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Humanx Commonwealth #8
Cachalot
Cachalot - landless ocean planet, long ago reserved by man as a refuge for the great sea-creatures they had hunted near to extinction. Scattered humans lived peacefully in floating townships, until one day something rose from the deep destroying all in its path.
219 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1980
127 people are currently reading
669 people want to read
About the author
Alan Dean Foster
498 books2,031 followersBestselling science fiction writer Alan Dean Foster was born in New York City in 1946, but raised mainly in California. He received a B.A. in Political Science from UCLA in 1968, and a M.F.A. in 1969. Foster lives in Arizona with his wife, but he enjoys traveling because it gives him opportunities to meet new people and explore new places and cultures. This interest is carried over to his writing, but with a twist: the new places encountered in his books are likely to be on another planet, and the people may belong to an alien race.
Foster began his career as an author when a letter he sent to Arkham Collection was purchased by the editor and published in the magazine in 1968. His first novel, The Tar-Aiym Krang, introduced the Humanx Commonwealth, a galactic alliance between humans and an insectlike race called Thranx. Several other novels, including the Icerigger trilogy, are also set in the world of the Commonwealth. The Tar-Aiym Krang also marked the first appearance of Flinx, a young man with paranormal abilities, who reappears in other books, including Orphan Star, For Love of Mother-Not, and Flinx in Flux.
Foster has also written The Damned series and the Spellsinger series, which includes The Hour of the Gate, The Moment of the Magician, The Paths of the Perambulator, and Son of Spellsinger, among others. Other books include novelizations of science fiction movies and television shows such as Star Trek, The Black Hole, Starman, Star Wars, and the Alien movies. Splinter of the Mind's Eye, a bestselling novel based on the Star Wars movies, received the Galaxy Award in 1979. The book Cyber Way won the Southwest Book Award for Fiction in 1990. His novel Our Lady of the Machine won him the UPC Award (Spain) in 1993. He also won the Ignotus Award (Spain) in 1994 and the Stannik Award (Russia) in 2000.
Foster began his career as an author when a letter he sent to Arkham Collection was purchased by the editor and published in the magazine in 1968. His first novel, The Tar-Aiym Krang, introduced the Humanx Commonwealth, a galactic alliance between humans and an insectlike race called Thranx. Several other novels, including the Icerigger trilogy, are also set in the world of the Commonwealth. The Tar-Aiym Krang also marked the first appearance of Flinx, a young man with paranormal abilities, who reappears in other books, including Orphan Star, For Love of Mother-Not, and Flinx in Flux.
Foster has also written The Damned series and the Spellsinger series, which includes The Hour of the Gate, The Moment of the Magician, The Paths of the Perambulator, and Son of Spellsinger, among others. Other books include novelizations of science fiction movies and television shows such as Star Trek, The Black Hole, Starman, Star Wars, and the Alien movies. Splinter of the Mind's Eye, a bestselling novel based on the Star Wars movies, received the Galaxy Award in 1979. The book Cyber Way won the Southwest Book Award for Fiction in 1990. His novel Our Lady of the Machine won him the UPC Award (Spain) in 1993. He also won the Ignotus Award (Spain) in 1994 and the Stannik Award (Russia) in 2000.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews
May 22, 2016
So here I am, finally: I've finished the entire Humanx Commonwealth series... all TWENTY EIGHT books of it! Looking back at my 'read' list, it has taken me just nine days short of a year (although I've read a lot of other stuff in that year too).
What a wild ride! For those of you who don't know, this series chronicles humanity's first contact with an extra-terrestrial species, the arthropoidal Thranx, and how the two species come together to form a joint galaxy-wide commonwealth, which then begins to add other species from other worlds to its ranks. It's a pretty utopian vision of the future but it's not without its bumps in the road and that's where the adventures begin!
Anyway, this final book in the series (going by in-series chronology, not publication order) is a little gem. Set on the titular world, Cachalot is a planet that is 99% ocean. The only land consists of tiny islands made up of the native equivalent of coral (I'm not going into why it differs from Earth coral).
Many thousands of years ago (in book time), Earth scientists developed a formula to increase the intelligence of Earth's cetacean population. By this point, the poor creatures had been hunted to near extinction (I wish this was more far-fetched to be honest) and when given true sentience, the first thing the collective whale population did was demand that humanity find them a world of their own, away from the species that hunted them for so many centuries. To their credit, humanity transported all Earth's cetaceans across the vastness of space and allowed them to establish themselves on Cachalot.
The whales thrived on Cachalot, growing in intellect and size, unchecked by any major predators. Everything was well... until humanity decided to establish floating towns on Cachalot themselves, to exploit Cachalot's natural resources. Thankfully, thousands of years in the future, and with our worst traits moderated by the peace-loving Thranx, humanity is not the despoiler it is today. Their work on Cachalot is sustainable and respectful of both the indigenous life and the well-established cetacean population.
So why are human floating towns being destroyed? Why, when thousands of human lives have been lost, hasn't a single corpse been found? Well, that's what our small team of marine biologist protagonists have been sent to find out and their mission is a great read for adventure lovers.
I'm sad to be leaving this series behind but at least it goes out on a real cracker of an adventure story. I can only hope humanity's actual future could be as bright as the future Alan Dean Foster has envisioned in this series...
What a wild ride! For those of you who don't know, this series chronicles humanity's first contact with an extra-terrestrial species, the arthropoidal Thranx, and how the two species come together to form a joint galaxy-wide commonwealth, which then begins to add other species from other worlds to its ranks. It's a pretty utopian vision of the future but it's not without its bumps in the road and that's where the adventures begin!
Anyway, this final book in the series (going by in-series chronology, not publication order) is a little gem. Set on the titular world, Cachalot is a planet that is 99% ocean. The only land consists of tiny islands made up of the native equivalent of coral (I'm not going into why it differs from Earth coral).
Many thousands of years ago (in book time), Earth scientists developed a formula to increase the intelligence of Earth's cetacean population. By this point, the poor creatures had been hunted to near extinction (I wish this was more far-fetched to be honest) and when given true sentience, the first thing the collective whale population did was demand that humanity find them a world of their own, away from the species that hunted them for so many centuries. To their credit, humanity transported all Earth's cetaceans across the vastness of space and allowed them to establish themselves on Cachalot.
The whales thrived on Cachalot, growing in intellect and size, unchecked by any major predators. Everything was well... until humanity decided to establish floating towns on Cachalot themselves, to exploit Cachalot's natural resources. Thankfully, thousands of years in the future, and with our worst traits moderated by the peace-loving Thranx, humanity is not the despoiler it is today. Their work on Cachalot is sustainable and respectful of both the indigenous life and the well-established cetacean population.
So why are human floating towns being destroyed? Why, when thousands of human lives have been lost, hasn't a single corpse been found? Well, that's what our small team of marine biologist protagonists have been sent to find out and their mission is a great read for adventure lovers.
I'm sad to be leaving this series behind but at least it goes out on a real cracker of an adventure story. I can only hope humanity's actual future could be as bright as the future Alan Dean Foster has envisioned in this series...
August 3, 2021
Cachalot is one of Foster's better Humanx Commonwealth novels, though it isn't really too heavily linked to any of the other stories, so it's a good stand alone. Cachalot (which always resounded in my head to the music of Frederick Loewe, go figure...) is an aqueous world which has become a home and refuge for Earth's cetaceans, after millennia of terror and slaughter. Some of them still interact with other Commonwealth races, but humans are confined to floating island bases. There's a mystery plot, but the real point of the novel is the ecological and exploratory development of the planet, and the theme of the races learning to work together and trust each other. It's one of those sense-of-wonder books where the setting dwarfs the protagonists and becomes the major character. It's good, thought-provoking science fiction.
January 3, 2019
As a teenager I read a ton of Alan Dean Foster. Almost all of the Humanx books and then some. Pip and Flinx stayed in my memory, the Icerigger books, a book that I can‘t remember the title of and can‘t find and this... I have an obsession with books set underwater anyway. So, a few decades later I decided to read some of them again, to see if I still like them.
Well, I just finished this. I realized two things—I remembered almost nothing of this book and what I thought I remembered didn‘t happen. So either I made it up or I was thinking of (yet) another book. Sigh.
So, how was it? Well, the language felt a little dated. But the book is almost 40 years old, so that is ok. The daughter was hugely annoying, her musical instrument was pretty interesting, sadly not really explored and pretty obviously a tool. The outcome felt morally pretty suspect and... oh well, it was ok.
Well, I just finished this. I realized two things—I remembered almost nothing of this book and what I thought I remembered didn‘t happen. So either I made it up or I was thinking of (yet) another book. Sigh.
So, how was it? Well, the language felt a little dated. But the book is almost 40 years old, so that is ok. The daughter was hugely annoying, her musical instrument was pretty interesting, sadly not really explored and pretty obviously a tool. The outcome felt morally pretty suspect and... oh well, it was ok.
November 10, 2019
Impulse grab from the depths of the university library. I didn't realize it's part of a series, but that didn't actually matter; I may or may not read other Humanx stories. This does have Sense of Wonder and a bit of What If, but MisterFweem, in his review, sums up my mostly underwhelmed feelings: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
It does get points for being from the PoV of a woman who is a real person, not just a female. Even more impressive is that she happens to be Black, as in, her skin is compared to obsidian... but in this future universe color/ race doesn't matter, except for aesthetics and some clues about traces of ancient heritage.
It does get points for being from the PoV of a woman who is a real person, not just a female. Even more impressive is that she happens to be Black, as in, her skin is compared to obsidian... but in this future universe color/ race doesn't matter, except for aesthetics and some clues about traces of ancient heritage.
July 10, 2018
WHALES IN SPACEEEE...........
Irresistibly cool, right? Well, not quite. ADF creates his typically glib planetary adventure and McGuffin with - yes, you've got it - cetaceans. We all love cetaceans, right? But the truth is that this book is littered with missed opportunities for exploration of what sentient cetaceans might be like. Instead, we get, well, stereotypes of cetaceans. If that is possible. Is that possible? Well, the cetaceans seemed like caricatures rather than novel sentient species. I came away without having had my brain stretched in any way, nor feeling that cetaceans had been, either. There is an unexpected plot twist, but my mind remained unblown. And so, like so many ADF books, I felt like it was a mildly entertaining vacation to another world, but one more sketched than lovingly painted. Like so many of his books, this one fell short of his peak, the more creative and immersive Midworld. Huh, maybe that's my bias.
And here's the thing about ADF: I want to love his writing. I have a PhD in Bioscience and have my own research lab. His enthusiasm for biology in SF should be irresistible, but it is not. He's clearly exceptionally creative. But I suspect that the potential impact of his books are lessened by their mass production: the man cranked out books. For the most part, the characters were never very deep, the dialog not too stimulating, the aliens not particularly convincing, and the plots surprising but not riveting. Hey, he was economically successful, so who am I to judge? But so often I give these an entertaining-but-forgettable three stars. And with a few exceptions, that's where we stay.
If you want whales in space, go with Startide Rising by David Brin. OK, it is dolphins not whales. With a bit of orca. But at least he explores what it would be to be a sentient cetacean, and how different those cultures could potentially be from us, even with our shared Terran heritage.
Irresistibly cool, right? Well, not quite. ADF creates his typically glib planetary adventure and McGuffin with - yes, you've got it - cetaceans. We all love cetaceans, right? But the truth is that this book is littered with missed opportunities for exploration of what sentient cetaceans might be like. Instead, we get, well, stereotypes of cetaceans. If that is possible. Is that possible? Well, the cetaceans seemed like caricatures rather than novel sentient species. I came away without having had my brain stretched in any way, nor feeling that cetaceans had been, either. There is an unexpected plot twist, but my mind remained unblown. And so, like so many ADF books, I felt like it was a mildly entertaining vacation to another world, but one more sketched than lovingly painted. Like so many of his books, this one fell short of his peak, the more creative and immersive Midworld. Huh, maybe that's my bias.
And here's the thing about ADF: I want to love his writing. I have a PhD in Bioscience and have my own research lab. His enthusiasm for biology in SF should be irresistible, but it is not. He's clearly exceptionally creative. But I suspect that the potential impact of his books are lessened by their mass production: the man cranked out books. For the most part, the characters were never very deep, the dialog not too stimulating, the aliens not particularly convincing, and the plots surprising but not riveting. Hey, he was economically successful, so who am I to judge? But so often I give these an entertaining-but-forgettable three stars. And with a few exceptions, that's where we stay.
If you want whales in space, go with Startide Rising by David Brin. OK, it is dolphins not whales. With a bit of orca. But at least he explores what it would be to be a sentient cetacean, and how different those cultures could potentially be from us, even with our shared Terran heritage.
December 11, 2010
I love this book. Alan Dean Foster, (perhaps because of his film degree??) writes such vividly colorful, easily visualized places and people. This is one of the most beautiful planets in his SF universe. It is a world of all water, all ocean. It was given over to the remaining whales and dolphins of Earth, in an attempt at recompense for their near extinction. Shortly before they were all gone, it was discovered that they had all been more or less sentient all along, which made this near-genocide. So collectively the cetaceans, formerly of Earth, own this planet that they were transported to, it is entirely theirs, and humans who live and work there do so on artificially built "islands" and on sufferance. The sperm whales and orcas, interestingly, are the only equivalent intelligences to humanity - the dolphins are less and the baleen whales are like great oxen with a little language. The clever plot is at bottom a murder mystery - something is destroying the artificial islands and all inhabitants and contents thereof, so a famous marine biologist who has never been to the planet before is brought in to help solve this. She brings her very talented musician daughter as her assistant, because she has trained in biology under protest due to being still under her charismatic mother's thumb as an adult. On the planet they begin investigation, aided by two men, one a local cop that likes the mother, one rather mysterious individual who prefers the daughter. Every angle is explored until they finally find the thing that does not fit - and barely do they survive it!! The showdown climax is awesome and after it is a final epilogue that totally surprised me the first time I read it and that I am beyond thrilled by. It makes me smile!
March 25, 2013
I had a hard time caring about this book. The people were mediocre and one-dimensional, yet the premise itself had potential -- it just didn't go anywhere all that exciting. The talking animals (cetacean) were a bit cliche ridden but did at least have enough quirky mannerisms to make their side of things somewhat more interesting than the humans.
Presenting the ocean world of Cachalot is how Foster shines in this book. It really seems like a lovely place, so there was some enjoyment solely in escapism.
Presenting the ocean world of Cachalot is how Foster shines in this book. It really seems like a lovely place, so there was some enjoyment solely in escapism.
May 18, 2020
This book was so entertaining I read it in a single day! This is a classic science fiction story from 1980 and it's part of the Commonwealth series. It's a standalone story so it's ok if you never read any of the others. It takes place on a water world called Cachalot. Here a few small groups of humans live on man-made rafts, rafts that hold small towns. Then one day disaster strikes! Something destroys a town and then three more get destroyed too. But what did it? A few scientists are sent to investigate.
The humans are not the only ones living on Cachalot. The Cetacea live there too. The planet was originally given to them as a sort of apology for what we did to their ancestors. In case you didn't know, the Cetacea are dolphins, whales, porpoises, etc.
One of the best things I liked about this book was the communication between the humans and the Cetacea. First we meet two orcas named Latehoht and Wenkoseemansa. They are great characters, serious yet fun loving too. Then later we meet another Cetacean who is very different than the orcas: Lumpjaw the sperm whale. He's very dour and serious. I think a lot of thought has been out into their characters plus the society they have formed.
The story is a lot more complex than one would think. At first I thought it would just be a creature story, the typical "sea monster destroying human habitats" but it goes way beyond that in the best possible way. It looks at how sea creatures can form their own society and what that society would be like. And how we as humans can get along with them peacefully. What would be the weak spots of such a society? How could someone exploit it?
This book is also a mystery and an adventure story as well. For the human scientists have to go search for the thing that is destroying the towns and it's not easy. And even once they find out who, they need to find out why. And what to do about it! None of it is easy. And it puts the long standing peace at risk. And the last thing anyone wants is war.
A great sci-fi tale!
The humans are not the only ones living on Cachalot. The Cetacea live there too. The planet was originally given to them as a sort of apology for what we did to their ancestors. In case you didn't know, the Cetacea are dolphins, whales, porpoises, etc.
One of the best things I liked about this book was the communication between the humans and the Cetacea. First we meet two orcas named Latehoht and Wenkoseemansa. They are great characters, serious yet fun loving too. Then later we meet another Cetacean who is very different than the orcas: Lumpjaw the sperm whale. He's very dour and serious. I think a lot of thought has been out into their characters plus the society they have formed.
The story is a lot more complex than one would think. At first I thought it would just be a creature story, the typical "sea monster destroying human habitats" but it goes way beyond that in the best possible way. It looks at how sea creatures can form their own society and what that society would be like. And how we as humans can get along with them peacefully. What would be the weak spots of such a society? How could someone exploit it?
This book is also a mystery and an adventure story as well. For the human scientists have to go search for the thing that is destroying the towns and it's not easy. And even once they find out who, they need to find out why. And what to do about it! None of it is easy. And it puts the long standing peace at risk. And the last thing anyone wants is war.
A great sci-fi tale!
October 13, 2025
Mostly kept my interest, different world for sure.
January 26, 2011
This is easily one of my favorite books! I have read it three or four times now and I enjoy it each and every time. If I had to create a top five books list this would definitely be in it. This is Foster at his best, creating worlds and describing them with detail and empathy allowing the reader to feel that they are actually there and can "see" what the author is describing with ease. My meager words cannot do it justice. Great mystery story on a beautifully visualized world with interesting and believable characters. I will probably re-read this one more time now that it is stuck in my head yet again.
April 22, 2025
Cachalot by Alan Dean Foster features an ocean planet sanctuary for cetaceans after humans nearly drove them to extinction. When floating human settlements mysteriously disappear, xenologist Pip Ryder investigates, uncovering the complex intelligence of the planet's marine inhabitants.
Foster delivers a fascinating premise with skilled execution in Cachalot. The ocean world setting provides an excellent backdrop for both environmental themes and adventure. The author excels at creating believable cetacean cultures with well-realised dolphin characters that avoid simple anthropomorphism. While human characters could be stronger, the immersive world-building and intriguing mystery more than compensate. A conceptually strong 1980s sci-fi novel that succeeds in both ideas and storytelling.
Foster delivers a fascinating premise with skilled execution in Cachalot. The ocean world setting provides an excellent backdrop for both environmental themes and adventure. The author excels at creating believable cetacean cultures with well-realised dolphin characters that avoid simple anthropomorphism. While human characters could be stronger, the immersive world-building and intriguing mystery more than compensate. A conceptually strong 1980s sci-fi novel that succeeds in both ideas and storytelling.
June 8, 2020
It was interesting. A nice take with whales being the aliens in this sci-fi read. Now that I'm finished, my overall feeling is just kinda meh.
August 19, 2010
I'll admit this is one that started slow. And when the whales started talking to the humans, I had to say meh. But then I kept reading, as I almost always do. The story grew on me. I kinda knew what was going to happen all along, but Foster handled the suspense well.
Bones to pick, though:
Always with the mind control. Get into a sci-fi novel involving inexplicable events, you always fall back on mind control.
Having a sexy time. I'm sorry, but this is a terrible, terrible sci-fi cliche. I'd like to dare genre writers out there to write a book without such a scene. Or scenes. Or whatever. They add nothing to the story.
Kept thinking of Michael Crichton's "Sphere" while reading this novel, and it's not just because of the setting. Many, many derivative and similar elements between the two novels. Not that such similarities are bad, they're just noticeable.
Bones to pick, though:
Always with the mind control. Get into a sci-fi novel involving inexplicable events, you always fall back on mind control.
Having a sexy time. I'm sorry, but this is a terrible, terrible sci-fi cliche. I'd like to dare genre writers out there to write a book without such a scene. Or scenes. Or whatever. They add nothing to the story.
Kept thinking of Michael Crichton's "Sphere" while reading this novel, and it's not just because of the setting. Many, many derivative and similar elements between the two novels. Not that such similarities are bad, they're just noticeable.
September 2, 2022
1982 Grade A
2001 Grade B+
2022 Grade B
This story did not fully hold my attention this time. It is actually very good, but it was easy to stop at any time. My guess is the average grade is around B+, and it should be an interesting read for most fans.
The premise is: what would happen if a few of every species of earth cetacean is moved to an all ocean planet and allowed to evolve pretty much undisturbed for about 1000 years. Now some whales are destroying the small human colonies that live on the few atolls or on floating "cities." A commonwealth investigator / marine biologist is sent to find out why.
The world building and character development are good as is the writing. I don't recall speed reading anything but the "god like" conclusion which was a bit predictable. I think I just didn't care that much for the characters this time.
2001 Grade B+
2022 Grade B
This story did not fully hold my attention this time. It is actually very good, but it was easy to stop at any time. My guess is the average grade is around B+, and it should be an interesting read for most fans.
The premise is: what would happen if a few of every species of earth cetacean is moved to an all ocean planet and allowed to evolve pretty much undisturbed for about 1000 years. Now some whales are destroying the small human colonies that live on the few atolls or on floating "cities." A commonwealth investigator / marine biologist is sent to find out why.
The world building and character development are good as is the writing. I don't recall speed reading anything but the "god like" conclusion which was a bit predictable. I think I just didn't care that much for the characters this time.
March 17, 2010
After reading some serious books, this was a great piece of escapism. The premise is that humans gave the cetaceans this ocean world to live and evolve. The cetaceans allow humans to settle small parts of this world. Something is now destroying the floating towns. Is it human or are the cetaceans getting their revenge?
January 24, 2016
Alan Dean Foster is one of my top 5 favorite writers, and the commonwealth books are my favorite works. These are great reads and quick, you are almost done before you realize you started. Very recommended
June 17, 2009
An original by Foster. Enjoyable. Foster always gives you what you pay for. Sometimes he gives you a bit more.
September 14, 2023
I usually like the Humanx Commonwealth stories, but this one was weak.
November 17, 2023
Such an interesting concept, but the wanton exoticism and weird interpersonal dynamics ruined it.
August 15, 2019
Last month, I finished up my run-through of Alan Dean Foster's fifteen books focusing on a galaxy-saving rogue talent named Flinx and his Alaspinian mini-drag Pip. I enjoyed all of them, to greater or lesser degrees, even though I was frustrated with their general story arc, which grew in fits and starts over Foster's entire writing career and was often ignored in those books.
This series constitutes a subset of what could and should be described as Foster's magnum opus, his numerous volumes about the Humanx Commonwealth at large. I've already read and reviewed one of these, 'Midworld', named for a planet on which Pip & Flinx spent one of their novels, 'Mid-Flinx'. I felt that I should start further exploration of the Humanx Commonwealth with one more book named for a planet on which Pip & Flinx spent time, Cachalot.
As the name might suggest, this is an ocean world, 'cachalot' being a word for sperm whale. There's precious little land, so little that the few human colonists tend to live on floating cities. There's little danger as Cachalot doesn't have a moon and so there are no tides. There are wild and wonderful creatures, as you might expect for an Alan Dean Foster novel, but these are mostly hidden away in the depths of the planetary ocean. However, someone or something is destroying these floating cities and the authorities call in an offworld expert to investigate.
That expert is Cora Xamantina, a fantastic lead because she's a middle-aged black marine biologist, hardly a stereotype in any direction. She's aching to talk with the whales but she knows that it's unlikely. Her daughter, on the other hand, may be a marine biologist too but one who wants nothing more than to play her neurophon, an intricate musical instrument that doesn't only produce notes but nerve sensations too. I wasn't particularly sold on this odd broken family relationship, but it failed to bother me the way it has some reviewers.
I should add here that the dominant species on Cachalot are whales. They're the descendants of the whales of Earth, hunted to near extinction but given intelligence and the ability to speak through application of technology. A millennium ago, a peace was forged through a Covenant and eventually, as a sort of apology, all the intelligent whales on Earth were transported over the light years to Cachalot. However, they don't forget and so they tend to want nothing whatsoever to do with humans.
Full review at http://www.thenamelesszine.org/Voices....
This series constitutes a subset of what could and should be described as Foster's magnum opus, his numerous volumes about the Humanx Commonwealth at large. I've already read and reviewed one of these, 'Midworld', named for a planet on which Pip & Flinx spent one of their novels, 'Mid-Flinx'. I felt that I should start further exploration of the Humanx Commonwealth with one more book named for a planet on which Pip & Flinx spent time, Cachalot.
As the name might suggest, this is an ocean world, 'cachalot' being a word for sperm whale. There's precious little land, so little that the few human colonists tend to live on floating cities. There's little danger as Cachalot doesn't have a moon and so there are no tides. There are wild and wonderful creatures, as you might expect for an Alan Dean Foster novel, but these are mostly hidden away in the depths of the planetary ocean. However, someone or something is destroying these floating cities and the authorities call in an offworld expert to investigate.
That expert is Cora Xamantina, a fantastic lead because she's a middle-aged black marine biologist, hardly a stereotype in any direction. She's aching to talk with the whales but she knows that it's unlikely. Her daughter, on the other hand, may be a marine biologist too but one who wants nothing more than to play her neurophon, an intricate musical instrument that doesn't only produce notes but nerve sensations too. I wasn't particularly sold on this odd broken family relationship, but it failed to bother me the way it has some reviewers.
I should add here that the dominant species on Cachalot are whales. They're the descendants of the whales of Earth, hunted to near extinction but given intelligence and the ability to speak through application of technology. A millennium ago, a peace was forged through a Covenant and eventually, as a sort of apology, all the intelligent whales on Earth were transported over the light years to Cachalot. However, they don't forget and so they tend to want nothing whatsoever to do with humans.
Full review at http://www.thenamelesszine.org/Voices....
April 27, 2019
A scifi murder mystery on a beautiful aquatic planet full of sapient cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises). This premise sounded like it would be a wonderful time, but I ended up feeling a bit underwhelmed.
I appreciated the protagonist being a black woman, and that a good 90% of the cast was made up of POC, but somehow none of them seemed particularly memorable to me. I'm not going to remember any of their names in a few weeks. I also feel that in a longer, more fleshed-out book, the character development of the main lead and her reconciliation with her daughter could have been expanded upon. Unfortunately, all it seemed to amount to was them bickering for most of the book, and then a sudden apology from out of nowhere in order to make a happy ending.
The portrayal of whales was nothing new or mind-blowing, even taking common 80s fiction tropes into account. The sperm whales were stern and philosophical, the orcas were fiercely loyal friends, the dolphins were cute but frivolous, and the baleen whales were basically just dumb animals (which is pretty unfair when you consider the intelligence of real-life baleen whales). It just seemed like it was all done before.
The murder mystery was certainly an interesting angle for a story like this. I can't really judge the quality of the mystery because it's not a genre I'm terribly familiar with, but I enjoyed the final twist.
Apparently, this is just one of many books in a massive scifi saga, The Humanx Commonwealth series. Aside from one instance where I had to google what a thranx was (sapient arthropod alien from previous books), I was able to read this as a standalone. Cachalot wasn't a bad book, but I don't think it piqued my interest enough to go read the rest of this series.
I appreciated the protagonist being a black woman, and that a good 90% of the cast was made up of POC, but somehow none of them seemed particularly memorable to me. I'm not going to remember any of their names in a few weeks. I also feel that in a longer, more fleshed-out book, the character development of the main lead and her reconciliation with her daughter could have been expanded upon. Unfortunately, all it seemed to amount to was them bickering for most of the book, and then a sudden apology from out of nowhere in order to make a happy ending.
The portrayal of whales was nothing new or mind-blowing, even taking common 80s fiction tropes into account. The sperm whales were stern and philosophical, the orcas were fiercely loyal friends, the dolphins were cute but frivolous, and the baleen whales were basically just dumb animals (which is pretty unfair when you consider the intelligence of real-life baleen whales). It just seemed like it was all done before.
The murder mystery was certainly an interesting angle for a story like this. I can't really judge the quality of the mystery because it's not a genre I'm terribly familiar with, but I enjoyed the final twist.
Apparently, this is just one of many books in a massive scifi saga, The Humanx Commonwealth series. Aside from one instance where I had to google what a thranx was (sapient arthropod alien from previous books), I was able to read this as a standalone. Cachalot wasn't a bad book, but I don't think it piqued my interest enough to go read the rest of this series.
September 1, 2020
Cachalot is a nearly landless ocean planet covered 99% by water. Long ago, a guilt-ridden human race had tried to atone for centuries of slaughter by transporting Earth's surviving cetaceans to Cachalot. Scattered humans live peacefully with the great sea-creatures which they had hunted near to extinction in floating townships and only a couple of land cities. Then one day something rises from the deep destroying everythhing in its path, including all the humans that live on the floating cities. Scientists Pucara Merced and Cora Xamantina, along with Cora’s daughter and assistant Rachael, join planet Commissioner Yu Hwoshien and peaceforce Captain Sam Mataroreva to find out the truth about what is attacking these cities and why.
Are the whales doing this? Or is some off-world alien race perhaps behind it? And is one of their own crew possibly involved? If one likes talking whales, with a little romance and mother-daughter drama thrown in, the adventure is personal enough, with the crew’s interactions, to be interesting, and the banter between the scientists and the cetaceans, along with the deep sea peril, will keep the reader’s attention. The “d” and “h” words are both used frequently, and there is some sexuality. It is not pornographically descriptive but does contain clear references to people not married to each other committing fornication, with statements like they “made love under the stars, and “intimacy was easily attained.” Definitely NOT for the kiddos!
Are the whales doing this? Or is some off-world alien race perhaps behind it? And is one of their own crew possibly involved? If one likes talking whales, with a little romance and mother-daughter drama thrown in, the adventure is personal enough, with the crew’s interactions, to be interesting, and the banter between the scientists and the cetaceans, along with the deep sea peril, will keep the reader’s attention. The “d” and “h” words are both used frequently, and there is some sexuality. It is not pornographically descriptive but does contain clear references to people not married to each other committing fornication, with statements like they “made love under the stars, and “intimacy was easily attained.” Definitely NOT for the kiddos!
April 24, 2024
(big spoilers)
After finishing Midworld, I was eager to chew down the next in line...which was this pile o'bile. If this is what I can expect from the rest of the Humanx collection - count me out. I love the Icerigger books, was hoping for more of the same. Didn't get it. Instead:
A supremely annoying GirlBoss protag, who has massive piss chip on her shoulder - is rude and bossy to everyone around her...toss in her equally moronic & budding GirlBoss daughter, who lugs around a ridiculous nerve instrument that is so prominent that you just know it's gonna play a crucial role in the plot resolution. I loathed them both. Horrible characters.
Cachalot as a world doesn't come close to the wonders and danger of Midworld. It could have been so much better, but ADF spent more time on a goofy love triangle than the vast ocean and its mysteries.
I'm okay with talking whales - I guess - but man, it was a lot of philosophical tootsie pop talking. Like a wizened owl in vintage commercial...then the plot, massive underwater jelly fish, who are using mind control to confuse the dumber whales to capsize and drown the various floating communities on the planet. Groan...and of course the magical nerve instrument saves the day. Dumb.
Yeah, this wasn't for me. At least it was a quick read. Two stars is generous.
I'm not giving up on the series or ADF yet (Icerigger/Midworld were darn good).
After finishing Midworld, I was eager to chew down the next in line...which was this pile o'bile. If this is what I can expect from the rest of the Humanx collection - count me out. I love the Icerigger books, was hoping for more of the same. Didn't get it. Instead:
A supremely annoying GirlBoss protag, who has massive piss chip on her shoulder - is rude and bossy to everyone around her...toss in her equally moronic & budding GirlBoss daughter, who lugs around a ridiculous nerve instrument that is so prominent that you just know it's gonna play a crucial role in the plot resolution. I loathed them both. Horrible characters.
Cachalot as a world doesn't come close to the wonders and danger of Midworld. It could have been so much better, but ADF spent more time on a goofy love triangle than the vast ocean and its mysteries.
I'm okay with talking whales - I guess - but man, it was a lot of philosophical tootsie pop talking. Like a wizened owl in vintage commercial...then the plot, massive underwater jelly fish, who are using mind control to confuse the dumber whales to capsize and drown the various floating communities on the planet. Groan...and of course the magical nerve instrument saves the day. Dumb.
Yeah, this wasn't for me. At least it was a quick read. Two stars is generous.
I'm not giving up on the series or ADF yet (Icerigger/Midworld were darn good).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 1, 2020
I've read a fair bit of Alan Dean Foster, and this is not one of his better works. The premise is fine, albeit transparent- nothing that happens will surprise you, and everything about the ending can be seen coming from page two. The main character is pretty unlikeable- she doesn't even seem to like herself- and it's not really enjoyable being in her company, or in her head.
This is not the first time ADF (a white dude) has written a story about black characters, but to write a story in which the treatment of cetaceans seems like a clear parallel to the treatment of non-white humans, but have none of the non-white human characters comment on it seems... weird. But maybe that's just me.
Anyway. Great premise that should have yielded a much more interesting story. No real link to the Commonwealth universe, either, could have been a standalone- heck, might have worked better as a short story- at least that way the time between "Oh, I see how this is going to go" and the actual going, would have been reduced to a more tolerable span.
This is not the first time ADF (a white dude) has written a story about black characters, but to write a story in which the treatment of cetaceans seems like a clear parallel to the treatment of non-white humans, but have none of the non-white human characters comment on it seems... weird. But maybe that's just me.
Anyway. Great premise that should have yielded a much more interesting story. No real link to the Commonwealth universe, either, could have been a standalone- heck, might have worked better as a short story- at least that way the time between "Oh, I see how this is going to go" and the actual going, would have been reduced to a more tolerable span.
May 8, 2025
Cachalot by Alan Dean Foster was published way back in 1980 when I was still in high school. Foster's works, especially the novels with Flinx and Pip, where among my favorites to read during that time. I picked up Cachalot for a good price on Amazon Kindle and decided to read it to see if it still held up.
I didn't remember much about Cachalot at all except for one scene at the end of the book. That scene was just about as I remember, but everything else was completely new.
Cachalot is an okay book. Nothing great here, and nothing to offend you. The main story is that there are completely serious incidents that take place with death and destruction. Our protagonists are brought together to try to figure out what is causing the death and destruction, but you just don't get a sense of urgency that you should see.
I remember enjoying this book as a teen, but I had to push my way through the the boredom as a senior.
I didn't remember much about Cachalot at all except for one scene at the end of the book. That scene was just about as I remember, but everything else was completely new.
Cachalot is an okay book. Nothing great here, and nothing to offend you. The main story is that there are completely serious incidents that take place with death and destruction. Our protagonists are brought together to try to figure out what is causing the death and destruction, but you just don't get a sense of urgency that you should see.
I remember enjoying this book as a teen, but I had to push my way through the the boredom as a senior.
August 2, 2018
I read this first in 1980 when I was 17 or so. Unlike a lot of books from my youth, this one is still readable, but there are a lot of differences between sci fi in 1980 and sci fi today. It is shorter. There is one major point of view character, which limits the action we can see and the interpersonal complication we can get into. If written today it could easily be a gigantic Expanse-esque tome. It is not, and depending on your personal taste, that can be a good thing or a bad thing. It is either quick and lean, or not fleshed out enough. I leave it to you to decide.
November 14, 2024
I'm rereading (or listening this time) many/most of the Commonwealth series and the Pip & Flinx series.
I remembered this as one of my favorites when I read it decades ago. Sadly, it didn't hold up as amazing anymore. It wasn't bad, but I was irritated by several of the sub-plots happening and felt they didn't contribute to the story at all. Particularly ?
I remembered this as one of my favorites when I read it decades ago. Sadly, it didn't hold up as amazing anymore. It wasn't bad, but I was irritated by several of the sub-plots happening and felt they didn't contribute to the story at all. Particularly ?
May 16, 2024
Great book that makes you think about the negative things that we are doing to nature.
I really enjoyed this book because, just like many of Alan Dean Fosters' original novels, he adds a little bit of the struggle between man and nature.
This book was very entertaining and a fast read. The characters were well fleshed out, and the story flowed very easily.
I highly recommend this book.
I really enjoyed this book because, just like many of Alan Dean Fosters' original novels, he adds a little bit of the struggle between man and nature.
This book was very entertaining and a fast read. The characters were well fleshed out, and the story flowed very easily.
I highly recommend this book.
January 9, 2025
I have not read a proper book for fun since college. This book was just in a drawer at my work that was left by someone who knows when. I know nothing about the sea and know nothing about seafaring and it's world building, but it honestly brought back my love of reading. There was nothing really standoutish about this book except that it kept my attention long enough for me to get through it during down time. For that I give it four stars ✌️
May 17, 2023
The mystery of the story was semi-spoiled by the cover of the book, but I still found myself surprised by the end. The beginning and middle were a bit slow for my tastes, but the world building kept me going up until the final third of the book which I found to be pretty exciting. I've never read any other Humanx commonwealth books, or Allan Dean Foster books but I think I'll have to give another a go sometime.
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