The Mountain in the Sea is a masterfully spun poem of a story that explores power differentials, what we do to each other, and what we do to the species with which we share our planet - while (often unwittingly) serving the interests of our masters.

Naylor writes the story of a scientist who is researching the intelligence of sea life, particularly cephalopods, when she is assigned to an island where the octopi are displaying self awareness. There, she meets the android Ephraim, who helps in giving an expanded perspective on the nature of consciousness, memory, and communication- themes which repeat and intertwine throughout. At the same time, we follow a young man enslaved on a fishing vessel, as well as a systems expert, contracted to find vulnerabilities in artificial minds, who is similarly stripped of his agency by vastly powerful corporate entities.

This book challenged and delighted me, and I recommend it to anyone who either enjoys reading science fiction or reading stories that grapple with big philosophical questions.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this Advanced Reader Copy.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing this upcoming science fiction title

This is where half stars would come in handy, though I'm unsure if I'd go up or down. Once I read the physical copy, as opposed to the audiobook I received from NetGalley, I may make that choice.

Unfortunately, I feel the narration held me back from truly getting the wow factor I see in so many other reviewers. She has a lovely voice, but used the same breathy tone for everything, making characters hard to differentiate, mood hard to determine, and the pacing feel odd. There would be moments where something exciting, or arguably thrilling, was happening but the delivery was the same so I was left feeling the same mood and not fully getting inspired by the words.

I'm a big science fiction fan, and a big octopus fan, so this story stood out to me immediately. What happens when intelligent octopuses are discovered? How does that play into the world, capitalism, politics? This is the main elevator pitch we see for this book, the main aspect commented on in reviews. But this was only one part of this book (and for me, too small of a part). It made sense when I later read that the author is known for short stories, as this book felt like 3+ shorter stories running concurrently with each other, never quite connecting in the way I think it was intended. One and a half of these shorter stories were about the octopuses and Dr. Nguyen Ha, as well as an Android Ephram, the best android we've made. We parallel his journey of self-discovery and freedom, with Dr. Nguyen's overcoming of past failures and excitement regarding the discovery. All while facing off against those who would use this discovery for the wrong reasons.

This story I was invested in. There were so many great moments and moments of great introspection. Unfortunately, these moments felt stunted and unexplored fully as we would bounce to the other two "short stories" in the book. One of a man on a slave ship and one of a man who I can't remember much of. It might have been the same man... I feel bad, I don't usually forget books as soon as I finish them, but these side stories I completely forgot, immediately. I also notice these side stories missing from many reviews which means either others forgot as well, or they were inconsequential in their reviews in comparison to the main story. But I can't help to think without them we would have had more time with that main story.

The closest comparison I can think of how these side stories were handled (or attempted to be handled) is the Black Freighter story in Watchmen, an attempt to bolster the main plotline with a parallel that embellishes the metaphor. However, beyond the general point of identity, autonomy and human consciousness, the metaphors didn't line up as clearly.

The end just kind of ended, leaving me with little to really reflect on and unfortunately feeling set up for a sequel. This book doesn't feel like a book that needs a sequel, so that ending just fell flat for me, felt like the author didn't know how to wrap it up quite right. This book definitely suffers from what I call bullet point syndrome, where it reads and feels like the author had a handful of really solid bullet point moments, but was unsure how to tie them all together. Overall leaving me wanting for one aspect that was advertised but felt underutilized.

I feel the need to repeat that some of this general apathy I have in finishing this book may be entirely because I listened to it. Once I read read it I may change my mind. This book has good ideas, and thoughtful suggestions, I can see it nominated for the Hugo. However, I think it would be a weaker win. I look forward to more from this author though, once they have more practice with long format stories and how to tie everything together. I feel like I can confidently suggest this to read, but not to listen.

Whew! I felt like this was going to be so good, solely based on the description, and it did not disappoint. A species of octopus is suspected to have a very sophisticated culture and language. This high level of intelligence may surpass that of humans and quickly proves to be both dangerous and enthralling. Dr. Nguyen, a marine biologist, joins forces with the world's first android and a rough around the edges security guard. They are under the watchful eye of DIANAMA, a big tech company who is pulling the strings on much of what goes on in this near-future society.

What is the essence of the human mind? How can it be replicated or improved upon? I absolutely loved the themes of artificial intelligence, consciousness, languages, etc. I loved the fact that there were these personal companion AI holograms called .5's because some people can't fully commit to loving/caring for a full other person. So they made *half* a person. Seems verrrry possible in the near future. Then robot ships manned by enslaved humans, because kidnapping humans is still the cheapest form of labor? Sounds very plausible, indeed. Since the octopus is already one of the most intelligent species in the ocean (that we know of) it was really cool to see the next step in their evolution play out. This book was unsettling, thought-provoking, and layered. This is definitely one I'm going to end up reading again in a few months just to see if I missed anything. Highly recommend, love the speculative Sci-Fi, can't wait to go read everything Ray Nayler has ever written. A big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the audio ARC!

We’ve got intelligent octopuses and AI that’s more human than human … need I say more?

It’s a very thought provoking story. It’s similar to an alien first encounter in that we are the more advanced life form but how do we communicate with them? They hold the key to advancing the human brain, intelligence, need for sleep, etc.

What will humans do to get their hands on these possible enhancements? And will these intelligent 8-limbed mollusks blindly submit to vivisection?

Corporate greed. Environmental issues. The author did his research here!

There’s a lot to unpack here. I loved it. It’s well narrated. I’m putting the physical book on my Amazon Book Wishlist. Thank you NetGalley & McMillan Audio for bringing a little SCIENCE fiction into my life. Great choice. Definitely worth a reread.

I requested this one because it might be an upcoming title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book does not suit my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one.

DNF. I don’t know what it was, but I just couldn’t get into this one. Maybe it’s a wrong time thing.

A scientist navigates first contact - not with beings from space - but with an intelligent species developing in the sea of planet Earth.
A tech graduate pursuing a life-changing job makes a decision that traps him in slavery.
A genius hacker takes on the most difficult and dangerous challenge he has ever faced.

Set against the detailed backdrop of a technology reliant world not too distant from ours, the storylines of these three characters unfold. They linger over questions of sentience and personhood as they meet people who will change them forever, fighting the shared indifference that fogs their very different lives.

The Mountain in the Sea mirrors life's small hopes and bleak inevitability, giving some resolution without a final ending. It is brilliantly crafted, engrossingly readable, and expertly narrated by Eunice Wong.

Octopuses are very much in the zeitgeist these days. We've already seen quite a few projects featuring them, and there are more on the way. Bring them on, I say! Because octopuses are singularly fascinating creatures.

Ray Nayler's debut novel, The Mountain in the Sea, is taking a decidedly more speculative approach to the subject matter. Literally large chunks of the book features speculation among researchers about whether a species of octopus is intelligent enough to have developed language and culture. If so, what is it, and can we communicate with them? And, also, do they want to kill us?

Now a novel with a lot of sciencey talk, talk, talk can be super static, but this novel never is. For a start, these octopuses are not cute and cuddly. There is real menace on the island where this research is taking place, and it's not just from the marine life. Also, the research facility is one of three narrative threads. There are exotic locations galore. The scientific and philosophical speculation is firmly embedded in a near-future techno-thriller with a fair amount of action and an alarmingly high body count. If anything, the deeply fascinating speculation serves to elevate the pulse-pounding plot.

And Mr. Nayler truly deserves kudos for where he takes his speculation. It's crazy outlandish and yet wildly plausible at the same time. It's super smart, and really has a feeling of verisimilitude. Michael Crichton would dig this book, and so do I!