The Lazarus Effect

The Lazarus Effect (1983) is the third science fiction novel set in the Destination: Void universe by the American author Frank Herbert and poet Bill Ransom. It takes place some time after the events in The Jesus Incident (1979). Plot summary An indeterminate but several hundreds of years after The Jesus Incident the intelligent kelp has been almost totally destroyed, almost all land on Pandora has been submerged, and humanity has divided into two cultures: Islanders and Mermen. Islanders live on floating islands, the smallest of which houses at least 10,000 people, and which like much of Islander technology are living creatures. Islanders are genetically unstable due to the clone and genetic experiments of Jesus Lewis. Some are nearly like modern day humans, but diversity is wide and accepted. Islander children who have mutations that are considered dangerous are executed soon after birth. Mermen, who are genetically stable and are much like modern day humans apart from webbed hands and feet, live in underwater cities with better technology, better food, advanced medicine, and an all around higher quality of life than the Islanders. They perform experiments aimed at bringing back the intelligent kelp and rocketry to gain access to the hibernation tanks on Ship (the intelligent ship which humans created in Destination: Void and which originally brought the humans to Pandora). Without kelp acting to control currents, nearly teenage nearly-standard-human Islander Brett is lost overboard when the island he is on is struck by a rogue wave. He is rescued by Scudi Wang, a female Merman around his age, and taken to her home underwater. Due to being the heiress to a large Merman company controlling vital interests like food production and transport, Scudi has become the interest of GeLaar Gallow who wants to co-opt her resources into his insurgency. Gallow, and his terrorist commando subordinates calling themselves Green Dashers (due to them painting their dive suits green as camouflage and after the vicious predator the Hooded Dasher), plan to take control of the hibernation tanks when they arrive from orbit with fauna from Earth as well as humans from the past. Part of Gallow's plan involves gaining access to Vata, the human-kelp hybrid (conceived during the previous novel) who has been dreaming since the death of the kelp and who is under Islander control.