As the title of this novel indicates, this story is about dolphins - specifically about the dolphins there were around when the deadly tsunami of 2011 hit the eastern coast of the main islands of Japan.

It follows the adventures of an adolescent dolphin, Mako. When a tragedy occurs, he blames himself for it and decided to leave his pod. He meets other young female - then the tsunami strikes.

Through meeting members of other pods, and through encountering other species such as sea lions and whales, Mako:s core beliefs about the nature of life are challenged - and challenged again.

Most of all, he is challenged by what he learns about a species he has always adulated before now, especially where they loved his antics - humans. He is to learn that in southern regions and further west, that sometimes humans, instead of rewarding him with fish, like to capture dolphins - and much worse.

Those readers who enjoy animal stories where the animals, along with their communities, are anthropomorphised, should love this tale, which is also, very much a coming-of-age story. There is not just the horror and trauma of the tsunami, but also depths of cruelty that humans are capable of, where they believe that animals are not sentient. What makes novel more poignant is the reminder that the brains of these creatures are larger than those possessed by humans. These mammals may easily have their own myths and ways of making sense of the world, along with the same need for community ties that we do. Whether or not they will.also learn to hate humans and act on this, is moot.

Needless to say, the horror of Fukushima is also something that Mako and his fellow dolphins are aware of. The writer is clearly aware of ecological issues too, though the writer does mange not to preach.

A novel, whose protagonists are two dolphins rather than humans, depicting life in the oceans in the aftermath of the Fukushima earthquakes, tsunami and nuclear reactor disaster. The story follows Miko and Fusa as they experience the earthquakes, get caught up in the tsunami and begin to navigate life afterwards - what’s happened, why did it happen and can they make it back to their pods?

Looming large in this story are humans: should they be trusted or should they not. Miko enjoys performing flips for them in exchange for free food; Fusa is more wary but still generally positive. As the story progresses, they meet dolphins from the south and from China who have had negative experiences of humans. Will Miko and Fusa’s views on humans change?

The novel does a good job of presenting dolphin speech in terms of clicks and sonar echolocation but given that Miko and Fusa are different species of dolphin, are there any differences between them apart from appearance - in thought and speech they seem to be identical.

An interesting read from a different perspective. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Rarely does one find an animal centric story that manages to stay just shy of anthropomorphism and still evoke every emotional pull a person can manage. By choosing to render this tale from the point of view of two endearing dolphins, young playful Mako and wise beyond her years but nervous Fusa, the reader is instantly drawn into the story which quickly becomes a mixture of survival, natural disaster, and coming of age in a thrilling rush of action and thought proving drama. How often do we stop to ponder, as the earth and climate change so dramatically, the effects of it on wildlife? Dolphins being so intelligent, so family centric by nature, to suffer such losses and separation is heartbreaking to imagine, and the story unfolds in rapid spiraling succession enough to make you hold your breath, weep, laugh, or vow to become an eco warrior all within a few pages. Excellent from start to finish, a great read and highly entertaining and enjoyable in every aspect. Also informative and educational on matters of marine biology and true events.

The concept of telling this story from the point of view of the dolphins really intrigued me and made me want to read this book, but ultimately I didn’t quite enjoy it as much as I thought I would. I didn’t really enjoy the writing style and got a little bored at times. What kept taking me out of the story was the juxtaposition of having a story told by animals, which always reminds me of children’s books I used to read, and relatively heavy topics. It just didn’t mesh well for me, but that might just be me. I do think that other people would really enjoy this book though, so if you are interested in books told from the perspective of animals and yet still dealing with heavier topics, give this one a try.

This book was thought-provoking from start to finish, and absolute joy to read. It follows the journeys of several dolphins and how they all see the world. Some see it through a religious view, others don't. All these thoughts and worldviews collide as the oceans are poisoned and they discover exactly what humans are capable of.
It was truly, heartbreakingly beautiful and incredibly well done.

It has been many years since I last read a book in which the protagonist was an animal and I wasn’t sure what to expect with this book - but I was pleasantly surprised.

Tsunami Dolphins is Justin Morgan’s second instalment in the Animal Eyes series, which looks at human originating disasters through the eyes of the animals that were present. This story focuses on dolphins that are separated from their pods during the earthquake and subsequent tsunami that occurred off the coast of Fukushima, Japan in 2011. The marine life must also battle against the contaminated waters resulting from the leak at the nuclear plant following the tsunami.

Despite the characters being animals, this is not a light read. The main focus of the plot is the consequences of human interference in nature, both for the environment and its wildlife - the dolphins face a great deal of trauma throughout the story. There are content warnings for this book, including mistreatment and abuse of animals, animal experimentation and suicide. But Morgan does a fantastic job in creating a well rounded story that hooks you early on. The characters are relatable and believable with deep and well thought out development. We see how the events of the story shape the characters personalities and beliefs (especially Mako and Fusa). This development revolves around the traumas that the dolphins face, but there is also an interesting examination of religion from the human and animal points of view, it plays a big part in character formation and growth. The beliefs of the characters (as well as the impact of humans on their beliefs) are changed and shaped by the events of the story and its conclusion.


I enjoyed reading this as it is a genuinely good story, but I also enjoyed reading it as a Wildlife Conservation student. I appreciated the accurate descriptions of the dolphins behaviour and how they interacted with their environment - Morgan has created a world that we can step into alongside the dolphins and easily envision how they live their daily lives. The story also delivers a timely environmental warning; the importance of looking after our oceans and the wildlife within them.

Although not light in subject, Tsunami Dolphins is an enjoyable read that keeps you hooked from beginning to end and brings you into the world of marine life like nothing else I have read.

It's been a while since I read a book where an animal was the protagonist. Although initially a bit annoyed with the mammalian perspective, once I remembered one of my favourite books as a YA was Firebringer, I recalibrated. And as the story wore on, it got better.

The title is a bit basic and reductive, but, it does set up the premise of the book. How would a dolphin view a tsunami? I think the premise is charming, and although it isn't my usual cup of tea, I have a number of students who I will be recommending this to.

Saying that, please be aware of the more-than-mild-peril/ trauma of the depiction of Dolphin Cove and human cruelty towards animals. It's one of those things where you want to protect younger readers but then realise that you were raised on the death of Mufasa, Bambi's mum, the baddies in Beethoven, Fern Gully and Free Willy.

I would recommend this to yr7 + readers, particularly those with an interest in ecology/ the natural world, although note CW above. Like all animal based stories, it may rip your heart out.

God, I absolutely loved this book! It was a beautifully written, thought provoking story about the animals and their suffering through natural and man-made disaster but also about us humans and our relationship with the environment. I felt sucked into this book from the first page and it took me less than four hours to finish it, it was incredible! I never thought I would be crying while reading about lonely dolphin calves and cheering on the main characters and their sea lion friends when they were going against the most dangerous creatures on this planet-humans but… I did. I cried, I laughed, I was annoyed and I screamed in happiness for these animals.

I’m glad this book was written. Just like ‘The little Prince’, which also talked about serious issues through easy language, the message of ‘Tsunami Dolphins’ can be understood by people of all ages (maybe not very young children as some parts of the book are very disturbing). I believe it’s a MUST READ for everyone, even those, or especially those who never even bothered to wonder ‘what happens to animals during natural disasters?’

Thank you so much, NetGalley for giving me an opportunity to read this ARC and thank you, Justin Morgan, for writing this amazing book!♥️

I really enjoyed Tsunami Dolphins and highly recommend this book. The ocean and its inhabitants have every right to be mad at our stewardship of this world. Must reading for the younger generations. I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley, and the opinions expressed are my own.

This was such an original and intriguing read. It was beautifully written with a compelling storyline and charcaters that I loved. I really enjoyed the historical aspect of it and I liked the adventure elements too. I just really enjoyed it all and I love the front cover that feels historical and contemporary all at the same time.