A magisterial new novel from the Pulitzer Prize–winning and New York Times best-selling author of The Overstory and Bewilderment.

Four lives are drawn together in a sweeping, panoramic new novel from Richard Powers, showcasing the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Overstory at the height of his skills. Twelve-year-old Evie Beaulieu sinks to the bottom of a swimming pool in Montreal strapped to one of the world’s first aqualungs. Ina Aroita grows up in naval bases across the Pacific with art as her only home. Two polar opposites at an elite Chicago high school bond over a three-thousand-year-old board game; Rafi Young will get lost in literature, while Todd Keane’s work will lead to a startling AI breakthrough.

They meet on the history-scarred island of Makatea in French Polynesia, whose deposits of phosphorus once helped feed the world. Now the tiny atoll has been chosen for humanity’s next adventure: a plan to send floating, autonomous cities out onto the open sea. But first, the island’s residents must vote to greenlight the project or turn the seasteaders away.

Set in the world’s largest ocean, this awe-filled book explores that last wild place we have yet to colonize in a still-unfolding oceanic game, and interweaves beautiful writing, rich characterization, profound themes of technology and the environment, and a deep exploration of our shared humanity in a way only Richard Powers can.

Booklist Reviews

*Starred Review* Pulitzer Prize–winning author Richard Powers is back with another intricate and deeply researched novel, this one focusing on technology and its inevitable impact on the oceans, and small island ecosystems. It's a complex topic, but Powers' talent lies in making these big concepts feel small and digestible. In this tale, it's through the interconnected lives of a diver, a poet, a computer wiz, and an artist. Each character's life is molded by the technological advances that allow humanity to explore the oceans' mysteries while grappling with the effects on the places that they love. A powerhouse cast of narrators (Edoardo Ballerini, Pun Bandhu, Kevin R Free, Krys Janae, Robin Siegerman, and Eunice Wong) brings this spiderweb together with beautiful performances all around. Each character is rendered gently and completely with the seriousness that such a story requires. This is a tale that keeps the listener interested; the vivid characters and the voice actors bringing them to life are worth the time investment. Highly recommended. Copyright 2024 Booklist Reviews.

Library Journal Reviews

Pulitzer Prize winner Powers (The Overstory) presents an oceanic final frontier, replete with life, immense, and incalculably valuable to the people whose ancestors have dwelt on islands and atolls for millennia. Todd Keane extracted billions from his social media empire Playground and has crafted a seasteading venture to reshape the French Polynesian island of Makatea's economy. As the island votes on whether to welcome this new invasion, Keane's later-in-life reminiscences reveal personal motives. He recalls his unlikely friendship and falling out in youth with fellow Chicagoan Rafi Young, a brilliant Black poet disdainful of the rising computer age; their mutual adoration of Ina Aroita, who creates art inspired by her Pacific Islander heritage; and a midcentury children's book by barrier-breaking marine scientist Evelyne Beaulieu. The moving individual stories of these individuals, as well as Makatea's leaders, benefit hugely from a talented cast of narrators, each adding to the characters' distinction and clarifying timelines. Kevin R. Free as young Rafi and Robin Siegerman as Quebecer Evie contribute stand-out performances. VERDICT This multilayered literary novel with sci-fi elements excels in audio; highly recommended.—Lauren Kage