In parched, war-torn central Africa, Dr. Mallory watches his clinic fail and dreams of discovering the third Nile to make the Sahara bloom. During his search for water, an ancient tree stump is uprooted by a bulldozer, and water wells up, spreading until it becomes an enormous river. With the once arid land now abounding in birds and beasts, the obsessed Mallory forges upriver in an old car ferry, clashing with hostile factions as he tries to find the source of his own creation.

This edition is part of a new commemorative series of Ballard's works, featuring introductions from a number of his admirers (including Ali Smith, Iain Sinclair, Martin Amis, and Ned Beauman) and brand-new cover designs from the artist Stanley Donwood.