
Beasts of the Sea
A heartbreaking fictional elegy to one of the world's most iconic lost creatures, the Steller's Sea Cow
Iida Turpeinen(Author)
MacLehose Press
Published on 23. October 2025
Book
Hardback
288 pages
978-1-5294-3829-1 (ISBN)
Description
"A sprawling, seething epic" Lucy Steeds, winner of the Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize
"As deep and profound as the sea itself" Philip Hoare
"Almost hypnotically readable" Guardian
"Remarkable" The Times
1741. The crew of Vitus Bering's ill-starred Great Northern Expedition are shipwrecked off a remote, uncharted island. With no hope of rescue, they give in to despair. Until they discover the flesh of a huge marine mammal that feeds in herds on the kelp in the bay.
1859. The Russian colony of Alaska is on the brink of collapse. Governor Hampus Furuhjelm takes solace in the quest for a unique artefact: a complete skeleton of what is now known as Steller's Sea Cow, rumoured to have disappeared a hundred years before.
Even extinct, the sea cow will continue to shape lives and destinies, from the woman charged with sketching its likeness from its bones, to the expert egg restorer who will refurbish those same bones a century later.
A tribute to an iconic lost creature, and an adventure through three centuries of scientific exploration, Beasts of the Sea charts the unseen consequences of grand human ambitions and the urge to resurrect what we, in our ignorance, have destroyed.
Translated from the Finnish by David Hackston
"As deep and profound as the sea itself" Philip Hoare
"Almost hypnotically readable" Guardian
"Remarkable" The Times
1741. The crew of Vitus Bering's ill-starred Great Northern Expedition are shipwrecked off a remote, uncharted island. With no hope of rescue, they give in to despair. Until they discover the flesh of a huge marine mammal that feeds in herds on the kelp in the bay.
1859. The Russian colony of Alaska is on the brink of collapse. Governor Hampus Furuhjelm takes solace in the quest for a unique artefact: a complete skeleton of what is now known as Steller's Sea Cow, rumoured to have disappeared a hundred years before.
Even extinct, the sea cow will continue to shape lives and destinies, from the woman charged with sketching its likeness from its bones, to the expert egg restorer who will refurbish those same bones a century later.
A tribute to an iconic lost creature, and an adventure through three centuries of scientific exploration, Beasts of the Sea charts the unseen consequences of grand human ambitions and the urge to resurrect what we, in our ignorance, have destroyed.
Translated from the Finnish by David Hackston
Reviews / Votes
A sprawling, seething epic which intertwines the mysteries of the natural world with their destruction when myth and man collide. Beasts of the Sea is a delicately woven tale of exploration and exploitation; a sharp cry to protect what is precious in the world before it vanishes -- Lucy Steeds, author of The Artist A wonderfully evocative account of the discovery, destruction and resurrection of a near-mythic sea monster that even now seems to evade our examining eyes - perhaps out of our own guilt. IIda Turpeinen's novel is almost Shakespearean in its drama . . . As deep and profound as the sea itself -- Philip Hoare A gorgeous, thought-provoking book about the consequences of the human exploration of the natural world -- Sarah Brooks, author of The Cautious Traveller's Guide to the Wastelands Mesmerising. Near to mythic. This profound and moving novel of lost histories and lives held me captured in its spell -- Essie Fox, author of The Fascination Almost hypnotically readable . . . interesting; thoughtful; beautifully written * Guardian * Highly original . . . A remarkable parable of man's often destructive interactions with the natural world * The Times * A wondrous, devastating novel . . . I challenge anyone to read Beasts of the Sea and not fall in love with - and mourn - the curious creatures it conjures . . . Reading this magical novel is like peering in awe and terror through the window of a cabinet of curiosities - I will be thinking about it for a long time * The Bookseller (October Fiction Book of the Month) *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Quercus Publishing
Product notice
Trade binding
Illustrations
N/A
Dimensions
Height: 219 mm
Width: 139 mm
Thickness: 29 mm
Weight
398 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-5294-3829-1 (9781529438291)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Iida Turpeinen
Beasts of the Sea
A heartbreaking fictional elegy to one of the world's most iconic lost creatures, the Steller's Sea Cow
E-Book
10/2025
MacLehose Press
€2.99
Available for download
Persons
IIDA TURPEINEN (b. 1987) is a Helsinki-based literary scholar currently writing a dissertation on the intersection of the natural sciences and literature. As an author, she is intrigued by the literary potential of scientific research and by the offbeat anecdotes and meanderings from the history of science. Turpeinen's short stories exploring the relationship between humans and animals won the J. H. Erkko Young Writers' Competition in 2014. Her debut novel, Beasts of the Sea (2023) is the winner of the Helsingin Sanomat Prize 2023, and shortlisted for the Finlandia Award 2023.