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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Reflective and I love the concept. This book engages in interesting philosophical questions related to language, artificial intelligence, and society all wrapped up in an ecological context. At times it felt a bit heavy-handed but overall an enjoyable read.
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
slow-paced
The main plot of this book, centering on the intelligence and communication skills of octopus, seemed to appeal directly to me. But sadly, it didn't live up to expectations. The combination of the slow pace and what I felt was an anticlimactic story arc had me slogging through the novel like it was a household chore.
adventurous
dark
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-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:
Complicated
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