The idea for The Language Of The Sea apparently stems from an ongoing fantasy the author had when he was a child. From there, he researched into topics of debate and mysteries of the ocean in order to write this book. The air of believability about it does enhance the book in a way (although using real world product names such as Blackberry can make it seem like "Product Placement: The Book" on occasion), and it is always nice to see when somebody puts the effort into the work and research. It does annoy me when it turns into an agenda for the author, however on this occasion it happens to be an agenda I agree with — the focus of science on understanding the mysteries around us rather than growing complacent — so I'll give it a pass on this occasion.
Incidentally, I wouldn't be surprised if the language of the sea (or the seals, which is what the title actually means) turns out to be Mandarin Chinese when scientists get around to translating it. It is the world's most dominant language, after all.
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