The Mountain in the Sea: Winner of the Locus Best First Novel Award

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Most of the Sci-Fi books I read limits the human interactions either only with higher intellects or only with lower intellects. Nonetheless, it is excellent science fiction—flawed not because it could have been done better but because all great science fiction is flawed. The book may be best read as a physical copy as there are some faint symbols used in the book that may not replicate well on a Kindle or tablet device.

Despite these caveats, the characters were interesting and well-developed, particularly the villain, a militant environmental protection group, very much anti-humanity and that's why I kept reading.It also is a delight that, while asking difficult questions, the author offers some hope for humankind, and redemptive joy in the struggles involved in facing our environmental battles. Especially because none of this is needed to make the actual story work, all it did was make me cringe to hell and back. As a linguist, I definitely adored the author putting such an emphasis on communication / linguistics, of course. Nayler's masterful debut combines fascinating science and well-wrought characters to deliver a deep dive into the nature of intelligent life . The physical setting in southeast Asia was also unusual and interesting, as was the structure that the author imagined for future governments around the world.

If that does not sound like a particularly gentle or entertaining read, fear not: This is a no holds barred thriller, intertwining several narrative strands that eventually converge, rather violently, at the end.It’s the baffling insistence of the author to create a bizarro world where no currently existing country appears to still be in existence.