On the side of the whales

Press, 19 November 1977, Page 17

On the side of the whales

Leviathan. By John Gordon Davis. Michael Joseph. 306 pp. $10.25. Magnus Oceanics does very well out of filming marine fauna and flora. The company’s ship, the Jubilee, is well equipped with the latest devices for under-water photography, and carries a miniature submarine and a helicopter. One of the principals of the companv is Justine Magnus. Much of his work is concerned with whales, and he is greatly concerned at the threat of extinction faced by the greatest mammals the world has known. He sees Russia and Japan as the chief enemies as these two nations are still killing whales with deadly modern technology. Magnus believes the only way to stop the slaughter is to sabotage the Japanese ships in their home port, and to cripple and then

sink a huge Russian factory ship while she is hunting in the Antarctic. The Jubilee, with her special gear and a crew well used to under-water work, is admirably suited to such an enterprise. Magnus’s plan of attack for this improbable venture is intricate and ingenious. Those who want to know whether it succeeded will find the path to the end fairly easy going, but they will have to overcome the hazards of patches of emotional ooze, and occasional outcrops of extravagant language and unnecessary obscenities. The final scenes of this melodrama are described in revolting detail, but for those who enjoy a tale of this kind it is not a bad sample. Certainly it will be welcomed, if not adopted, by members and supporters of Project Jonah. — TED GLASGOW