Yep, almost the whole book takes place on board a sea ship. But before I get to that, let me describe the basic premise: a group of colonists, having illegally penetrated one of the ‘gates' in the Way, intend to create their own independent society within the fascinating world they have discovered. Olmy is sent to study the situation and retrieve one of the colony's stolen artifacts, where he finds himself not only transported into a different time period, where steamboats constitute the humans' main source of transportation, but into the midst of a brutal civil war. The story's first segments are intense, violently contrasting the ice-cool, futuristic politics of the Way inhabitants with the primal savagery of the ‘primitives.'

From there the story becomes a rousing scientific expedition, as the characters chart the waters, explore islands, and eventually confront their enemies. I couldn't help but feel caught up in many of the book's nostalgic moments. Olmy's journey is an adventure that offers a refreshing change of pace from the deep-space warfare of Eon and the heavy, abstract qualities of Eternity. In certain parts, you can almost feel the wind on your face, the surf in your ears. All is not nostalgia, however—for the world these explorers have landed in is one of Greg Bear's most innovative creations: plants without chlorophyll, living sea storms, organisms the size of continents which basically function like semi-sentient, highly specialized ecosystems. I believe Bear's intention was probably to get as far apart from Earth-like references as possible, so that he even invented his own names for every biological item in the book—and why not? After all, not every alien planet is going to have the equivalents of trees and forests, and it was wise for Bear to create something this unique.

Rich with detailed settings and characters, Bear's approach to the overall scope of his story is very subtle—it's even somewhat difficult to tell what the point of the book is. I finished this novel not with complete understanding of its meaning, but rather with a feeling of emotional catharsis. There is something beautiful and tragic at once about a person traveling to this ‘lost' time, to experience the conflicts, the triumphs, the joys and the miseries of its people—all the while as an observer, with no real connection to such civilization except that of cold duty. This is one of the reasons why the overall book left me with such an impact, though I must confess that a lot of sections of the novel itself are rather dull on their own. I deducted a star and a half from the rating for this reason—I felt that, as a reading experience, it wasn't all that enjoyable. The satisfaction comes after completing the book and looking back on all that took place. But I still feel compelled to give this novel a hearty recommendation—it is one of the best examples of Bear's exemplary writing. Thumbs up.

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