2025
Empowering Humanity: Technology for a Better World
The Mountain in the Sea
Ray Nayler
Audience:
Adult
The Mountain in the Sea is a captivating novel set in a near-future world where the discovery of intelligent octopuses on a remote archipelago sparks a global race for technological dominance. A powerful tech corporation, DIANIMA, secures exclusive access to the islands, aiming to harness the octopuses' extraordinary intelligence for AI development. Dr. Ha Nguyen, a renowned marine biologist, joins DIANIMA's team to study these remarkable creatures and their unique language and culture. As research progresses, tensions escalate, and forces from around the world converge, each vying to control this extraordinary discovery. The novel delves into themes of consciousness, communication, and the ethical implications of human interaction with advanced alien intelligence. It also serves as a cautionary tale about the potential consequences of unchecked technological advancement and human exploitation of the natural world.
About the Author
Ray Nayler is the author of the Locus Award winning novel The Mountain in the Sea. The Washington Post called Mountain "(a) poignant, mind-expanding debut" and Slate called it "(a) wondrous novel." The book was also a finalist for the Arthur C Clarke and Ray Bradbury Awards.Â
Born in Quebec and raised in California, Ray lived and worked abroad for two decades in Russia, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Vietnam, and Kosovo. A Russian speaker, he has also learned Turkmen, Albanian, Azerbaijani, and Vietnamese. Ray is a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State. He served as the international advisor to the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and was Diplomatic Fellow and Visiting Scholar at the Institute for International Science and Technology Policy at The George Washington University.Â
