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bites_of_books's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Ray Nayler explores the topic of humans communicating with a different species, in this case the octopus, and in the process learning a lot about ourselves. Who are we in the octopus' eyes? Are we fellow living beings or are we invaders threatening their environment?
There are so many topics discussed in this book that it's hard for me to put it all into coherent thoughts. A big one was human to human interactions. Today a lot of us live our lives mostly online, communicating with people via text, video calls, etc., and have lower face to face interactions. In this book we see what might happen if we end up replacing humans with AI as part of therapy or just because it's convenient to have someone who is just there to listen to us without us having to reciprocate the energy.
Another big topic is that of individuals choosing a path of least resistance vs the path that leads to something good. It is about individuals being brave and making choices, choosing to live and stop being indifferent to fellow people and things going on in the world.
In one of the sub-plots we follow a man who ends up as a slave on a fishing vessel that is controlled by AI. The vessel's only goal is to get as much of the scarce protein left in the ocean and the interactions in this sub-plot really left me thinking. We accept that the things we consume have to come from somewhere but we rarely actually think and acknowledge the labor that each component requires and how ethical it all is or isn't.
All in all, I highly recommend this book for everyone. If you enjoy reading about science and where it might take us this is a must read. If you care about our world and our place in it definitely read this. This is not an easy read but it's definitely necessary, it should make you think and question what is happening around us all, and hopefully convince you to make the choices that will lead us all in a better direction.
Graphic: Confinement, Grief, Kidnapping, Suicidal thoughts, Animal death, Blood, Death, Colonisation, Murder, Classism, Slavery, Suicide, and Violence
foxwish's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Suicide, Slavery, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Self harm
emelye's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Violence, Confinement, Slavery, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Animal cruelty, Vomit, and Trafficking
devermismysteris's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Trafficking, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, and Murder
Moderate: Gaslighting, Gun violence, Confinement, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
alynclifford's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Minor: Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Sexual assault
kaibee168's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Moderate: Violence, Blood, and Suicidal thoughts
I think people who love animals, the ocean, biology or science as a whole will love this book! I loved the seamless weaving of questions of consciousness and what it means to be human within the context of other species and AI.emmalouisereads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
There’s a heavy focus on octopuses which I particularly enjoyed. I’ve always been fascinated by how/why octopuses are so intelligent when they are not very social. This book explores what might happen if they were…
This book touches on so much, what it means to be alive, the concept of communication and the consequences of the technology we’ve built.
If you’re a fan of sci-fi, I think you’ll like this book.
Graphic: Gore, Death, Trafficking, and Violence
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
mayaaaaa's review
- 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
5.0
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Self harm and Suicide