The Idiot Gods

Xanayan #1

by David Zindell

Quite simply the best book about a whale since Moby Dick.

The Idiot Gods is an epic tale told by an orca. David Zindell returns to the grand themes of Neverness in this uniquely moving book.

An epic tale of a quest for a new way of life on earth, told by an orca.

When Arjuna of the Blue Aria Family encounters three signs of cataclysm, he leaves his home in the Arctic Ocean to seek out the Idiot Gods and ask us why we are destroying the world. But the whales’ ancient Song of Life is beyond our understanding, and we know nothing of the Great Covenant between our kinds. Arjuna is captured, starved, tortured and made to do tricks in a tiny pool at Sea Circus.

His love for a human linguist gives him hope, even as he despairs that other people twist his words and continue the worldwide slaughter. As the whales' beloved Ocean turns toward the Blood Solstice the fate of humanity hangs in the balance: for if Arjuna gains the Voice of Death he could destroy mankind. But if understanding can prevail, he may, through the whales’ mysterious power of quenging, create a new Song of Life and enable human evolution to unfold.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Science Fiction, Animals, Science Fiction Fantasy

480 pages, Paperback

First published July 12, 2017

About the author

Biography at Wikipedia.

Reviews

[Kalin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a thing for dolphins. I've had it since I read Brin's Startide Rising, or maybe even earlier, when my parents took me to the Dolphinarium in Varna. I've wondered whether dolphins may be smarter than us humans. I've known that they're kinder. I've yearned to find a way to talk with them. I've written stories where they take center stage.

And now, after The Idiot Gods, I have a thing for orcas. :)

Here come the highlights of my thing:

https://choveshkata.net/forum/viewtop...

Addendum from 28 November 2020: Happy birthday, David! May the quest for meaningful quests always guide you. :)

[Trish · Rating 2 out of 5]

From GR's blurp:
Quite simply the best book about a whale since Moby Dick.
FYI: That book wasn't about a whale which goes to show what the writer of the blurp knows ... and which, strangely, sets the tone for this entire novel. Slight rant ahead.

Ok, so I know by now (after googling Zindell) that the author is all about "spiritual understanding". The problem with that? It's horseshit. *clears throat* Sorry, but it is. Pseudo-intellectual stuff meant to make you understand the world. Here's the thing: it's not rocket science! Humans can do beautiful things and they can do terrible things. Ironically, so can orcas.

The largest dolphin on this planet is incredibly smart and can be heartwarmingly kind - but they also have sadistic hunting techniques where they unnecessarily toy with their prey for hours. Just like bottlenose dolphins sometimes help swimmers when sharks are around and almost always brutally rape their fellow males (younger, weaker ones) if they don't get females.

What I'm trying to say is that no species is just one thing.
Though animals, in general, are definitely not quite as bad as humans. Maybe how close they get to being as bad as humans (see the two aforementioned examples) depends on the same form of intellect (no, not the same "level" as many call it because I will never believe that there are "dumb animals").
This author, however, tried to paint the old picture of everything human = absolutely bad vs everything animals = absolutely rainbows-and-unicorns.

Don't get me wrong, the book's premise was fantastic: the world seen through the eyes of an orca, the orca trying to help humans become better despite what was done to him.
Arjuna, the orca, is captured for "Sea Circus" (we all know what that stands for) when eagerly making "first contact" with homo sapiens. Eventually, after lots of torture, some humans help him escape and he learns several human languages as well as a lot of literature (though most of the presented reading material was also pompous if you ask me because those authors didn't have the answers to life, the universe and everything either).
And many examinations, or questions, were indeed interesting. However, the author has a propensity for babbling and continuing on and on and on when he's already made his point.
At first I did like that he shows good humans along with the bad ones and I certainly loved Arjuna taking on that Christian fundamentalist asshole, but that whole trip around the ocean to go from hatred to attempting to save us humans? It could and should have been much shorter if you ask me.

On top of this having been a densely philosophical book (not in a good way), the author was also trying to use actual science, probably in an attempt to make this book look nerdy. However, he's doing it in a forced way, which then made me roll my eyes even more.

The observations in this book are nothing new: pollution of nature, torture of animals for humans' amusement etc. I agree that those are the worst sides of humans (together with one or two other things). The "why" behind it all might also be a great way to start a conversation and/or introduce some ideas about how to be better in the future. But like I said: the author clubbed the conversation to death, then stomped on it before setting it on fire and then pissing on it to put out the flames. *sighs*

So now we're coming to the core problem I had with this book and indeed its author: he's heavily promoting the idea that saving someone, whether human or animal, is merely exerting power over them and therefore demeaning. *bangs head against the wall*
Moreover, the entire book screams of the author's hatred for himself and especially his species (or he took the wrong kind of drugs and got too immersed in his characters' POVs) as if we were only capable of hatred, murder and destruction (oh, the irony).
Until Arjuna eventually wants to help us change - which would also be demeaning (and maybe even impossible) by the author's logic, but he seemed to have forgotten that by that point. *doh*

Some call this author "beautifully poetic" - I don't see it. Instead, his writing comes off as pretentious and while his personal convictions shouldn't be any of my business, he made them my business by drowning me in a flood of hate that almost turned to self-pity. Meh. Me no likey.

So yeah, it wasn't the worst thing ever due to some of the presented musings about a couple of linguistic aspects but it was infuriatingly arduous.

[Bradley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even though I had read a number of Zindell’s books before this one, I grabbed this particular book because I am a big fan of the author (Requeim for Homo Sapiens happens to be one of my favorite series of all time) and this particular book’s premise seemed like it could have been a delightful satire.

In actual fact, it wasn’t particularly funny or all that dark.

As readers we always need to go into these things with proper expectations. Or no expectations, perhaps.

I did like a few things about this. The ending, for one, was pretty cool, and I enjoyed a number of the scenes with Helen as she and Arjuna (the main character who happens to be an orca) got to know each other’s languages. A few of the observations about humanity felt a bit forced, however, and that’s where my enjoyment slowly spiralled into a bare minimum of enjoyment. It wasn’t bad, mind you, but whereas I kinda thought it might have gone the way of Olaf Stapleton’s Sirius: A Fantasy of Love and Discord with funny asides and wonderful skewers, the text here focused more on philosophy (not always a bad thing, mind you) and a rather monotone commentary on how stupid we are… a seas of assholes kind of thing.

Okay. I don’t even disagree with the premise, but I honestly rather hoped for more humor. The story turned out all right, and the book was pretty scientifically nerdy when it wasn’t getting religiously mystical, but it just didn’t push the right buttons for me.

I think all those traditional fiction books that have main characters be pets and horses and all kinds of animal kingdom POVs don’t really do it for me, either, so that might just mean that this book is a kind of “It’s not you, it’s me,” kind of situation.

Who knows?

Still, I’m glad I got to read it.

[Alexis · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book is written from the point of view of an orca whale, Arjuna. After some very negative experiences with humans, he feels he must try to understand why the humans behave as they do, and why they are destroying the earth (or, as the whales call it, Ocean).

Of course, the humans are almost completely alien to the orcas, and they know little about them. Arjuna must travel a long way and attempts many times to communicate with the humans he encounters. He feels it is his destiny to learn about the humans and speak to them to tell them to stop what they are doing, to prevent further killing and destruction. But how will he ever get these strange beings to listen to him, or even to understand him at all?

This is honestly one of the weirdest books I have ever read. I don't even know what to say about it. It is very sci-fi in that the author has created this imaginary world of the whales within our own; he imagines how they can speak to each other, how they feel about life, and a strange transcendence of space and time they perform through their songs - known in the book as "quenging". The author David Zindell is certainly a visionary, and the lives he imagines for these orcas seems almost possible it is so well thought out and detailed. This part of the book I really liked and it is extremely clever.

There are some very good points raised in terms of politics, philosophy and environmental concerns. I feel that this is the main theme of the book: the humans are destroying the world, and they seem to either be completely demented or completely stupid, otherwise why would they do the things they do? He makes a good point.

..."how about a multiple choice question, which your testers seem to like so much? When faced with climactic warming from all the gases you have spewed into the atmosphere, which will inexorably result in planetary heat death, you should:
1. Deny reality
2. Ask for a mathematical proof of something that can be proved with certainty only be extinction itself
3. Ascribe the "illusion" of a crisis to the nefarious motives of your enemies
4. Feel worried and do nothing
5. Fix the problem.

"I should think the answer is obvious" he said.

" Then why do all but a few of your kind fail to find the right answer?"

In fact, most of the book is a discussion on the human condition and also of language in general. Much of this I would agree with; some I would not. I'm sure anyone reading this book would strongly disagree with at least some of what is said; but then, the whales strongly disagree with most of what the humans think, say and do, so I think a difference of opinion is inevitable here. Nothing wrong with a bit of moral debate. A lot of these discussions make interesting points, and will definitely leave you with things to consider about all facets of life. Clearly the author has much to say about many controversial subjects, and I do think he should be applauded for laying it all out there in what is essentially a sci-fi novel about a talking whale.

What I did not enjoy about this book is that it is way too long. It is way. Too. Long. And because of that I struggled to get through it, even though much of it is interesting and written beautifully. It just drags. I feel like you could almost cut half of it out and not lose anything from the story or any of the points the author is making about modern culture and sociology.

And that's another thing I didn't much like about this. There is a plot, and it has a definite beginning, middle and end, and yeah it was okay. It made sense. But it was cut up and shrouded by all the politics. At many points the plot completely stalled whilst the characters just stood still to have these very long philosophical monologues. Which is okay, I guess, if you like that kind of thing. But I felt a little bit like the book was trying to be two things at the same time. It's described on the back as 'literary SF' and I completely agree with that label. It is very literary, and although it obviously must sit in the sci-fi genre I just struggle to put it there because it is so very serious and also quite squarely based on the real world, for the most part, with some imaginings thrown in to give some basis for the story. I felt like it was conflicted, and I was conflicted whilst reading it. I appreciated it in some ways so much, but I also just didn't get it.

This is a tough one to rate and critique because I do think it is a meaningful piece of writing and some of it is beautifully written and thought out, but I would never recommend it to anyone and I really did struggle to get through it. By the end I was just glad to get it finished, despite some parts of it being enjoyable.

[Warren Mayocchi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a fan of David Zindell's philosophical style which I first experienced in his early books of Neverness and the following The Requiem for Homo Sapiens trilogy. In his fiction there is much substance which I continue to think on today (twenty years later). So while The Idiot Gods is not as good, it is still a Zindell work in the style which affects me. So, it is therefore better than most, and earns a five star rating from me. It will not be a book for everyone, but it probably should be.

'It may be,' I said, 'that the humans have found a way, a way we never imagined, of using the false to reveal the true, much as their machines tear through the tissues of the earth in order to uncover diamonds and gold.' (p218)

The Idiot Gods is also a fiction which hopes to reveal the true. This fiction is not subtle in the truth it wishes us to see, those who already accept the science of what we have done/are doing to our planet will nod their heads and read on, others, I suspect, will be turned off quickly. It is in no way subtle:

'I see an entire species that lives off itself. Like sharks devouring each other, you eat each other's labor, money, time, sweat, tears, hopes, and dreams.' (p260)

There is of course a story driving the book forward, but the blood of the story is philosophy and what humanity is doing to the planet called Ocean. Well, it is "Ocean" for the sea born central characters. The story is a first-person account from an orca named Arjuna who embarks on a quest to understand and communicate with humans. The story is a journal of Arjuna's quest and what he ultimately must do with all he learns. Speaking generally, humanity is presented in this book as a destructive child taking pleasure in ruining their favourite toys and then being upset when the toy is broken. If this type of mirror on our behaviour is offensive to you, then this is probably not going to be a book you will enjoy or complete. However, with an open mind, the whale-human philosophical interactions and meditations are interesting and at times thought provoking.

It can be read as just an interesting story, but it certainly seems that David Zindell intends the whale's view of humans to be a mirror to help us change:

Anyone reading it - any woman or man of heart - would understand the terrible consequences of human selfishness and the essential depravity of the human race. And in doing so, they would be driven to find a better way for themselves and their world. (p223)

[Linda in Utopia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Story told from the view of an Orca. Well, I did not need to think twice about buying, because I simply love whales.
This book is pure fiction. But its also full of truth. Full of hate. And full of love.
But is this a Fairytale? Is it a philosophical book? Yes, its all of that and so much more.

We follow Arjuna, the protagonist Orca, on his journey through all the oceans. He is not like others of this kind, as he feels something inside him, an urge to learn, to understand the world aside from what he knows and has been taught by his family and ancestors.
So he leaves his tribe to speak to the humans. He wants to understand why they are destroying the world. Why are they dumping their plastic in the ocean? And why do they need to fish all the creatures out of the sea?
Arjuna has to endure terrible things. Not only is he caught and put in a Seaworld-like Tank, no it gets worse an worse. He looses his ability to simple be ... "whale", he fears he turns mad and will become a human himself.
But in all his suffering, me, the reader, is always on his side. I really do feel with him and I can sense that David Zindell's portrayel of whales is just so much more... evolved. They understand the world and nature as it is. And because of that, they are so much wiser than humans.
But Arjuna's journey does not end in a tank, there is some redemption also, as he finally finds humans who want to speak back to him, who want to understand his whale-sounds.
But this is just the beginning of our Orca's journey to find his true self again, to understand the whole ocean and to maybe save the world of mankind a little.

As I said, this book is really philosophical at times. Religion, politics, war and simply, what exactly drives us humans into doing things is a big part of the book. The whales have deep conversations about meaning, being and all the universe among themself.
They discuss human intelligence, the mostly question it all the time, that's why the call us "the idiot gods."
Finally, after much discussion, my family reached a consensus that humans were probably about as smart as an octopus, whose grasping tentacles the humans' hands somewhat resembled.

The philosophical parts can be hard to get through (at least for me, not native english, I had to look up some of the vocabulary....), but they are never boring.
This book is not a typical page-turner, but it develops a kind of maelstrom, that carries you deep under the ocean's surface, where you simply never want to return from.
There is so much emotion going on, so much truth about us humans the author tells through the thoughts of whales, I simply has to move you.

I also think this book is very relevant for our time. Yes, why are we treating the ocean like a dump? Why are we not changing things more quickly, because we obviously know that our actions are the source for all that's happening to the planet right now. And, even more important: Why are we still keeping Orcas and Dolphins in tiny tanks and train them to do fun tricks?
Goodreads certainly is not the place to start a discussion about Seawold or Plastic Waste, but this book can give you a new perspective. To start thinking. To not buy a ticket for any of these Sea-Circuses. And to start living more mindfully.

[Dawn Quixote · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book "written" by an orca?!? It shouldn't work but it does.

Who better to reflect the idiocy of man than Zindell's newest creation Arjuna. Not only is he a truly believable character but he leaves you pondering your purpose (both as an individual and a species).

The best parts of Arjuna's story follow him as he travels the waters of our shared planet Ocean (for we are presumptuous to call it Earth). Zindell paints such pictures with his words that you could be swimming alongside these magnificent creatures, listening as they sing their rhapsodies.

I was originally loath to read it as I feared it would be a somewhat silly story (I detest anthropomorphism) but it sucked me in and blew me away. I didn't want it to end but end it did, and well. Closed, yet open, complete but unfulfilled.

Zindell wrote my favourite book, Neverness, and the Idiot Gods is almost an updated version of this. Arjuna, like Mallory Ringess, discovers the beauty of mathematics and the poetry of life. They both explore the outer limits of their universes in an attempt to understand the complexities of man and, ultimately, god(s).

I loved this book, not quite as much as Neverness but enough to know that I will revisit it and recommend it to like-minded readers.

[Johan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Premise: Is the legacy of humanity the destruction of the earth, and must they be killed before they bring it about? That is the question Arjuna the orca must ask of himself and the Ocean world.

I get how some might find this book moralising, and I definitely get it's not for everyone, but I greatly enjoyed this philosophical sf. We get to follow Arjuna as he witnesses three signs of human destruction, and how he loses his ability to quenge (a sort of state of zen/love/essence of being). Then he gets captured by humans to be trained to do feats, but instead he starts to communicate with them, and learn about humanity.

For me this book is as much about language and communication as it is about a creature of higher intelligence bringing down the judgement on humanity (think Encounter at Farpoint). We delve deep into the dark side of civilization/humanity, but also get to see the beauty therein.

And then there's the whole discussion about intelligence in humans vs other creatures of the world. Very interesting.

Warmly recommended if you want to dig deeper into these issues. But there's also a really great epic story!

[Amelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunning story. A bit slow to progress but I enjoyed the meandering ponderings of this beautiful whale's mind. Highly reflective, it forces you to look abstractly and critically at the world and your own ethos. Really beautiful.

[Dev Null · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, this started out as an interesting take on the world seen through an orca's eyes. Which I quite enjoyed, even if it was a touch hero-worshippy, and painted orcas as not just intelligent, but wise philosopher-kings. And humans catch the orca and make it jump through hoops because they suck, and I'm all on board with hating those jerks. But then it got _really_ preachy, and started depicting the orcas as hyper-intelligent ultra-moralistic superbeings who could travel through time and space with the power of their minds and yet couldn't comprehend the most basic of human language concepts (but could, when it was convenient to condemn them some more and be superior, and then couldn't again, when it was convenient to condemn them instead for being incomprehensibly stupid.) Basically, the only thing that you could count on remaining consistent from one paragraph to the next is that all humans are bad. And somewhere in there I lost the passion to keep reading. I still wanted to finish it, just to see how the story ended, but I found myself easily distracted, until finally the library book was due and I hadn't finished it.

I still think this is an intriguing book, if by no means Zindell's best. Full of interesting thought-provoking ideas, even if they often didn't quite make sense in the story they were set in. (For instance, it is stated as fact - and somewhat exaggeratedly belabored - that orcas basically don't have and cannot comprehend the concept of abstract nouns. They always send a perfect picture of whichever orca (e.g.) that they're discussing in conversation. Which is a really interesting idea, and would make for an interesting story, if it weren't immediately contradicted by the very next sentence of the orca speculating about the nature of "orcas" and "humans" - two abstract nouns.)

I would happily have finished the book, given enough time. But I'm not that crushed that I didn't.

[Erik · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very beautiful tale. Though it took a couple tries to get into it (the language can be overly flowery and difficult to swallow before you get used to it), once I got over that initial bump I was entirely sucked into the story and finished it very quickly. It is told purely from the point of view of Arjuna the orca, and the pacing was perfect for me as he embarked on a classic hero's journey filled with gods and monsters alike. The book is highly philosophical and, in case it wasn't obvious from the get go, the author has a very clear message to send to his fellow humans through Arjuna's story. It was easy to get invested in Arjuna's character, and the various humans also compelled me, though the other orcas seemed to just serve as props for Arjuna's journey and were harder to enjoy as characters. You could follow Arjuna's feelings and logic very well, even when his perspective would be quite alien to us. There is one passage towards the end where I am tempted to write it out somewhere and save it, because somehow amidst the despair of a great part of the book, a few passages shone like gems and filled me with an endless hope for humanity that I needed a reminder of. Beautifully put, a lot of quoteable sentences. My biggest issue with the book is that there are a lot of facets of human experience that the author treats with a surprising naiveté and even is quite blaisé about. Sometimes this speaks to Arjuna's own naiveté which I could accept, but sometimes a perspective that is obviously quite uninformed is treated as objective fact and is casually tossed out. The biggest example that took me out of the story was when a shooter was described as having "narcissism, and various personality disorders", and this is treated as just the natural, factual reason for people to commit mass shootings. It was unnecessary and felt like tossing in a topic that requires a lot of depth, without then exploring it as much as it deserves (or at all). Some of the darker parts of humanity seemed to be placed in the book for shock value, and were not given the depth I expected them to be given. Asides from this, I was well immersed in this book the whole time, and thoroughly enjoyed my time reading it.

[Sammy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This started off promising enough, but it didn’t take long at all before all pretence at a story was thrown out the window and it just became an almost-500 page lecture on how horrible human beings are. Now, Zindell touched on some of this before in his magnificent Requiem for Homo sapiens, but that series ultimately left me with a feeling of hope. Less so The Idiot Gods. In fact, the relentless onslaught was actually more than a little depressing.

I’m not saying Zindell is wrong about some of the things he puts forward here, it’s just that I have a very strong aversion to being lectured at in my fiction. For that I’ll turn to non-fiction or the real world. If you’re gonna lecture me in what I expect to be a few hours of escapism from the real world, please do it subtly. Don’t come at me with a whopping great sledgehammer to make your point.

Of course the writing is excellent. I really didn’t expect anything else. And there are some parts of this I loved. Especially the opening section, before we went all “humans bad”.
I also loved the way fiction was described by the whales in the book ”The Humans have found a way […] of using the false to reveal the true”
Ironically, I do see that’s exactly what Zindell was trying to do with this book, but I just wish he hadn’t been so heavy-handed with it.

But don’t let any of the above put you off reading Zindell if you haven’t already. Just make sure to start with the Requiem for Homo sapiens series.
Just trust me on that.

[Ellie Gookey · Rating 1 out of 5]

Actually couldn’t finish reading it can’t lie I got
Bored 2 chapters in 🥲

[Danniiee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a new understanding of our ocean and those that live inside of it after reading this book.

Very well researched and storyline development was unique and beautiful. I was at times left almost in tears at some of the hardships our orca experienced at the hands of humans. I felt it's was authentic and didn't avoid the truth.

The only negative was I left some parts could have been condensced especially the ending.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

A scathing and honest look at the human species, and a philosophical ideal of how we could live better lives within the world, rather than against it. This book may come across as on-the-nose, but it bloody well deserves to; humans are pieces of shit and we are murdering the planet. We deserve the full force of the scorn this whale aims at us.
It's also pretty cool to get pretty much the archetypical hero's journey, as experienced by a whale.

[Durval Menezes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting book. Not outstanding as others from Zindell (like Neverness or the Requiem for Homo Sapiens trilogy), but a good one all the same; if Goodreads allowed for fractional rating, I would have given it 3.5 and not 4.

Anyway, for me the best test of how good a book is, is how long it lasts in my memory after reading it. I will return and update this review in 5 years to reflect that.

EDIT: so, 5 years have gone by and I'm back as promised. A surprisingly amount of this book has remained in my memory, more than I would have predicted 5 years ago -- I remember many details and the overall arch of the story. So, it must have been better than I judged it at first, and if Zindell ever writes a sequel, I will be sure to reread. My updated rating for this is how a full 4.0, no rounding necessary.

[Isobel · Rating 3 out of 5]

The concept of the novel is really interesting being narrated by an orca and his journey being told through his unique intelligence intertwined with his vast ignorance of the world around him. It is a different take on the usual 'save the world to save us' novel and genuinely makes you reconsider your own decision and your own place within the universe. It is well written and the characters are strongly developed allowing you to feel deeply as they feel throughout the novel. It is, however rather long. It is quite a slog to go through and then you are thrown off the narrative on a number of occasions by the use of unnecessary vocabulary. Still, if you have the time, it is still worth a read.

[Fiona Jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing story. Will Arjuna save the world, or make war with it? Philosophical and complex text, exercise for the mind :)

[Yasmin Foster · Rating 4 out of 5]

The (harper edition) cover tells you all you need to know. This is an environmental narrative. I would also say this is a science-fiction book rather than fantasy. I say this because like sci-fi greats, like Ray Bradbury, Zindell has used an unfamiliar setting (or in this case perspective) to display our very familiar problems, and perhaps dare to warn us what has (in the author’s mind) gone wrong and maybe provide us with some hope/answers/ideas/solutions.
The world building is amazing. Zindell has tried hard to try to portray how a whale might see the world.
This is a heavy book and, tonally and graphically, for a mature audience. Some of the philosophies (if that is the correct word) are fascinating to think about, and by making our protagonist an orca Zindell can get away with what is said a lot more than if our protagonist was human. If Arjuna was human I reckon he would very quickly become very unlikable to a lot of people. That’s not to say that he is some adorable ‘messiah’. His dialogue can get too preachy, and I can understand if people will be turned off by it and stop reading (though that is quite ironic given how ‘ostrich’ the whales think the humans are- touché Zindell.) At times Arjuna felt hypocritically arrogant in his judgement. But this seems to be all part of his character growth.
I just wish this book wasn’t so ham-fisted about its message because this would be a book I’d love to give to people or say “read this bit, what do you think of that? Do you agree or not?” Some very interesting discussions could come from this book. If the issue was handled with a bit more delicacy this book might have a wider audience appeal.

[Chris Hayes · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting book to say the least. It's not often you read a full novel from the viewpoint of an orca.

The book is basically divided up into 3 parts. The first third deals with the main character traveling with his family, and describing the life of a whale, leading up to the point where he first comes into contact with humans.

The second half deal with his interactions with various humans, and the consequences of this. This is where the book starts to drag, and where it gets super preachy. I won't lie; I almost quit at this part.

The third part deals with how the main character & what he wants to do to humans due to the consequences he suffered earlier. Unfortunately the beginning of the book gives away the end, so it didn't come as a complete surprise. Not a book I'm going to reread, but I'd definitely recommend people reading it at least once.

[Mark Groenen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finished ‘The Idiot Gods’ by David Zindell

This book tells the story of Arjuna, an orca who wishes to talk to the humans (or, as he calls them; the Idiot Gods). It’s a long and interesting journey through the oceans, and the perspective of an orca is written in a really interesting way. The book is also very philosophical (often referring to philosophers and theologists) and a reflection on what we as humans are and could be. It also brought back memories of the documentary ‘Blackfish’ (worth watching, by the way), which makes sense since Samantha Berg (who worked on the film) helped Zindell with his orca research.

A surprisingly deep (pun intended) book, and highly recommended!

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fiction that demonstrates the truth of what humans are doing to the natural world, but from a totally unique perspective which forces the reader to consider the thoughts, feelings, and actions of non-human beings. Told from the point of view of Arjuna, an orca once captured and made to preform at an aquarium, who learns to communicate with humans in an attempt to understand why they are destroying the world, to convince them to change their ways, and to live in harmony with other animals, this book is desperately sad, deeply philosophical, breathtaking, bewildering, and beautiful.

[Lauren Ostafijczuk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written.

David offers his readers a very unique insight into the lives of a very small group of Orca. His writing is poignant and thorought reading this book I was left with a lump in my throat.

This book might be a work of fiction but it holds a lot of truth, not over for our orca, but many of the creatures that live in our oceans.
A harrowing and thought provoking tale, but quite possibly one my favourite books to date.

[Mónica · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 stars

What a powerful book! I have never read anything like it. It portrays humanity for what it is, leaving no stone unturned. It is poetic. It is ruthless.
This is my first David Zindell and I was completely blown away! I loved the way he created his world and gave beauty to orcas.
Great book for those who want a reality check on the consequences of human action.

[Pat Morton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Requiem for Cetacean's, nothing new here really as the story is essentially the same as Danlo's in Requiem for homo sapiens but saying that I really enjoyed it ( probably earned an extra star solely on how much I liked his previous works). A thought provoking journey into yourself I would read it just to enjoy Zindell's use of language.

[Joel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fascinating and well-thought-through concept. Unfortunately, the tone got ever more preachy and self-righteous as the storyline developed.

I struggled to get through it after initially enjoying it.

[Sarah Dunsbee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clever and moving.
If only all those people who believe that they are superior to all other animals could read this and realise how we make them suffer and what we do to each other,and even our planet...

[Hayley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was struggling with this book about half way through but I wanted to get to end and it is worth it. It's a strange book, many people should read to realise what we are doing to the planet, more philosophical than I expected too

[Gunglord · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, SO delicious reading from a different creature’s perspective. Author really went all in with this. There are some parts that are hard to read because they quite graphically go into the worst that humans are capable of. But it is a compelling story that is worth the exploration.

[Stuart Hargreaves · Rating 4 out of 5]

I must admit I found this hard going but very moving. give it a go, I'm glad I did. I will now read more David Zindell's books.