Review (#11): "Some Remarks on the Reproductive Strategy of the Common Octopus" by Bogi Takács (2017)
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| A bottle of mineral water |
By Péter MARTON
At the risk of stating the obvious, you should read this review mostly only if you're familiar with the short story it is about. So this is where you can find the story, in the April 2017 issue of Clarkesworld. The author is Bogi Takács (link to author page) who describes oneself as "a Hungarian Jewish agender trans person and a resident alien in the US," and prefers to be referred to with the "e" personal pronoun in the third person.
***
¡El review!
Sub-genre. This is far future SF.
Key themes. Being left behind. Being used. Humanity regarding animals around them as somehow not "really" intelligent or sentient beings, using this as justification to do with them and with their environment whatever seems rational to them. With the coming effects of climate change looking rather nasty now, these themes are timely.
The story. I looked around a little and found that many readers are apparently puzzled by the story, and how to interpret it. I don't think it's so complicated, but there are three different plot times involved, with three corresponding branches of the plot presented in fragments that gradually build up your understanding of all three of them together. Having said that, the story leaves you wondering about some mysteries, but that's mostly on purpose.
The past of the past: Humanity tries to colonise an exoplanet and sends non-natural/modified octopi to carry out "the scrubbing of the sea" required for some unclear reason before humans can successfully establish presence there. The modded octopi (let's call them octomods) are given the ability to communicate via a mysterious field that allows them not only to share their thoughts but to store them as well, including memories (not so impossible any more). When the arrival of the humans takes place, something goes wrong, because the hibernation/life support capsules of many end up deep in the sea. Bad gets to worse: the humans, who have come here from another planet that had been "dirtied" by them, dirty up this one as well, and eventually move on. Many capsules are left behind with still-sleeping humans inside.
The past: Manyspikes and Scrape, two octopi eventually advised by Pebblesmooth, the wisest among them, decide to pull to the shallows and open one of the capsules. The human inside awakens, and eventually starts to communicate with them via visual signalling thanks to some cool future technology for this. The octopi name her Seaweed, and from her they find out about some of what is described under "past of the past" above. They are dismayed to learn that they were merely means to an end for humanity, but Manyspikes ultimately feels sorry for Seaweed, and they sort of make friends.
The present: Seaweed has already passed on. "Others" did, too, implying that eventually other capsules were opened, too. Present time must be long afterwards, knowing that Seaweed herself had an artificially extended lifespan. An octopus is now talking to a human who must be a new arrival on the planet, bringing news of developments in the human-inhabited part of the universe. The octopus, communicating all the resentment that's accumulated in the field, scolds the human and warns that humans should tread the waters of the planet more carefully this time.
The best parts. There were two that were especially memorable to me. One is where the octopi reach back for some of the oldest memories in the field to find out what the capsules might hold inside, and come across the memory of a burial at sea in a boat set on fire -- in the memory fragment, curious octopi climb on board the boat and... perish in flames. We thus get to witness their last call out to the field. The other is when Manyspikes and Seaweed develop their friendship, Manyspikes overcoming lack of trust out of curiosity and solidarity, Seaweed (mostly) overcoming her hesitation about treating an animal as equal to a fellow human being, for this. They eventually swim together and share jokes about the fish in the sea.
What could be better is probably the title. I actually read the story long after I came across it, because of the title. I just didn't see the point of it, initially. The writing is so good, however, that the first sentences pulled me under when I did take a good look at them -- they grabbed me like tentacles!
***
Previously reviewed here on EUtopias and Other Futures: "Terms of Enlistment," a novel (2013) by Marko Kloos
The story. I looked around a little and found that many readers are apparently puzzled by the story, and how to interpret it. I don't think it's so complicated, but there are three different plot times involved, with three corresponding branches of the plot presented in fragments that gradually build up your understanding of all three of them together. Having said that, the story leaves you wondering about some mysteries, but that's mostly on purpose.
The past of the past: Humanity tries to colonise an exoplanet and sends non-natural/modified octopi to carry out "the scrubbing of the sea" required for some unclear reason before humans can successfully establish presence there. The modded octopi (let's call them octomods) are given the ability to communicate via a mysterious field that allows them not only to share their thoughts but to store them as well, including memories (not so impossible any more). When the arrival of the humans takes place, something goes wrong, because the hibernation/life support capsules of many end up deep in the sea. Bad gets to worse: the humans, who have come here from another planet that had been "dirtied" by them, dirty up this one as well, and eventually move on. Many capsules are left behind with still-sleeping humans inside.
The past: Manyspikes and Scrape, two octopi eventually advised by Pebblesmooth, the wisest among them, decide to pull to the shallows and open one of the capsules. The human inside awakens, and eventually starts to communicate with them via visual signalling thanks to some cool future technology for this. The octopi name her Seaweed, and from her they find out about some of what is described under "past of the past" above. They are dismayed to learn that they were merely means to an end for humanity, but Manyspikes ultimately feels sorry for Seaweed, and they sort of make friends.
The present: Seaweed has already passed on. "Others" did, too, implying that eventually other capsules were opened, too. Present time must be long afterwards, knowing that Seaweed herself had an artificially extended lifespan. An octopus is now talking to a human who must be a new arrival on the planet, bringing news of developments in the human-inhabited part of the universe. The octopus, communicating all the resentment that's accumulated in the field, scolds the human and warns that humans should tread the waters of the planet more carefully this time.
 |
| Octopus content enhancement to keep you visually occupied before some more text. |
The best parts. There were two that were especially memorable to me. One is where the octopi reach back for some of the oldest memories in the field to find out what the capsules might hold inside, and come across the memory of a burial at sea in a boat set on fire -- in the memory fragment, curious octopi climb on board the boat and... perish in flames. We thus get to witness their last call out to the field. The other is when Manyspikes and Seaweed develop their friendship, Manyspikes overcoming lack of trust out of curiosity and solidarity, Seaweed (mostly) overcoming her hesitation about treating an animal as equal to a fellow human being, for this. They eventually swim together and share jokes about the fish in the sea.
What could be better is probably the title. I actually read the story long after I came across it, because of the title. I just didn't see the point of it, initially. The writing is so good, however, that the first sentences pulled me under when I did take a good look at them -- they grabbed me like tentacles!
 |
| After seeing these octopus kites, I'd love to see a future story where the octomods are able to fly, or perhaps glide... |
Previously reviewed here on EUtopias and Other Futures: "Terms of Enlistment," a novel (2013) by Marko Kloos
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