Xiphactinus

by Rich Shapero

Could embracing our darkest impulses be the ultimate path to authenticity?

Dun is a successful Silicon Valley venture capitalist whose meteoric rise in tech—against all odds—has brought him wealth and notoriety. He’s been ruthless in business and it’s paid off, but a powerful demon gnaws at his conscience, and a mounting cascade of litigation threatens both his livelihood and his life.

In this moment of crisis, a monstrous voice counsels him, interpreting with a strange mixture of affection and disdain the events that have led him here. Recalling their dark kinship from Dun’s early years through his dysfunctional childhood and career, this unlikely mentor urges him menacingly toward a stark awareness of his true nature, and the inner predatory resources he might summon to set himself free…

Shot through with black humor and page-turning suspense, Xiphactinus is a boldly unorthodox work of startling originality that reads as psychological thriller, scientific meditation, and poetic excavation of the human condition.

Genres: Fiction

305 pages, Hardcover

Published October 15, 2025

About the author

Rich Shapero’s novels dare readers with giant metaphors, magnificent obsessions and potent ideas. His casts of idealistic lovers, laboring miners, and rebellious artists all rate ideas as paramount, more important than life itself. They traverse wild landscapes and visionary realms, imagining gods who in turn imagine them. Like the seekers themselves, readers grapple with revealing truths about human potential. All of his titles—Dead but Not Ready, Xiphactinus, The Hornet's Spell, Hibiscus Mask, Beneath Caaqi's Wings, Dissolve, Island Fruit Remedy, Balcony of Fog, Rin, Tongue and Dorner, Arms from the Sea, The Hope We Seek, Too Far and Wild Animus—are available in hardcover and as ebooks. They also combine music, visual art, animation and video in the TooFar Media app. Shapero spins provocative stories for the eyes, ears, and imagination.

Reviews

[Nick Rodriguez · Rating 1 out of 5]

Stupid and boring

This was the LOOOOOOOONGEST 250 pages I've ever read...and I've read MJ Sewall!!
Dumb, boring plot, boring plot elements, boring back story, uninteresting EVERYTHING - all told to you -happily - from the third person perspective of a fossilized fish in the most boring way.
I'm going to spoil the ending so you don't have to read it. Ever. You'll thank me later.

The only interesting thing to happen in the book was when the main character boringly approaches his wayward business partner - who is suing him, by the way - and shoots him the heart and eye with an arrow.
Then the story ends. Like- WHAT??!!
The divorce is unresolved, the lawsuit on his business is unresolved, the death of his mother is unresolved, and Petra being an accomplice to murder and having an immediate "oh sh*t" moment immediately after it happens - ALL unresolved.

And the STUPID STUPID paragraph that ends the book "We are your nightmare", blah, blah, blah...
Dumbest way to end a book.
First of all who is this "we"? It's being told to you by ONE freaking fish, for crying out loud!

Then, if the incessant overuse of the word "ape" and "my boy" wasn't enough to make you want to throw this book into the closest fire, the inane story and plot certainly were.

Let me put it this way - if you're in a serious depression and thinking about offing yourself, read this book. It will certainly push you right over the edge.
If you're thinking about ripping out your eyeballs and need some inspiration, read this book.
OR....if you just want to know how bad a book can be, read this book.

Don't believe ANY glowing review of this book. I did.
That regret will last me a lifetime.

[Jes Womack]

Nope. I made it a few chapters in. I don’t dislike Shapero’s writing style, but the subject matter and plot were lost on me. Stocks and investments and yadda yadda. Way over my head. DNF.

[Paula Ackley · Rating 1 out of 5]

Xiphactinus. Didn't like it. Didn't get it. I should have stopped reading when I realized the main character was an extinct marine predator from the late Cretaceous period that was a mentor, counselor and the voice in the head of a venture capitalist. For years this man has heard, listened and been guided by the fierce and giant creature. Uh,no. Not for me. I really should have stopped reading.

For those of you who found dark humor, satire and metaphors and thought the book was thrilling, suspenseful and thought provoking, well, good for you. I didn't. That is why reviews go from 1* to 5*. Truthfully, I gave Mr. Shapero's book 1* because I can't find any no star reviews. There must be some out there.

I did like one thing. The short chapters always gave me a place to stop when I couldn't stand to read any more.

[Melissa Medvin · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I’m being honest, I occasionally wished for more structure or grounding, something to hold onto as the story shifted between reality and memory. But at the same time, it’s this instability that gives Xiphactinus its power.

Dun’s pull toward something clearly threatening is written in a way that’s intimate and a little unnerving. The parts of the book I struggled with are the parts I keep thinking about.

[Phil Schaeffer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shapero’s Xiphactinus takes the ancient fish, dug from the Chalk Hills of Kansas, and elevates it into a genuinely Miltonic presence. Xiphactinus is the tempter, the father, the mirror, the god. The book's central sermon is that survival is the only rule, that conscience is the last vestige of "simian scruple," and that the Interior Sea of Cretaceous Kansas is not gone but merely renamed.

[Teresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once upon a time when the land was covered, giant behemoths ruled the waters. The gods observed and interfered with mortal life at their leisure. Things were more black and white, with little to no grey areas.
XIPHACTINUS tells how long forgotten gods still dwell quietly among us, with us each day. For Dun, the time has finally come for him to remember.

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up. I wasn't sold on the first two chapters, but shortly after that I was quite hooked. This is definitely an interesting read and tough to put down. Thanks to the author and goodreads for the giveaway!

[Ann Arey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Won through a Goodreads giveaway, this metaphorically rich book offers an introspective look at attuning self-awareness. It provides a balanced analysis of how our internal perceptions impact behaviors and ripple outward onto others.

[Allison Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very interesting read! I loved reading the physical book along with the App so I could see pictures of all the creatures. The metaphors were done very well

[mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

do not like reminds me of poetry. cannot finish.

[Frank · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure I was able to fully grasp all the author's metaphors, but it is a relatively short read and the main plotline held my interest through to the end.

[Michele · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a DNF for me. Did not enjoy.

[Dani Hoey · Rating 1 out of 5]

Tried so hard to get into it but the patronizing second person narrative was just something I could not get past.

[Howard Thompson · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting if somewhat poorly written read. In the end its shortcomings far outweigh the highlights. Not much plot, it is mostly a character study driven by numerous metaphorical parallels and inner dialogues. Sadly, however, the characters in question are both deeply unappealing and uninteresting. But, memorable, so I suppose it was success in a way not every book is.