Review of the Day: Call Me Ishmaelle by Xiaolu Guo

I decided to request Guo’s retelling of Moby Dick from a female perspective because I saw a starred review in Kirkus Reviews that said “The depth is worthy of the source, while highlighting a simple point: ‘Men are strange, and dangerous.’ A rich addition to Melvilliana.” I also recently re-watched the 1982 movie Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan in which Khan quotes three lines from Moby Dick, with the first one slightly changed to make it about spaceships rather than whaling ships: 

I’ll chase him round the moons of Nibia and round the Antares maelstrom and round perdition’s flames before I give him up!

He tasks me; he tasks me, and I shall have him!

To the last, I grapple with thee; from hell's heart, I stab at thee; for hate's sake, I spit my last breath at thee.

Unfortunately, Guo’s prose is not nearly as impressive, at least in my opinion. I read carefully and these were the best lines I found:

Like a pregnant woman, the Nimrod grew heavier each day. And I grew more excited and anxious in equal measure.

How did a black boy they called cockroach become captain of a whaling ship? How did he turn into Captain Seneca? Truly a puzzle. This Nimrod was the vessel of many untold stories, and so many great souls I had yet to learn about. They were as mysterious as the colossal whales out there.

Honestly, I expected to like the book more than I did. In my opinion, if you are willing to take the time, you are much better off reading Melville’s original story. And if you want a satisfying narrative that lasts less than two hours, then I recommend you watch The Wrath of Khan

Pdf. 448 pgs. 13 January 2026. Published 6 January 2026.