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Songs of Thalassa (1)
On a mission to surf the monster waves of the ocean planet Thalassa, Sage encounters something she didn't expect--sentient life. As her quest for fame turns to one of survival and she must mobilize the clans of the cetacean-like Nesoi to stop the destruction of the planet she does the only thing that works--sing.
Songs of Thalassa is a beautiful out-of-this world adventure story that takes you on an aquatic, competitive, athletic and emotional journey through the lens of Sage, a young Hawaiian water woman as she explores the novel wildlife and geography of Thalassa guided by her Hawaiian elders and ancestors. Not only is it an unusual adventure of survival, but it's also a tale of natural beauty and personal discovery of a resilient young girl stranded far from Earth and forced to face her destiny.
The story creatively weaves the fields of ecology, geology, natural history, and astronomy into a fascinating tale that empowers female leaders and Earth caretakers to stand up and protect our home planet.
Songs of Thalassa is a beautiful out-of-this world adventure story that takes you on an aquatic, competitive, athletic and emotional journey through the lens of Sage, a young Hawaiian water woman as she explores the novel wildlife and geography of Thalassa guided by her Hawaiian elders and ancestors. Not only is it an unusual adventure of survival, but it's also a tale of natural beauty and personal discovery of a resilient young girl stranded far from Earth and forced to face her destiny.
The story creatively weaves the fields of ecology, geology, natural history, and astronomy into a fascinating tale that empowers female leaders and Earth caretakers to stand up and protect our home planet.
320 pages, Paperback
Published April 1, 2020
1 person is currently reading
32 people want to read
About the author
Brian N. Tissot
2 books17 followersDr. Brian Tissot is a marine ecologist, surfer, and science fiction author living on the wild edge of the Pacific NW. With one foot in the world of hard science and the other in the tides of imagination, he writes visionary stories that blend marine biology, indigenous wisdom, and speculative futures. A lifelong explorer of waves and oceans, Brian has led pioneering research on coral reefs, kelp forests, and the deep sea, publishing widely in scientific journals and appearing in films and popular media.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 20, 2020
A beautiful out-of-this world adventure story that takes you on an aquatic, competitive, athletic and emotional journey through the lens of Sage, a young Hawaiian water woman. Explore novel wildlife and geography of the planet Thalassa, and stories and lessons from Hawaiian elders and ancestors alike.
Admittedly, science-fiction is not a genre that I am particularly fond of, but I was pleasantly surprised and captivated by this book. The author, Dr. Brian Tissot, is a well-known fisheries ecologist that has spent many hundreds of hours underwater in Hawai‘i and California so I was curious about this undertaking (as I have long enjoyed his blog). His academic and scientific training offer an interesting perspective to his storytelling ability (that was no doubt also influenced by his decades of teaching the next generation of ocean stewards). In a rather Barbara Kingsolver-like fashion (with a new planetary twist) he creatively weaves the fields of ecology, geology, natural history and astronomy into this fascinating tale that empowers female leaders and Earth caretakers to stand up and protect our own home planet.
Admittedly, science-fiction is not a genre that I am particularly fond of, but I was pleasantly surprised and captivated by this book. The author, Dr. Brian Tissot, is a well-known fisheries ecologist that has spent many hundreds of hours underwater in Hawai‘i and California so I was curious about this undertaking (as I have long enjoyed his blog). His academic and scientific training offer an interesting perspective to his storytelling ability (that was no doubt also influenced by his decades of teaching the next generation of ocean stewards). In a rather Barbara Kingsolver-like fashion (with a new planetary twist) he creatively weaves the fields of ecology, geology, natural history and astronomy into this fascinating tale that empowers female leaders and Earth caretakers to stand up and protect our own home planet.
June 8, 2020
A good story with some good environmental messages and science. The author obviously did some research, and he also writes pretty well. This is not necessarily filled with lots of action, if that's what you're seeking. But it does have an interesting main character and setting(s). Pretty solid scifi; probably best for YA.
I really appreciate the review copy for an honest review!!
I really appreciate the review copy for an honest review!!
May 20, 2020
Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: Songs of Thalassa
Author: Brian N. Tissot
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 4/5
Diversity: Hawaiian main character, but not ownvoice
Publication Date: April 1, 2020
Genre: YA Sci-Fi
Recommended Age: 15+ (parental death, self-discovery, slight violence and gore)
Publisher: BookBaby
Pages: 320
Amazon Link
Synopsis: In a future where sporting competitions take place on distant planets, a Hawaiian surfer seeks to reclaim her fame and followers while defeating her nemesis once and for all.After a surfing accident claims her career and nearly takes her life, surfer Sage Thompson is at a crossroads. Still mourning her astronaut father's death on a mission to ocean planet Thalassa, a tragedy she might be able to put behind her with the help of her fans—if they still believed in her—she's not sure what to do, where to go, or how to move on. But when Milo challenges her to a contest on the ocean planet Thalassa, the asteroid- and tsunami-ravaged world that stole her father, she'll discover that she not only still has what it takes to win, but once she hears the songs of Thalassa, winning might not be the most important thing.Songs of Thalassa will appeal to fans of Island of the Blue Dolphins, The Martian, and Contact, and features a young woman on a journey of self-discovery struggling to develop a sense of place and connections between herself, her culture, and the universe on a virgin ocean planet.
Review: For the most part I enjoyed the book. I felt it was a well researched and intelligent book. The book is full of information about environmentalism and oceanography. The book is well written and the characters are well developed. I loved the world building as well and I loved how the author envisioned the future!
However, I did feel like the book was a bit too slow for me. The book was good, but very slow and I felt like it just dragged for about 40% of the novel.
Verdict: A great novel, highly recommend if you are looking for a book that touches on environmentalism.
Book: Songs of Thalassa
Author: Brian N. Tissot
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 4/5
Diversity: Hawaiian main character, but not ownvoice
Publication Date: April 1, 2020
Genre: YA Sci-Fi
Recommended Age: 15+ (parental death, self-discovery, slight violence and gore)
Publisher: BookBaby
Pages: 320
Amazon Link
Synopsis: In a future where sporting competitions take place on distant planets, a Hawaiian surfer seeks to reclaim her fame and followers while defeating her nemesis once and for all.After a surfing accident claims her career and nearly takes her life, surfer Sage Thompson is at a crossroads. Still mourning her astronaut father's death on a mission to ocean planet Thalassa, a tragedy she might be able to put behind her with the help of her fans—if they still believed in her—she's not sure what to do, where to go, or how to move on. But when Milo challenges her to a contest on the ocean planet Thalassa, the asteroid- and tsunami-ravaged world that stole her father, she'll discover that she not only still has what it takes to win, but once she hears the songs of Thalassa, winning might not be the most important thing.Songs of Thalassa will appeal to fans of Island of the Blue Dolphins, The Martian, and Contact, and features a young woman on a journey of self-discovery struggling to develop a sense of place and connections between herself, her culture, and the universe on a virgin ocean planet.
Review: For the most part I enjoyed the book. I felt it was a well researched and intelligent book. The book is full of information about environmentalism and oceanography. The book is well written and the characters are well developed. I loved the world building as well and I loved how the author envisioned the future!
However, I did feel like the book was a bit too slow for me. The book was good, but very slow and I felt like it just dragged for about 40% of the novel.
Verdict: A great novel, highly recommend if you are looking for a book that touches on environmentalism.
May 10, 2020
Disclaimer: I was able to read this book thanks to NetGalley.
I did not like this book. But I think that's primarily because I'm not the intended audience for the book. Having majored in environmental biology, I think that the environmentalism in this book was very simplistic and superficial. However, it remains a well-researched book (although the way the scientific facts are disseminated could have been improved on).
At its core, though, it's still a book that strives to highlight the beauty and majesty of nature and how we must protect it. And that matters the most to me.
One pet peeve I have to point out is that there was no real reason to have the main character be Hawaiian. Before the pitchforks come out, I say this because the author himself is not Hawaiian. He's very upfront about this, and I don't doubt that he did his best to do justice to the culture. But it still sits very wrongly with me, to read about ohana and pono and other terms I probably cannot begin to fully wrap my head around, knowing that the author is a cis white male.
Nevertheless, you can go into this book knowing that there will be accurate stuff about oceanography and surfing. The latter, of course, I had no interest in, which might have skewed my opinion.
I did not like this book. But I think that's primarily because I'm not the intended audience for the book. Having majored in environmental biology, I think that the environmentalism in this book was very simplistic and superficial. However, it remains a well-researched book (although the way the scientific facts are disseminated could have been improved on).
At its core, though, it's still a book that strives to highlight the beauty and majesty of nature and how we must protect it. And that matters the most to me.
One pet peeve I have to point out is that there was no real reason to have the main character be Hawaiian. Before the pitchforks come out, I say this because the author himself is not Hawaiian. He's very upfront about this, and I don't doubt that he did his best to do justice to the culture. But it still sits very wrongly with me, to read about ohana and pono and other terms I probably cannot begin to fully wrap my head around, knowing that the author is a cis white male.
Nevertheless, you can go into this book knowing that there will be accurate stuff about oceanography and surfing. The latter, of course, I had no interest in, which might have skewed my opinion.
April 18, 2022
What I Did Like:
-Science. I’ve said before that I ADORE when science is kept in science fiction. This one takes place on a planet that doesn’t exist, but the author went to great lengths to make sure it’s not only believable, but possible! The development of the planet uses the science behind oceans and animals in a fascinating way.
-Big themes. The lesson in this book relates to how we treat our planet and it’s very well done.
-Accurate descriptions of surfing. I’m not a surfer, but the descriptive language made it easy to picture and enjoy.
Who Should Read This One:
-If you’re passionate about saving the ocean and the animals in it, you’ll love the big themes in this book.
My Rating: 3 Stars
For Full Review: https://tabathashipleybooks.com/2022/...
-Science. I’ve said before that I ADORE when science is kept in science fiction. This one takes place on a planet that doesn’t exist, but the author went to great lengths to make sure it’s not only believable, but possible! The development of the planet uses the science behind oceans and animals in a fascinating way.
-Big themes. The lesson in this book relates to how we treat our planet and it’s very well done.
-Accurate descriptions of surfing. I’m not a surfer, but the descriptive language made it easy to picture and enjoy.
Who Should Read This One:
-If you’re passionate about saving the ocean and the animals in it, you’ll love the big themes in this book.
My Rating: 3 Stars
For Full Review: https://tabathashipleybooks.com/2022/...
April 12, 2024
There is a strong message and a lot of love in this work. It's sentimental and sweet. I am just not the audience for it although I agree with the author's intent. I believe young people will relate strongly and love it.
July 31, 2025
Rating: 3.5
My feelings about this book are so jumbled; I really liked the distinctive concept of the story, I loved exploring Thalassa so much, & was obsessed with what protagonist Sage found there, but some parts of the book could definitely have been written better which obviously impacted my enjoyment of the book. Overall, I did enjoy the story but there were a few moments when I nearly abandoned it before finishing - I'm really pleased I didn't DNF though because the ending was incredibly moving & moved my rating up by 0.5 stars. I would recommend the story though because it is different & exploring Thalassa helps you to forget the badly written bits.
⚠️ Drowning, death, earthquakes, tsunamis, global warming effects, animal attacks on humans, hunting/killing animals & gun use in one scene ⚠️
I was sent a copy of this book by a publicity company in return for an honest review.
My feelings about this book are so jumbled; I really liked the distinctive concept of the story, I loved exploring Thalassa so much, & was obsessed with what protagonist Sage found there, but some parts of the book could definitely have been written better which obviously impacted my enjoyment of the book. Overall, I did enjoy the story but there were a few moments when I nearly abandoned it before finishing - I'm really pleased I didn't DNF though because the ending was incredibly moving & moved my rating up by 0.5 stars. I would recommend the story though because it is different & exploring Thalassa helps you to forget the badly written bits.
"Such arrogance! We humans think this planet is ours. That we're the chosen ones, but how wrong we are! What promise we had! What great things we could have done! But no. Instead, we use our tools to maim & kill & hoard because we never learned the most important lessons of our connections to the Earth: empathy & compassion for all living things." p.250-251
⚠️ Drowning, death, earthquakes, tsunamis, global warming effects, animal attacks on humans, hunting/killing animals & gun use in one scene ⚠️
I was sent a copy of this book by a publicity company in return for an honest review.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews