Blue Meridian: The Search for the Great White Shark is a nonfiction account of a film crew's quest for the great white shark in the oceans of the world. I initially bought it with some trepidation, as I'm neither a shark nor a film fanatic. Peter Matthiessen's extraordinary and poetic writing immediately put me at ease. As a long-time Matthiessen fan, I am perpetually amazed by the breadth of his writing, from political essays to novels to nature writing.

The author skillfully weaves his impressions of the majesty of the ocean through the story of the film and ship crew, and their search for footage of this most feared creature of the sea. Matthiessen creates suspense seemingly out of nothing. I had a hard time putting it down.

An excerpt:
"No word conveys the eeriness of whale song, tuned by the ages to a purity beyond refining, a sound that man should hear each morning to remind him of the morning of the world."

Recommended: Yes