Title: Hell’s Heart
Author: Alexis Hall
Publisher: Tor Books
Publication date: March 10, 2026
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Summary
Since Earth is now officially a ruin, I (the narrator) takes a position aboard the Pequod hunting space monsters to occupy her time. However, once she joins the crew, she finds herself drawn to the captain (known as A). Her only solace is the bond she formed with Q, a fellow crew mate who still remembers things from Old Earth.
Review: Hell’s Heart
Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Books for an advanced copy of Hell’s Heart by Alexis Hall to review! I’ll admit, I was intrigued because it is Alexis Hall, but Moby Dick isn’t necessarily my cup of tea. I thought I’d give it a chance because it was queer and retold as sci-fi, though!
Unfortunately, this book wasn’t for me. Though I’ve never read Moby Dick, from what I know about it, the overall structure does reflect the original story quite well. It is quite slow moving, leaving most of the action until the last third-ish of the book. Which is fine, if that’s your cup of tea. Normally, I can handle slow moving books if I enjoy the characters, but that was also not the case here for me.
The book itself does explore some interesting topics, like religion and capitalism and how they are related to each other. Though the plot overall is a bit chaotic, I can see some fans of sci-fi enjoying the world building and the overall sci-fi nature of the plot.
While this was a miss for me, there are sure others out there who will definitely enjoy a queer, sci-fi retelling of Moby Dick. Try it out when it comes out in March!
3/5 stars