Synopsis

Walter Franklin starts training to be a Warden with the Bureau of Whales on Earth after an accident in space. This move would change the rest of his life as he deals with the dangers of farming at sea.

History

First publication: Harcourt, Brace & Company, 1957

Expanded from the short story.

Review

An unusual book for Clarke, best known for his stories in space. This is set in a fairly near future and it does focus a lot on the science of the sea and how man could farm the oceans to help a dwindling food supply. But this story really is about Walter Franklin and paints a very good portrait of him and his career. Those who say classic SF doesn’t have any characterization should read this novle. But a character study of this sort is fairly unique for 50s SF, most of it being more focused on the speculative ideas. And this gets into some deep, dark personal issues that were unheard of in 1957, especially in SF. So, yes, this is not an adventure novel, not a space opera, not quite Golden Age style story. This feels more mainstream than SF, yet it is undeniably SF. That is its strength I think, the very thing that most SF fans criticize, takes this a step ahead of the rest of the pack. It isn’t a perfect book, but it is an excellent book. And it even has a message that is still relevant to us today.