THE MOUNTAIN IN THE SEA
RAY NAYLER'S LITERARY DEBUT FROM MCD x FSG
RELEASES OCTOBER 4, 2022
“I loved this novel’s brain and heart, its hidden traps, sheer propulsion, ingenious world-building and the purity of its commitment to luminous ideas." ―David Mitchell, author of Cloud Atlas
"I came for the cephalopods, but I stayed for the fascinating meditation on consciousness and personhood . . . I loved this book." --Ann Leckie, author of Ancillary Justice
“The Mountain in the Sea is a wildly original, gorgeously written, unputdownable gem of a novel. Nayler is one of the most exciting new voices I've read in years.” ―Blake Crouch, author of the Wayward Pines trilogy and Upgrade
"Artificial intelligence, nascent animal sentience, murderous flying drones: like the best of Gibson or Atwood, it brings all of the plot without forgetting the bigger questions of consciousness, ecocide, and scientific progress. Truly a one-of-a-kind story"
―Kawai Strong Washburn, author of Sharks in the Time of Saviors
“Ray Nayler has taken on the challenge of a near future that's less certain than ever, and made it gleam -- not only with computer terminals and sentry drones (we love those, sure) but also polished coral and cephalopod eyes. From these pages, I got the sense of William Gibson, and Paolo Bacigalupi -- and Donna Haraway, and Octavia Butler. This is a planetary science fiction, and a profound new kind of adventure, featuring ― among so many other wonders ― the best villain I’ve read in years. In the end, the enormity and possibility of this novel's vision shook tears loose. What a ride; what a feeling; what a future.”
―Robin Sloan, author of Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore and Sourdough
“The Mountain in the Sea is a first-rate speculative thriller, by turns fascinating, brutal, powerful, and redemptive. The book poses profound questions about artificial and nonhuman intelligence, and its answers are tantalizing and provocative.”
―Jeff VanderMeer, author of Annihilation
Rumors begin to spread of a species of hyperintelligent, dangerous octopus that may have developed its own language and culture. Marine biologist Dr. Ha Nguyen, who has spent her life researching cephalopod intelligence, will do anything for the chance to study them.
The transnational tech corporation DIANIMA has sealed the remote Con Dao Archipelago, where the octopuses were discovered, off from the world. Dr. Nguyen joins DIANIMA’s team on the islands: a battle-scarred security agent and the world’s first android.
The octopuses hold the key to unprecedented breakthroughs in extrahuman intelligence. The stakes are high: there are vast fortunes to be made by whoever can take advantage of the octopuses’ advancements, and as Dr. Nguyen struggles to communicate with the newly discovered species, forces larger than DIANIMA close in to seize the octopuses for themselves.
But no one has yet asked the octopuses what they think. And what they might do about it.
A near-future thriller about the nature of consciousness, Ray Nayler’s The Mountain in the Sea is a dazzling literary debut and a mind-blowing dive into the treasure and wreckage of humankind’s legacy.
"Artificial intelligence, nascent animal sentience, murderous flying drones: like the best of Gibson or Atwood, it brings all of the plot without forgetting the bigger questions of consciousness, ecocide, and scientific progress. Truly a one-of-a-kind story"
―Kawai Strong Washburn, author of Sharks in the Time of Saviors
“Ray Nayler has taken on the challenge of a near future that's less certain than ever, and made it gleam -- not only with computer terminals and sentry drones (we love those, sure) but also polished coral and cephalopod eyes. From these pages, I got the sense of William Gibson, and Paolo Bacigalupi -- and Donna Haraway, and Octavia Butler. This is a planetary science fiction, and a profound new kind of adventure, featuring ― among so many other wonders ― the best villain I’ve read in years. In the end, the enormity and possibility of this novel's vision shook tears loose. What a ride; what a feeling; what a future.”
―Robin Sloan, author of Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore and Sourdough
“The Mountain in the Sea is a first-rate speculative thriller, by turns fascinating, brutal, powerful, and redemptive. The book poses profound questions about artificial and nonhuman intelligence, and its answers are tantalizing and provocative.”
―Jeff VanderMeer, author of Annihilation
Rumors begin to spread of a species of hyperintelligent, dangerous octopus that may have developed its own language and culture. Marine biologist Dr. Ha Nguyen, who has spent her life researching cephalopod intelligence, will do anything for the chance to study them.
The transnational tech corporation DIANIMA has sealed the remote Con Dao Archipelago, where the octopuses were discovered, off from the world. Dr. Nguyen joins DIANIMA’s team on the islands: a battle-scarred security agent and the world’s first android.
The octopuses hold the key to unprecedented breakthroughs in extrahuman intelligence. The stakes are high: there are vast fortunes to be made by whoever can take advantage of the octopuses’ advancements, and as Dr. Nguyen struggles to communicate with the newly discovered species, forces larger than DIANIMA close in to seize the octopuses for themselves.
But no one has yet asked the octopuses what they think. And what they might do about it.
A near-future thriller about the nature of consciousness, Ray Nayler’s The Mountain in the Sea is a dazzling literary debut and a mind-blowing dive into the treasure and wreckage of humankind’s legacy.
Called "One of the up-and-coming masters of SF short fiction" by Locus Online, Ray Nayler's critically acclaimed stories have seen print in Asimov's, Clarkesworld, Analog, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Lightspeed, and Nightmare, as well as in many "Best Of" anthologies, including The Very Best of the Best: 35 Years of The Year’s Best Science Fiction.
For nearly half his life, he has lived and worked outside the United States in the Foreign Service and the Peace Corps, including a stint as Environment, Science, Technology, and Health Officer at the U.S. consulate in Ho Chi Minh City. Beginning in September 2022, he will serve as the international advisor to the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Ray is represented by Seth Fishman at the Gernert Company.
Full bio here
Read Ray's story "Yesterday's Wolf", winner of the 2021 Clarkesworld Reader's Choice Poll
Rear Ray's story "Sarcophagus", Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award Finalist
Rear Ray's story "Sarcophagus", Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award Finalist
CURRENT PUBLICATIONS
“Año Nuevo” (originally in Asimov's) in The Year’s Top Hard Science Fiction Stories 6
"A Rocket for Dimitrios” (originally in Asimov's) in The Year’s Top Tales of Space and Time 2
"Fostering" in VICE / Motherboard / Terraform July 2022
"Rain of Days" in Clarkesworld March 2022
"The Summer Castle" in Nightmare February 2022
"The Telling of a Dream" and "Past the Trains" in Modern Poetry Quarterly Review 2021
"Muallim" in Asimov's November/December 2021
"The Swallows of the Storm" in XB-1 November 2021 (Czech language)
"Scissors" by Anastasia Bookreyeva (as translator) in Samovar October 2021
"Return to the Red Castle" in XB-1 September 2021 (Czech language)
"Father" in The Year's Best Science Fiction, Vol. 2, September 2021
"Father" in The Years Top Robot and AI Stories: Second Annual Collection 2021
"Father" in The Year’s Top Tales of Space and Time 2021
"Eyes of the Forest" in The Best Science Fiction of the Year Volume 6
"Eyes of the Forest" in The Year's Top Hard Science Fiction Stories 2021
"After the Matinee" in The Briar Cliff Review 2021
"Yesterday's Wolf" in Clarkesworld September 2021 with audio read by Kate Baker here
"The Ocean Between the Leaves" in Forever Magazine August 2021
"The Telling of a Dream" and "Past the Trains" in Modern Poetry Quarterly Review 2021
"Father" in XB-1 (Czech language) July 2021
"Año Nuevo" in Asimov's May/June 2021
"The Death of Fire Station 10" in The Year's Best Science Fiction and Fantasy 2020
"The Ocean Between the Leaves" in The Year's Best Science Fiction and Fantasy 2020
"Delinquencies: Five Poems from the Sonnet Sequence Subrevisions" in Poetry Pacific May 2021
"The Ocean Between the Leaves" (reprint) in Lightspeed April 2021
"Sarcophagus" in Clarkesworld April 2021
"The Shadow of His Wings" in Analog March/April 2021
"Terra Rasa" by Anastasia Bookreyeva (as translator) in Clarkesworld, February 2021
"A Rocket for Dimitrios" in Asimov's January/February 2021 (read the prequel, "The Disintegration Loops" here)
"Evrim's Children" in Dark Matter Magazine January 2021
Full bibliography here
“Año Nuevo” (originally in Asimov's) in The Year’s Top Hard Science Fiction Stories 6
"A Rocket for Dimitrios” (originally in Asimov's) in The Year’s Top Tales of Space and Time 2
"Fostering" in VICE / Motherboard / Terraform July 2022
"Rain of Days" in Clarkesworld March 2022
"The Summer Castle" in Nightmare February 2022
"The Telling of a Dream" and "Past the Trains" in Modern Poetry Quarterly Review 2021
"Muallim" in Asimov's November/December 2021
"The Swallows of the Storm" in XB-1 November 2021 (Czech language)
"Scissors" by Anastasia Bookreyeva (as translator) in Samovar October 2021
"Return to the Red Castle" in XB-1 September 2021 (Czech language)
"Father" in The Year's Best Science Fiction, Vol. 2, September 2021
"Father" in The Years Top Robot and AI Stories: Second Annual Collection 2021
"Father" in The Year’s Top Tales of Space and Time 2021
"Eyes of the Forest" in The Best Science Fiction of the Year Volume 6
"Eyes of the Forest" in The Year's Top Hard Science Fiction Stories 2021
"After the Matinee" in The Briar Cliff Review 2021
"Yesterday's Wolf" in Clarkesworld September 2021 with audio read by Kate Baker here
"The Ocean Between the Leaves" in Forever Magazine August 2021
"The Telling of a Dream" and "Past the Trains" in Modern Poetry Quarterly Review 2021
"Father" in XB-1 (Czech language) July 2021
"Año Nuevo" in Asimov's May/June 2021
"The Death of Fire Station 10" in The Year's Best Science Fiction and Fantasy 2020
"The Ocean Between the Leaves" in The Year's Best Science Fiction and Fantasy 2020
"Delinquencies: Five Poems from the Sonnet Sequence Subrevisions" in Poetry Pacific May 2021
"The Ocean Between the Leaves" (reprint) in Lightspeed April 2021
"Sarcophagus" in Clarkesworld April 2021
"The Shadow of His Wings" in Analog March/April 2021
"Terra Rasa" by Anastasia Bookreyeva (as translator) in Clarkesworld, February 2021
"A Rocket for Dimitrios" in Asimov's January/February 2021 (read the prequel, "The Disintegration Loops" here)
"Evrim's Children" in Dark Matter Magazine January 2021
Full bibliography here
UPCOMING PUBLICATIONS
The Mountain in the Sea from MCD x FSG (Farrar, Straus, and Giroux) October 4, 2022
"The Painted Room" (poem) in the Raintown Review 2022
"The Empty" in Asimov's 2022
"Fostering" in Terraform est. 2022
"The Case of the Blood Stained Tower" in Asimov's 2023
And a big surprise coming in 2024 . . .
Full bibliography here
The Mountain in the Sea from MCD x FSG (Farrar, Straus, and Giroux) October 4, 2022
"The Painted Room" (poem) in the Raintown Review 2022
"The Empty" in Asimov's 2022
"Fostering" in Terraform est. 2022
"The Case of the Blood Stained Tower" in Asimov's 2023
And a big surprise coming in 2024 . . .
Full bibliography here
REVIEW HIGHLIGHTS
"The one story this year that came out of nowhere to stun me was 'Mutability'" – Rich Horton, Editor, The Year’s Best Science Fiction and Fantasy
"I feel a sense of loss whenever I finish a truly memorable story. Why couldn’t it go on? Why do I have to leave this wonderful world? This is how I felt after reading 'Incident at San Juan Bautista' Perhaps it was the elegant writing, or maybe the attention to setting detail, but ultimately, I think it was the sheer originality that grabbed me." -- Tangent Online
"Nayler’s works . . . always can be trusted to be wondrous, mind bending and philosophical . . . 'The Disintegration Loops,' demonstrates his skill ably. I couldn’t help but imagine how this story would make such a cool movie or TV series, it’s crafted with such a cinematic sophistication." -- Black Gate
Ray Nayler has been consistently producing exceptional work since his magnificent first Asimov’s story, 'Mutability', appeared in 2015. 'The Ocean Between the Leaves' is another gem." -- Locus Online
"Nayler’s descriptions throughout ['Eyes of the Forest'] are absolutely breathtaking. The way every scene pops with color and raw, unfiltered life drives home both the strangeness and beauty of this new world. Combined with the tight plot and dark humor layered within it was an absolute pleasure to read." -- Tangent Online
More reviews and interviews here
"The one story this year that came out of nowhere to stun me was 'Mutability'" – Rich Horton, Editor, The Year’s Best Science Fiction and Fantasy
"I feel a sense of loss whenever I finish a truly memorable story. Why couldn’t it go on? Why do I have to leave this wonderful world? This is how I felt after reading 'Incident at San Juan Bautista' Perhaps it was the elegant writing, or maybe the attention to setting detail, but ultimately, I think it was the sheer originality that grabbed me." -- Tangent Online
"Nayler’s works . . . always can be trusted to be wondrous, mind bending and philosophical . . . 'The Disintegration Loops,' demonstrates his skill ably. I couldn’t help but imagine how this story would make such a cool movie or TV series, it’s crafted with such a cinematic sophistication." -- Black Gate
Ray Nayler has been consistently producing exceptional work since his magnificent first Asimov’s story, 'Mutability', appeared in 2015. 'The Ocean Between the Leaves' is another gem." -- Locus Online
"Nayler’s descriptions throughout ['Eyes of the Forest'] are absolutely breathtaking. The way every scene pops with color and raw, unfiltered life drives home both the strangeness and beauty of this new world. Combined with the tight plot and dark humor layered within it was an absolute pleasure to read." -- Tangent Online
More reviews and interviews here