Set decades into the future, this is a dystopian(ish) view of humans with advanced AI technology trying to understand emergent consciousness in different organisms. One is a culture developing in octopi, the other is a highly advanced android.

Overall, I enjoyed the book which includes a lot of exploration of the idea of consciousness as well as a couple twists I didn't see coming.

The setting in The Mountain in the Sea was just too dystopian for me so I never got fully into the story. What it had to say about sentience, personhood, and communication was somewhat interesting but beyond that it was textbook level dull. ( )

Three stories told in parallel lined up perfectly near the end, including some time differences.

Discussed issues relating to AI, humanity, corporate greed, and environmental collapse. ( )

This book about a.I. , sentient cephalopods and communication felt a bit more like a philosophical treatise than a novel, but I enjoyed the structure quite a bit…. The way the various storylines blended together eventually and the feeling that the dystopian world was believable. ( )

This is an example of the very best that science fiction can be: using real science as a launching point, thought-provoking, philosophically challenging, presenting characters with depth. It particularly put me in mind of [b:Children of Time|25499718|Children of Time (Children of Time, #1)|Adrian Tchaikovsky|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1431014197l/25499718._SY75_.jpg|45276208]. Once I re-read this (as I plan to), I will bump my rating up to 5 stars. ( )