What do you think?
Eight Arms to Hold Me
Eight Arms To Hold Me is an alien invasion tale with epic battles, a dash of romance, intrigue, laughs, and a fascinating and endearing octopus hero. It blends actual science in the science fiction with the old school thrill of ray gun wielding space crabs. A rollicking adventure.
284 pages, Paperback
Published July 29, 2025
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 15, 2025
4.5 rounded up to 5. TLDR: suspend your disbelief briefly for about 2.5 chapters and then enjoy the octopus shenanigans!!
Very much not the sci fi i normally read, but I very much enjoyed it for the action and the octopi! I had a dream after finishing this book that Oliver was suddenly in The Suicide Squad killing that giant starfish thing with the eyeball, which I believe he could.
Received book as a freebie at Worldcon 2025 in Seattle, read the first 20 pages, and then finished it in a day once i had the hours to spare. I absolutely will read this again for the adventure and hijinks, thoroughly enjoyable if you know a base level about octopi and linguistics/language acquisition.
my one nitpicky thing: 3.5/5 in believability though, because I am a sci fi reader who has read sci fi written by scientists, and this story relies just a bit too much on scientists as narrators, linguistics, and language acquisition of non-human intelligences to scan accurately to someone who actually has studied any of that in any depth academically. (for example, real early on, like page 9, John calls the dolphin handler ‘porpoise girl’, i assume as a joke, and doesn’t seem to understand why he’s immediately corrected (…by a scientist) and she doesn’t want to hang out with him. also, john works with an augmented octopus. the dolphin handler’s dolphins are doing language acquisition exercises. it takes him like another two chapters to get with the program that other animals might also be in possession of intelligence, and to stop asking dumb questions to a girl he gets more and more interested in. man is supposed to have an M.S. in marine biology and doesn’t know how to ask normal questions about other research?
but when the action picked up, those problems went away! the story picked straight up and my enjoyment did too, so if you’re a scientist and/or know things about language, suspend your disbelief like a physics major walking into a marvel movie, and you will have an extremely high amount of fun
Very much not the sci fi i normally read, but I very much enjoyed it for the action and the octopi! I had a dream after finishing this book that Oliver was suddenly in The Suicide Squad killing that giant starfish thing with the eyeball, which I believe he could.
Received book as a freebie at Worldcon 2025 in Seattle, read the first 20 pages, and then finished it in a day once i had the hours to spare. I absolutely will read this again for the adventure and hijinks, thoroughly enjoyable if you know a base level about octopi and linguistics/language acquisition.
my one nitpicky thing: 3.5/5 in believability though, because I am a sci fi reader who has read sci fi written by scientists, and this story relies just a bit too much on scientists as narrators, linguistics, and language acquisition of non-human intelligences to scan accurately to someone who actually has studied any of that in any depth academically. (for example, real early on, like page 9, John calls the dolphin handler ‘porpoise girl’, i assume as a joke, and doesn’t seem to understand why he’s immediately corrected (…by a scientist) and she doesn’t want to hang out with him. also, john works with an augmented octopus. the dolphin handler’s dolphins are doing language acquisition exercises. it takes him like another two chapters to get with the program that other animals might also be in possession of intelligence, and to stop asking dumb questions to a girl he gets more and more interested in. man is supposed to have an M.S. in marine biology and doesn’t know how to ask normal questions about other research?
but when the action picked up, those problems went away! the story picked straight up and my enjoyment did too, so if you’re a scientist and/or know things about language, suspend your disbelief like a physics major walking into a marvel movie, and you will have an extremely high amount of fun
August 27, 2025
I was gifted an (autographed!!) paperback copy in exchange for an honest review.
First thing, I LOVE the cover. There was clearly a huge amount of thought that went into the artwork which nicely exemplifies the expectations for the novel. Nerdy science guy and his assistant octopus shooting laser beams at alien monster crabs? OH YEAHHHHHH!
Lest to say, the artwork sets up the cozier sci fi tone of the book, which sometimes reminded me of those 1960s pulp comics. Chances are the author was inspired by those works alongside older first alien contact films.
Even though both books handle the alien contact story differently, this book shares plenty of things in common with The Ceph by Matthew Poehler. Both books feature plenty of scenes of intelligent octopus interacting with their less evolved peers and forming positive bonds with well-meaning humans. The Ceph are benevolent aliens that modify terrestrial acquatic animals into becomming intelligent (not to mention pretty large), whereas in this book, humans have developed gene modification technology I presume inserting human DNA into octopus and dolphins. The scant animals that survive long enough to become adults live in military oceanic labs around the world.
This book focuses on the lab in San Diego USA that harbors one of the US's two intelligent octopuses named Oliver alongside his human handler named John Rauchenberg. Hints of the cover setting the tone for friendly banter among geeky science nerd and super smart animal are proven true. The interaction between both book protagonists is fun and enjoyable.
Early chapters are lighthearted filled with Beetles music and Spongebob references, which made me wonder if the book was aiming at a wider age range of readers. When news of a US jet crashing on a desolate pacific atoll is known, the navy assigns John, Oliver and the lead scientist of the lab's dolphin division to visit the island and order their animals to investigate. The fun twist here is the dolphin scientist is a woman named Gina. Expect a nice budding sweet romance among both scientists and their gossipy marine friends!
While most of the book is cozy and tensions never get too high, expect a trigger warning scene of a character ending up beheaded in a rather gruesome way. Other than that, the book never becomes overly bleak or violent. This was a fun read that got better as the story advanced. I think the only complaint I would have is some chapters in the middle as they travel to the island tended to stretch on a bit. Other than shortening some scenes, I enjoyed the final third of the book a lot and believe this read will be enjoyed by pulp sci fi, xenofiction and readers into more campier cozy reads riddled with US Navy jokes about their bad coffee.
4.5 stars!
First thing, I LOVE the cover. There was clearly a huge amount of thought that went into the artwork which nicely exemplifies the expectations for the novel. Nerdy science guy and his assistant octopus shooting laser beams at alien monster crabs? OH YEAHHHHHH!
Lest to say, the artwork sets up the cozier sci fi tone of the book, which sometimes reminded me of those 1960s pulp comics. Chances are the author was inspired by those works alongside older first alien contact films.
Even though both books handle the alien contact story differently, this book shares plenty of things in common with The Ceph by Matthew Poehler. Both books feature plenty of scenes of intelligent octopus interacting with their less evolved peers and forming positive bonds with well-meaning humans. The Ceph are benevolent aliens that modify terrestrial acquatic animals into becomming intelligent (not to mention pretty large), whereas in this book, humans have developed gene modification technology I presume inserting human DNA into octopus and dolphins. The scant animals that survive long enough to become adults live in military oceanic labs around the world.
This book focuses on the lab in San Diego USA that harbors one of the US's two intelligent octopuses named Oliver alongside his human handler named John Rauchenberg. Hints of the cover setting the tone for friendly banter among geeky science nerd and super smart animal are proven true. The interaction between both book protagonists is fun and enjoyable.
Early chapters are lighthearted filled with Beetles music and Spongebob references, which made me wonder if the book was aiming at a wider age range of readers. When news of a US jet crashing on a desolate pacific atoll is known, the navy assigns John, Oliver and the lead scientist of the lab's dolphin division to visit the island and order their animals to investigate. The fun twist here is the dolphin scientist is a woman named Gina. Expect a nice budding sweet romance among both scientists and their gossipy marine friends!
While most of the book is cozy and tensions never get too high, expect a trigger warning scene of a character ending up beheaded in a rather gruesome way. Other than that, the book never becomes overly bleak or violent. This was a fun read that got better as the story advanced. I think the only complaint I would have is some chapters in the middle as they travel to the island tended to stretch on a bit. Other than shortening some scenes, I enjoyed the final third of the book a lot and believe this read will be enjoyed by pulp sci fi, xenofiction and readers into more campier cozy reads riddled with US Navy jokes about their bad coffee.
4.5 stars!
December 31, 2025
Joshua Mertz digs deep into the concept of the other in his solid new bio thriller, Eight Arms to Hold Me. The novel focuses principally on two marine biologists, John and Gina, and Oliver, an octopus at the research center where they work. Gina is a dolphin specialist, while John’s main area of focus is Oliver, the octopus. After some troubling incidents near Palmyra Atoll, roughly 1,000 miles south of Hawaii, Gina and John are compelled to join a military convoy and investigate.
John and Gina are colleagues at the Gershon Oceanographic Institute. John specializes in octopus intelligence, and Oliver is under his care as the research progresses. The octopus is a smart and playful little fellow, and he’s even able to beat John at chess and mischievously squirt water at him when he wins. But as the novel clearly points out, Oliver’s cognitive style is most assuredly non-human and non-linear. This will turn out to be of vital importance later on in the novel.
Gina is, in a certain way, the moral center of the book, and her actions define her as someone who clearly understands that the dolphins and Oliver are not simply expendable. Throughout, the author stresses the importance of respecting and understanding non-human intelligence, and in the end, we will see how openness, creativity, and tolerance are not simply abstract notions, but absolute necessities when confronting the genuinely other.
There’s trouble at first, and one of the most harrowing passages in the novel is when Lieutenant Norma Ellison gets her head chewed off by one of the Krell: “The giant claw snapped shut and her decapitated head sank lazily to the sandy bottom.”
When it’s suggested that they attack the Krell, Oliver, fortunately, steps in at just the right moment, and exclaims: “No, No, No!” This is when they call upon Oliver to try and communicate with the alien species outside the constraints of human logic and reasoning. Sort of a ‘Hail Mary!’”
The story moves briskly and is well narrated, but what I find most insightful about this novel is the themes and ideas that it drives home. I wholeheartedly agree that we should be concerned about how to communicate with another species when first contact does occur. Humans tend to have a high opinion of themselves and not to look at their own hubris, and this novel reminds us of something very important: there are many ways of understanding and communicating, and to truly understand the other, we must be willing to be more open, more tolerant, and more creative in how we approach communication. What’s more, this advice is equally valuable and applicable every time we deal with the other, whether it be the other gender, the other religion, or the other nationality. Eight Arms to Hold Me stands out as both a complex look at epistemological failure, and a plea for openness and understanding whenever we approach someone or something we are unfamiliar with.
I was really drawn into the narrative, and I was truly motivated to keep reading and see if Oliver would indeed save the day. But in the end, it was not the skillfully crafted plot that drew me in, but the big questions posed by the author, subtly, in the subtext. This is what good fiction should do, and Joshua Mertz does a fine job of doing exactly that in Eight Arms to Hold Me: An Oliver and the Octopus Adventure.
John and Gina are colleagues at the Gershon Oceanographic Institute. John specializes in octopus intelligence, and Oliver is under his care as the research progresses. The octopus is a smart and playful little fellow, and he’s even able to beat John at chess and mischievously squirt water at him when he wins. But as the novel clearly points out, Oliver’s cognitive style is most assuredly non-human and non-linear. This will turn out to be of vital importance later on in the novel.
Gina is, in a certain way, the moral center of the book, and her actions define her as someone who clearly understands that the dolphins and Oliver are not simply expendable. Throughout, the author stresses the importance of respecting and understanding non-human intelligence, and in the end, we will see how openness, creativity, and tolerance are not simply abstract notions, but absolute necessities when confronting the genuinely other.
There’s trouble at first, and one of the most harrowing passages in the novel is when Lieutenant Norma Ellison gets her head chewed off by one of the Krell: “The giant claw snapped shut and her decapitated head sank lazily to the sandy bottom.”
When it’s suggested that they attack the Krell, Oliver, fortunately, steps in at just the right moment, and exclaims: “No, No, No!” This is when they call upon Oliver to try and communicate with the alien species outside the constraints of human logic and reasoning. Sort of a ‘Hail Mary!’”
The story moves briskly and is well narrated, but what I find most insightful about this novel is the themes and ideas that it drives home. I wholeheartedly agree that we should be concerned about how to communicate with another species when first contact does occur. Humans tend to have a high opinion of themselves and not to look at their own hubris, and this novel reminds us of something very important: there are many ways of understanding and communicating, and to truly understand the other, we must be willing to be more open, more tolerant, and more creative in how we approach communication. What’s more, this advice is equally valuable and applicable every time we deal with the other, whether it be the other gender, the other religion, or the other nationality. Eight Arms to Hold Me stands out as both a complex look at epistemological failure, and a plea for openness and understanding whenever we approach someone or something we are unfamiliar with.
I was really drawn into the narrative, and I was truly motivated to keep reading and see if Oliver would indeed save the day. But in the end, it was not the skillfully crafted plot that drew me in, but the big questions posed by the author, subtly, in the subtext. This is what good fiction should do, and Joshua Mertz does a fine job of doing exactly that in Eight Arms to Hold Me: An Oliver and the Octopus Adventure.
August 19, 2025
I loved this delightful novel!
I was drawn in from the first page, and the entire story was totally engaging, full of twists that I did not see coming.
But the best part was Oliver the octopus! He is such a well-drawn character—a truly alien intelligence who is mischievous, innocent, and wise. I found him totally charming
In general I find octopuses fascinating, and this story is a wonderful mashup of our current understanding of octopuses and science fiction adventure.
I read it in a day. Really fun!
I was drawn in from the first page, and the entire story was totally engaging, full of twists that I did not see coming.
But the best part was Oliver the octopus! He is such a well-drawn character—a truly alien intelligence who is mischievous, innocent, and wise. I found him totally charming
In general I find octopuses fascinating, and this story is a wonderful mashup of our current understanding of octopuses and science fiction adventure.
I read it in a day. Really fun!
August 19, 2025
I loved this delightful novel!
I was drawn in from the first page, and the entire story was totally engaging, full of twists that I did not see coming.
But the best part was Oliver the octopus! He is such a well-drawn character—a truly alien intelligence who is mischievous, innocent, and wise. I found him totally charming
In general I find octopuses fascinating, and this story is a wonderful mashup of our current understanding of octopuses and science fiction adventure.
I read it in a day. Really fun!
I was drawn in from the first page, and the entire story was totally engaging, full of twists that I did not see coming.
But the best part was Oliver the octopus! He is such a well-drawn character—a truly alien intelligence who is mischievous, innocent, and wise. I found him totally charming
In general I find octopuses fascinating, and this story is a wonderful mashup of our current understanding of octopuses and science fiction adventure.
I read it in a day. Really fun!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews