The Tusks of Extinction by Ray Nayler

Title: The Tusks of Extinction

Author: Ray Nayler

Publisher: Tordotcom 2024

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 101

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 52 Book Club - Women in STEM; Library Love

Moscow has resurrected the mammoth. But someone must teach them how to be mammoths, or they are doomed to die out again.

Dr. Damira Khismatullina, an expert in elephant behavior, was brutally murdered trying to defend the world's last elephants from the brutal ivory trade. Now, her digitized consciousness has been downloaded into the mind of a mammoth.

As the herd's new matriarch, can Damira help fend off poachers long enough for the species to take hold? Or will her own ghosts, and Moscow's real reason for bringing the mammoth back, doom them to a new extinction?

"We come from our own pasts. We rise up out of our memories, and once there are enough of those memories to stand upon, we move forward with their support beneath us, drawn toward the future they allow us to conceive. We are continually shaped by our past, and we continually reshape it.” pg. 80

A beautiful heart wrenching story of loss and identity. We get the human side of the story featuring an activist desperately trying to save the elephants and a young man desperately trying to save himself. And we get the mammoth story about learning to survive in a new world and time. I absolutely love how Nayler takes an issue and illustrates it through science fictions settings. We get fantastical premises, but at the heart of his story is a struggle that everyone can relate to. So many times I was stopped by the beautiful prose and stunning revelations. I found myself rooting for the mammoths and humanity throughout the story. It’s short, very short, but it packs a punch. Nayler is most definitely going on my must read author list.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler

Title: The Mountain in the Sea

Author: Ray Nayler

Publisher: MCD 2022

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 464

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 52 Book Club - Book “Everyone” has Read

Rumors begin to spread of a dangerous species of hyperintelligent octopus that may have developed its own language and culture. The 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 off the remote Con Dao Archipelago, where the octopuses were discovered, from the rest of world. Dr. Nguyen travels to the islands to join DIANIMA’s team: a battle-scarred security agent and the world’s first android.

One of those books that the Currently Reading Podcast made me read. Sometimes their recommendations really miss the mark for me, but I was intrigued by the little summary that I heard and I’m always up for an interesting science fiction. It took me about 30 pages to get into the flow of this book and then I was hooked. I didn’t really love any of the characters, except maybe Evrim, but I really enjoyed the storyline and all the questions it sparked. This book is more focused on philosophy and science than character and plot. Think more of Arrival without the emotional story about the daughter. I was fascinated by the ways in which humanity’s actions have changed the course of life in the oceans. We get lots of discussions about evolution and the value of life. We get to talk a lot about how language and communication creates community and connection. I probably could have done without the storyline about the hacker, but understand why it was included. I really just wanted to spend more time with Ha and Evrim on Con Dao. Beautiful book heavy on the science.

Next up on the TBR pile: