The Face of the Waters by Robert Silverberg
This is hard sci-fi done right. -Publishers Weekly (starred review). One of the enduring classics of science fiction. -George R.R. Martin
Deep in the future, natives of the planet Hydros, an ocean planet whose inhabitants live on artificial floating islands, force the entire human population of the island of Sorve into exile, leaving the outcasts to ponder their fate, their past, and the true purpose of humanity.
After a human offense against the natives of Hydros, the human population of the island of Sorve are ordered to leave. Forbidden on all other islands, in a flotilla of ships they seek the semi-mythical island of the Face of the Waters. During their journey they are forced to learn more about themselves, leading to questions about both religion and the purpose of Man. At the end of the novel Robert Silverberg addresses what it means to be human, and explores what unites and divides humanity.
This new edition of THE FACE OF THE WATERS, published with the author's full support, brings Silverberg's brilliant novel back into the must-read science-fiction canon, after decades of being out of print.