In July, it was announced that Children of the Whales will debut on Netflix in 2018. Vol. 1 of the fantasy manga is out now.

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The Sea of Sand is vast and unforgiving, but despite the harsh realities of this stark landscape, life has found a way to adapt and even thrive. The people of the Mud Whale have lived for generations on their massive vessel made of adobe bricks and magic, subsisting off the plants they can farm on their island-ship and the creatures they can catch in the sand waves. 

Chakuro, the current archivist of the Mud Whale, is compelled to record the every day lives of his people and his home. He is one of the Marked, a class of people who have a magical gift called thymia. Ninety percent of the people of the Mud Whale are Marked, and using their powers in various ways is how the community manages to cling to survival on the Sea of Sand.

But while the Marked are invaluable to their people, they pay a steep price. They must keep strict control of their emotions so that their thymia doesn't rage out of control and cause damage or injuries. And unlike their Unmarked kin, their lives are tragically short. Most Marked do not survive past 30. But even knowing his time on the Mud Whale will be brief, Chakuro's thoughts are always on the future and how his writings could some day be used to improve the lives of his people.

Life on the Mud Whale is not easy, but it has always been predictable. That all changes the day Chakuro spots an island in the distance. When he and a team are sent to check the island for salvage potential, they are shocked at it's similarity to the Mud Whale.

Even more shocking is what they find within the island--the first human they have ever seen outside the Mud Whale! They are all excited, especially Chakuro. He sees in her the chance to find answers for all the questions that burn in his mind.

But it quickly becomes clear that while their guest is a stranger to them, she already knows much about them and their island. What will contact with the outside world really mean for the people of the Mud Whale? And will Chakuro regret the answers that he discovers?