The Face of the Waters

The distant world known as Hydros is a vast planetary sphere covered entirely by water, its surface broken only by the occasional appearance of artificially created islands. Populated largely by a vast array of intelligent amphibious species, with a small contingent of humans added to the mix, it serves as the setting for Robert Silverberg's magisterial novel, The Face of the Waters. It is a setting worthy of the man who gave us Majipoor and other indelible creations. The story begins in 2450, at which point Earth is little more than a distant memory. The human population, descendants of prisoners stranded on Hydros centuries before, are scattered across an assortment of widely separated islands, one of which is the island of Sorve. When one of Sorve's inhabitants commits an unforgivable transgression, he and his fellow humans are forced to leave the island forever-an exile within their larger, ongoing exile from Earth. In a flotilla of ships-many of which will never reach their destination-they set off through hazardous, uncharted waters to find another home. Their journey will ultimately lead them to an unexpected place: the sacred and enigmatic landmass known as the Face of the Waters. A seagoing odyssey, an epic adventure, a physical and spiritual quest-The Face of the Waters is all of these things and more. It is a novel that asks large questions about who and what we are while sustaining a thrilling, constantly astonishing narrative. It is the rare kind of book in which sea monsters and theological speculation exist side by side, each element enriching and complementing the other. The result is a grand and provocative entertainment, the sort of mind-expanding reading experience that only science fiction-and only Robert Silverberg-could provide.