The Whale of the Victoria Cross by Pierre Boulle

The Whale of the Victoria Cross Reviews

• 
  David Buchanan

  An unusual but interesting story. Set during the Falklands conflict Prince Charles is concerned that whales may be killed if mistaken for submarines. The admiralty keen to avoid any potentially bad publicity or royal anger advises their captains of the issue. Needless to say this causes some problems for the ships and crew heading off going to war.
  
  Another good read from Pierre Boulle examining our relationship with the natural world.
• 
  Van Roberts

  Pierre Boulle truly outdoes himself with this whale of a tale about a female blue whale that survives a fleet of ravenous Orca killer whales intent on ripping this Balaenoptera musculus apart after they have feasted on her mate. As it turns out, a British battle fleet bound for the Falklands to fight a war with Argentine forces encounters what they believe is an enemy submarine but discover to their surprise it is a blue whale. The blue whale hastens to the ship, seeking refuge in it, while the Orcas, indefatigable in their hunger, pursue it. The captain watches in agony as his subordinates assure him that they can open fire with everything the HMS Daring has at its disposal and save the poor whale. At the last minute, the captain orders a salvo of gunfire from its 5-inch guns and machine guns. The hail of lead obliterates the Orcas and the lone blue whale is saved. The admiral is incensed that the captain has not contacted him about the display of firepower. Furthermore, you can imagine his wrath when he learns about the circumstances of the salvo. He dispatches planes from an aircraft carrier in his fleet to survey the area. The unhappy admiral visits the destroyer the following day and learns about the predicament that the captain faced and decides to sleep on his decision. Literally, the whale becomes the mascot of the destroyer. The sailors and later the soldiers on a transport ship scrape the barnacles off the whale, and it beast cavorts around the ship in a display of gratitude. Afterward, the whale--named Auntie Margot by the sailors-- discovers a magnetic sea mine. She brings it to within range of the ship's guns before retreating and watching the British blow the mine up with gunfire.
  
  This is an easy but enjoyable novel that takes advantage of your sensitivity if you are a marine biology fanatic. Nevertheless, this feelgood novel is still a lot of fun.
• 
  Jennifer

  The more whale books i read, the more orcas are presented as stone cold killers. I enjoyed this story but it is told in quite a brief way. Auntie Margot was magnificent.
• 
  Michael

  As a fan of Boulle, I was a little surprised by his book about a whale accompanying the British fleet o its way to the Falklands for the invasion. As I read on-- waiting for the twist--I thought it felt more like a short story spun into novel-length by adding conversations. Other books by Boulle weren't like that. I was very disappointed.
• 
  Emilie

  Funny and touching, and lacking the racism and sexism that bothered me in "Planet of the Ape" (only two women with very minor roles, so I guess he doesn't have the time to be sexist).