A Darkling Sea

On the ice-covered planet Ilmatar—under a kilometer-thick layer of ice—a team of scientists studies a mysterious blind sentient species living deep underwater. Earth researchers have negotiated a fragile truce with the Sholens, the first beings humans met in space: the Sholens can freely continue their mission as long as they don’t disturb the inhabitants of Ilmatar.

But when Henri Kerlek, a well-known reporter and carefree adventurer, is captured by curious Ilmatarites, tensions between Earth and the Sholens rise—leading to a diplomatic catastrophe that threatens to turn into war escalation.

Against the backdrop of deep-ocean guerrilla warfare, a new era of space exploration begins for humanity through a clash of alien cultures. Both sides seek help from the newly enlightened Ilmatarites. But what does this struggle foretell for the natives and for the future of human beings—what it means for them—is shrouded in darkness in James Cambias’s “The Dark Sea.”