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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
there is plenty to dislike about something and there is plenty to like about something. it spoke to me during a personal time of turbulence. it SANG. i will miss the characters, as i tend to do. i saw myself in them — my fears of vulnerability reflected back at me — despite the distance of their nonexistence.
adventurous
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I read my first underwater science fiction book in high school when I read Robin Cook's book Sphere. This book had the same vibe and I thoroughly enjoyed the science behind the story. I thought that the characters were very well developed especially Evrim, the worlds most developed AI that has been deemed outlawed in most countries for fear of his absolute intelligence that surpasses most human beings. I think that the relationship he developed with Ha was fascinating.
Octopuses have always been amazing creatures and to have them be the focus of this near-future story was especially exciting. Imagine the possibilities of developing a way to communicate with a creature that has apparently been going through evolution at a much faster rate than anyone ever suspected?! A culture? Tool developing? Seriously mind blowing! I thoroughly enjoyed this story and though it appears this is a stand alone book, there are definitely ways another book to this story could be written. I for one would like to see where this evolution goes.
Octopuses have always been amazing creatures and to have them be the focus of this near-future story was especially exciting. Imagine the possibilities of developing a way to communicate with a creature that has apparently been going through evolution at a much faster rate than anyone ever suspected?! A culture? Tool developing? Seriously mind blowing! I thoroughly enjoyed this story and though it appears this is a stand alone book, there are definitely ways another book to this story could be written. I for one would like to see where this evolution goes.
This was a fun read! I thought the chapters were super digestible and it was incredibly creative. I was hoping for a deeper dive into the intelligence of the octopuses, I thought they would have made more progress into translating their language by the end of the book. I also would have chosen different names - Ha as a first name was super confusing, I kept saying ‘He’ in my head when sentences started with ‘Ha’. Also, Altantsetseg and Dr M’s (iykyk) names are just unnecessarily confusing. I loved how much the story dove into the idea of consciousness, it was a great balance between science and philosophy. I loved Evrim, what an interesting character and concept, I thought her character was super well developed, unlike Altantsetseg, who I wish was given more of a backstory. I enjoyed the storyline regarding Eiko’s journey, but it would have been nice if his storyline connected more thoroughly with Ha’s. The ending felt a little rushed to me, but I understand why it ended the way it did. All in all, really well done and very enjoyable
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I read this because it was on the Esquire list of 75 best Science Fiction novels of all time. Unlike the previous one I read from that list (Consider Phlebas), I can at least concur that this is a good science fiction book. I don't know about all time, but the story is original and engaging, and I cared what happened to the characters. I have no idea what the title was meant to refer to, however. I'd give this 3.5 stars if that were an option, but bumped up rather than down because I like octopuses to begin with.
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes