Andrea Barrett's Ship Fever featured the sort of entrancing storytelling that often earns an author a fervid following. A collection of short stories revolving around botany, biology, and genetics in the late 19th century, Ship Fever's remarkably focused prose proved nearly poetic in its simplicity. The book was justifiably awarded the National Book Award, and now Barrett is back with a new novel, The Voyage Of The Narwhal. Continuing the socio-nautical theme of Ship Fever's titular story, The Voyage Of The Narwhal is about a doomed voyage to the Arctic in search of a missing expedition, as narrated by vain scientist Erasmus Darwin Wells. Leaving port in Philadelphia in 1855 under the leadership of his headstrong but inexperienced future brother-in-law Zechariah "Zeke" Voorhees, Erasmus and the rest of the crew head north with enough supplies to wait out the winter should the boat become frozen into one of the constantly changing channels, and to barter with the mysterious tribes of Esquimaux. Back home waits Erasmus' sister Lavinia and her paid companion Alexandra, who writes in her diary many of the proto-feminist thoughts that found their way into Ship Fever. Throughout the book, Barrett smartly shifts from one character to the next by including snippets of letters and journal entries (some by Ned, the lost brother of Nora in the story "Ship Fever") without abandoning Erasmus' voice. The Voyage Of The Narwhal is immaculately researched, full of historic details and faux ignorance that would have fit right into the time period. With hints of Moby Dick, Heart Of Darkness, and Into Thin Air—three adventures driven both by the psychology of their protagonists and by thrills—The Voyage Of The Narwhal lives up to the standard set by its fine predecessor.