喬治·R·R·馬丁，一九四八年齣生於美國貝約恩市，二十七歲以小說《萊安娜之歌》摘下象徵幻想小說最高成就的雨果奬。此後他不僅在文學上獲奬連連，更曾在好萊塢擔任編劇長達十年之久。至今，他已獲四次雨果奬，兩次星雲奬，一次世界奇幻文學奬，十一次軌跡奬等等。

When struggling riverboat captain Abner Marsh receives an offer of partnership from a wealthy aristocrat, he suspects something's amiss. But when he meets the hauntingly pale, steely-eyed Joshua York, he is certain. For York doesn't care that the icy winter of 1857 has wiped out all but one of Marsh's dilapidated fleet. Nor does he care that he won't earn back his investment in a decade. York has his own reasons for wanting to traverse the powerful Mississippi. And they are to be none of Marsh's concern—no matter how bizarre, arbitrary, or capricious his actions may prove.

Marsh meant to turn down York's offer. It was too full of secrets that spelled danger. But the promise of both gold and a grand new boat that could make history crushed his resolve—coupled with the terrible force of York's mesmerizing gaze. Not until the maiden voyage of his new sidewheeler Fevre Dream would Marsh realize he had joined a mission both more sinister, and perhaps more noble, than his most fantastic nightmare…and mankind's most impossible dream.

Here is the spellbinding tale of a vampire's quest to unite his race with humanity, of a garrulous riverman's dream of immortality, and of the undying legends of the steamboat era and a majestic, ancient river.