The Ice Master: A Novel of the Arctic

R.G. Moyles is a professor of English at the University of Alberta and
the co-author of Imperial Dreams and Colonial Realities: British Views
of Canada, 1880–1914.

Wooden ships and wooden characters both abound in this novel, which is
far from being the best book James Houston has written. The story has
its moments of interest—almost always when the author shares with us
his considerable knowledge about whaling in the late 19th century, when
he describes how Inuit life was affected by the whaling station at
Blacklead Island just off Baffin Island, or when he shows how the whales
were taken and dressed (and which parts of the carcass were most
valuable to the whalers). Houston’s own illustrations add immeasurably
to our appreciation of the whaling experience.

The fictional recreation, however, leaves much to be desired. The
plot—which concerns a mutiny that takes place shortly after the Lancer
leaves home port, and a Newfoundland “ice master” who replaces the
murdered captain—seems both contrived and predictable. The characters
are unconvincing. We never find out what makes them tick and are
therefore puzzled by their actions. Moreover, their conversations are
stilted and boring. A straightforward account of the whaling industry
and its appalling effects on both the Inuit and the whales themselves
would probably have succeeded better than this novel.