Roy Wilkie

All style and little substance. The author comes off like a neophyte wannabe William S. Gibson but with even less message and meaning. Between chapters are excerpts from lofty scientific texts supposedly written by the novel's characters, bringing the already absurd level of pretense to new heights. Most readers who pick this up will be hoping for some insight into octopus behaviors and neurology, of which they'll find none. The hieroglyphic language created by them is hardly explained at all (only one character!). Somewhere about halfway through the book the already weak storylines completely lose their way, and he spends the rest of it wallowing in the characters rote interactions with zero progression. It makes a cringeworthy shift from pretentious to pretentiously prosaic. The conclusion is a sad excuse for a climax which feels like he was just trying to get it over with. Only pick this up if you're easily impressed, easily entertained, and have low expectations.