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The Mountain in the Sea

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The Mountain in the Sea

By: Ray Nayler
Narrated by: Eunice Wong
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About this listen

'I loved this novel's brain and heart'
DAVID MITCHELL, AUTHOR OF CLOUD ATLAS

'A first-rate speculative thriller, by turns fascinating, brutal, powerful, and redemptive'
JEFF VANDERMEER, AUTHOR OF ANNIHILATION

There are creatures in the water of Con Dao.
To the locals, they're monsters.
To the corporate owners of the island, an opportunity.
To the team of three sent to study them, a revelation.

Their minds are unlike ours.
Their bodies are malleable, transformable, shifting.
They can communicate.
And they want us to leave.

When pioneering marine biologist Dr. Ha Nguyen is offered the chance to travel to the remote Con Dao Archipelago to investigate a highly intelligent, dangerous octopus species, she doesn't pause long enough to look at the fine print. DIANIMA - a transnational tech corporation best known for its groundbreaking work in artificial intelligence - has purchased the islands, evacuated their population and sealed the archipelago off from the world so that Nguyen can focus on her research.

But the stakes are high: the octopuses hold the key to unprecedented breakthroughs in extrahuman intelligence and there are vast fortunes to be made by whoever can take advantage of their advancements. And no one has yet asked the octopuses what they think. And what they might do about it.

Locus Award 2023 - Winner of First Novel award
Nebula Award 2023 Finalist.
Ray Bradbury Prize 2023 Finalist.
Shortlisted for the 2024 Arthur C. Clarke Award
©2022 Ray Nayler (P)2022 Weidenfeld & Nicolson
Animals Environment Nature & Ecology Science Fiction Conservation Fiction Island

What listeners say about The Mountain in the Sea

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Sci-fi brilliance with a beating heart

This book is a masterpiece. A must-read for sci-fi heads, philosophers, animal lovers, climate activists and human beings. Stunning, captivating and a journey that will take a long while to fade from mind.

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2 people found this helpful

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Exceptional sci fi exploration of animal and artificial consciousness

This is a philosophical and highly listenable near future sci fi about the development of artificial, human and other-animal intelligence in a world where human exploitation (of all available resources, people included) is pushing the planet to its limits. I absolutely loved this book and it has had my mind buzzing with ideas, my favourite being the Paul Virilio notion that every technological innovation automatically comes with all the accidents, complications and misuses of that invention. Eg the invention of the train created the invention of the train wreck.

The narration is excellent and well suited to the characters and locations.

Thoroughly recommended.

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1 person found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars

Great if anything I just wanted more

Good ideas concept and well written I liked it a lot nothing to compare to maybe a bit of children of ruin meets dogs of war but this was its own thing I always want more from books with so in them

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a meditation on what is life and the value of conscience

i loved this book. Full of very interesting human observations thru the lens of a diverse array of life forms and thru their stuff we’re able to think on where our conscience resides.

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Grounded science fiction

Criss-crossing boundaries of human, animal and artificial intelligences, this story is both savage and beautiful. A great performance too.

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loved it!

well written, well narrated. really enjoyed the exploration of what intelligence is and what makes something human.

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This was a challenge

Found it very hard to get into. I did get through it, but the story was hard to follow and a little boring. Overall, it was just hard work!

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