<b>From the back cover of the DAW first US edition:</b> Riverwoman... Ever since she was a child, that had been Yaleen's goal in life, to join the powerful River Guild, and ply the waters, learning about all the towns of the eastern bank. Now she was a riverwoman at last, one with the water, one with the mysterious, sentient black current which granted women rule of the river, yet called men forth to madness or death.
<p>But when her only brother joined the male organization, the Observers, and lured her to aid him with knowledge of the seemingly unattainable western shore, Yaleen found herself caught by a destiny beyond her control - a destiny that would put her beyond the laws of her guild and lead her on to challenge the black current itself...
The novel was serialized in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction in four individually titled novelettes:
- The Black Current (November, 1983)
- New Year's Eve at Tambimatu (December, 1983)
- A Walk to Manhome, and Away (January, 1984)
- The Worm's Head (February, 1984)
| Date | Publication | Publisher | Type | Page | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1984 |
|
The Book of the River | Gollancz | Novel | |
| August 1985 |
|
The Book of the River | Panther / Granada | Novel | 11 |
| January 1986 |
|
The Book of the River | DAW Books | Novel | |
| November 1986 |
|
The Books of the Black Current | Nelson Doubleday / SFBC | Omnibus | 1 |
| November 1986 |
|
Urania #1036 | Mondadori | MAGAZINE | 3 |
| September 1987 |
|
Das Buch vom Fluss | Heyne | Novel | 7 |
| 1988 |
|
The Book of the River | Grafton | Novel | 11 |
| May 1989 |
|
Alef, #14 | Dnevnik | MAGAZINE | 102 |
| July 1989 |
|
Alef, #15 | Dnevnik | MAGAZINE | 101 |
| September 1989 |
|
Alef, #16 | Dnevnik | MAGAZINE | 99 |
| November 1989 |
|
Alef, #17 | Dnevnik | MAGAZINE | 97 |
| 1990 |
|
O livro do rio | Caminho | Novel | |
| April 2004 |
|
Yaleen | BenBella Books | Omnibus | 3 |
| September 2011 |
|
The Book of the River | Gateway / Orion | Novel |