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Synopsis
Fomalhaut was first colonised by the posthuman Quick, who established an archipelago of thistledown cities and edenic worldlets within the star's vast dust belt. Their peaceful, decadent civilisation was swiftly conquered by a band of ruthless, aggressive, unreconstructed humans who call themselves the True, then, a century before, the True beat back an advance party of Ghosts, a posthuman cult which colonised the nearby system of Beta Hydri after being driven from the Solar System a thousand years ago. Now the Ghosts have returned to Fomalhaut, to begin their end game: the conquest of its single gas giant planet, a captured interstellar wanderer far older than the rest of Fomalhaut's system. At its core is a sphere of hot metallic hydrogen with strange and powerful properties based on exotic quantum physics. The Quick believe it is inhabited by an ancient alien Mind; the True believe it can be developed into a weapon, and the Ghosts believe it can be transformed into a computational system so powerful it can reach into their past, collapse timelines, and fulfil the ancient prophecies of their founder.
Is In the Mouth of the Whale appropriate for my child?
Suitable for most readers 16 and up.
This hard SF novel features complex posthuman civilizations at war over alien technology and contains moderate violence related to conquest and military conflict. Dense scientific concepts and philosophical themes make it best suited for mature readers.
What to know going in
This book has moderate violence, no sexual content, and mild language. Content notes include war, violence, and colonization.
Who'll love this
Teens interested in hard science fiction with complex world-building and multiple competing posthuman factions will find this intellectually challenging.