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A Darkling Sea
On the planet Ilmatar, under a roof of ice a kilometer thick, a team of deep-sea diving scientists investigates the blind alien race that lives below. The Terran explorers have made an uneasy truce with the Sholen, their first extraterrestrial contact: so long as they don’t disturb the Ilmataran habitat, they’re free to conduct their missions in peace.
But when Henri Kerlerec, media personality and reckless adventurer, ends up sliced open by curious Ilmatarans, tensions between Terran and Sholen erupt, leading to a diplomatic disaster that threatens to escalate to war.
Against the backdrop of deep-sea guerrilla conflict, a new age of human exploration begins as alien cultures collide. Both sides seek the aid of the newly enlightened Ilmatarans. But what this struggle means for the natives—and the future of human exploration—is anything but certain, in A Darkling Sea by James Cambias.
But when Henri Kerlerec, media personality and reckless adventurer, ends up sliced open by curious Ilmatarans, tensions between Terran and Sholen erupt, leading to a diplomatic disaster that threatens to escalate to war.
Against the backdrop of deep-sea guerrilla conflict, a new age of human exploration begins as alien cultures collide. Both sides seek the aid of the newly enlightened Ilmatarans. But what this struggle means for the natives—and the future of human exploration—is anything but certain, in A Darkling Sea by James Cambias.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published January 28, 2014
81 people are currently reading
5625 people want to read
About the author
James L. Cambias
65 books270 followersI grew up in New Orleans, was educated at Chicago, and currently live in New England.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 445 reviews
December 13, 2015
"... the closest we can come to Star Trek without paying royalties."
Indeed.
So we've got a three way that includes intelligent fish, six-legged cultural purists, and... yeah, you got it... upstart humans. No conflict to start with, mostly just a fact-finding mission trying to get to know the locals without interfering, just like the Prime Directive says, and then we've got COMPLICATIONS.
You know. A bit of curious murder by a people who don't know it's murder. They're just curious. No biggie. I can barely hear the screams. After all, he's just a cameraman. Decent start. Reminds me of a blast-from the past homage to old SF. To me, it seemed like a direct homage to Brin's Startide Rising, although, to be perfectly honest, I preferred Brin's Dolphins. There was a lot going on under the surface, there, unlike the wide, but less deep, look at the locals. Cool worldbuilding, for all that. I like the attempt to bring a world to life from under so much ice, but I do complain that it still seems like a direct analogue of "regular people". Really? Just a society of shopkeepers and cultural mores closer to the Greeks or Arabs, in that guests under one's roof is considered inviolate?
Because of that, I want to read this novel like an indictment of our culture, but no, it tries too hard to be a deep and complex society meeting and interacting with two alien species and navigating through THEIR conflict. Damn the humans and their meddling. They never know when to butt the hell out, do they?
It's not a bad novel, but it feels like it ought to belong in the 60's or 70's set of SF novels, and NOT the New Wave set.
It's really, ultimately, only a First Contact novel, and it's fairly entertaining. Not extremely original or surprising, though. I kept expecting the glorious "Gun" to show up and prove that the yokel locals "have the power" to resist the invaders. *sigh*
Well, I can give props to the author for being a long-respected group of GURPs authors known for some really excellent worldbuilding props. I can't say they're fantastic at actual STORYTELLING, but this attempt wasn't exactly bad. Perhaps it was a bit old-hat, but it certainly wasn't bad. I felt like I was taking a dip in an old-style pool.
Perhaps I would have liked this more had I figured I was actually reading a Past Master's Old Script. I just wanted to see a higher dedication to originality and excitement. You know, not just a repelling of invaders and a subtext that right must always pursue might.
Indeed.
So we've got a three way that includes intelligent fish, six-legged cultural purists, and... yeah, you got it... upstart humans. No conflict to start with, mostly just a fact-finding mission trying to get to know the locals without interfering, just like the Prime Directive says, and then we've got COMPLICATIONS.
You know. A bit of curious murder by a people who don't know it's murder. They're just curious. No biggie. I can barely hear the screams. After all, he's just a cameraman. Decent start. Reminds me of a blast-from the past homage to old SF. To me, it seemed like a direct homage to Brin's Startide Rising, although, to be perfectly honest, I preferred Brin's Dolphins. There was a lot going on under the surface, there, unlike the wide, but less deep, look at the locals. Cool worldbuilding, for all that. I like the attempt to bring a world to life from under so much ice, but I do complain that it still seems like a direct analogue of "regular people". Really? Just a society of shopkeepers and cultural mores closer to the Greeks or Arabs, in that guests under one's roof is considered inviolate?
Because of that, I want to read this novel like an indictment of our culture, but no, it tries too hard to be a deep and complex society meeting and interacting with two alien species and navigating through THEIR conflict. Damn the humans and their meddling. They never know when to butt the hell out, do they?
It's not a bad novel, but it feels like it ought to belong in the 60's or 70's set of SF novels, and NOT the New Wave set.
It's really, ultimately, only a First Contact novel, and it's fairly entertaining. Not extremely original or surprising, though. I kept expecting the glorious "Gun" to show up and prove that the yokel locals "have the power" to resist the invaders. *sigh*
Well, I can give props to the author for being a long-respected group of GURPs authors known for some really excellent worldbuilding props. I can't say they're fantastic at actual STORYTELLING, but this attempt wasn't exactly bad. Perhaps it was a bit old-hat, but it certainly wasn't bad. I felt like I was taking a dip in an old-style pool.
Perhaps I would have liked this more had I figured I was actually reading a Past Master's Old Script. I just wanted to see a higher dedication to originality and excitement. You know, not just a repelling of invaders and a subtext that right must always pursue might.
August 18, 2018
While John Scalzi's Redshirts got a lot of attention (and awards) for satirizing one of Star Trek's most endearing tropes, I have to say I personally prefer A Darkling Sea, which (less directly) sinks its razor sharp teeth into another of that classic show's sacred cows: the Prime Directive.
A Darkling Sea is about human exploration of the planet Ilmatar, with the reluctant permission of the more technologically advanced Sholen. The Sholen insist, as part of the agreement, that the human expedition avoid mixing with the native Ilmatarans at all cost, so as not to "contaminate" the less developed - but not nearly as primitive as first assumed - Ilmataran civilization.
A costly (and grizzly) blunder by a self-serving human explorer throws any hope of that out the window in the first chapter, and increasingly dire and fatal consequences snowball from there. Throughout the story, Cambias keeps a close eye of how the value systems of each race inform the misunderstandings and conflicts that ensue, and manages to satirize, criticize and empathize with each in equal measure. It's a well paced, sharp and funny book, one that concludes that concepts like the Prime Directive, well-intentioned as they might be, are ultimately based on patronizing assumptions about cultural superiority, and serve more of a political purpose than a practical one.
A Darkling Sea is about human exploration of the planet Ilmatar, with the reluctant permission of the more technologically advanced Sholen. The Sholen insist, as part of the agreement, that the human expedition avoid mixing with the native Ilmatarans at all cost, so as not to "contaminate" the less developed - but not nearly as primitive as first assumed - Ilmataran civilization.
A costly (and grizzly) blunder by a self-serving human explorer throws any hope of that out the window in the first chapter, and increasingly dire and fatal consequences snowball from there. Throughout the story, Cambias keeps a close eye of how the value systems of each race inform the misunderstandings and conflicts that ensue, and manages to satirize, criticize and empathize with each in equal measure. It's a well paced, sharp and funny book, one that concludes that concepts like the Prime Directive, well-intentioned as they might be, are ultimately based on patronizing assumptions about cultural superiority, and serve more of a political purpose than a practical one.
February 9, 2014
4.5 Stars
A Darkling Sea by James Cambias is a great Science Fiction first contact type of novel that is one great adventure. This book is special because of the amazing world that Cambias has created. The underwater setting is a-mazing and brings a lot of cool details and situation to the story.
This story works because of the skill of the author. Cambias does not over bloat this novel with too much backstory. He gives us what we need to know to make the plot work. The cast of scientists that are our heroes are diverse enough to keep our interest. Rob is an adequate human protagonist, but he is literally over shadowed by the wonderful Broadtail.
For the sake of spoilers I won’t go into too much depth. I did not really know anything about this book going in to it, other than what the cover writing tells us. I loved discovering things as I read on and so too will you.
Like so many great things:
““If we weren’t here, studying Ilmatar, nothing would ever have witnessed that. If we don’t make contact with the Ilmatarans, they’ll be like those little colonies, shining in the dark with nobody to see them.””
Why should you read this?
Unbelievable setting
Really cool creatures
The writing is fantastic
Tightly paced science fiction in a just right sized story
Satisfying ending
I cannot wait to read more from Cambias and highly recommend this book…
A Darkling Sea by James Cambias is a great Science Fiction first contact type of novel that is one great adventure. This book is special because of the amazing world that Cambias has created. The underwater setting is a-mazing and brings a lot of cool details and situation to the story.
This story works because of the skill of the author. Cambias does not over bloat this novel with too much backstory. He gives us what we need to know to make the plot work. The cast of scientists that are our heroes are diverse enough to keep our interest. Rob is an adequate human protagonist, but he is literally over shadowed by the wonderful Broadtail.
For the sake of spoilers I won’t go into too much depth. I did not really know anything about this book going in to it, other than what the cover writing tells us. I loved discovering things as I read on and so too will you.
Like so many great things:
““If we weren’t here, studying Ilmatar, nothing would ever have witnessed that. If we don’t make contact with the Ilmatarans, they’ll be like those little colonies, shining in the dark with nobody to see them.””
Why should you read this?
Unbelievable setting
Really cool creatures
The writing is fantastic
Tightly paced science fiction in a just right sized story
Satisfying ending
I cannot wait to read more from Cambias and highly recommend this book…
March 6, 2025
An interesting first contact novel with excellent world-building and featuring no less than three competing cultures (one human and two alien) engaged in an increasingly tense situation where everyone seems to be trying to one up each other, with predictably violent results. Its a case of science versus politics with everyone having their own idea of what the "right thing to do" is. That is, very unfortunately business as usual, but in a richly imagined setting.
An excellent debut novel that has me interested in taking a closer look at Cambias' second novel, Corsair.
An excellent debut novel that has me interested in taking a closer look at Cambias' second novel, Corsair.
March 10, 2018
I wish GoodReads would give me half stars. If they did, this would get 3.5. The first 60% of the book is slow. Lets face it, it doesn't matter how smart a lobster is, it's just not a very interesting character to follow. And there were several alien lobster POVs. The last 40% or so was very good though and I flew through the end.
We follow a human expedition of scientists into the great depths of Ilmatara to observe and study an intelligent race of underwater aliens. They have been instructed not to touch, not to interfere by another race of aliens, the Sholen. The Sholen believe that interfering with the aliens in any way may inadvertently destroy them and their culture. They fear the humans may try to colonize them.
So when the expedition's reporter is killed by the Ilmatarans in a horrible accident/misunderstanding, the Sholen invade the underwater habitat and attempt to assert control over the human expedition in order to prevent the humans asserting control over anyone else. Isn't that terribly ironic?
The characters here were just kind of meh. Rob reads like a 14 year old boy. Dickie reads like a 14 year old boy. Alicia was okay. Josef was great but he didn't have a large part. Broadtail was pretty boring at first but oddly enough it was the alien lobster that experienced the most character growth. The romance was really poorly done, but other than Rob asking for sex every 20 pages it didn't interfere too much with the rest of the story.
I feel like the author could have done so much more with what was given. There are a few references to an aenocampus, which I imagine to be some sort of terrible huge alien Kraken type creature. I wish we had gotten to see one. An aenocampus out there floating in the pitch black, threatening the lives of humans, Sholen, and Ilmatarans would have upped the ante a bit. I was thinking maybe even that was going to be the resolution- Aenocampus sweeps in and kills the enemy and saves the day (it didn't).
I never got a real sense of who the Sholen were, other than that they had no problem using violence as a means to an end, they had six limbs, they were big, technologically advanced, and have sex all the time with brightly colored genitals. Did they walk upright? Did they have gills or fins or mouths? Did they have one eye or two or four? Somewhere near the end we learn they have great big carnivorous teeth but I'm not really sure why given their food comes from a "food maker". This was one of the most disappointing aspects for me.
The pacing was pretty slow at first. We're given multiple story lines that never seem to converge until about the 60% mark I mentioned earlier. Once it all comes together and things begin to make sense I enjoyed the story much more but I have to admit, I considered DNF'ing this multiple times.
Otherwise- not a bad read if you have the patience. If you're looking for something that falls more into the genre of sci-fi horror I'd recommend looking elsewhere.
We follow a human expedition of scientists into the great depths of Ilmatara to observe and study an intelligent race of underwater aliens. They have been instructed not to touch, not to interfere by another race of aliens, the Sholen. The Sholen believe that interfering with the aliens in any way may inadvertently destroy them and their culture. They fear the humans may try to colonize them.
So when the expedition's reporter is killed by the Ilmatarans in a horrible accident/misunderstanding, the Sholen invade the underwater habitat and attempt to assert control over the human expedition in order to prevent the humans asserting control over anyone else. Isn't that terribly ironic?
The characters here were just kind of meh. Rob reads like a 14 year old boy. Dickie reads like a 14 year old boy. Alicia was okay. Josef was great but he didn't have a large part. Broadtail was pretty boring at first but oddly enough it was the alien lobster that experienced the most character growth. The romance was really poorly done, but other than Rob asking for sex every 20 pages it didn't interfere too much with the rest of the story.
I feel like the author could have done so much more with what was given. There are a few references to an aenocampus, which I imagine to be some sort of terrible huge alien Kraken type creature. I wish we had gotten to see one. An aenocampus out there floating in the pitch black, threatening the lives of humans, Sholen, and Ilmatarans would have upped the ante a bit. I was thinking maybe even that was going to be the resolution- Aenocampus sweeps in and kills the enemy and saves the day (it didn't).
I never got a real sense of who the Sholen were, other than that they had no problem using violence as a means to an end, they had six limbs, they were big, technologically advanced, and have sex all the time with brightly colored genitals. Did they walk upright? Did they have gills or fins or mouths? Did they have one eye or two or four? Somewhere near the end we learn they have great big carnivorous teeth but I'm not really sure why given their food comes from a "food maker". This was one of the most disappointing aspects for me.
The pacing was pretty slow at first. We're given multiple story lines that never seem to converge until about the 60% mark I mentioned earlier. Once it all comes together and things begin to make sense I enjoyed the story much more but I have to admit, I considered DNF'ing this multiple times.
Otherwise- not a bad read if you have the patience. If you're looking for something that falls more into the genre of sci-fi horror I'd recommend looking elsewhere.
September 25, 2017
It took me about two weeks to read roughly 100 pages of this. Or rather, I spent two weeks NOT picking up this book. Not sure if it was the book or my reading slump. I guess the book caused the reading slump... It took me another two weeks to skim through the rest.
The plot idea was not bad. And I liked the early chapters. Good world building. The depiction and character development of the Ilmatarans was good. Their otherness was visualized well. I especially got a kick out of their inability to understand us and vice versa. The biological differences and how they affected communication or rather, how they made it almost impossible to communicate--those things are part of why I love Science Fiction and First Contact novels.
Where it fell flat for me, was the direction of the plot after the initial conflict. It moved nowhere fast.
The Sholen could have been explored more. Their society with it's hints at dom/sub dynamics and casual sex sounded interesting enough. And the humans just felt immature and fairly silly. I don't know, the rest of the book just didn't grab my interest. If I hadn't committed to finishing this book, it would have ended up in a corner after those first 100 pages.
Oh, and the ending was very meh. So meh, in fact, that I can't remember it. And I read it last night...
PS: Checked regarding the ending. Oh yes, potential plot bunny for a sequel? How could that object have ended up there?
The plot idea was not bad. And I liked the early chapters. Good world building. The depiction and character development of the Ilmatarans was good. Their otherness was visualized well. I especially got a kick out of their inability to understand us and vice versa. The biological differences and how they affected communication or rather, how they made it almost impossible to communicate--those things are part of why I love Science Fiction and First Contact novels.
Where it fell flat for me, was the direction of the plot after the initial conflict. It moved nowhere fast.
The Sholen could have been explored more. Their society with it's hints at dom/sub dynamics and casual sex sounded interesting enough. And the humans just felt immature and fairly silly. I don't know, the rest of the book just didn't grab my interest. If I hadn't committed to finishing this book, it would have ended up in a corner after those first 100 pages.
Oh, and the ending was very meh. So meh, in fact, that I can't remember it. And I read it last night...
PS: Checked regarding the ending. Oh yes, potential plot bunny for a sequel? How could that object have ended up there?
December 30, 2015
4.5 stars, great first contact novel. Very well written & Cambias was careful to set the stage properly for all the parts to come together in a logical, almost inevitable manner. It was great the way he showed the psychology of the different aliens - not terribly different from ours, but enough to be alien & yet understandable. Some drives transcend that, though. It made sense in his world, a very different kind.
The slow build up dragged a bit in the middle, but the end was great - especially the very end. Woah! I didn't see that coming. Fantastic!
The slow build up dragged a bit in the middle, but the end was great - especially the very end. Woah! I didn't see that coming. Fantastic!
May 28, 2016
Part “Lawrence of Arabia” and part “the Abyss”, A Darkling Sea is a good 1st contact novel with an interesting setting and some excellent world building. Ending up on the ballots of a number of sci-fi awards recently, the novel takes place on Ilmatar, a large moon orbiting a gas giant in a distant solar system. Building on the most recent speculations about Jupiter’s moon, Europa, the author envisions a world where a kilometer thick ice shelf covers an active ocean underneath it. An ocean where sentient life has evolved.
The biggest strength of the novel is the world building that Cambias does. Using Europa and the discovery of microbes living in polar hydrothermal vents here on Earth as a starting point, he has created a world where life has evolved in a dark, cold ocean around similar hydrothermal vents. The hard science is well done and the world’s ecology is believable.
While the world building gets an “A”, the aliens rate a “B”, at best. There are two alien races in the novel, the native Ilmartans, who resemble 9-foot long lobsters, and the technologically advanced Sholan, who resemble giant, hairless otters with 6 limbs. Cambias does a good job of developing the culture of both societies, but, to be honest, I wish he had embraced the “alien” a little more than he does. The Ilmatarans, for example, have more in common with humans and human society than you would think an extraterrestrial lobster would actually have. There are two sexes, male and female. The Ilmatarans live in villages in a feudal society where some are wealthy landowners and others are employees, their economic system is monetarily based, and so on. The anthropomorphism of the Ilmatarans allows for easily relatable characters. Their emotions, thought processes, and values are human enough for the reader to see them as people, but I wished Cambias had stretched a bit and created characters that were truly alien.
When the novel opens, human researchers have a hidden, underwater base on Ilmatar in order to study the sentient Ilmatarans. Unfortunately, the meddlesome, more technologically advanced Sholan have set strict restrictions on the humans in order to prevent cultural contamination. A Sholan starship soon arrives to investigate whether the humans have violated the agreement. Their arrival sets into motion a fast paced and exciting plot as some of the humans escape into the surrounding ocean and a deadly cat and mouse game develops. The story had me hooked from the start and I finished the last ½ of the book in a day, unwilling to put it down.
Overall, it’s a very good sci-fi novel and the author has created an exotic, but believable setting for his story.
The biggest strength of the novel is the world building that Cambias does. Using Europa and the discovery of microbes living in polar hydrothermal vents here on Earth as a starting point, he has created a world where life has evolved in a dark, cold ocean around similar hydrothermal vents. The hard science is well done and the world’s ecology is believable.
While the world building gets an “A”, the aliens rate a “B”, at best. There are two alien races in the novel, the native Ilmartans, who resemble 9-foot long lobsters, and the technologically advanced Sholan, who resemble giant, hairless otters with 6 limbs. Cambias does a good job of developing the culture of both societies, but, to be honest, I wish he had embraced the “alien” a little more than he does. The Ilmatarans, for example, have more in common with humans and human society than you would think an extraterrestrial lobster would actually have. There are two sexes, male and female. The Ilmatarans live in villages in a feudal society where some are wealthy landowners and others are employees, their economic system is monetarily based, and so on. The anthropomorphism of the Ilmatarans allows for easily relatable characters. Their emotions, thought processes, and values are human enough for the reader to see them as people, but I wished Cambias had stretched a bit and created characters that were truly alien.
When the novel opens, human researchers have a hidden, underwater base on Ilmatar in order to study the sentient Ilmatarans. Unfortunately, the meddlesome, more technologically advanced Sholan have set strict restrictions on the humans in order to prevent cultural contamination. A Sholan starship soon arrives to investigate whether the humans have violated the agreement. Their arrival sets into motion a fast paced and exciting plot as some of the humans escape into the surrounding ocean and a deadly cat and mouse game develops. The story had me hooked from the start and I finished the last ½ of the book in a day, unwilling to put it down.
Overall, it’s a very good sci-fi novel and the author has created an exotic, but believable setting for his story.
March 11, 2014
James L. Cambias's achievement with A Darkling Sea is not to be underestimated. He's created two alien species, and then populated them with characters that are both unique individuals and bound by the societies they inhabit. The story raises questions about colonization and imperialism, and resists the urge to dispense easy answers. I liked how the central conflict grew out of misunderstandings and bad behavior in both the Sholen and human delegations, and I appreciated how the female characters, human and alien, had their own motivations rather than acting as arm candy for the males. I look forward to reading more by this author.
December 9, 2017
3.5
First contact stories always seem to grab my attention, and this one involving three ‘alien’ cultures definitely so. Here we have three main perspectives of what is ‘the right thing’ to do, which of course leads to miscommunication and in turn degenerates into violence... Sad but realistic.
The world building was compelling although I think I would have liked more depth. I rather disliked the Sholen but was fascinated by the Illmatarans, especially BroadTail, and how these sentient creatures existed in a world with no sight. Again, I would have wanted more, but in all, very entertaining.
First contact stories always seem to grab my attention, and this one involving three ‘alien’ cultures definitely so. Here we have three main perspectives of what is ‘the right thing’ to do, which of course leads to miscommunication and in turn degenerates into violence... Sad but realistic.
The world building was compelling although I think I would have liked more depth. I rather disliked the Sholen but was fascinated by the Illmatarans, especially BroadTail, and how these sentient creatures existed in a world with no sight. Again, I would have wanted more, but in all, very entertaining.
May 11, 2015
I still remember James Cambias from his GURPS days. A lot of RPG authors try to break into mainstream publishing, and not many succeed. Kudos to him! And A Darkling Sea looked right up my alley: space adventure with a tale of alien contact, involving multiple alien races.
Humans, having discovered FTL travel, are currently sharing the universe (or at least our little corner of it) with the Sholen, a race that is significantly more technologically advanced than humanity, but has not fought a war in many generations, and only began pulling warships out of mothballs when they met their aggressive neighbors. This leaves the two civilizations in an uneasy state of detente, since neither knows who would win if it came to an interstellar conflict.
Caught in the middle of this situation is a research crew below the ice of Ilmatar, a world inhabited by a third sentient species, which does not yet know about the other two. The Sholen have dictated a protocol akin to the Prime Directive, forbidding humans to make direct contact with the Ilmatarans so as not to "contaminate" their culture. The human scientists, of course, chafe under these restrictions, but no one wants to test the Sholen.
Then a biologist/celebrity who forced his way onto the Ilmatar expedition pulls one ratings-grabbing stunt too many and suffers a Steve Irwin demise, dissected by curious Ilmatarans who do not realize they are dealing with a sentient creature.
This brings a Sholen team to Ilmatar to investigate what happened and determine if the humans are violating protocols. If they are, they will of course order the humans to leave Ilmatar. The idea that the humans might say "No" does not occur to them.
There are three stories here that converge: we meet the humans, the Sholen, and the Ilmatarans. The Sholen get the least attention, as there are only a few named characters and only two who are viewpoint characters. The description of them is also somewhat vague; they are six-limbed, mammalian, and larger and stronger than humans. Their culture is consensus-based, with almost all interactions being sexually charged and establishing dominance and submission. And yet they constantly describe the humans as "hierarchical" when it seemed to me that the Sholen were much more so.
The Ilmatarans, who live blindly in the depths of a freezing ocean, live in a pre-industrial society that has invented literacy and the deep-sea version of agriculture, but not gotten much further. However, several of the Ilmaratan characters are budding "scientists" who of course will become the ones who make first contact with creatures from beyond the ice.
The conflict between cultures was the focal point of the book — conflict between humans and Sholen, then Ilmatarans joining both sides when the conflict becomes physical.
I liked the description of the primitive and alien technology that deep-sea aliens would have to use, and their perceptions of the universe through their non-visual senses. This is classic sci-fi worldbuilding. I can't quite give Cambias full marks as at times, I think the Ilmatarans remained a bit too human-centric in their descriptions and while they were alien, they were awfully close to human in psychology. The Sholen, too, were alien but not alien enough to convince me they weren't humans with odd bodies and social customs.
However, the worldbuilding was more than serviceable and the story progressed in a logical fashion to a decent climax. I don't know if Cambias has any sequels planned; there is certainly room for one (especially with the "big reveal" at the end which I thought was telegraphed pretty early on), but the story doesn't really have any loose ends that would require one.
A Darkling Sea harkens back to more classic planetary adventures, and will satisfy anyone who liked novels like Dragon's Egg by Robert L. Forward, Warhorse, by Timothy Zahn, or many novels by Alan Dean Foster and Larry Niven.
Humans, having discovered FTL travel, are currently sharing the universe (or at least our little corner of it) with the Sholen, a race that is significantly more technologically advanced than humanity, but has not fought a war in many generations, and only began pulling warships out of mothballs when they met their aggressive neighbors. This leaves the two civilizations in an uneasy state of detente, since neither knows who would win if it came to an interstellar conflict.
Caught in the middle of this situation is a research crew below the ice of Ilmatar, a world inhabited by a third sentient species, which does not yet know about the other two. The Sholen have dictated a protocol akin to the Prime Directive, forbidding humans to make direct contact with the Ilmatarans so as not to "contaminate" their culture. The human scientists, of course, chafe under these restrictions, but no one wants to test the Sholen.
Then a biologist/celebrity who forced his way onto the Ilmatar expedition pulls one ratings-grabbing stunt too many and suffers a Steve Irwin demise, dissected by curious Ilmatarans who do not realize they are dealing with a sentient creature.
This brings a Sholen team to Ilmatar to investigate what happened and determine if the humans are violating protocols. If they are, they will of course order the humans to leave Ilmatar. The idea that the humans might say "No" does not occur to them.
There are three stories here that converge: we meet the humans, the Sholen, and the Ilmatarans. The Sholen get the least attention, as there are only a few named characters and only two who are viewpoint characters. The description of them is also somewhat vague; they are six-limbed, mammalian, and larger and stronger than humans. Their culture is consensus-based, with almost all interactions being sexually charged and establishing dominance and submission. And yet they constantly describe the humans as "hierarchical" when it seemed to me that the Sholen were much more so.
The Ilmatarans, who live blindly in the depths of a freezing ocean, live in a pre-industrial society that has invented literacy and the deep-sea version of agriculture, but not gotten much further. However, several of the Ilmaratan characters are budding "scientists" who of course will become the ones who make first contact with creatures from beyond the ice.
The conflict between cultures was the focal point of the book — conflict between humans and Sholen, then Ilmatarans joining both sides when the conflict becomes physical.
I liked the description of the primitive and alien technology that deep-sea aliens would have to use, and their perceptions of the universe through their non-visual senses. This is classic sci-fi worldbuilding. I can't quite give Cambias full marks as at times, I think the Ilmatarans remained a bit too human-centric in their descriptions and while they were alien, they were awfully close to human in psychology. The Sholen, too, were alien but not alien enough to convince me they weren't humans with odd bodies and social customs.
However, the worldbuilding was more than serviceable and the story progressed in a logical fashion to a decent climax. I don't know if Cambias has any sequels planned; there is certainly room for one (especially with the "big reveal" at the end which I thought was telegraphed pretty early on), but the story doesn't really have any loose ends that would require one.
A Darkling Sea harkens back to more classic planetary adventures, and will satisfy anyone who liked novels like Dragon's Egg by Robert L. Forward, Warhorse, by Timothy Zahn, or many novels by Alan Dean Foster and Larry Niven.
July 12, 2016
This novel of first contact and inter-species conflict was done from all angles, and it really grabbed me. I know giving the alien perspective as well as the human has been done before, but Cambias did a great job creating two distinct alien cultures. It wasn't just a story of humans meeting aliens; it was humans meeting aliens even though they've agreed with another race of aliens not to make contact. The ethical questions brought up by the resulting conflict makes for a thought-provoking read.
It's not a page-turner because it's action-packed from start to finish. It's a page-turner because it's just so darn interesting. It's not my normal fare, but I'm glad I gave it a whirl.
It's not a page-turner because it's action-packed from start to finish. It's a page-turner because it's just so darn interesting. It's not my normal fare, but I'm glad I gave it a whirl.
March 19, 2014
Man, this was fun.
Those who have been keeping up with my reviews or know me and my book preferences know I'm a sucker for a first contact novel. This is not quite a first contact for humans as much as it is for the Ilmatarans, as the first alien race humans encountered weren't too pleased about human voyaging, so the humans aren't allowed to interact with other species. The Ilmataran creatures, however, inadvertently end up capturing and dissecting one of the humans, causing an interstellar conflict as well as making things complicated for all parties involved.
I liked this because there was a nice interstellar political aspect to it to go along with the "encountering humans for the first time" part that I haven't read this good since Pandora's Star. It's an interesting perspective, especially given what the Ilmataran creatures are like.
Overall, a really solid read for me. I have very few complaints outside of a very tidy ending, and even then, it didn't impact the journey to get there. Definitely looking forward to more from this author.
Those who have been keeping up with my reviews or know me and my book preferences know I'm a sucker for a first contact novel. This is not quite a first contact for humans as much as it is for the Ilmatarans, as the first alien race humans encountered weren't too pleased about human voyaging, so the humans aren't allowed to interact with other species. The Ilmataran creatures, however, inadvertently end up capturing and dissecting one of the humans, causing an interstellar conflict as well as making things complicated for all parties involved.
I liked this because there was a nice interstellar political aspect to it to go along with the "encountering humans for the first time" part that I haven't read this good since Pandora's Star. It's an interesting perspective, especially given what the Ilmataran creatures are like.
Overall, a really solid read for me. I have very few complaints outside of a very tidy ending, and even then, it didn't impact the journey to get there. Definitely looking forward to more from this author.
December 20, 2015
This was underwhelming for me, probably more of a 2.5 stars rather than 3.
The aliens in the book, the 'ilmatarians' (simply called 'Adults' by the aliens themselves) and the Sholen were definitely the high point of the book. The world building was interesting, and the aliens weird enough and similar-but-different enough to be believable. Pretty much all intelligent sentient life is likely to have some commonality, and the book portrayed that well. The ilmatarian number-language was a neat idea, and the Sholen had their whole anti-technology, -intervention, sex-obsessed thing going on. Kind of neat.
Unfortunately with the exception of basically the main Ilmatarian protagonist, every character is pretty much wholly unlikable. The main human protagonist is a childish wanker who I suppose we're meant to find charming or funny because he keeps making jokes about Star Trek and other pop culture, and the Sholen pro/antagonists are very bland despite their weird biology and culture.
So yeah, resoundingly meh from me.
The aliens in the book, the 'ilmatarians' (simply called 'Adults' by the aliens themselves) and the Sholen were definitely the high point of the book. The world building was interesting, and the aliens weird enough and similar-but-different enough to be believable. Pretty much all intelligent sentient life is likely to have some commonality, and the book portrayed that well. The ilmatarian number-language was a neat idea, and the Sholen had their whole anti-technology, -intervention, sex-obsessed thing going on. Kind of neat.
Unfortunately with the exception of basically the main Ilmatarian protagonist, every character is pretty much wholly unlikable. The main human protagonist is a childish wanker who I suppose we're meant to find charming or funny because he keeps making jokes about Star Trek and other pop culture, and the Sholen pro/antagonists are very bland despite their weird biology and culture.
So yeah, resoundingly meh from me.
December 6, 2022
I really enjoyed this. It's not particularly deep, but it's very entertaining. Nothing new or mind blowing, but a funs tory. Cool (not very alien) aliens, esp the Ilmatarens (no idea how to spell that, I listened to the book). I wish there had been a little more cultural exploration, but there was just enough to keep my mind wondering how it would all work, which is generally good enough.
The plots not watertight, but the story holds together.
I'll try some more James L Cambias, it's bubblegum, but the flavour is nice.
The plots not watertight, but the story holds together.
I'll try some more James L Cambias, it's bubblegum, but the flavour is nice.
November 29, 2019
Jo Walton liked this one a lot, which is likely why I read it. Aliens under ice, Europa-style!
Here's her review,
https://www.tor.com/2014/09/26/awesom...
"I’d have loved this book when I was twelve, and I still love it. This is an old-fashioned science fiction novel with today’s science—biology and physics and astronomy.
.
.
.
"This is hard science fiction done beautifully, and it’s also a ton of fun."
Amen. There are some first-novel rough spots.
Here's her review,
https://www.tor.com/2014/09/26/awesom...
"I’d have loved this book when I was twelve, and I still love it. This is an old-fashioned science fiction novel with today’s science—biology and physics and astronomy.
.
.
.
"This is hard science fiction done beautifully, and it’s also a ton of fun."
Amen. There are some first-novel rough spots.
March 20, 2014
This book began with a great hook - an office bet on who can find the most interesting and unique ways to kill media darling, showman, and all around jerk to be around, Henri Kerlerec. Nobody foresaw the agency of his death (less than a dozen pages into the book) at the claws of the native Ilmatar, who naively dissect him thinking him an unintelligent animal.
And then the book trips over itself for a while. Cambias becomes lost in setting the stage, something he could have forgone without any loss to the story. Not helping the story is that our other space faring species, the Sholan, read more like a foreign culture than a foreign species. While there are some physiological differences noted, they feel like TV aliens with pointed ears and green blood - different, but only in culture. Otherwise they are just humans with rubber suits, bent on protecting us from repeating their own mistakes.
What really saves this book - from the portraying an alien species perspective - are the natives of the ocean depths themselves, the Ilmataran. It's not a fair analogy, but reading their POV is like being in the head of a sonar wielding lobster. I was reminded of Vinge's Spiders from A Deepness in the Sky, especially with the ease with which Cambias relates the world of a blind, ocean vent dwelling creature. Cambias really shines when dealing with the Ilmataran, and you get a sense of the potential here. As a first novel, it was good, and I look forward to seeing what else Cambias writes in the future.
The ARC of this novel was provided for review by Tor.
And then the book trips over itself for a while. Cambias becomes lost in setting the stage, something he could have forgone without any loss to the story. Not helping the story is that our other space faring species, the Sholan, read more like a foreign culture than a foreign species. While there are some physiological differences noted, they feel like TV aliens with pointed ears and green blood - different, but only in culture. Otherwise they are just humans with rubber suits, bent on protecting us from repeating their own mistakes.
What really saves this book - from the portraying an alien species perspective - are the natives of the ocean depths themselves, the Ilmataran. It's not a fair analogy, but reading their POV is like being in the head of a sonar wielding lobster. I was reminded of Vinge's Spiders from A Deepness in the Sky, especially with the ease with which Cambias relates the world of a blind, ocean vent dwelling creature. Cambias really shines when dealing with the Ilmataran, and you get a sense of the potential here. As a first novel, it was good, and I look forward to seeing what else Cambias writes in the future.
The ARC of this novel was provided for review by Tor.
May 2, 2020
Ahoy there mateys! In looking this up on Goodreads today due to a crew member's recommendation, the plot felt familiar and I had rated it. Then I went to the blog to see if I had a review somewhere. Apparently in my March discussion of the 2015 Campbell award finalists I had written this "okay so I apparently have read this one and promptly forgotten all about it. I did enjoy it, at least so says me Goodreads rating. A perusal of other crew members’ reviews did remind me of most of the plot and politics. But forgetting about it completely afterwards doesn’t truly bode well for it. Ugh." I have now forgotten about this book twice. Thus I have reduced me initial rating and put this review in so that next time I stumble across this book and look it up to see if I want to read it, I will save some time. Arrrr!
June 3, 2020
Na to, že je to taká zmes toho horšieho zo Scalziho a toho najhoršieho z Asimova, to vôbec nie zlé.
Hviezdy zráža dole strašná naivita.
Štýlom ja Tarzan ty Jane možno zbalíte babu na pláži niekde v Taliansku, ale rozhodne tak neukecáte obriu mimozemskú langustu žijúcu na morskom dne milióny svetelných rokov vzdialeného mesiaca, aby vám stranila v intergalaktickom konflikte, ktorý ste vyprovokovali tým, že sa správate ako totálny dement.
Hviezdy zráža dole strašná naivita.
Štýlom ja Tarzan ty Jane možno zbalíte babu na pláži niekde v Taliansku, ale rozhodne tak neukecáte obriu mimozemskú langustu žijúcu na morskom dne milióny svetelných rokov vzdialeného mesiaca, aby vám stranila v intergalaktickom konflikte, ktorý ste vyprovokovali tým, že sa správate ako totálny dement.
July 31, 2020
Three and a half lobsters.
For a while I will not be able to review or comment on my readings as I would like, so I can only say that A Darkling Sea is a good science fiction novel, a space (or aquatic) opera very entertaining, well developed and with good sciencefictional ideas.
For a while I will not be able to review or comment on my readings as I would like, so I can only say that A Darkling Sea is a good science fiction novel, a space (or aquatic) opera very entertaining, well developed and with good sciencefictional ideas.
Read
April 14, 2021A Darkling Sea by James Cambias has one of the best opening lines I’ve ever seen:
The following few paragraphs expand on the statement and the first chapter settles the bet. The pool and the participation of all the crew also sets the tone for the novel. It’s Science Fiction with a good dose of humour.
Set deep beneath the ocean of a far flung planet, A Darkling Sea explores a diplomatic incident that nearly sparks a war between three species. One of the primary missions of the men and women stationed at Hitode is the study of an apparently intelligent life-form that exists in wildly different environment. The Ilmatarans live at the bottom of the ocean, along a rift broken by vents of warmer currents. Miles above, the ocean is capped by a shelf of ice. For the Ilmatarans, there is no concept of anything beyond that barrier.
The humans are forbidden to make contact with the Ilmatarans. When they break this covenant, the Sholen arrive to investigate. They are the third alien species and apparently see themselves as the mediators of the space. They’re not all that impartial, though. The visiting delegates have to dance between the politics of the humans and the Sholen, erring on the side of caution. Unfortunately, the Sholen version of caution seems to be shoot first and ask questions later.
What follows is almost a comedy of errors as each species confounds the others by acting as culturally appropriate. Henri Kerlerec makes contact, in a spectacular manner. The investigating Sholen understand he acted alone, in error and defiance, and yet to appease their superiors, they rule against the humans, who are ordered to leave Hitode Station. They rebel. Meanwhile, the Ilmatarans are curious about the new creature they found, the one that has to wear so many layers of odd material. So they mount an investigation of their own.
Ironically, as the politics play out, tempers rising and fraying, species manoeuvring toward war, the humans and the Sholen learn a lot more about the Ilmatarans than they might have otherwise. The reverse is also true. The mission is no longer hands off; it is very much hands on and, as odd alliances form, it is unclear who will come out on top.
The world of Ilmatar is unique. I really enjoyed the depictions of llmataran culture. James Cambias obviously put a lot of thought into how a species might exist in conditions that differ so greatly from what we might consider viable. The rules he came up with relay well into the Ilmataran culture. The Sholen were just as interesting, for different reasons. We don’t get to know them as well, but their culture is definitely alien. One of the funniest scenes in the book is the two Sholen delegates trying to persuade the human in charge, Dr. Sen, to their way of thinking.
The book is funny. The main characters strike a good balance between humour and intelligence, and stupidity, when required. Because of the multiple points of view, the pace rarely lags. There is always something interesting going on and the author takes time to explore sub-plots within each species’ ‘camp’ as it were, which roll into the main plot very nicely. The reader’s sympathies are pulled in a number of directions so that when the final battle arrives, it’s actually difficult to choose a side. Sort of.
There is also a lot of edge of the seat action and adventure. I expected more military style, but the battles are not large scale. Instead, they’re more a series of carefully orchestrated manoeuvres. Each team wins some and loses some.
A Darkling Sea is a unique take on the first contact novel. It’s a Science Fiction adventure with a little something for everyone. There is a small teaser at the end, but if James Cambias was to turn his attention to a different story, I’d be just as interested in seeing his style applied to a new set of characters and aliens.
Written for SFCrowsnest.
"By the end of his second month at Hitode Station, Rob Freeman had already come up with 85 ways to murder Henri Kerlerec."
The following few paragraphs expand on the statement and the first chapter settles the bet. The pool and the participation of all the crew also sets the tone for the novel. It’s Science Fiction with a good dose of humour.
Set deep beneath the ocean of a far flung planet, A Darkling Sea explores a diplomatic incident that nearly sparks a war between three species. One of the primary missions of the men and women stationed at Hitode is the study of an apparently intelligent life-form that exists in wildly different environment. The Ilmatarans live at the bottom of the ocean, along a rift broken by vents of warmer currents. Miles above, the ocean is capped by a shelf of ice. For the Ilmatarans, there is no concept of anything beyond that barrier.
The humans are forbidden to make contact with the Ilmatarans. When they break this covenant, the Sholen arrive to investigate. They are the third alien species and apparently see themselves as the mediators of the space. They’re not all that impartial, though. The visiting delegates have to dance between the politics of the humans and the Sholen, erring on the side of caution. Unfortunately, the Sholen version of caution seems to be shoot first and ask questions later.
What follows is almost a comedy of errors as each species confounds the others by acting as culturally appropriate. Henri Kerlerec makes contact, in a spectacular manner. The investigating Sholen understand he acted alone, in error and defiance, and yet to appease their superiors, they rule against the humans, who are ordered to leave Hitode Station. They rebel. Meanwhile, the Ilmatarans are curious about the new creature they found, the one that has to wear so many layers of odd material. So they mount an investigation of their own.
Ironically, as the politics play out, tempers rising and fraying, species manoeuvring toward war, the humans and the Sholen learn a lot more about the Ilmatarans than they might have otherwise. The reverse is also true. The mission is no longer hands off; it is very much hands on and, as odd alliances form, it is unclear who will come out on top.
The world of Ilmatar is unique. I really enjoyed the depictions of llmataran culture. James Cambias obviously put a lot of thought into how a species might exist in conditions that differ so greatly from what we might consider viable. The rules he came up with relay well into the Ilmataran culture. The Sholen were just as interesting, for different reasons. We don’t get to know them as well, but their culture is definitely alien. One of the funniest scenes in the book is the two Sholen delegates trying to persuade the human in charge, Dr. Sen, to their way of thinking.
The book is funny. The main characters strike a good balance between humour and intelligence, and stupidity, when required. Because of the multiple points of view, the pace rarely lags. There is always something interesting going on and the author takes time to explore sub-plots within each species’ ‘camp’ as it were, which roll into the main plot very nicely. The reader’s sympathies are pulled in a number of directions so that when the final battle arrives, it’s actually difficult to choose a side. Sort of.
There is also a lot of edge of the seat action and adventure. I expected more military style, but the battles are not large scale. Instead, they’re more a series of carefully orchestrated manoeuvres. Each team wins some and loses some.
A Darkling Sea is a unique take on the first contact novel. It’s a Science Fiction adventure with a little something for everyone. There is a small teaser at the end, but if James Cambias was to turn his attention to a different story, I’d be just as interested in seeing his style applied to a new set of characters and aliens.
Written for SFCrowsnest.
December 10, 2018
Really really liked it. First contact, emphasis on the What If and the Sense of Wonder but still interesting characters that we care about, and a dramatic & coherent plot with no actual villains. All that plus gracefully written, complex worldbuilding, respect for individuals of both* genders, even humor.
Totally my kind of book. Almost as good as Longyear's *Enemy Mine.*
The ending, though... hm. Maybe there's a sequel; if there is, I'll gladly reread this before moving on to that to get the rest of the story. And I will look for more by the author.
*Yes, all three kinds of beings are apparently straightforwardly binary. And we don't learn enough about the Ilmataran females (though the concept of how the young are raised is well-developed and fascinating). Oh well... there are lots of other imaginative things going on here.
He "doesn't like the idea of starving to death..., but he hates the thought of losing his followers even more."
Apparently this takes place in the relatively near future. Cambias explores human nature, assuming that we'll take our attitudes with us into the future even after meeting real aliens. For example, when one character of this international team is annoyed at another, he expresses the thought that "Europeans have no sense of humor."
And then, in what I assume is an homage to Orwell's *Animal Farm,* I about spilled my tea laughing at that.
Totally my kind of book. Almost as good as Longyear's *Enemy Mine.*
The ending, though... hm. Maybe there's a sequel; if there is, I'll gladly reread this before moving on to that to get the rest of the story. And I will look for more by the author.
*Yes, all three kinds of beings are apparently straightforwardly binary. And we don't learn enough about the Ilmataran females (though the concept of how the young are raised is well-developed and fascinating). Oh well... there are lots of other imaginative things going on here.
He "doesn't like the idea of starving to death..., but he hates the thought of losing his followers even more."
Apparently this takes place in the relatively near future. Cambias explores human nature, assuming that we'll take our attitudes with us into the future even after meeting real aliens. For example, when one character of this international team is annoyed at another, he expresses the thought that "Europeans have no sense of humor."
And then, in what I assume is an homage to Orwell's *Animal Farm,* I about spilled my tea laughing at that.
February 21, 2014
It's only when you open a new SF novel and discover that it's an unabashedly old-school story of scientific exploration and alien first contact that you realize just how rare stories like these, that the field was once simply crawling with, have become. The principal appeal of the debut effort of James L. Cambias is its evocation of the hard SF of yesteryear, its fond embrace of the Analog storytelling ethos, and ideas about alien culture and civilization echoing those of writers like Pohl, Niven and Clement. As with most first novels, its execution isn't even close to watertight. But it presents Cambias as a writer of wit, imagination, and some real promise.
Sometime in the future, the human race has been given the technological secrets of interstellar travel by an alien race called the Sholen. But the Sholen aren't idealized as so many alien races have been by earnest SF writers too eager to make statements about the evils that men do. They have a past marked by horrific, nearly civilization-destroying warfare that they are trying to put behind them. But [read more...]
Sometime in the future, the human race has been given the technological secrets of interstellar travel by an alien race called the Sholen. But the Sholen aren't idealized as so many alien races have been by earnest SF writers too eager to make statements about the evils that men do. They have a past marked by horrific, nearly civilization-destroying warfare that they are trying to put behind them. But [read more...]
June 15, 2020
Nakladatelství Planeta9 se velmi rychle stala jedním z nejzajímavějších hráčů na poli fantastické literatury. Taky jim tedy hodně pomohlo, že odstartovali s pořádnou klasikou v podání Hamiltona a Bankse, přihodili k nim stoupající hvězdy jako je Tchaikovsky… a nebojí se sáhnout ani po něčem skoro zbrusu novém. Viz Jejich moře od Jamese L. Cambiase.
I když jsou v románu mimozemšťané (a ne jedni) a vzdálené planety, tak je celý příběh dost komorní a navíc se odehrává pod hladinou mimozemského oceánu, kde pozemšťané tajně zkoumají obyvatele jiného světa. Jenže druhá mimozemská rasa ve vesmíru má na to zkoumání trochu jiný názor. A konflikt, který začíná spíš na úrovni čistého vzájemného pruzení, hrozí přerůst v otevřenou válku.
Jejich moře je sci-fi klasického střihu, ve kterém hraje hlavní roli navazování kontaktu a snaha pochopit druhou stranu. Příběh sledujeme ze všech stran, takže člověk cítí tu neschopnost… nebo spíš neochotu… pochopit chování ostatních, případně snahu si ji naroubovat na své chování.
Knížka připomíná scifárny zlatého věku, kdy byl vesmír plný dobrodružství a slovo člověk znělo hrdě. Jasně, jsme občas tak trochu kokoti… ale když se to všechno zváží a potěžká, tak jsme pořád pro vesmír ta nejlepší alternativa. V knížce párkrát padne odkaz na Lawrence z Arabie… a není to rozhodně náhoda.
Kdybych měl knihu k něčemu přirovnat, tak se mi nejvíc vybavuje Marťan. Ani ne tak kvůli příběhu, jako spíš kvůli lehkému stylu, se kterým je napsaná. I když tu umírají postavy (a ke konci je i jedna dost eklhaftózní scéna), nijak se v dramatu netlačí na pilu a kniha si stále udržuje pohodový přístup. (Koukal jsem, že jiní recenzenti autora zase srovnávají s Johnem Scalzim, což by asi taky mohlo sedět.) K tomu stylu si ještě přihoďte stále se zrychlující tempo knihy, stoupající sázky, zajímavý svět, podivné jiné kultury a dobré nápady. Plus se dobře pracuje s podmořským vesmírem, životem v něm… a uvažováním a chováním místních inteligentních bytostí. Tady si zamakala i překladatelka Dana Krejčová, která tu musela převést do češtiny hned dva styly krkolomných mimozemských rozhovorů – a povedlo se jí to skvěle.
Ne, kniha není převratné dílo, na které jsme roky čekali a které nám otevřelo oči. Je to prostě pohodová scifárna ve starém duchu. V rámci té starosvětskosti musíte knížce odpustit i určitou naivitu, jednoduché načrtnutí postav a motivů (zajímavé je, že emzáci jsou možná líp popsaní než lidé) a možná až moc rychlé vyřešení finále. Je to autorův první román a je to na tom trochu znát, ale rozhodně prozrazuje talent a bude zajímavé si od něj přečíst něco dalšího.
A už jsem se zmínil, že knížka ve tmě svítí?! To je fakt parádní, už jenom kvůli tomu stojí za to si ji pořídit!
I když jsou v románu mimozemšťané (a ne jedni) a vzdálené planety, tak je celý příběh dost komorní a navíc se odehrává pod hladinou mimozemského oceánu, kde pozemšťané tajně zkoumají obyvatele jiného světa. Jenže druhá mimozemská rasa ve vesmíru má na to zkoumání trochu jiný názor. A konflikt, který začíná spíš na úrovni čistého vzájemného pruzení, hrozí přerůst v otevřenou válku.
Jejich moře je sci-fi klasického střihu, ve kterém hraje hlavní roli navazování kontaktu a snaha pochopit druhou stranu. Příběh sledujeme ze všech stran, takže člověk cítí tu neschopnost… nebo spíš neochotu… pochopit chování ostatních, případně snahu si ji naroubovat na své chování.
Knížka připomíná scifárny zlatého věku, kdy byl vesmír plný dobrodružství a slovo člověk znělo hrdě. Jasně, jsme občas tak trochu kokoti… ale když se to všechno zváží a potěžká, tak jsme pořád pro vesmír ta nejlepší alternativa. V knížce párkrát padne odkaz na Lawrence z Arabie… a není to rozhodně náhoda.
Kdybych měl knihu k něčemu přirovnat, tak se mi nejvíc vybavuje Marťan. Ani ne tak kvůli příběhu, jako spíš kvůli lehkému stylu, se kterým je napsaná. I když tu umírají postavy (a ke konci je i jedna dost eklhaftózní scéna), nijak se v dramatu netlačí na pilu a kniha si stále udržuje pohodový přístup. (Koukal jsem, že jiní recenzenti autora zase srovnávají s Johnem Scalzim, což by asi taky mohlo sedět.) K tomu stylu si ještě přihoďte stále se zrychlující tempo knihy, stoupající sázky, zajímavý svět, podivné jiné kultury a dobré nápady. Plus se dobře pracuje s podmořským vesmírem, životem v něm… a uvažováním a chováním místních inteligentních bytostí. Tady si zamakala i překladatelka Dana Krejčová, která tu musela převést do češtiny hned dva styly krkolomných mimozemských rozhovorů – a povedlo se jí to skvěle.
Ne, kniha není převratné dílo, na které jsme roky čekali a které nám otevřelo oči. Je to prostě pohodová scifárna ve starém duchu. V rámci té starosvětskosti musíte knížce odpustit i určitou naivitu, jednoduché načrtnutí postav a motivů (zajímavé je, že emzáci jsou možná líp popsaní než lidé) a možná až moc rychlé vyřešení finále. Je to autorův první román a je to na tom trochu znát, ale rozhodně prozrazuje talent a bude zajímavé si od něj přečíst něco dalšího.
A už jsem se zmínil, že knížka ve tmě svítí?! To je fakt parádní, už jenom kvůli tomu stojí za to si ji pořídit!
May 1, 2017
Click here to watch a video featuring this book on my channel, From Beginning to Bookend.
A Darkling Sea is strangely funny and thoroughly entertaining. Despite plot pacing that drifts like a slow current, the broad cast of interesting characters and a fully realized alien world make this book difficult towalk swim away from. Cambias is successful in his creation of alien races as well as their politics, lifestyle, and societal behaviors. He demonstrates a deft hand at dark humor.
The book arrives at a somewhat baffling conclusion that lends itself to multiple interpretations. Had the author intended to leave his readers mystified? Or did he have a final literary impact in mind and fail to execute his idea?
Possible spoilers ahead:
A Darkling Sea is strangely funny and thoroughly entertaining. Despite plot pacing that drifts like a slow current, the broad cast of interesting characters and a fully realized alien world make this book difficult to
The book arrives at a somewhat baffling conclusion that lends itself to multiple interpretations. Had the author intended to leave his readers mystified? Or did he have a final literary impact in mind and fail to execute his idea?
Possible spoilers ahead:
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March 5, 2022Fine. Just... fine. Considered abandoning it early on as the personalities were irritatingly stereotypical of SFF aimed at a demographic I'm not part of, but it eventually became tolerable as we spent time with non-humans. It's fairly heavy handed in the themes it explores yet remains fun.
3.5 stars
3.5 stars
June 2, 2023
The final words were a shock, I almost cried from wonder. The book has moments wonder, of the timeless mysteries of ancient civilization, the best expression of which is its final moment.
Most of the book is above average interstellar aquatic SciFi. It leans towards politics, the differing types of communities, and the conflicts therein.
It’s probably a three star book but there’s a bonus star for the alien aliens and an ending I’m still thinking about hours later.
Most of the book is above average interstellar aquatic SciFi. It leans towards politics, the differing types of communities, and the conflicts therein.
It’s probably a three star book but there’s a bonus star for the alien aliens and an ending I’m still thinking about hours later.
January 28, 2014
Questions of how sentient alien species might behave, and how we might interact with them, provide some of the more fruitful avenues for social science fictional exploration. Ursula LeGuin's Hainish novels are without a doubt the paradigmatic examples of the anthropological approach, but you can also count Ian M. Banks' The Player of Games, Octavia Butler's Xenogenesis series or basically anything involving the Prime Directive in the Star Trek universe as well.
A Darkling Sea is James Cambias' debut novel, but it is, in fact, an evolution of previously published short fiction, most notably the 2004 story "The Ocean of the Blind"--which readers may recognize as the first chapter of the novel. The book, following from the earlier story, revolves around a scienfitic mission to the moon Ilmatar, which orbits a gas giant in a distant star system. Ilmatar is a bit like Europa, in that it's covered by 5km of ice, underneath which lies a pitch-dark ocean heated (to the degree that it is heated) by vents funneling hot gases from beneath the crust...
Read the full review at Nerds of a Feather, Flock Together
A Darkling Sea is James Cambias' debut novel, but it is, in fact, an evolution of previously published short fiction, most notably the 2004 story "The Ocean of the Blind"--which readers may recognize as the first chapter of the novel. The book, following from the earlier story, revolves around a scienfitic mission to the moon Ilmatar, which orbits a gas giant in a distant star system. Ilmatar is a bit like Europa, in that it's covered by 5km of ice, underneath which lies a pitch-dark ocean heated (to the degree that it is heated) by vents funneling hot gases from beneath the crust...
Read the full review at Nerds of a Feather, Flock Together
February 22, 2014
Alien contact with a cast of not-very alien aliens. Changing body parts to lobster-type parts does not an alien make, nor does communication by sexuality.
Nothing earth shattering in this novel.
And I wonder why all the ARC recipients post glowing reviews. Sense of obligation?
Nothing earth shattering in this novel.
And I wonder why all the ARC recipients post glowing reviews. Sense of obligation?
Read
April 4, 2014Review by Peter at Adventures in Scifi Publishing:
There are many reasons to enjoy science fiction. If hard science fiction is your thing, read how Kim Stanley Robinson extrapolates our current technology to posit a utopian future. Or if you prefer social science fiction, pick up a novel by Ursula K. LeGuin and see how she integrates anthropology into fictional worlds as if they were as familiar as our own. But if the “science” in science fiction bores you, there’s still plenty left to enjoy. James S.A. Corey writes an adrenaline-filled space opera and John Scalzi blends a keen sense of humor into his stories that few can match.
So why do I mention the broad spectrum that encompasses the field of science fiction? It’s because A Darkling Sea is a novel that spans the entire genre. James Cambias manages to incorporate humor, anthropology, and the character-focused action of a space opera into what I would call a hard science fiction novel. Now to call this novel the culmination of these four diverse authors would be both untrue and unfair to the unsuspecting reader. It is too high of a bar to expect of any author — much less a debut author. I merely mention this to highlight that this novel can be enjoyed by different people for entirely different reasons.
A Darkling Sea takes place on a moon-planet called Ilmatar that is covered in a thick layer of ice. Beneath its frozen crust is a vast ocean where a sentient alien species thrives. Humans have established a base on the planet to study the Ilmatarans, but have made a truce with a third species, the Sholen, to avoid interfering with their habitat in any way.
All is well and good until a hot-shot media personality decides to get up close and personal with the Ilmatarans. His efforts at invisibility fail and he quickly becomes a science experiment for a group of sea-dwelling creatures. Even though this stand-alone act of idiocy was both unknown and unplanned by human leadership, the Sholen take issue with this breach in protocol. What begins as a friendly order to vacate the premises escalates into what could become a war between the humans and Sholen.
A Darkling Sea takes place on a planet that reminded me of Jupiter’s moon, Europa. Other novels, such as Jeff Carlson’s, The Frozen Sky, have explored this setting, examining alien life several kilometers beneath an icy surface. What made Cambias’s novel unique is that it is told from the viewpoints of each species. This was not just a novel of humans learning to understand another culture, but of each alien species learning to grow and understand each other. And like humanity, each species cannot be defined in black and white. The Sholen and Ilmatarans are each a collection of individual personalities. This naturally breeds conflict within their own kind.
I really enjoyed how Cambias blended so many elements of what makes science fiction great. By a quarter of the way through the novel I thought this might be one that I would remember for a long time. There was a lot of thought that went into the setting, characters, and alien lifeforms and the pace was strong thoughout the novel. However, as I progressed, I found some of the key characters unlikable and the consequences for their actions unrealistic. One of the main characters is a human named Rob who is both passive and foolhardy in his exploits and should have been killed or fired or left to his own devices several times throughout the novel. This led me to be somewhat apathetic of him and other characters.
To take on as many viewpoints as Cambias did in a debut novel is a daunting task. For a majority of the novel, he was successful. Even though the motives of certain characters were questionable, the characters remained consistent and unique. But the difficulty with taking on so many viewpoints and approaches to science fiction is that this sea of ideas left me lost in what the novel was really trying to achieve. A Darkling Sea is relatively short for the epic scope of the story and the setting and characters are not explored to as great of depth as one would expect when the fate of the entire human race rests on the actions of a few. Regardless, A Darkling Sea had enough positive aspects to make it worth reading. The culture-building is inventive and the story moves along nicely. While it will appeal most to those who like a lighter version of hard SF (think Haldeman or Scalzi), the diversity of ideas and approaches helps its appeal to a broader fan base.
There are many reasons to enjoy science fiction. If hard science fiction is your thing, read how Kim Stanley Robinson extrapolates our current technology to posit a utopian future. Or if you prefer social science fiction, pick up a novel by Ursula K. LeGuin and see how she integrates anthropology into fictional worlds as if they were as familiar as our own. But if the “science” in science fiction bores you, there’s still plenty left to enjoy. James S.A. Corey writes an adrenaline-filled space opera and John Scalzi blends a keen sense of humor into his stories that few can match.
So why do I mention the broad spectrum that encompasses the field of science fiction? It’s because A Darkling Sea is a novel that spans the entire genre. James Cambias manages to incorporate humor, anthropology, and the character-focused action of a space opera into what I would call a hard science fiction novel. Now to call this novel the culmination of these four diverse authors would be both untrue and unfair to the unsuspecting reader. It is too high of a bar to expect of any author — much less a debut author. I merely mention this to highlight that this novel can be enjoyed by different people for entirely different reasons.
A Darkling Sea takes place on a moon-planet called Ilmatar that is covered in a thick layer of ice. Beneath its frozen crust is a vast ocean where a sentient alien species thrives. Humans have established a base on the planet to study the Ilmatarans, but have made a truce with a third species, the Sholen, to avoid interfering with their habitat in any way.
All is well and good until a hot-shot media personality decides to get up close and personal with the Ilmatarans. His efforts at invisibility fail and he quickly becomes a science experiment for a group of sea-dwelling creatures. Even though this stand-alone act of idiocy was both unknown and unplanned by human leadership, the Sholen take issue with this breach in protocol. What begins as a friendly order to vacate the premises escalates into what could become a war between the humans and Sholen.
A Darkling Sea takes place on a planet that reminded me of Jupiter’s moon, Europa. Other novels, such as Jeff Carlson’s, The Frozen Sky, have explored this setting, examining alien life several kilometers beneath an icy surface. What made Cambias’s novel unique is that it is told from the viewpoints of each species. This was not just a novel of humans learning to understand another culture, but of each alien species learning to grow and understand each other. And like humanity, each species cannot be defined in black and white. The Sholen and Ilmatarans are each a collection of individual personalities. This naturally breeds conflict within their own kind.
I really enjoyed how Cambias blended so many elements of what makes science fiction great. By a quarter of the way through the novel I thought this might be one that I would remember for a long time. There was a lot of thought that went into the setting, characters, and alien lifeforms and the pace was strong thoughout the novel. However, as I progressed, I found some of the key characters unlikable and the consequences for their actions unrealistic. One of the main characters is a human named Rob who is both passive and foolhardy in his exploits and should have been killed or fired or left to his own devices several times throughout the novel. This led me to be somewhat apathetic of him and other characters.
To take on as many viewpoints as Cambias did in a debut novel is a daunting task. For a majority of the novel, he was successful. Even though the motives of certain characters were questionable, the characters remained consistent and unique. But the difficulty with taking on so many viewpoints and approaches to science fiction is that this sea of ideas left me lost in what the novel was really trying to achieve. A Darkling Sea is relatively short for the epic scope of the story and the setting and characters are not explored to as great of depth as one would expect when the fate of the entire human race rests on the actions of a few. Regardless, A Darkling Sea had enough positive aspects to make it worth reading. The culture-building is inventive and the story moves along nicely. While it will appeal most to those who like a lighter version of hard SF (think Haldeman or Scalzi), the diversity of ideas and approaches helps its appeal to a broader fan base.
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