling ship on the seven seas? And exactly what the hell are Vance and the dean up to in his bedroom on the days he goes back in time?
Gone Whalin’ is a hilarious novel full of pirates, wharf rats, stadium seating couches, cults, dogs wearing sunglasses, journalism scandals, sea shanties, and enormous whale genitals. Beat that, Moby Dick.
638 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 4, 2013
About the author
Conor Lastowka
8 books57 followersConor Lastowka has written two comedy novels, The Pole Vault Championship of the Entire Universe and Gone Whalin'. He's also co-authored two anthologies of terrible Wikipedia writing, [Citation Needed] Vol. 1 & Vol. 2
He works as a Senior Writer-Producer at RiffTrax.com.
He co-hosts the podcast book club "372 Pages We'll Never Get Back" with Mike Nelson.
He lives in Burlington, VT with his wife Lauren and can often be found performing at Vermont Comedy Club.
Find him on twitter @clastowka and instagram @conorlastowka
He works as a Senior Writer-Producer at RiffTrax.com.
He co-hosts the podcast book club "372 Pages We'll Never Get Back" with Mike Nelson.
He lives in Burlington, VT with his wife Lauren and can often be found performing at Vermont Comedy Club.
Find him on twitter @clastowka and instagram @conorlastowka
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
November 6, 2013
This is my book! Here's a blog I wrote about writing it. I hope you enjoy it! https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
January 25, 2024
Quite funny, although overly long.
December 14, 2020
A funny absurd Comedy, with some really out there ideas. Basically a college comedy with a touch of Monty Python and the Holy Whaler. One star off for some random violence (against whales and humans alike) that Kind of killed the mood for me when it happens.
Beyond that, fun an irreverent :)
Beyond that, fun an irreverent :)
June 27, 2021
One of the funniest books I've ever read. Despite being as long as it is, it never drags and the humor never stops
May 15, 2018
Ehhh; there are hilarious moments in this book, and juuuuuuust enough that I kept reading, but not enough that I'm going to tell you to read it.
I listened to the author rip on Ready Player One in a podcast (dedicated to ripping on RP1), and wanted to see if he was a better author. The answer, I think, is that he's a crappy writer in entirely different ways.
This is a story about people you don't care about, doing amazingly stupid things, that you don't care about. Characters are introduced, even given some 1st person time, and then relegated to running jokes like: 'how is she still breathing.'
It clearly loves the insanity of things like Hitchhikers Guide, but didn't catch that endless jokes need to also have a bit of characters that we care about (love or hate) to keep readers engaged.
Good enough that I'd pick up something else by the author to see if he's gotten better.
I listened to the author rip on Ready Player One in a podcast (dedicated to ripping on RP1), and wanted to see if he was a better author. The answer, I think, is that he's a crappy writer in entirely different ways.
This is a story about people you don't care about, doing amazingly stupid things, that you don't care about. Characters are introduced, even given some 1st person time, and then relegated to running jokes like: 'how is she still breathing.'
It clearly loves the insanity of things like Hitchhikers Guide, but didn't catch that endless jokes need to also have a bit of characters that we care about (love or hate) to keep readers engaged.
Good enough that I'd pick up something else by the author to see if he's gotten better.
December 21, 2013
This is a fun book by one of the writers of Rifftrax and other MST3K goodness. It's big, but reads easy and although the laughs may not be at Hitchhiker's Guide levels, there are still planty of them to be had as our slacker protagonist travels back in time every other day to have adventures on the poorly commanded whaling boat Levyathon. There are a few parts where you might (hopefully) be disturbed morally and ethically, but the book pulls through these sections admirably (well, at least it pulls through. Well, at least it harpoons them).
September 1, 2021
I purchased the book based on the Author’s podcast criticizing other Authors and his humor aligning with mine. That being said, I’m a little disappointed by the Author’s prose and tendency towards early long winded, boring paragraphs. His dialogue is fun and snappy, but I find myself skimming other parts. This is disappointing as I agree mostly with his criticism of other books in his podcasts, but now I question whether he has any room to talk lol.
To be fair, I’m only a few chapters into the book and will update my review if my thoughts change, but it’s a little disappointing so far. The dialogue is keeping my interest, though.
To be fair, I’m only a few chapters into the book and will update my review if my thoughts change, but it’s a little disappointing so far. The dialogue is keeping my interest, though.
November 8, 2022
Rounding up to 3.5 stars. Very much a fun read with a lot going on. Maybe too much going on? There are a lot of characters, a lot of plot points, and a lot of changes in perspective which made the book drag on for me. Loved the ending though and the humor is top-notch!
July 11, 2017
The book does a great job constantly topping its own strangeness. Peters out in the last quarter, with an especially underwhelming ending to boot. There are some great moments, but damn is it long.
May 12, 2018
Absolutely bonkers and a little too long, but tons of fun.
August 6, 2021
WTF is Moby Dick? Forgot about it already.
Seriously, though. Laughing out loud almost every other page.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Imh2p...
Seriously, though. Laughing out loud almost every other page.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Imh2p...
December 31, 2025
I’m not close to finishing it, but I have to give it 5 stars just for the fact that it’s the book that’s getting me back into reading regularly.
January 29, 2021
I read this book because I had started listening to the authors podcast about bad books and I wanted to see how he stacked up. I am pleased to say that I laughed out loud reading several times it which is the first time in a long time that has happened. Overall it is a very funny piece of absurdist humour.
March 13, 2017
Absurdist comedy in the vein of Douglas Adams' "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy." Written by a TJ alum.
June 2, 2014
I am familiar with Conor Lastowka’s work on Rifftrax as well as the many humorous posts he makes on Twitter. So while I knew he could fire off some funny one-liners (contained within a 140 character limit), I was curious to see if his wit could be sustained for a 600+ page novel that encompasses two centuries, two very different settings and over half a dozen main characters. Happily, this was in fact the case. Short riffs turned into longer passages and recurring jokes. Clever turns of phrase become more developed narratives. And the entire six hundred and thirty-eight pages were a delight and a joy to sail through.
I usually try to give some sort of a plot summary in a review, but in this case I wouldn’t like the pleasant madness of Gone Whalin’ unfolding storyline to be spoiled. It’s enough to know that the protagonist is an average, slightly-stoned/drunk college kid, Cormac McIlhenney, who inexplicitly wakes up on alternate days in the belly of a 19th century whaling ship, leaving his unconscious body resting in the present day.
The parts of the book that were so appealing to me were the strange dual little universes that Lastowka creates. I loved the university setting with its joyfully corrupt dean, its spineless board, its population of stoners, minor drug dealers, painfully slacking students and opportunistic cult members. The section where Cormac, his roommate and the college dean visited a local dive bar ended up being where I first learned how to use my Kindle’s highlight function, because several of the passages were wonderfully and perversely funny, and needed to be remembered.
The other half of the book -- the adventures on-board the whaling ship -- is equally entertaining and enjoyable. That universe also has a fun cast of characters, who -- like the fellows in the present day -- are presented almost as over-the-top caricatures, but never as lazy or dull cliches.
There's something that reminded me of Douglas Adams about the book. I appreciated the way Lastowka initially presents an absurd premise but then sticks with it and drags every last possible drop of humor from it. His prose also had faint reminders of Adams, although with far more emphasis on whale penises than the Hitchhiker’s author ever attempted.
Gone Whalin’ is Conor Lastowka’s first novel, but it certainly has the self-assurance of a work from a more mature writer. It has a casual and confident style which made it easy to jump in and out of. I’m looking forward to Lastowka’s next novel. And if they ever film the movie version of Gone Whalin’, I pray that Karl Welzein is available to play Captain Anson.
I usually try to give some sort of a plot summary in a review, but in this case I wouldn’t like the pleasant madness of Gone Whalin’ unfolding storyline to be spoiled. It’s enough to know that the protagonist is an average, slightly-stoned/drunk college kid, Cormac McIlhenney, who inexplicitly wakes up on alternate days in the belly of a 19th century whaling ship, leaving his unconscious body resting in the present day.
The parts of the book that were so appealing to me were the strange dual little universes that Lastowka creates. I loved the university setting with its joyfully corrupt dean, its spineless board, its population of stoners, minor drug dealers, painfully slacking students and opportunistic cult members. The section where Cormac, his roommate and the college dean visited a local dive bar ended up being where I first learned how to use my Kindle’s highlight function, because several of the passages were wonderfully and perversely funny, and needed to be remembered.
The other half of the book -- the adventures on-board the whaling ship -- is equally entertaining and enjoyable. That universe also has a fun cast of characters, who -- like the fellows in the present day -- are presented almost as over-the-top caricatures, but never as lazy or dull cliches.
There's something that reminded me of Douglas Adams about the book. I appreciated the way Lastowka initially presents an absurd premise but then sticks with it and drags every last possible drop of humor from it. His prose also had faint reminders of Adams, although with far more emphasis on whale penises than the Hitchhiker’s author ever attempted.
Gone Whalin’ is Conor Lastowka’s first novel, but it certainly has the self-assurance of a work from a more mature writer. It has a casual and confident style which made it easy to jump in and out of. I’m looking forward to Lastowka’s next novel. And if they ever film the movie version of Gone Whalin’, I pray that Karl Welzein is available to play Captain Anson.
July 4, 2015
Content warnings: Whale deaths, drug use, drug abuse, alcohol use, alcohol abuse, threats of genital mutilation by bear trap, loss of a finger, death by harpoon, death by chemicals, questionable ethics, exploitation
Firstly, I need to disclose that I received this book for free from a Rifftrax promotion (well probably don't need to but going to anyway).
Anyway, this book was a complete ride. From beginning to end. Like it started out kind of slow but slowly building momentum in how Cormac wound up in the position he was in. And at first Dean Frampton Q. Bickerstaff really confused me with his presence in the story. But as it gained steam and the plot really started going it made more sense.
And it's a pretty great concept. That every other time you go to sleep you wind up in a different time period (but continuously the same time period every time). Oh and that epilogue! I hope there is a follow up book to this because that would be awesome. I WOULD like to know exactly WHAT set off his sudden going into the different time period and how it was determined what time period he went to.
I also like the concept of pirating that we think of as being wrong and something completely different. Complete with inept captains and everything.
And how the author managed to merge two different time periods fairly seamlessly (the 1800s and 2000s). It didn't feel completely off that he was writing the two time periods. It was highly enjoyable (despite the time it took me to actually read it because I was only sporadically reading when I was tired and trying to fall asleep) and I'll probably wind up reading it again in the not so distant future.
Firstly, I need to disclose that I received this book for free from a Rifftrax promotion (well probably don't need to but going to anyway).
Anyway, this book was a complete ride. From beginning to end. Like it started out kind of slow but slowly building momentum in how Cormac wound up in the position he was in. And at first Dean Frampton Q. Bickerstaff really confused me with his presence in the story. But as it gained steam and the plot really started going it made more sense.
And it's a pretty great concept. That every other time you go to sleep you wind up in a different time period (but continuously the same time period every time). Oh and that epilogue! I hope there is a follow up book to this because that would be awesome. I WOULD like to know exactly WHAT set off his sudden going into the different time period and how it was determined what time period he went to.
I also like the concept of pirating that we think of as being wrong and something completely different. Complete with inept captains and everything.
And how the author managed to merge two different time periods fairly seamlessly (the 1800s and 2000s). It didn't feel completely off that he was writing the two time periods. It was highly enjoyable (despite the time it took me to actually read it because I was only sporadically reading when I was tired and trying to fall asleep) and I'll probably wind up reading it again in the not so distant future.
November 29, 2014
I bought this being a fan of the author (rifftrax and his wiki - mocking books) but I just didn't get into the humor. A lot of is based around wacky stoners causing chaos everywhere and descriptions of their slapstick humor, such as the room collapsing after they decorate it, setting a mouse free which gives people rabies, falling over after they smoke too much, etc. Very Beavis and Butthead-ish. Might be funny in a sitcom but loses something in prose. It would be funny if your friends did it but not funny enough to be in a novel.
I've been thinking a lot about why I can't get into this when I like comedy stuff like Discworld and Mogworld, and I think you have to genuinely believe in and care about the characters first before you start laughing at their wacky plights, and this didn't go far enough in that.
For example I'm a big fan of the kindle-released Whatley Tupper/Mr Sturbulok comedy sci fi series, and I was expecting this to be like those. In them it was all about the characters and how weird but likable they were.
I've been thinking a lot about why I can't get into this when I like comedy stuff like Discworld and Mogworld, and I think you have to genuinely believe in and care about the characters first before you start laughing at their wacky plights, and this didn't go far enough in that.
For example I'm a big fan of the kindle-released Whatley Tupper/Mr Sturbulok comedy sci fi series, and I was expecting this to be like those. In them it was all about the characters and how weird but likable they were.
March 9, 2014
Never could really get into this book. I couldn't really connect with any of the characters, which seems to be what usually draws one into a good book. I received it as a Goodreads FirstReads giveaway and was glad to give it a chance, but the humor was a bit lackluster and the plot was topsy-turvy to say the least. Overall there may have been a laugh or two, but not really worth the long read. Also, not to beat a dead horse, but put away the thesaurus and word-of-the=day calendar long enough to get a better editor to tweak some of the grammar/spelling (I know some was intentional, but some was just bad form).
August 14, 2016
I really enjoyed Gone Whalin' and it made me laugh a lot. That being said, I would venture a guess however that it would not be funny to everyone. 640 pages full of a bunch of morally corrupt, fairly stupid, severely alcoholic, selfish characters could be too much for some people, however I had no problem with it. The idea of the "antihero" seems so popular these days that I think I am just becoming immune to it. I would recommend this to anyone who is truly looking to escape into a completely implausible and ridiculous story with sporadic "cool" dogs and shillelagh beatings.
March 5, 2015
How the author came up with some of the storylines is beyond me. After the first 20 pages I said to myself "why are you reading this?" but I kept reading because it just kept getting crazier and crazier. Gladd I downloaded this book from Amazon, I will tell people that if they are looking for a crazy adventure story (stadium couches, dogs with glasses, pirates, earwhacking, FQ, liquor and drugs) that you never thought could happen this would be the book.
November 20, 2014
This book constantly hovers on the verge of being funny but never quite makes it. I read about a quarter of it, hoping it would get better, as it consistently seemed like it might be about to, but it just never does.
November 20, 2014
Not my type
prolific reader at least one every other day up to two,consequently keep 20/25 in line. This one is for some one young,not my 80+,occasional buy one and then later wonder what intrigued me to do so
prolific reader at least one every other day up to two,consequently keep 20/25 in line. This one is for some one young,not my 80+,occasional buy one and then later wonder what intrigued me to do so
November 11, 2017
Moby Dick. Funny. N'er the twain shall meet, you say? You would be wrong, kind sir. This tome tackles the trawling and the mirthful and mixes them into a blend of awesome.
March 12, 2015
My one question is this: Why didn't Cormac take to the history books and Internet to research Levyathan and its crew?
November 20, 2018
weird wacky storyline with lots of funny parts which keeps getting funnier but ultimately i kept it down because it seemed all too pointless
March 28, 2015
I enjoyed this whimsical time travel, never ending party!
May 28, 2014
Really fun book from one of the guys from Rifftrax that isn't Mike Kevin or Bill.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews