monk mounts a credible and effective campaign to stop the harvest of whales, even though it accounts for an eighth of the world's food supply. As Franklin struggles to counter the campaign, he finds himself inexorably drawn to the monk's viewpoint. An undersea catastrophe presents Franklin with his last opportunity to visit the depths he has grown to love. In the final chapter Franklin and his wife attend the bittersweet departure of their son into the Space Service and reunion with his former family on Mars: To his son, he willingly bequeathed the shoreless seas of space. For himself, the oceans of this world were sufficient. Setting A lengthy portion of this novel takes place on an extrapolated Heron Island, Australia. Towards the end of the novel, the main character visits Anuradhapura, the ancient Sri Lankan city. Reception Galaxy reviewer Floyd C. Gale praised the novel, describing it "as fresh and bright as dawn on a tropic sea." He later called the short story a "super duper topnotcher". References Sources External links 1957 British novels 1957 science fiction novels Novels by Arthur C. Clarke Books about cephalopods Works originally published in Argosy (magazine) 1954 short stories Underwater novels Frederick Muller Ltd books