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The Mountain in the Sea

Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Mountain in the Sea follows marine biologist Dr. Ha Nguyen as she joins a corporate expedition to a remote archipelago where an intelligent octopus species with its own language and culture has been discovered. Amidst a global scramble for dominance over this new form of extrahuman intelligence, she must navigate corporate ambitions, security threats, and profound questions of consciousness β€” all while seeking to understand the octopuses themselves.
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Format: Paperback / softback
$5100

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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This novel suits readers of near-future thrillers and speculative fiction who enjoy contemplations on consciousness and ecological themes, as well as fans of intricate scientific intrigue and literary debut works.

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"Following a mysterious murder on an island off the coast of Vietnam, a research team convenes to study an octopus community that seems to be developing its own language and culture. Humans, AIs, and animals are swept up in the machinations of governments and corporations in this near-future thriller about the nature of intelligence"--

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

WINNER OF 2023 LOCUS AWARD FOR BEST FIRST NOVEL

FINALIST FOR THE NEBULA AWARD, and THE LOS ANGELES TIMES RAY BRADBURY PRIZE

The Mountain in the Sea is a wildly original, gorgeously written, unputdownable gem of a novel. Ray Nayler is one of the most exciting new voices I've read in years.
--Blake Crouch, author of Upgrade and Dark Matter

Humankind discovers intelligent life in an octopus species with its own language and culture, and sets off a high-stakes global competition to dominate the future.

The transnational tech corporation DIANIMA has sealed off the remote Con Dao Archipelago, where a species of octopus has been discovered that may have developed its own language and culture. The marine biologist Dr. Ha Nguyen, who has spent her life researching cephalopod intelligence, will do anything for the chance to study them. She travels to the islands to join DIANIMA's team: a battle-scarred security agent and the world's first (and possibly last) android.

The octopuses hold the key to unprecedented breakthroughs in extrahuman intelligence. As Dr. Nguyen struggles to communicate with the newly discovered species, forces larger than DIANIMA close in to seize the octopuses for themselves.

But no one has yet asked the octopuses what they think. Or what they might do about it.

A near-future thriller, a meditation on the nature of consciousness, and an ecological call to arms, Ray Nayler's dazzling literary debut The Mountain in the Sea is a mind-blowing dive into the treasure and wreckage of humankind's legacy.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781250872272

Publisher: St Martin's Press

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 30 May 2023

Country: United States

Imprint: St Martin's Press

Illustration: Illustrations

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 31.0mm

Width: 137.0mm

Height: 210.0mm

Weight: 454g

Pages: 464

About the Author

Ray Nayler's critically acclaimed short fiction has appeared in many magazines and anthologies, including The Very Best of the Best: 35 Years of The Year's Best Science Fiction. For nearly half his life, he has lived and worked outside the United States in the Foreign Service and the Peace Corps, including a stint as the environment, science, technology, and health officer at the U.S. consulate in Ho Chi Minh City. He currently serves as the international advisor to the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

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