The Dolphins of Oceanus

Come inside, human; fear not-Come inside and enter the undersea life of dolphins and whales, and swim away with these highly developed, sophisticated beings, who have been evolving twenty million years here in Oceanus, waiting for us, their co-stewards of the planet, The Child, to be born, and then grow to maturity. Much awaits The Child, as much awaits you, in this dolphin's world of advanced consciousness: the Guardians of the colony are subtlest healers, language masters, hypnotic singers, skilled dreamers and wise ones whose memories can span a million years; and there are some rare visionary dolphins who can leave their bodies to navigate time and transcend space, or voyage into other and strangest dimensions in search of knowledge and power. A radiant jewel of great power has mysteriously crossed the galaxy and fallen into Oceanus, to be swallowed by a drowning boy, who is instantly transformed to a dolphin. This still-radiant jewel inside the body of the boy-dolphin becomes the object of mystery and intrigue for the dolphins of the colony, who must teach him how to survive while they study the mystery he is. This immense, radiating power within him will attract three eccentric dolphins, who, contrary to the efforts of the colony Guardians, seek to control the power for personal reasons: Lirias the half-blind cynic, because it heals his blindness, even as he discovers its darker, addictive aspects; Nania, his visionary daughter who strives to be loyal to the colony, who helps nurture the confused transformation as he struggles both with his new body and with the augmenting power of the jewel; and ruthless Talella, Nania's visionary teacher, who contrives to have the power for herself, contrives also to draw Nania back under her control.