Orca: Visions of the Killer Whale

Janet Arnett is the former campus manager of adult education at Ontario’s Georgian College. She is the author of Antiques and Collectibles: Starting Small, The Grange at Knock, and 673 Ways to Save Money.

Both a sense of peace and a riffle of tension emanate from this
carefully crafted work. These conflicting messages to our senses reflect
the success with which the book portrays orcas. Knudtson describes his
work as a “collage of fleeting glimpses” or a “kaleidoscopic
view” of killer whales. Accept this as his purpose, and the book is
highly successful. Turn the pages. Study the photos. Read the text. The
orcas drift by, elegant and mystical, teasing us to follow—until the
massive teeth flash, the water is churned to froth, and death rises from
the page. Tranquility shows its flip side: terror and tension.

Knudtson introduces the human–orca relationship and its evolution
over time. Most recently, we’ve taken this top predator from the
sea—the one animal on earth that can have anything it wants for lunch,
including a 60-foot whale—and put it in an aquarium to entertain
children.

Knudtson’s style, at times nearly poetic, is always sharp, clean, and
evocative. The more than 50 color photos (by 11 photographers) include
near-mystical scenics and breathtaking closeups.

In content, the text covers the orca in Native culture and takes a look
at the killer’s various hunting techniques, anatomy, physiology,
behavior, social organization, communication, reproduction, and
distribution. Throughout, there’s information on ecological and
environmental issues and, most intriguing of all, the orca’s apparent
interest in humans. If, as many believe, orcas want to communicate with
us, they’ve made a good start by selecting Knudtson as their
spokesman.