This was well received by critics when it came out in translation in 1989. Lennart Hagerfors is Swedish but grew up in equatorial Africa. The book mirrors Heart of Darkness in many ways and is best approached from that perspective, though it's not a retelling. The New York Times did a review about it. I found it 'literary' without purpose other then to be literary. What Conrad had to say was vital for his times, but there isn't much new by the 1980s. It has a few notable scenes and passages. The narrator is unreliable and has a lax attitude which made the book seem unintentionally comical. Maybe it was intentional, another angular play off Conrad. It took me 3 or 4 tries to really get Heart of Darkness (the climatic scene occurs in the first chapter, the remainder is an echo/demonstration) so possibly this too would reward re-reading. Great title though. ( )

Henry Morton Stanley left Zanzibar in 1871 in search of Dr Livingstone, lost in the dark depths of Africa. His journey has become one of the most famous expeditions of all time, but what must it have been like to have gone with him?

'The Whales' is the supposed diary of Shaw, one of Stanley's captains on the trek. He writes about Stanley in an honest and clear way, showing us the man as well as the mission. The characters they meet along the way are finely drawn, but sadly Hagerfors lets himself get carried away with mock philosophical ramblings that detract from an otherwise fine narrative. ( )