The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler
What’s it About?
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.
Ray Nayler’s debut is a dazzling exploration of consciousness, morality and environmentalism delivered through the vehicle of a near-future thriller. Complete with androids, espionage and corporate greed, the pages practically turn themselves in The Mountain in the Sea (MCD) — and we haven’t yet mentioned the hyper-intelligent humanlike species of octopus.
The story unfolds in alternating chapters from the perspectives of a marine biologist, an infamous hacker, and a poor unfortunate soul pressed into black market slave labor. Dr. Ha Nguyen, is a brillant, if lonely, marine biologist who is offered an opportunity she simply cannot refuse. She is asked to fly to a remote archipelago and join a small but elite team — featuring the first true android capable of human thought and an elite war-veteran security officer — to study a species of octopus rumored to have developed advanced intelligence.
Given Dr. Nguyen is one of the preeminent cephalopod-focused biologists in the world – she’s even written a book detailing the possibilities for octopus evolution – her entire career has pointed towards this moment. Despite the secrecy and armed escort, Dr. Nguyen agrees to join the endeavor.
Rustem isn’t just any hacker, he is perhaps the most talented hacker of artificial intelligence in the world. Coming from a poor upbringing, Rustem is fueled by curiosity as he figures out what makes an individual AI’s mind tick and how to bend it to his will – and the money doesn’t hurt either. When presented with an impressive sum of money to attempt to crack the most complex of AI minds, Rustem isn’t sure if it’s the payout or challenge that prompts him to say yes.
Finally there’s Eiko, an entirely unremarkable and ordinary young man whose dreams of a high-paying corporate job are snuffed out when he’s lured and trafficked into illegal slave labor on a formerly automated deep sea fishing vessel.
Throughout these interweaving threads is a near-future world that has been overrun by corporate agendas and offers a bleak glimpse of what unchecked human “progress” can do to the environment.
THE PAGES PRACTICALLY TURN THEMSELVES
Despite the seemingly broad narrative, Dr. Nguyen, her mismatched team and the octopuses remain center stage throughout the telling. In her story, we see loneliness as a byproduct of brilliance, examine if being human is a necessary component of humanity, and confront our collective relationship to the world around us.
We learn of Dr. Nguyen’s past and what led her to a life of seclusion and research. We see how the cycle formed, how her difficulty as a child led her to use studying to fill the void which in turn only led to further seclusion.
Ironically enough, it is her time spent with the android, Evrim, that allows her to rediscover her ability to connect. Through conversations, disagreements, and shared experience Dr. Nguyen and Evrim explore the complexities of empathy and human connection. It is only through convincing Evrim of his own humanity that Dr. Nguyen regains confidence in her own.
A MUST READ
Still the core of this story, and the true beauty that springs to life in Nayler’s pages, are the octopuses. Mysterious, deadly, and gorgeous, they steal the scene whenever they appear. Nayler’s impressive imagination and deft prose are on full display when we see the depth of culture and intelligence these alien undersea creatures have developed.
Despite their distinct difference from anything resembling human, there is an undeniable familiarity within them that breeds empathy. That empathy is not only felt by Dr. Nyugen and Evrim, but by the reader as well. This beauty is exacerbated by the fact that we know it’s precarious. Rustem’s machinations and Eiko’s automated ship both bear ill tidings for the burgeoning community in the protected archipelago.
We’re left to confront the singularly important question: What happens when the wider world learns of these intelligent octopuses who have developed culture, language, society and love? The question, as Evrim notes grimly, has been answered many times throughout human history whenever one group of humans meets another.
For those who love thrillers, philosophical exploration, or the natural world, The Mountain in the Sea is a must read. And for the rest? The sentiment remains the same, for here is a novel that reaches to the very core of us all and forces us to ponder the question, what is consciousness and what is its relationship to humanity? This is a novel that will stick with you long after you’ve finished reading it over the course of a single weekend.
Publish Date: 6/20/2023
Genre: Science Fiction
Author: Ray Nayler
Page Count: 464 pages
Publisher: PIcador
ISBN: 9781250872272