The Face Of The Waters: Robert Silverberg

In the year 2450, humanity is scattered among the stars, which teem with intelligent life. Earth has been destroyed 200 years before and all Earthmen are exiles. The world of Hydros has practically no landmass, only a great globe-encompassing ocean with occasional tiny islands. One life form there, a bi-pedal humanoid, has created floating islands from sea-borne material. An assortment of Earthmen have come to Hydros - for them it is a world of no return, having no outward bound space transportation. They travel the planet's endless oceans in search of the mysterious area from which no human has ever returned - the Face of the Waters. Cover art by Jim Burns.