A Short Future History of Whales

by Jenny Williams, Avi Roque (Narrator), Eunice Wong (Narrator)

A mysterious noise emanating from the ocean depths—nicknamed “the Song”—triggers a global marine the end of sea life as we know it. In a marine acoustics lab, a pregnant single mother-to-be tries to decipher the riddle while holding on to hope for the world her child will be born into.

Meanwhile, a US Navy officer troubleshoots an obscure bug in a sophisticated submarine AI system with secrets of its own.

Audible Audio

Published November 4, 2025

Reviews

[Luísa Andrade · Rating 4 out of 5]

"A Short Future History of Whales" parte de um futuro próximo para pensar o que fazemos com aquilo que herdamos. Williams constrói uma protagonista lúcida, atravessada por um dilema que é ao mesmo tempo ecológico e íntimo: decidir que tipo de futuro merece ser continuado. O livro acerta no tom especulativo contido, mais interessado em consequências do que em espetáculos, e encontra força nas tensões éticas que se acumulam em silêncio. Fiquei querendo mais — mais tempo com essas perguntas, mais espaço para esse mundo.

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

*2.5 stars

This book had a lot of potential, but ultimately just felt unsatisfactory even when they figured out what caused The Song. There were also lots of questions left unanswered. Cute short novella, but would have done better as a longer book with the ideas fleshed out more.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short wee thriller with a hopeful end

[McKenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super interesting concept. Made me want more than just a quick Novella!

[Kathryn M · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was poignant, engrossing, and terribly sad. My only complaint is that it was too short, so the writer didn't have space to fully flesh out some of the ideas.