Ray Nayler

After poachers have driven elephants to extinction, scientists have managed to bring mammoths back, but their future in their preserve on the Russian Steppes is imperiled, of course, by even more lucrative poaching.

The elements of this story—the son of a poacher, the husband of billionaire hunting-fetishist, and a mammoth matriarch implanted with the consciousness of a dead elephant rescue activist—do not come together neatly, but the story is satisfying (if not particularly hopeful).… (more)

I'm somewhat conflicted about [b:The Mountain in the Sea|59808603|The Mountain in the Sea|Ray Nayler|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1648691567l/59808603._SY75_.jpg|94200044]. The settings, main characters, and most of the plot are really interesting. An isolated depopulated island and the AI-captained ship of enslaved fishers make for vivid and atmospheric locations. There is also some intriguing world-building. I was amused by how cyberpunk-influenced this appeared to be: one of the protagonists is a genius hacker who cracks neural networks from his terminal. This guy is hired by an anonymous person with metal fingertips; a Molly Millions reference? I found his plot thread the least interesting, while Eiko (kidnapped and enslaved on an AI ship) and Dr. Ha Nguyen (investigating potentially intelligent octopodes) were more compelling. The world-building around Tibet was more original than the cyberpunk technological elements. Most interesting of all were the octopodes, as it should be. The highlights of the novel for me were discussions of how humans appear to an octopus.

On the other hand, I don't think the structure and some of the themes work so well. Most chapters are very short and each begins with a somewhat pompous quote from a fake academic book. This has a fragmenting effect. I constantly found myself thrown out of the narrative by these chapter breaks, which was frustrating. I was also unimpressed with the message that humans are inherently destructive and technology is an uncontrollable force. As so easily happens, I think the white Western capitalist perspective is projected on all human beings throughout history. This is particularly disappointing when it happens in sci-fi, which is supposed to look beyond the surface of the present time. Such low-nuance treatment of technology undermined the effectiveness of the plot for me. It felt especially annoying because a lot of the characterisation and consideration of linguistics is thoughtful and clever. Still, an interestingly uneven and flawed novel is much more worthwhile than a boring and undistinguished one, so I did enjoy [b:The Mountain in the Sea|59808603|The Mountain in the Sea|Ray Nayler|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1648691567l/59808603._SY75_.jpg|94200044].… (more)

Absolutely brilliant! The Mountain In The Sea is the best kind of speculative fiction: thought-provoking, erudite, beautifully written, with thrilling action sequences amid the philosophical sections. An eco-punk thriller about the nature of consciouness and personhood. There's an android, a battle-scarred warrior who floats nude in a vat of fluid as she controls her army of drones, scientists of different varities, an AI-controlled slave ship, and octopuses. This book really got me interested in octopuses: I've started researching them. They are amazing creatures. They may not be homo but they certainly are sapiens. Big ideas exquistely rendered in gorgeous prose. I love The Mountain In The Sea.… (more)