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Where Light Does Not Reach: A Hard Science-Fiction Mystery
Deep sea. Deep space. First contact. Final days.
Winner of the 2025 Reedsy Discovery Editors' Choice Awards.
"Literate, big-brained SF that tells a whale of a tale." —Kirkus Reviews
For marine biologist Soledad, it starts with the mass stranding and ghastly death of a thousand sperm whales.
Working for the Cetacean Translation Institute—CETI—to understand whale communication, she uncovers increasingly bizarre and disturbing behavior among the deep-sea leviathans to which she has dedicated her life.
For astronomer and former astronaut Jack Dash, it began with an accident on a spacewalk thirty years ago and is rekindled by a disappearing star.
Working for the search for extraterrestrial intelligence—SETI—he probes the increasingly dark and obscure corners of deep space and time trying to fill in the blank spaces on the map.
Their obsessive investigations entwine them in a mystery spanning the remotest places on Earth, the farthest ocean depths, and the emptiest regions of the night sky.
What they discover shatters their understanding of the universe and our place in it.
For both of them, it ends with missions requiring their unique expertise to safeguard the future of Earth’s conscious life in a cosmos more terrifying than ever imagined.
Ready to dive into the deep end and stare into the abyss?
For fans of Peter Watts, Andy Weir, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Arthur C. Clarke, Ted Chiang, and Liu Cixin.
Winner of the 2025 Reedsy Discovery Editors' Choice Awards.
"Literate, big-brained SF that tells a whale of a tale." —Kirkus Reviews
For marine biologist Soledad, it starts with the mass stranding and ghastly death of a thousand sperm whales.
Working for the Cetacean Translation Institute—CETI—to understand whale communication, she uncovers increasingly bizarre and disturbing behavior among the deep-sea leviathans to which she has dedicated her life.
For astronomer and former astronaut Jack Dash, it began with an accident on a spacewalk thirty years ago and is rekindled by a disappearing star.
Working for the search for extraterrestrial intelligence—SETI—he probes the increasingly dark and obscure corners of deep space and time trying to fill in the blank spaces on the map.
Their obsessive investigations entwine them in a mystery spanning the remotest places on Earth, the farthest ocean depths, and the emptiest regions of the night sky.
What they discover shatters their understanding of the universe and our place in it.
For both of them, it ends with missions requiring their unique expertise to safeguard the future of Earth’s conscious life in a cosmos more terrifying than ever imagined.
Ready to dive into the deep end and stare into the abyss?
For fans of Peter Watts, Andy Weir, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Arthur C. Clarke, Ted Chiang, and Liu Cixin.
- GenresScience FictionMystery
234 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 5, 2025
12 people are currently reading
2214 people want to read
About the author
Tom B. Night
3 books21 followersTom B. Night is an American-Australian technologist and author whose novels include Where Light Does Not Reach, Circadian Algorithms, and Mind Painter. He grew up in the Pacific Northwest then spent 15 years at tech companies in the Bay Area. He now splits time between Seattle, San Francisco, and various dreamed-up worlds. Get in touch or stay up to date at tombnight.com.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 28, 2025
What intrigued me with this one is how a novel could connect communication with sperm whales to discoveries in space. I am a sucker for a fantastic and mysterious premise so I dove right in – pardon the ocean pun.
The book follows Soledad, a whale researcher who is doing groundbreaking work in cetacean communication. She tries to get to the bottom of why the world is seeing mass sperm whale strandings on an unprecedented scale. Her point of view alternates with Jack Dash, an astronaut turned astronomer who works for SETI and is developing cutting edge theories about empty regions in space. Things heat up for him when he discovers that stars are mysteriously disappearing in unexplained ways.
These two characters end up meeting. I love how the dynamic between these two is very father-daughter. Jack is 60 and Soledad is much younger. The novel didn’t even try to make them a romantic couple, which is refreshing.
Eventually the characters begin to see how their work intersects as strange events play out and threaten Earth.
Soledad and Jack face a race against time to save humanity. Nothing will ever be the same again, whether they fail or succeed – but there are still advantages to pulling off a coordinated operation. I found it to be a stunning concept and creative solution to the problems that arise.
This novel relates a lot of interesting science concepts to the reader in ways that enlighten, but don’t bore you. That is a fine line to walk. It ties the information to the plot well, also. Sometimes the action slows for these chunks of information. It was noticeable and a little info dumpy, but overall, I think it works for the book given the harder sci fi emphasis, where many readers love a lot of real scientific detail. In the end, I wasn’t terribly distracted by the detailed conversations relaying the science.
Who is this book for? You’ll likely enjoy this if you are intrigued by either marine mammals, astronomy or both. If you enjoy approachable science concepts in your fiction, this may also be the book for you. It’s categorized as hard science fiction. The author does have a technology background, but since I am not well versed in either whales or astronomy, I can’t vouch for how rigorous his science is, but the research conveyed in it convinced me. If you’re an expert in either, you may notice things I did not. Finally, if you like books the deal with cataclysmic and creative threats to humanity, this may be perfect for you.
The book follows Soledad, a whale researcher who is doing groundbreaking work in cetacean communication. She tries to get to the bottom of why the world is seeing mass sperm whale strandings on an unprecedented scale. Her point of view alternates with Jack Dash, an astronaut turned astronomer who works for SETI and is developing cutting edge theories about empty regions in space. Things heat up for him when he discovers that stars are mysteriously disappearing in unexplained ways.
These two characters end up meeting. I love how the dynamic between these two is very father-daughter. Jack is 60 and Soledad is much younger. The novel didn’t even try to make them a romantic couple, which is refreshing.
Eventually the characters begin to see how their work intersects as strange events play out and threaten Earth.
Soledad and Jack face a race against time to save humanity. Nothing will ever be the same again, whether they fail or succeed – but there are still advantages to pulling off a coordinated operation. I found it to be a stunning concept and creative solution to the problems that arise.
This novel relates a lot of interesting science concepts to the reader in ways that enlighten, but don’t bore you. That is a fine line to walk. It ties the information to the plot well, also. Sometimes the action slows for these chunks of information. It was noticeable and a little info dumpy, but overall, I think it works for the book given the harder sci fi emphasis, where many readers love a lot of real scientific detail. In the end, I wasn’t terribly distracted by the detailed conversations relaying the science.
Who is this book for? You’ll likely enjoy this if you are intrigued by either marine mammals, astronomy or both. If you enjoy approachable science concepts in your fiction, this may also be the book for you. It’s categorized as hard science fiction. The author does have a technology background, but since I am not well versed in either whales or astronomy, I can’t vouch for how rigorous his science is, but the research conveyed in it convinced me. If you’re an expert in either, you may notice things I did not. Finally, if you like books the deal with cataclysmic and creative threats to humanity, this may be perfect for you.
August 18, 2025
Giveaway
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway and got to go on this really cool journey. When I started the book, I was unsure of what to expect and then found myself unable to put it down for long at all. Thanks Tom for sharing your imagination with all of us
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway and got to go on this really cool journey. When I started the book, I was unsure of what to expect and then found myself unable to put it down for long at all. Thanks Tom for sharing your imagination with all of us
August 17, 2025
Super compelling crossover for ocean and space obsessives, this novel braids CETI and SETI into a mystery with characters you’ll root for. The science is real, the stakes are high, and I actually learned a ton while being completely entertained. Whether you come for the whales or the cosmos, you’ll stay for the story!
August 5, 2025
Second Tom B Night read and they keep getting better. No spoilers, this one keeps you guessing and has a captivating twisty and turny journey, a style Night is becoming known for.
I’ll be going to the next signing to personally thank him for this one.
I’ll be going to the next signing to personally thank him for this one.
August 19, 2025
I LOVED this book! On top of the story and writing being phenomenal, I felt like I learned so much about sperm whales and space. It was fascinating. I couldn’t put it down.
October 7, 2025
It was ok for me not really what I read
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews