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The Prince of Whales
Young Toby's uncontrollable dream music filled the Arctic sea with a sound that brought great danger to all the whales in his pod. His music was sure to attract the human hunters with their killing ships and harpoons. Toby would have to be banished--unless he could silence his song.
But then a strange, ghostly spirit appeared, setting Toby on a quest that led from the depths of the haunted oceans to the mystery of an enslaved, sunken city. A quest in search of his true voice. Somewhere in Toby's song was a secret that reached from the seas to the stars. And only Toby's music could unite all the begins of the land and the water, to save Earth from a dark, evil creature who hated whales, hated humans, hated Nature and, most of all, hated--
Dreams.
But then a strange, ghostly spirit appeared, setting Toby on a quest that led from the depths of the haunted oceans to the mystery of an enslaved, sunken city. A quest in search of his true voice. Somewhere in Toby's song was a secret that reached from the seas to the stars. And only Toby's music could unite all the begins of the land and the water, to save Earth from a dark, evil creature who hated whales, hated humans, hated Nature and, most of all, hated--
Dreams.
151 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published April 29, 1985
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
February 16, 2016
This book gets five stars for being so bad it's good. As a conservationist the sappy save the whales anti science hippie harmony crap was painful. The puns, Harlequin style purple prose, and caricatures were laugh out loud hilarious. Great party gag idea.
September 19, 2019
Toby is a whale who sings in his sleep. His pod complains that he keeps them up all night, and they worry that his singing will attract human whaling ships. Toby has a vision of a spiritual realm, and sets out on a quest to find his true voice. He is threatened by the evil Dream Eater, a spirit who is sucking the life out of sea creatures. Only Toby's true voice will be powerful enough to save them from the Dream Eater and the human hunters.
I was intrigued by the idea of using music as a way of communicating spiritual and natural truths. There are some really beautiful and emotional scenes as Toby searches for meaning in his singing and discovers his true voice. There's a lovely message about being courageous and genuine, and I loved seeing Toby going on this internal journey.
This book has a strange mixture of good and mediocre story-telling. The writing is quite moving in some places, and oddly detached in others. Some of the scenes don't seem to fit with the mood of the book. Some of the plot points are wonderfully imaginative, and others are uninspired and trite. It's poignant and wistful sometimes, and clumsy and ordinary at other times.
I enjoyed reading this, but I feel like the writing didn't quite live up to its potential. There are all the ingredients for a stunningly beautiful story, but the execution is just slightly off-base. Maybe it just didn't quite speak to me, but it might really strike a chord with other readers.
The only parts I really liked were the musings about music.
I was intrigued by the idea of using music as a way of communicating spiritual and natural truths. There are some really beautiful and emotional scenes as Toby searches for meaning in his singing and discovers his true voice. There's a lovely message about being courageous and genuine, and I loved seeing Toby going on this internal journey.
This book has a strange mixture of good and mediocre story-telling. The writing is quite moving in some places, and oddly detached in others. Some of the scenes don't seem to fit with the mood of the book. Some of the plot points are wonderfully imaginative, and others are uninspired and trite. It's poignant and wistful sometimes, and clumsy and ordinary at other times.
I enjoyed reading this, but I feel like the writing didn't quite live up to its potential. There are all the ingredients for a stunningly beautiful story, but the execution is just slightly off-base. Maybe it just didn't quite speak to me, but it might really strike a chord with other readers.
The only parts I really liked were the musings about music.
September 21, 2011
I have read my damaged copy many times over. I don't know where I got it, but I'm sure it was used. I've had it as long as I know... I like it, obviously. It's not a perfect book but it's very, very good. It's also a short book, and excellent, good to read in a day. Ideally a day by the sea, of course.
September 10, 2013
Honestly speaking, there were a few thoughtful, lyrically-pleasant passages. However, so much cheesiness inevitably detracts from it all. The message is still a good one, though.
April 27, 2019
The Prince of Whales is a children’s book—maaaybe a middle-grade book. There are even pictures. I know that in fifth grade I would have, unfairly, discarded it as childish.
Toby Whale, a young whale with a penchant for singing, must go on a quest to find his true voice and use it to help save the world from ecological destruction and, strangely, mental decay.
A more simple way to put would be: it’s like if Fern Gully and Rockadoodle were mixed together and set in the ocean.
I read it in one sitting, in the bath. Admittedly the water was much cooler than I’d have preferred by the time I was done, but still. My head was a little dull from celebrating my husband’s birthday the day before, and I only mention this in case my thorough enjoyment of this goofy little book is mostly due to an addled state of mind.
Other reviews says The Prince of Whales is so bad it’s good, and as I was cackling along while reading, I sort of agreed with them. For goodness sakes, there is a pod of killer whales that are predatory musical managers. There’s a seal stage performer that peppers his lines with just awful nautical puns. This book is bizarre and stupid in all the right ways.
But calling it bizarre and stupid isn’t quite fair. It’s a kids’ book. It’s supposed to be goofy and way too much. R.L. Fisher delivered, but unlike some other kids’ books that are way too much in a way that only children can enjoy, Fisher wrote the rare kids’ book that even adults can get a serious kick out of.
I feel like it goes without saying that The Prince of Wales isn’t flawless. The one plot—of Toby Whale finding his true voice so he may sing a song that would get through to the hearts of humanity—is fine in that ridiculous-childish-way. There’s a secondary plot, though—that of the Dream Eater—that feels slapdash and confusing and sloppy.
Early scenes, before Toby meets the cast of goofy characters that bump this book up a notch, are a bit dry and boring. Luckily, thanks to the length of this extremely short book, it’s not 15 minutes before you’re past it.
And now, an admission: this might not be female fantasy, as I could find no information on R.L. Fisher. However, about three pages in, I feel like I got some sort of confirmation:
Okay, that’s specious at best, but it made me chuckle regardless.
I enjoyed The Prince of Whales as a fun, quick and, yes, stupid read. As someone who still unabashedly loves Rockadoodle, though, my judgement might be suspect. I’m not sure I’d recommend this book so heartily that a normal adult go out of their way to track it down, but if you stumble across it and enjoy a good stupid children’s thing, I’d say snap it up.
If you have younger kids, though, especially kids intrigued by the ocean, this could be a fun book that you and your kid could enjoy together—in that case, it might be worth ordering.
[I read old fantasy and sci-fi novels written by women authors in search of forgotten gems. See more at forfemfan.com]
Toby Whale, a young whale with a penchant for singing, must go on a quest to find his true voice and use it to help save the world from ecological destruction and, strangely, mental decay.
A more simple way to put would be: it’s like if Fern Gully and Rockadoodle were mixed together and set in the ocean.
I read it in one sitting, in the bath. Admittedly the water was much cooler than I’d have preferred by the time I was done, but still. My head was a little dull from celebrating my husband’s birthday the day before, and I only mention this in case my thorough enjoyment of this goofy little book is mostly due to an addled state of mind.
Other reviews says The Prince of Whales is so bad it’s good, and as I was cackling along while reading, I sort of agreed with them. For goodness sakes, there is a pod of killer whales that are predatory musical managers. There’s a seal stage performer that peppers his lines with just awful nautical puns. This book is bizarre and stupid in all the right ways.
But calling it bizarre and stupid isn’t quite fair. It’s a kids’ book. It’s supposed to be goofy and way too much. R.L. Fisher delivered, but unlike some other kids’ books that are way too much in a way that only children can enjoy, Fisher wrote the rare kids’ book that even adults can get a serious kick out of.
I feel like it goes without saying that The Prince of Wales isn’t flawless. The one plot—of Toby Whale finding his true voice so he may sing a song that would get through to the hearts of humanity—is fine in that ridiculous-childish-way. There’s a secondary plot, though—that of the Dream Eater—that feels slapdash and confusing and sloppy.
Early scenes, before Toby meets the cast of goofy characters that bump this book up a notch, are a bit dry and boring. Luckily, thanks to the length of this extremely short book, it’s not 15 minutes before you’re past it.
And now, an admission: this might not be female fantasy, as I could find no information on R.L. Fisher. However, about three pages in, I feel like I got some sort of confirmation:
Luma’s motherly concern quickly gave way to anger.
“Calm down, Luma,” Brujon said, though he was anything but calm.
Okay, that’s specious at best, but it made me chuckle regardless.
I enjoyed The Prince of Whales as a fun, quick and, yes, stupid read. As someone who still unabashedly loves Rockadoodle, though, my judgement might be suspect. I’m not sure I’d recommend this book so heartily that a normal adult go out of their way to track it down, but if you stumble across it and enjoy a good stupid children’s thing, I’d say snap it up.
If you have younger kids, though, especially kids intrigued by the ocean, this could be a fun book that you and your kid could enjoy together—in that case, it might be worth ordering.
[I read old fantasy and sci-fi novels written by women authors in search of forgotten gems. See more at forfemfan.com]
June 6, 2020
A few months ago, one of my friends was at a used bookstore. I joked to her, “Buy me an older book with an amazing cover!” And lo and behold, she did. When I got it in the mail, I read it that very night.
Is the cover a bit silly? Yes, it's a picture of a humpback whale with a tiny whale spirit next to him! Is it also accurate to the story? Also, yes! It’s from the end of Part One where our hero meets the spirit who sets him upon his quest.
In this young adult (or even middle-grade) story, Toby, the inexplicably-named whale, has a problem. He sings when he sleeps and it’s waking up the rest of his pod. There’s even talk of banishing him! Toby’s parents try to channel his singing tendencies to other purposes, but it can’t be stopped. That’s where Theophilous the spirit steps in to helpfully info-dump Toby in the right direction, ‘cause the spirits need help! Humans are wrecking the planet, and the other spirits don’t know what to do.
The setting is actually really fucking depressing, as one of the reasons for Toby’s rarity of talent is that the whales don’t sing anymore because of all the whale hunting (this was published in the 1980s, just a few years after the International Whaling Commission issued a moratorium on hunting). There’s a reason why there’s a blurb from Greenpeace on the back cover.
This sounds like a really downer of a story, right? Only if you didn’t bank on the story taking a right turn into the fantastic SHOW-BIZ part of the story (in Part Two) filled with some hilarious—but also kinda scary—orca mobsters, a shark literally described as “wearing a sharkskin suit,” and a seal headliner.
The resolution of the major conflict of the story (with the dark spirit Dream Eater) leads into a fun but cheesy resolution.
If you like animal fantasies or want something quick and silly, this is a fine one if you’re also okay with a story that’s definitely reads a bit young. Surprisingly, the author R. L. Fisher appears to never have written anything else, which is a shame.
Is the cover a bit silly? Yes, it's a picture of a humpback whale with a tiny whale spirit next to him! Is it also accurate to the story? Also, yes! It’s from the end of Part One where our hero meets the spirit who sets him upon his quest.
In this young adult (or even middle-grade) story, Toby, the inexplicably-named whale, has a problem. He sings when he sleeps and it’s waking up the rest of his pod. There’s even talk of banishing him! Toby’s parents try to channel his singing tendencies to other purposes, but it can’t be stopped. That’s where Theophilous the spirit steps in to helpfully info-dump Toby in the right direction, ‘cause the spirits need help! Humans are wrecking the planet, and the other spirits don’t know what to do.
The setting is actually really fucking depressing, as one of the reasons for Toby’s rarity of talent is that the whales don’t sing anymore because of all the whale hunting (this was published in the 1980s, just a few years after the International Whaling Commission issued a moratorium on hunting). There’s a reason why there’s a blurb from Greenpeace on the back cover.
This sounds like a really downer of a story, right? Only if you didn’t bank on the story taking a right turn into the fantastic SHOW-BIZ part of the story (in Part Two) filled with some hilarious—but also kinda scary—orca mobsters, a shark literally described as “wearing a sharkskin suit,” and a seal headliner.
The resolution of the major conflict of the story (with the dark spirit Dream Eater) leads into a fun but cheesy resolution.
If you like animal fantasies or want something quick and silly, this is a fine one if you’re also okay with a story that’s definitely reads a bit young. Surprisingly, the author R. L. Fisher appears to never have written anything else, which is a shame.
August 12, 2024
2.5 ⭐️ Toby Whale has the rare and nearly extinct ability to dream-sing in his sleep and it's putting his pod in danger of human whaling ships locating them, so between the ruling voices of his pod and a spirit creature that visits him, he's sent away on a quest to discover his true voice and to stop a great evil that's recently resurfaced. //
I totally bought this because of the seemingly punny title and pretty cover. It also has a lot of cool and ink-heavy illustrations throughout the book.
It was okay. It went in an entirely different (and weird) direction than I assumed it would. Sometimes there were gestures and sayings that were odd for sea creatures to use and at times the amount of knowledge sea life seemed to have about humans fluctuated quite a bit.
Everything wrapped up very quickly and conveniently. In general, things just happened very fast without honestly much conflict, even for a (YA? Middle grade? What is this?) book.
I totally bought this because of the seemingly punny title and pretty cover. It also has a lot of cool and ink-heavy illustrations throughout the book.
It was okay. It went in an entirely different (and weird) direction than I assumed it would. Sometimes there were gestures and sayings that were odd for sea creatures to use and at times the amount of knowledge sea life seemed to have about humans fluctuated quite a bit.
Everything wrapped up very quickly and conveniently. In general, things just happened very fast without honestly much conflict, even for a (YA? Middle grade? What is this?) book.
June 14, 2018
So glad I was able to buy this since it's no longer in print. I first saw this book when I was in sixth grade but didn't get to buy it. I am a super whale lover and love Humpbacks because they sing (technically they are HUMMING but it's pretty far out to say the least).
This came out in the late 80's and when Greenpeace was working hard to save whales that are hunted down. I know whale hunting is still happening in other parts of the world but over the years the numbers of some are climbing back up.
I love this story, it's for younger readers say like 10 to 13 and I got done in like a day, so it's a real quick read and one that is about being true to yourself as you find your voice in your art, in this case it's Toby's singing, with me I have my paintings...and yes after reading this I want to do some whale art. Now I need to find out what happened to my Humpback Whale CD.
This came out in the late 80's and when Greenpeace was working hard to save whales that are hunted down. I know whale hunting is still happening in other parts of the world but over the years the numbers of some are climbing back up.
I love this story, it's for younger readers say like 10 to 13 and I got done in like a day, so it's a real quick read and one that is about being true to yourself as you find your voice in your art, in this case it's Toby's singing, with me I have my paintings...and yes after reading this I want to do some whale art. Now I need to find out what happened to my Humpback Whale CD.
April 24, 2021
I came across this book in a used bookstore and remembered the beautiful cover from having read it as a child, but I could not remember the story. I took it home and reread it. Sadly, it has a great premise and wonderful ideas but it is not well written. In particular the dialogue is clichéd and poorly developed. Also, the book starts as a dreamy fantasy with serious themes then abruptly switches into some weird parody with some sleazy gangster Orcas and a seedy underwater city only to switch abruptly back to high fantasy. There are important environmental themes too but they get lost in the bad writing. I was disappointed but will hang onto the book because I love the beautiful cover and the idea of what the book was trying to be.
July 30, 2024
So bad it’s good kind of book, but also… so much potential for more meaning and pull that it just lacks.
July 8, 2013
This book tranformed me into a "reader." It is the first book that made me feel that mere words on a page could transform into a living, breathing entity. The characters are charming, the narrative is lyrical, the moral is poignant and beautiful. I have a stockpile of copies of this book, and offer it at every baby shower I attend in the hopes that this book will continue to shape the minds of the next generation.
May 6, 2011
5stars for maximum cheesiness! my fave bit: the price a singing whale pays when working under an orca herd's music management.
March 8, 2012
Like ferngully, but with sea life. quick read, might be good for kids, but I can think of better children's books with the same message. Rather play echo the dolphin. Nice idea though.
October 11, 2021
i liked learning about Dreamsingers and reading all the beautiful whale-songs. Thes was my favorite character because she was a spirit-whale who helped Toby the whale find his song.
September 15, 2011
This was one of my favorite books as a kid.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews