''In the Mouth of the Whale'' is a 2012

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

novel by

Paul J. McAuley Paul J. McAuley (born 23 April 1955) is a British botanist and science fiction author. A biologist by training, McAuley writes mostly hard science fiction. His novels dealing with themes such as biotechnology, alternative history/alternative re ...

, the third in his '' Quiet War'' sequence.

Summary

While '' The Quiet War'' and '' Gardens of the Sun'' were set in a mid-term future solar system, ''In the Mouth of the Whale'' is spatially and temporally much further out, set thousands of years in the future around a

Fomalhaut Fomalhaut is the brightest star in the southern constellation of Piscis Austrinus, the "Southern Fish", and one of the brightest stars in the night sky. It has the Bayer designation Alpha Piscis Austrini, which is Latinized from � ...

system long since

colonised Colonization, or colonisation, constitutes large-scale population movements wherein migrants maintain strong links with their, or their ancestors', former country – by such links, gain advantage over other inhabitants of the territory. When ...

by refugees from the Quiet War. The first settlers, the Quick, have since been superseded by the True who are in turn challenged by the posthuman Ghosts. The story is told from the point of view of three characters. The first, the Child, believes she lives in a village in the conflict-torn

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon (company), an American multinational technolog ...

. She becomes transfixed by a mysterious boy with the head of the jaguar but in reality, her world is part of an elaborate, failing, simulation created on a damaged starship that is finally on the verge of reaching Fomalhaut. The crew created the simulation based on her experiences of life before the Quiet War and hold her in high regard, however, those already at Fomalhaut know of her impending arrival. The second, Ori, is one of the Quick. She remotely pilots maintenance spacecraft around the Whale space station, which orbits the

gas giant A gas giant is a giant planet composed mainly of hydrogen and helium. Gas giants are also called failed stars because they contain the same basic elements as a star. Jupiter and Saturn are the gas giants of the Solar System. The term "gas giant" ...

Cthunga. The Whale station is attempting to make contact with a mind which had crashed into the planet long ago and is thought by the True to have transcended. It is Ori who witnessed what could be a sign from the Mind, which quickly attracts the attention of the True. The third strand is the Librarian, who with his assistant Horse kills demons to atone for having caused the death of two of his comrades. These "demons" are the corrupted remains of Quick technology but when he is faced with a mission which parallels the tragedy from his past, he begins to see a way in the Library itself. These three strands converge as the Ghosts and True are drawn inexorably into conflict.

Reception

The reception for ''In the Mouth of the Whale'' was more mixed than the previous two novels in the series. In

Strange Horizons ''Strange Horizons'' is an online speculative fiction magazine. It also features speculative poetry and nonfiction in every issue, including reviews, essays, interviews, and roundtables. History and profile It was launched in September 2000, and ...

Paul Kincaid Paul Kincaid (born 22 September 1952 in Oldham, Lancashire) is a British science fiction critic. Career Kincaid's writing has appeared in a wide range of publications including New Scientist, Times Literary Supplement, Literary Review, New York ...

received the novel positively, praising how McAuley "draws us in to the story, and holds us there, feverishly turning the pages to keep up with rapidly evolving events." However, he didn't feel that the novel matched the high standards of its predecessors, noting that " layer of political and emotional complexity is missing from the new novel. Maybe it is better to read it as a standalone work, completely detached from what went before." Greg L. Johnson's review was more positive, concluding " short, everything we've come to expect from Paul McAuley at his best."

References

{{Reflist Dystopian novels 2012 British novels 2012 science fiction novels British science fiction novels Fiction set around Fomalhaut Space opera novels Works by Paul J. McAuley Victor Gollancz Ltd books