Published in 1988, Neverness concerns a medium far-future world where mathematicians have become a kind of caste or religious order, because of their abilities to do the calculations needed for space travel. It follows one, Mallory Ringess, as he discovers secrets and strangeness in the Universe he inhabits. Amongst these are experiences with the science fiction equivalent of a Goddess who was once a little girl and the discovery of immortals.

The book is praised for its unusual approach to showing an unfamiliar world, and the deep complexity of its story.[