Episode #112 interview with Ray Nayler author of The Mountain in the Sea

One of the most talked about Science Fiction novels of the last
year is the debut novel of Ray Nayler. Born in Quebec and raised
in California, Ray Nayler 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 Turkish, and
Vietnamese. In Vietnam he was Environment, Science, Technology,
and Health Officer at the U.S. consulate in Ho Chi Minh City. Ray
currently serves as the international advisor to the Office of
National Marine Sanctuaries at the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration. Beginning in August, 2023, he will be
Diplomatic Fellow and Visiting Scholar at the Institute for
International Science and Technology Policy at The George
Washington University.


All those unique experiences set the one-of-a-kind alchemy that
resulted in a one-in-a-million Science Fiction novel. With all
hyperbole intended The Mountain in the Sea is a life-changing
novel. It is the kind of novel that should be on the shelf of all
who are fighting for the rights of non-humans or combating
climate change.


This is one of the best conversations I’ve had for this podcast
we talk about Ray’s experiences and upbringing.  In the
course of talking about the novel we get into the power of the
ocean, sentience of non-human animals, and how world events
changed the discussion of his novel from a focus on animal
sentience to artificial intelligence. After a spoiler
warning,upcoming novella we talk about the narrative process and
Ray hints about his upcoming novella.