Page updated June 3rd/23--scroll down for a review of "The Millennium Express." 34 books by Silverberg reviewed in this first of two pages of his complete works. This page is now complete.

This first Silverberg page will feature, in addition to the book below, all of his series novels and historical novels. After the series reviews are complete I will put his short story reviews here. My 2nd Silverberg page (see Nightwings, #21) will feature his single SF novels.

THE MAN IN THE MAZE

Cover art by Michael Presley. I am not a fan of this cover.

Despite still having a few dozen books awaiting me written by Farmer, Sladek, Budrys, and even a few more by Kornbluth, I have decided that it was finally time to move along and read the 5th book in the Avon Equinox SF series. Of course Robert Silverberg (born 1935) was even more prolific than Farmer, and has written around 100 novels, and countless short stories. This will give me a further backlog of books I must soon read. I am using two websites to help me out: the first is the Encyclopedia of SF, and the second one is the Quasi-Official Robert Silverberg Site. These sources will aid me greatly in deciding which other works by Silverberg I will search out and read.

This selection is a fascinating book, one that held my interest from beginning to end. Its faults are few, but at least one (treatment of women) is unforgivable. More on this later. Silverberg published a dozen SF books in 1969, and this is one of them. I mean, WOW! That is a pretty incredible feat for a human being. The writing is of a very high calibre, and the mood and subject are serious and intriguing. The theme boils down to a question of morals and humanity's overall status. The main character does not think too highly of humankind's soul, finding it blackened and stained by greed, cruelty, misery, and other unpleasant characteristics. How far can one man be pushed to fulfill his duty to a humankind he loathes? How many times can he be persuaded to risk all for the sake of others?

Astronaut Muller, in humankind's first encounter with an alien race, essentially loses his mind, and more, after spending time trying to learn about them. Afterwards, he exiles himself to an uninhabited planet, once home to an intelligent alien race who left behind a fully functional killer maze. He makes his way to its heart and lives the life of a hermit. We learn as much about the maze as Muller knows, and we gradually get the full back story of his tragic alien encounter.

Nine years later he is needed again, this time to convince a powerful invading alien race that humankind is a thinking, rational race and should not be enslaved for its own purposes. With the future of the human race at stake, a team is sent to the labyrinth to convince Muller to come out and help save them. Part of his deformity from his first alien encounter means that he projects negative psychic waves, and people literally cannot stand being near him. Anyone closer than 10 metres is subject to terrible depression and negativity.

I like how the story of Muller comes out piece by piece, and though we learn quite a bit about the maze, it is disappointing that we never really learn who built it or why. Conjectures are good, but not the same as finding an alien library, for instance. There is none. The main mystery of the book is never solved. I like how the author has given us background into how the human race has been conquering parts of the galaxy and populating several other planets. I am reminded of Iain M. Banks' "Culture", perhaps in their earliest stage of evolution. In all this time, only the one alien race has been located, though the ruins of many civilizations have been discovered. It is the upcoming second alien encounter that might spell doom for our race.

Silverberg tells a great tale extremely well. He knows how to string together a plot, and how to develop certain characters. He also knows how to get inside his characters, revealing them clearly to his readers. The novel is one of many examples of how and why SF can deal as effectively with major themes in literature as more mainstream and historical writing. Does the individual count at all when it comes to saving the lives of many others? How many times can he/she be asked to risk their life? What options are there for such a person? Whether or not you agree with Silverberg's answers, he does ask some pretty tough questions.

I could have wished more time had been spent with the two alien encounters. The first encounter is pretty much a blank, as absolutely nothing is learned about them, despite Muller's lengthy visit with them on their planet. We never learn how or why Muller was afflicted by them. The second encounter is even briefer, and I was left wanting more.

Silverberg wrote many other books, too, besides SF. He wrote non-fiction by the dozen, and over 100 erotic soft core novels. It's this last bit that bothers me, because by 1969 I would have hoped that women in SF could have been treated with more respect and awareness than they are within these pages. The only lead female characters in Man in the Maze are there for the male explorers to make love to and to boast to. Not a single female is on the team sent to seek out and convince Muller to return to Earth for a new mission. Male space travellers have access to "female cubes," some type of holographic version of sex and porno films. Really??? This is the best we can do in 1969? Devastating. People still wonder why mostly males used to get involved with the sciences. Perhaps because they all read SF back in the day, and it excited them and they wanted to be part of a future science. How would women feel if they read a book like this and realized that women had no part to play in science, but were only there to support the men and encourage them and listen to their dreams and exploits? Sheesh! That would certainly crush a lot of female spirits, and kill their aspirations to become astronauts. If this slant of writing continues, I will likely become even more scathing with Silverberg.

A great novel, but ladies beware....
***1/2 stars. Reviewed October 21st/16

For the foreseeable future, this first Silverberg page will be devoted to his series, and then his short stories. Single novels will appear on my second Silverberg page, forthcoming (he has two books in the Avon/Equinox series). Here is a short list of his series:

1) Nidor--2 volumes, co-written with Robert Randall
2) World's Fair 1992--2 volumes
3) Majipoor--8 volumes
4) Gilgamesh--2 volumes
5) New Springtime--2 volumes

6) The Collected Stories

These volumes will be read and reviewed first on this page. After New Springtime will come his many short stories. Single novels will eventually appear (summer 2018) on my 2nd Silverberg page.

#1: The Shrouded Planet

This early novel, co-written by Robert Silverberg and Randall Garrett, appeared in 1957 under the name "Robert Randall." In my Ace edition from 1982 there is a lengthy afterward by Silverberg discussing the history of this novel, and its sequel.

The planet Nidor is visited by aliens, who happen to be Earthmen (no Earthwomen travel in space, apparently). The benevolent humans come to give guidance and aid to the Nidorans. The planet is shrouded in clouds, so the sun and the sky are never revealed. After a cataclysm wipes out much of their race, and their planet is reduced to two small continents, they rebuild their lives and civilization, though it has stagnated to almost Gormenghastian standards.

When the humans arrive, they decree that a new school shall be built, and the brightest students of Nidor, from all classes of people, shall become students if they so wish. Even women are accepted! However, it seems that only some of the men truly excel, not women. Oh well. Sigh.

The novel was first written as three novellas, featuring one such student in each. All three stories are really good, and the novel as a whole hangs together well. The third story is, in my opinion, the most interesting of the three. Norvis is the most complex character of the story, and his distrust of the humans and the Council of Elders on his home planet seems to set the stage for the next volume, which was written soon after the first three stories. I am looking forward to the continuing history of Nidor. Recommended.

*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed March 9th/17

#2: The Dawning Light

I have barely begun my explorations of Robert Silverberg, but so far I am mostly enjoying them. The Dawning Light, from 1959, is a direct sequel to The Shrouded Planet, with many of the same characters. Set on the planet Nidor, the mystery of why Earthmen (sadly, no women) have set up here continues to deepen. The Earthmen don't really appear much in this story until the very end, when all is finally revealed.

Many times in these reviews of older SF books I have lamented the fact that Earth people are always warring, murderous, lecherous scum, just like in real life. Why, I have asked, couldn't Earth people be different for once; more noble, more peace-loving, more--well, you know--god-like, benign? I know why, of course; because it is impossible, even in fiction. If it were ever true, it would be unbelievable. How could we possibly have conquered all of our racial and religious prejudices, solved our equality and environmental problems, and live peaceably as one united planet instead of as hundreds of greedy, warring nations? Well, if a SF author says "Let is be so," then it can happen.

It happens here. So I won't complain anymore that it never happens. Of course I don't believe it really would happen, but so what. It's nice to pretend once in a while. There is very little science fiction in this tale of Nidorians trying to escape what the humans have done to them since their arrival a century ago. Four thousand years of tradition are hard to turn aside, as the native leaders of the Nidoran revolution discover. Getting rid of the Earthmen turns out to be the least of their problems.

The writing is very good, the characters (mostly male) are engaging, and certainly Nidor is worth two novels. But the story is mostly an economic one, as the revolution, led by Kris, seeks to unhinge the economy and force people to blame the Earthmen for their woes. It's a good plot, but it may not be everyone's cup of tea. Overthrowing the economy, and taking down the school set up by the Earthmen, takes up much of the book. The last quarter, though, is very exciting as the revolution goes into full swing, with unexpected results (for the Nidorians). Norvis, the hero from the last novel, plays a big role in the second book, and he is the only one to finally learn the truth. Once filled with hatred for Earthmen, when things become clear to him he understands what they have done for Nidor, and why. At times I am strongly reminded of Egyptian civilization from ancient times, and how long it survived virtually unchanged.

The Nidor books are a good, solid read, but perhaps more political and economic than some people might like. Since I read so many SF novels (this was #76 since last June), I am always happy to find something different. This pair of novels is different, highly readable, and recommended. The Shrouded Planet is quite different than this one, too. Still, I recommend both stories, which can be easily read in a few days. Dawning Light's 216 pages fairly flew by.

*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed March 29th/17

______________________________

From 1964, also the year of the New York World's Fair.

Cover art by Ed Emshwiller.

Silverberg's 2nd SF series, the "1992 World's Fair" pair of books, was written solo. Claude Regan is at the top of his game, head of the largest financial organization in the world, and one of the most powerful men to have ever lived. He is in his mid-thirties, is very bright and devoted, and works extremely hard. On top of this, he is asked by the President of the USA to take over planning and development for the upcoming World's Fair, celebrating 500 years since Columbus arrived in America.

With only a little more than two years to go, he builds it from scratch to completion, defying his enemies and most of the world, who thought he was completely nuts. Why nuts? Because he builds it in space, orbiting the Earth. Though billed as "juvenile" fiction, there is far too much economics involved to interest most teens. As we saw previously in the Nidor books, Silverberg is very interested in specifics of how things get financed and built. It appealed to me as an adult, despite pages and pages of financial and other types of business meetings.

There is no action to speak of, except for lots of intercontinental flights. There is also a trip to Mars, which turns out to be the key event in Claude Regan's life. Two things happen while he is here on "vacation." The first is that he meets the Martians. Silverberg's conception of the first aliens that humans encounter is pretty amusing and charming (see cover illustration). To make his Fair a financial success, Regan needs to bring a few Martians to the event. He hates himself for how he does it, but knows it must be done. The second thing that happens is that he is completely enchanted by the growing Mars colonies, and wants to help in their development.

Though stretching fiction and financing to the very limits of the imagination, this is a fun read of how a very futuristic world's fair comes about, thanks to the vision, determination, and smarts of one man. The fact that Silverberg even contemplated such wonders happening only 28 years after 1964 (we hadn't even been to the moon yet) tells something of the optimism people felt towards the future. I was convinced that by 2010 I would be able to visit Mars. The dream of humans in space has quietly died, as robots tackle the tasks we once thought humans would undertake. So just change the date in your mind to 2192, the 600th anniversary of Columbus' landing in America, and hope for the best.

*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed April 9th/17

#2: WORLD'S FAIR 1992

A very nice cover, but not credited.

The sequel to Regan's Planet was penned in 1970, though the title appeared very confusing for many readers and book sellers, who claimed it was just a reprint of the first book under a new title. In 1982, Silverberg wrote an amusing introduction to the 2nd book addressing this very issue, and it appears in my 1983 copy. I'll say it once more on his behalf in case my readers here did not get the message--this is a completely different novel.

The first story tells us how the 1992 Fair came to be, and who it was that brought it all together. The second book tells of events happening just before and then during the Fair. It takes the viewpoint of a recent high school graduate, Bill Hastings. Bill has won a world-wide high school essay contest and earned his way to a year-long job on the World's Fair satellite, working with xenobiologists studying the Martians who were brought here as a major Fair exhibit.

It is a juvenile story, aimed at younger high school boys. There is not a lot of high drama, no sex or bad words, and a nice mix of total off-the-wall science fiction with some actual science thrown in as well. It's interesting to compare novels that were aimed at a youth audience in 1970 with the ones today. Let's just say that a lot of innocence seems to have dropped by the wayside in nearly 50 years of publishing.

Things are going well at the Fair for awhile, but then attendance begins to drop drastically. The Fair stands to lose more money than most people think exists unless something drastic is done. Claude Regan, the man in charge, comes up with something drastic, and it involves the planet Pluto (yes, I still refer to it as a planet, and always will). While the story gets a little silly here, and reminds me of the unpleasantness of watching Will Wheaton in Star Trek as a young know-it-all, Silverberg manages to slip past a number of traps that could have felled the story in one swoop. He also does a great job of avoiding turning this into a Hardy Boys adventure by having Bill run around and save the satellite from saboteurs.

All in all it's a good story and a suitable follow-up to Regan's Planet (a different story), though there is nothing here of great value or originality. The science expedition that leaves for Pluto is all male (as were the Apollo program astronauts), so there is no great role for females here. With the date 1992 stamped on the cover, I doubt anyone would read this anymore, but it's not that bad. I liked the first book better, and would have preferred to be present when some type of break-through with the Martians occurred. Instead, I got to wander around a totally boring Pluto (and after seeing images from Pluto following "New Horizons" visit, I don't think an actual visit would be all that boring) and pick up crab-like life forms. Such is the life of a scientist.

*** stars. Reviewed May 22nd/17

______________________________

MAJIPOOR

#1: LORD VALENTINE'S CASTLE

Cover artist unknown. First published in 1980.

As I undertake another major SF series, it makes me want to reflect upon many of the others I have read. Just before embarking on this journey, I finished reading the final Riverworld book by P. J. Farmer (notes in this blog, under Farmer). The first great SF series I ever read was Cities in Flight by James Blish, still one of my favourite works. It will eventually be reviewed on this blog. Then came the Foundation series of Asimov, another great one. Frank Herbert's six Dune books were the best of the best, and I even read several later ones by his son. I read all of Arthur C. Clarke's Rama books, especially enjoying the first one. I read Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, of course, and then Farmer's Riverworld and his Pocket Universe series, the latter one starring the wonderful hero, Kickaha. And I will soon embark upon Farmer's Dayworld series. I have also read the Of Man and Manta trilogy by Piers Anthony, containing some brilliant SF writing.

And so I am excited about starting this massive series by Robert Silverberg, known as the Majipoor Series. Majipoor is an alien world, and we learn about it piece by piece. I was pleasantly surprised to see a map at the beginning of the first book.

Map of Majipoor--scroll to see it all.

Part One: The Book of The King of Dreams

First appearing in a shorter form in 1979, Silverberg went on to make this one the longest series in SF history.

From Nov. 1979.

The first volume of the Majipoor series is over 500 pages long, a daunting task for readers, and is Silverberg's longest novel. However, he breaks it down nicely into five novellas, something very manageable for most of us who prefer our stories a bit shorter. Part One is 128 pages, and it makes a pretty good opening. My only concern after reading the first novella is that it isn't really SF after all, but fantasy. There are aliens, we are on a strange planet, old Earth is mentioned, but the feeling is of a fantasy world. This isn't much science encountered yet, but lots of dreams, levitation, ESP, festivals resembling Ren Fairs, and the like. To top it off, the hero hires on as a juggler. Huzzah!

Part One takes place on the huge island of Zimroel, and we get to visit its largest city (11 million inhabitants of many races and from many planets) during Festival. Valentine is a man with no memories, and we follow his path until realization finally sets in. He does not wish to accept the facts, however, but wants to continue training as a juggler. He seems to have an uncanny ability at it, too. His companions, though many, are introduced in a way that we are able to keep them straight as we read, though the more interesting ones turn out to be Carabella, a young woman whom he fancies, and Deliamber, a lovable alien wizard.

Majipoor is vast, with over 20 billion inhabitants. There are three continents, vast seas, and a single ruler over all. Travel is by ship, and land travel is done by walking, or riding not-quite beasts of burden. There is also magic aplenty. Methinks our good friend Tolkien and his followers have affected Silverberg, as nearly everyone in the 70s got bit by the Middle Earth bug. Still, Silverberg is such an original writer that I know I am in for an awesome series of adventures. I really liked this opening book, and all of the characters in it so far. Perhaps Valentine overplays the part about not wanting to know his past--wouldn't anyone want to remember who they were?

***1/2 stars. Reviewed June 20th/17

Part Two: The Book of The Metamorphs

In this book, which is only 106 pages long, the plot thickens. Each of these novellas is just the right length to be published in a monthly SF magazine, and I'm certain that is what Silverberg intended. It works perfectly for me. The jugglers continue their journey across the continent of Zimroel, and a few new characters are picked up along the way. The novel so far has strong feelings of attachment to Oz, which was also such a major influence on P. J. Farmer. So much the better. And again, as in Farmer, there is a concerted effort to distance the writing from Tolkien. As in Farmer, it also fails here. Tolkien is around every corner, though slightly in disguise. And then come the Metamorphs, which Frank Herbert called "Face Dancers," in his Dune series. There is nothing really new in fiction, but it is fun and amazing to see how different it comes out among various authors. So far, with Silverberg, it is coming out extremely well.

The first new major character to be added to the troupe is a giantess Amazon by the name of Lisamon Hultin. Silverberg could just as easily have created her as a male character, a bodyguard to help the performers through dangerous territory. But I'm glad he didn't. Lisamon is a fabulous character, despite the sketchiness of her description. We can picture her very clearly. The Metamorphs are a new type of people, and we learn that they are native to Majipoor. They have been confined to a small area and a few cities in the southeast of Zimrael, and mostly keep to themselves. Non-human alien species on Majipoor, arriving during the busier days of star travel, are the Liiman, Ghayrog, Vroon, Skandar, Hjort, and Su-suheris. We are already familiar with the Vroon (wizard guide), Skandar (the four-armed jugglers), and Hjort (toad-like folk).

In this book we get a few more hints about when humans arrived on Majipoor, but even more importantly we are told of how the balance of power works on the planet, one carefully designed over thousands of years. We have four sources of power: the Pontifex, the Coronal, the King of Dreams, and Lady of the Isle. There is a false Coronal now on the throne, and the rightful one is currently wandering about with a group of jugglers, his memory wiped. The planet could be heading for chaos. Valentine feels his duty more and more forcefully to regain his rightful place, and by the end of Book Two everyone travelling with him knows who he is, even the Metamorphs.

The high adventure is ramped up near the end of Book Two. First the travellers must face the forest brethren, getting past their barrier with the aid of Lisamon. Next come the two-faced Metamorphs, who have captured and caged some forest brethren as well as an off-worlder, who turns out to be a more recent arrival. He wants to reach a star port and return to his home, as his stay on Majipoor has not been pleasant. From here to the end of the book is a real page-turner, and I loved every minute of it. Great stuff!

So far, Silverberg has not fallen into any traps such as Farmer did in Riverworld. He is keeping his tale taut and focused, and only introducing new characters a few at a time. The end of this book is a bit of a shocker, though I sense that we will be seeing at a least a few of the original gang again someday. At least I hope so.

**** stars. Reviewed June 22nd.

Part Three: The Book of The Isle of Sleep

At 101 pages, we are slowly making progress across Majipoor, a planet roughly ten times the diameter of Earth. The Fellowship (my name for them) is reunited and on their way to Piliplok, another city of such vast size that one wonders how daily life can exist with so many people. We are never told much along those lines, except that there is farming and fishing, and vast markets. The pure adventure story continues as the group searches for a ship to take them to the Isle of Sleep. They eventually find Captain Gorzval and his sad little dragon ship and crew, and they are soon on their way again. Their journey has been non-stop since leaving Pidruid.

I really liked the adventure aboard the dragon ship, finding it well-written and exciting. However, this would have been an excellent time to deepen some of the other characters a bit. The others have become nothing more than ornaments of Valentine, and seem to be fading into the background more and more. We know little enough of their backgrounds, and it would have been okay to learn more about some of them. It's not happening. After a truly fantastical adventure in the belly of a sea dragon, Valentine and his lost Fellowship are again eventually all reunited safely, except for another of the Skandar brothers that has died at sea.

We make it to the wondrous Isle, and it certainly is a big one. Again, the logistics of maintaining a shrine of this size, with perhaps a million pilgrims or more upon it at any one time, are staggering. But if Silverberg isn't overly worried about it, then neither am I. The story really bogs down here, however, and becomes paper thin. Again, this might have been a good time to flesh out some of the other characters, especially the recent arrival from off-world. They are beginning to feel rather like cardboard cutouts. Instead, we get a violent spy, and the inevitable meeting with the Lady, Valentine's mother, who helps him prepare for his next destination. It just all seems too easy, and the story flows along like a checklist being ticked off. Was Silverberg starting to get bored with his jugglers? Time will tell, but this third novella started off great and then seemed to hit more than one snag. Fingers crossed for the next story instalment.

*** stars. reviewed June 23rd/17

Part Four: The Book of the Labyrinth

At a mere 61 pages, this is the shortest entry of the volume. However, Silverberg gets the job done here much better than in the Isle of Sleep. Not that the Labyrinth is adequately described; we are given mere hints of its vastness and its purpose. One thing still bothers me a lot, and that is communication. The planet is too vast for casual journeys, or to send messages by land or sea. Is dreaming or sending the only means of getting messages from one part of the world to another? We are never certain.

We set sail from The Isle of Sleep in the company of the Fellowship and seven ships sent by the Lady. We pick up a few friends along the way, visit some very old ruins, and then enter the city. They acquire a guide, Hissune, and Silverberg hints strongly that we will be seeing more of this lad. Without the barest bit of difficulty Valentine gets his audience with the Pontifex Tyeveras. What is left to do now? Valentine has gained enough allies, and thinks it is time to march to The Castle and reclaim his throne.

Though short, I liked this novella, finding that it moved the plot along well, introduced several new and interesting characters, gave a better picture of how power is balanced in Majipoor, and passed through yet more interesting landscapes and cities. Silverberg's creation of Majipoor is so vast that any writer could have spent a lifetime writing only about it. At the time, Silverberg was likely thinking of a second book, and possibly a third (remember that fella named Tolkien?), and he was certainly leaving plenty of material in his wake for further development.

***1/2stars. Reviewed June 24th/17

Part Five: The Book of The Castle

The final novella is 100 pages long, and brings this first part of the story to its conclusion. It dawned on me as I was finishing up the novel that Silverberg (and many others) had probably read the Ballantine Adult Fantasy Series, edited by Lin Carter. That phenomenal series influenced many of today's older fantasy writers, and I especially noted a tinge of Lord Dunsany in some of the descriptions of the actual castle here. And of course who can deny the influence of Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast Castle on Silverberg, as he seeks to outdo even that fantastic monument to folly?

The ending to this massive volume is quite good, though not heart-stopping. The climax is reached, as it should be, in the very center of The Castle segment, with Valentine coming face to face with his nemesis, and nearly being defeated by him. I truly admire Silverberg's anti-war stance, as he tries to end hostilities with a minimum of violence. Too often a huge, bloody battle is the only way to end a book or a story, especially one with this much of a build-up to the climax. There is a battle, but it is over quickly, though not before one of the good guys is brutally killed. This is too bad, as I rather liked that character (no spoilers here), and would have liked to have known more about him/her/it.

As we approach the castle we learn a bit more about the ancient and mighty machines that allow life to be sustained at an altitude that would literally put the cities up here in space. This is a really high mountain! However, those mysterious early settlers from Earth apparently had technology to burn, and managed to set up a life-support system that keeps on ticking, Until the bad guy shuts it down.

Something I really like about Silverberg's writing is that he often manages to reminisce about early plot points, and we sometimes get a review of the things that happened much earlier in the story. Sometimes these are major events, and sometimes minor. Another thing I like is his ability to keep things moving along (except that time spent on the Isle of Sleep--though perhaps even that was intended). The plot never stagnates, nor moves at a pace that is reckless or careless. The book seems well-planned, but never stale. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, though I rate it somewhat less than the greatest works of fantasy I have read (see link to my Ballantine page, left). Highly recommended, and I look forward to reading more about this world.

***1/2 stars (for Part 5, and also for overall rating). Reviewed June 25th/17

#2: MAJIPOOR CHRONICLES

Majijpoor Volume 2, from 1981. Cover art by Jim Burns (1983).

The first Majipoor volume presented us with a massive world, population 20-30 billion, hundreds of vast cities, three giant continents, and more possibilities than 500 pages could begin to explain. It also had a history stretching back nearly 14,000 years, when humans first arrived to colonize the planet. The problem for Vol. 2, then, was how to expand our knowledge of Majipoor. The author could have continued the adventure begun (and more or less concluded) in Vol. 1. But Silverberg hit upon a much better idea. Tolkien had written his Middle Earth Hobbit story in three volumes, but we were still left wondering about Middle Earth, its origins, who came before (names were dropped to the readers throughout LOR), and what had happened back then. When the Silmarillion came out, the answers lay before us at last. Then Tolkien's son Christopher came out with the Histories of Middle Earth, to further fill us with the events that many of us had sought.

And so we have the Majipoor Chronicles, a book of 285 pages, plus maps. Silverberg found an ingenious way to tap into 10 tales from long ago, helping us fill in some background about Majipoor. He opens with a short intro featuring a now 14-year old Hissune, and we learn that we are four years into Valentine's rule. Hissune has a boring paperwork job in the House of Records in the Labyrinth of Majipoor. To escape the boredom, he begins accessing random recorded stories from the Register of Souls. And so we begin to learn more....

The continent of Zimroel. The first short story takes place in and near Narajal, at the southern tip of the continent. This area is rain forest.

One: Thesme and the Ghayrog

This story comes from 9,000 years ago, from the southern tip of the continent of Zimroel. It is 41 pages long. Narabal is a frontier town, set in the humid jungle along the southern coast. Thesme, a 25 year old rebel (she sounds more like 17) against the usual pattern of growing up with her family, finally leaves town for a solitary life in the jungle. She builds a cabin, largely lives off the land, returning occasionally to Narabal for further provisions or books. One day she comes across a wounded Ghayrog. Aliens are a new experience for her, as they have only recently begun to penetrate this far down the continent. Aliens are being welcomed by the humans now ruling Majipoor. She nurses him back to health, and they end up having an affair.

Ghayrogs look reptilian, but they are actually warm-blooded mammals who lay eggs. Though she cannot see it at first, Vismaan the Ghayrog does have a penis, and a very effective one for giving Thesme pleasure. It was P. J. Farmer who first introduced SF readers to human sex with aliens, back in the 1950s. He opened a floodgate with some of his tales, and Silverberg follows neatly in his footsteps. The story is not only about sex with aliens (should a 14-year old Hissune be reading this stuff?), but about prejudice. Silverberg handles both extremely well. The ending reminds me a bit of the movie "Walkabout," when Jenny Agutter is safely married and ensconced in civilization again, but never forgetting what had happened in her past.

A very good beginning to a new Majipoor book.

**** stars. Reviewed July 26th/17

Story Two takes place in the far north of Alhanroel.

Two: Time of the Burning

At only 20 pages, the second story is very slender. We travel back to the time of Lord Stiamot, near the very end of the war against the native population, the Shapeshifters. They had been carrying out a secret guerrilla war against the human colonists, and the Coronal finally decided to put a stop to it. The final phase of the war takes place in northern Alhanroel, the main continent and seat of human power on Majipoor. Hissune is seeing things from the perspective of the zone captain who is responsible for burning the lands east towards the ocean, in an effort to capture the remaining Shapeshifters. They are trying to do this without loss of life, so are giving warning ahead of time so people can leave the area. However, one human land-owner will not move, and Captain Eremoil, who has never killed an enemy in battle, must now choose to see a stubborn, proud civilian man killed by the fires.

*** stars. reviewed July 26th/17

Three: In the Fifth year of the Voyage

At only 20 pages, this is another brief look into another time by Hissune. The action takes place in the vast ocean west of Zimroel. A ship has left port from Til-omon in an attempt to circle the globe. We learned in Vol. 1 that no ship had ever successfully done this, and we begin to learn why on this doomed voyage. Parts of the story reminded me of William Hope Hodgson's "Boats of the Glen Carrig." It is a pretty good tale, though a bit heart-breaking.

*** stars. Reviewed July 27th/17

Four: Calintane Explains

Only 15 pages long, Hissune grows curious about one of the oddest events to ever take place in the Great Labyrinth. This is a humourous story about the Pontifex who became the Lady of Dreams. We are gradually filling in some important events hinted about in Vol. 1 of this series. However, so far two stories have been Coronal related, and only two about more normal people (though the captain of the adventure ship in story three, and Thesme in story one, hardly qualify as normal folk). Fun reading.

*** stars. Reviewed July 27th/17

Five: The Desert of Stolen Dreams

The longest story in this volume is 55 pages, including 2 pages of intro by Silverberg. Hissune continues to serve as the link between stories, much the same as in Arabian Nights. It is an ingenious method of linking several stories that would otherwise be unrelated.

I purchased a version of this story in hardcover, and so I did not read the paperback 55-page version. Here is the one I read.

Hardcover version of "Desert of Stolen Dreams," published in 1981

Cover art and 13 inside illustrations by Steven E. Fabian

This version of the story takes up 96 pages, including some lovely illustrations. It does not have the two page intro by Silverberg, nor are there any maps included. The main character is Dekkeret, currently an up-and-coming member of the elite in Castle Mount. He is a knight, personally chosen by the current Coronal. Dekkeret is destined to one day become the Coronal, but that is not part of this story. Instead, he has chosen to do penance on the most inhospitable of Majipoor's three continents, and we get to make our first visit to Suvrael (see the map of Majipoor, posted above with Vol. 1). It is the hottest, most barren desert imaginable, and Dekkeret hopes to free himself of guilt. Exactly what he has done wrong is not yet mentioned, but it all becomes clear by the end of the story.

This is where we learn the origins of The King of Dreams, who is the opposite force of The Lady of The Isle. Whereas she sends out happy, peaceful dreams, the King (from Vol. 1) sends out much more menacing dreams. Apparently both are needed in Majipoor to balance things out. That may be so, but this tale does not do much to explain why. We meet the original Barjazid and his son, who escort Dekkeret into the desert. The Barjazids will always hold the title of King of Dreams afterwards, though that part of the story is not related. Instead, we learn that the father has invented a contraption that he puts on his head to invade and influence (negatively) the dreams of Dekkeret. We learn nothing about how this thing was made, how it works, or why it was made.

I really liked the first 3/4ths of this story. Dekkeret arrives in the southern city of Tolaghai, and there meets a female representative of the Pontifex. His visit to the city is very good writing, as is the trip into the desert. I did have problems with the story's outcome and resolution. It just seemed too matter-of-fact. Dekkeret gets what he wanted, and nothing else matters to him; just get out of the desert now. The fate of the machine used by Barjazid (and Barjazid himself) will now be put into the hands of the Coronal, and we more or less know what happened afterwards. No doubt Silverberg will return to the continent of Suvrael someday, and we will learn more (He did! See Vol. 6, Lord Prestiminion!!).

I am a great fan of the desert Southwest USA, having visited 38 times. I do know a bit about deserts. Silverberg does an excellent job of describing this Desert of all deserts, the most inhospitable place on Majipoor (except perhaps for the Sargasso sea in story three. A good addition to our knowledge of Majipoor.

***1/2 stars. Reviewed July 28th/17

Six: The Soul-Painter and the Shapeshifter: This story is 20 pages long, and takes place in the wilderness of southern Zimroel. In fact, we are just a bit north of where Thesme once lived. Nismile is court painter to the Coronal, but can no longer stand the order and peaceful of life at Castle Mount. He abandons his career and strikes out for the wilds of a new continent. He eventually makes contact with a Metamorph, or Shapeshifter. The story tells of a very happy time for Nismile, before he returns to the vicinity of Castle Mount to take up painting once more.

Silverberg now shows us a very choosy Hissune. He no longer randomly selects stories, but carefully chooses to hear one fully only after sampling many he is not interested in hearing. He is now addicted to the stories hidden in the Labyrinth, and wishes to learn more and more about important moments in the history of Majipoor.

*** stars. Reviewed July 28th/17

Seven: Crime and Punishment

This 16-page story is a depressing one at best. However, we do learn a bit more about the King of Dreams, the sender of evil dreams from Suvrael. A businessman kills another who has done him great harm. The murder is not premeditated, but done quickly in a blinding flash of rage. Soon the evil dreams begin, and Haligome's life becomes a living hell. Forced to leave his family, and tormented wherever he goes, he eventually ends up going on a lifelong pilgrimage to the Lady of The Isle. Of course had he admitted to the killing when it occurred, perhaps he could have led a more normal life. Coincidentally, he meets the murdered man's son on the Isle, and is finally able to tell someone what happened that fateful day. I think the ending is supposed to be a happy one, but I hardly feel it that way.

*** stars. Reviewed July 28th/17

Eight: Among The Dream Speakers

In this short story (18 pages) we hear about the part of a woman's life where she takes her final test to become a Dream Speaker. Hissune has met Tisana before, at Valentine's 2nd coronation. We have also met her before, when a troubled Valentine, in Vol. 1, sought her out to interpret his dream, before he remembered he was Coronal. She worked out of Falkynkip in Zimroel. It takes 7 years of training to become a Dream Speaker, including three years on the Isle of Sleep, and then 4 years at the Chapterhouse in Velalisier, northwest of the Labyrinth.

Again, Silverberg cleverly increases our knowledge of an otherwise bewildering planet, while at the same time making our lessons (and Hissune's) intimate. We get to see different aspects of Majipoor through the eyes of people long dead, and, sometimes as in this case, someone who is still alive. Tisana has chosen her vocation in order to help people interpret dreams sent from The Lady, and those sent from The King of Dreams, when the dreams are important enough but not clear to the dreamer. Silverberg even takes the time to list all of the different types of dreams with which a good Speaker must be familiar.

While not a great story, it is still a fun way to receive an education. I admit to being very curious about Majipoor, and I am learning a lot in the Chronicles.

*** stars. Reviewed July 29th/17

Nine: A Thief In Ni-moya

At 47 pages, this is the second-longest story in the collection, and one of three novellas (see also One and Five). It takes place in Zimroel, though mostly in Nimoya. Nimoya is a vast city of 30 million people, and we get to wander its streets and shops, parks and restaurants, and best of all, the Grand Bazaar.

Inyanna is a woman of 19 years when the story opens, a shop owner in a minor city called Velathys. She dreams of visiting other places on Majipoor, but is held back by her hereditary ownership of the business. However, fortuitously as it turns out, she is swindled out of her business and finds herself travelling after all. This is a fun and worthy tale of Majipoor, and Hissune is soon captured by the telling, as are we. Silverberg is at his most gracious and charming in this Cinderella-like story.

**** stars. Reviewed July 30th/17

Ten: Voriax and Valentine:

The final story is 18 pages long, and takes place in the recent past, when Valentine was 17. He has just recovered from his broken leg, and he and his brother go adventuring together near Castle Mount. They spend an unusual night with a witch woman, and she repays them by reading their futures.

*** stars. Reviewed July 31st/17

Hissune, in a final chapter telling of Valentine's current visit to The Labyrinth, is sent for by the Coronal, and will now become an assistant to Valentine. The Coronal has known all along that Hissune has been snooping around in the Register of Souls, and allowed it up to now.

Overall, this is a wonderful book, and has answered many of my questions about Majipoor. Silverberg has created a world so vast and so populous, that it seems as if he would have enough great ideas for a hundred such stories. We shall see.

**** stars overall. Completed July 31st 2017.

#3: Valentine Pontifex

Cover art by Loretta Trezzo

This is the third and final volume of the Valentine series, at least as planned by Silverberg. It was written in 1983. My hardcover edition has the fabulous maps which I have scanned and placed above. The book is 347 pages, and follows the life of Coronal Valentine from where things left off in Vol 1 of the series, though some progress was made in Vol 2 as well. Like Vol 1, the author divides the lengthy book into 5 smaller books, and each will be reviewed here. Silverberg liked the novella form, and if his awards are any indication, it was his most successful. So by dividing his large books into smaller stories, he has brilliantly used his strengths to make these books even greater.

One: The Book of The Coronal

The first book is 97 pages long. The main story opens deep within the Labyrinth, with Valentine paying a state visit to the Pontifex. He has a troubling vision at the main banquet, and collapses. We get a few different perspectives of this event, as Silverberg hops around his narration like a nervous jack rabbit. We also get chapters of subplots involving farmers in Zimroel dealing with apparently natural disasters happening to their crops. We know better. Finally, near the end of this first book, we get an insight into who is causing Majipoor's staple crops so much damage. The source of this trouble will be no surprise to readers of the previous volumes: the Shapeshifters.

Valentine has reached out to the Shapeshifters and tried to offer them peace and a say in the government. They have not responded in anything like a diplomatic fashion. They seem out to recapture their planet, which was essentially stolen from them thousands of years ago when settlers from Earth arrived and took over. Their most recent evil plan is to kill the crops that feed the billions of people on Majipoor. Beyond that, we know nothing yet. Valentine is also feeling pressure to abdicate and become the next Pontifex, a job he is not eager to take, due to his hatred of and discomfort within the underground Labyrinth, where he would have to live. He is currently on a multi-year state tour of Majipoor, but as the first book ends and more darkness seems to descend upon him and his world, he wishes to visit the Isle of Sleep and see his mother, the sender of dreams.

This is a very odd and original series, one with which I have yet to fully come to terms. It is not SF at all, though the origins of the Majipoor population are from other planets, long lost to these settlers. They seem to have inherited a world where magic has at least as much say as science, and probably more. The great machines that keep Castle Mount habitable have their roots in SF, but we never learn about them. In all respects, then, this seems to be a fantasy series, reminding me somewhat of Fritz Leiber. Faffrd and Mouser would be at home in Majipoor. However, it is not a sword and sorcery novel, either. It seems to be in its own category, sort of like Farmer's Riverworld series. It is very different from anything that came before. Having said that, I enjoy reading the books, and look forward to reading more about Majipoor.

*** stars. Reviewed Sept. 3rd/17

Two: The Book of The Water-Kings

This section is 70 pages long. The pot is stirred and the plot thickens. We suffer ruin along with the farmers we met in Book One; we sense the anguish of the Shapeshifters, and their joy when they realize that their dreams will come to fruition; we suffer the depression of Valentine, as he sees the world crashing down around him, and we sense the political manoeuvring going on back at the Palace, with Valentine gone.

Silverberg is setting things up nicely, though I sense that Valentine isn't really going to be the man for the job. His idea of prostrating himself before the leader of the Shapeshifters is not one of the more brilliant schemes he has ever come up with. And I sense that the sea dragons are at the heart of the matter, too. There is every indication that previous to the arrival of Earth settlers, the Shapeshifters enjoyed a symbiotic relationship with the creatures, an important one that has been absent on Majipoor for too long. The Shapeshifter leader is not going to be satisfied with a Coronal visit; they want their planet back the way it was before settlers arrived, and they have a mad scheme to fulfil their wishes. Good luck with that!

On top of everything else, things have not be so great on Majipoor for many honest, hard-working but lowly citizens, and in their great despair and ruin they have reverted to a primitive religion honouring the dragons, one which the nobility knew nothing about. Hissune, meanwhile, has been elevated to the rank of prince, and is preparing himself for something he cannot yet guess. But we can. I have a feeling that things will be out of Valentine's hands sooner rather than later. The title of the book hints at this, of course, but so does he reaction to the crises. This is a very good development section, and I can't wait to read Book Three.

***1/2 stars. Reviewed Sept. 4th/17

Three: The Book of The Broken Sky is 88 pages long. By the end of it, Majipoor is nearly in ruins, as the populace adopts several self-proclaimed Coronals and a few Pontifices to go along. The sea dragons have blocked passage of ships between continents, and Valentine is running around a jungle looking for Shapeshifters, who are determined not to see him. The low point has been reached, but there is also no way that Majipoor can ever return to what it once was, no matter what happens afterwards. Can a civilized society be overthrown so quickly, one that has functioned well for thousands of years? In my opinion, and in Silverberg's, yes. It can happen easily. Take food sources away from 20 billion people and see what happens. It was never that clear how the government of Majipoor functioned well anyway, without any type of air travel. News comes mysteriously through the ether, or something like that. Silverberg has not told us much about this, so we have to overlook many things that could use a bit more explaining. Perhaps all will come clear in the end. We learn a bit more about the Sea Kings, but not why they are allied with Shapeshifters. Hissune continues to grow and is looking like Majipoor's greatest hope. Silverberg has hindered himself not a little by having the world be so large. Whatever decision is made by the ruling class will take months, if not years, to get started, never mind finished. Majipoor's darkest hour is upon us. Bring on Book Four!

*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed Sept. 5th/17

Four: The Book of The Pontifex is 54 pages long. Here is where things really begin to get weird and not so easy to explain. Lazy writing? From Silverberg? Or should we just relax, because it's only a book? Well, Valentine does not want to go to the Labyrinth. Wah wah and boo hoo. We are never once told why any Pontifex goes there to begin with, nor why it so large and goes so far underground. Couldn't he just build a nice house somewhere and pontificate from there? Who knows? Not the reader, and not Valentine. He visits his mother on the Isle, at the same time Hissune shows up with his mom. Good timing, that. Suddenly Valentine is Pontifex and Hissune is Coronal. Done deal. Then we have Valentine appearing in Piliplok, a region that has declared itself free of government rule and is now on its own. How does Valentine go about taming these rascals? He sends out telepathic emanations, and suddenly everyone loves and worships him again. Nice going, and no battles needed and no lives lost. Now, just a word or two about this mysterious telepathy. Do Coronals just suddenly get this wonderful gift, especially if they try real hard night after night? Will Hissune get it? And his mother, who will now become The Lady? There are just getting to be too many unexplainable things for my liking. And another small quibble. Suddenly "The Divine" is everywhere and being talked about. "Which Divine is this? There are no priests on Majipoor, no churches, no religion mentioned up until now. Suddenly it's the end of the world and everyone is blaming the Divine. Who the hell is that and why has the Divine never been brought into the story before this? Silverberg has gotten himself into a terrible mess by having the Metamorphs (Shapeshifters) destroy so much of the planet and the social fabric. Suddenly, I get the feeling years will pass and things will be happy again, with the Metamorphs more satisfied than ever with their new found friends, the invasive settlers of their planet. The bad Shapeshifter Faraataa will be tamed, no one will get hurt, and we can all sit back and sigh and enjoy a job well done. Well, perhaps some of us can. If there isn't a whole lot of explaining going on in the final book, this reader will remain bewildered and unhappy.

** stars. Reviewed Sept. 6th/17

Book Five: The Book of The Reunion is only 44 pages long. So many pages have been taken up destroying the planet and its society, but all is to be made well again in 44 pages. Not since reading the first three Deryni books by Katherine Kurtz have I been so disappointed in the conclusion to a large fantasy series. Love conquers all, or so Silverberg believes. All we really had to do was shower Hitler with love. It also might work just as well on the leader of North Korea, or perhaps even the head of Isis or the Taliban. Just keep sending lots of love their way and everything will be fine. Once Faraataa is dealt with, the rest is milk and honey. No one else really hated anyone, so once he was under control all was well. And they lived happily ever after. I enjoyed the parts of Book Five that had Hissune and Divvis in them, but the parts with Valentine just became worse and worse, as he reduced enemy after enemy to putty simply by sending love their way. Even Jesus would have been happy with only half of Valentine's sudden secret powers. In many ways this is a brilliant series of books. However, in many ways it just isn't. And we still don't know why the Pontifex has to live in a hole in the ground.

**1/2 stars. Reviewed Sept. 6th/17

Overall rating ** 1/2 stars.

#4: The Mountains of Majipoor

Cover art by Jim Burns

This next volume in the Majipoor series came out in 1995, and is 225 pages long. It had been 12 years since Silverberg revisited his beloved world, and he focuses on a part of the planet we have never visited. Harpirias is a minor lord on Castle Mount, who one day finds himself on the receiving end of the anger of an important lord. He is eventually sent away to the city of Ni-moya on the distant continent of Zimroel. Thinking he is doomed to the life of a minor clerical official, he suddenly gets a chance to advance himself. It comes with a few strings attached, however, and a sullen and ungrateful Harpirias (who is quite spoiled and not much fun) sets out for the high Arctic regions of north Zimroel.

A number of archaeologists are missing, having been captured by a primitive society, and it is Harpirias' unhappy lot to try and rescue them, using diplomacy and not force. Silverberg pens a very simple but easily likable story, bringing us on an adventure that Burroughs might have written, or P. J. Farmer. Harpirias is not much of a diplomat, most of that duty falling on the shoulders of his shape shifter translator, and the lord settles into a gloomy and disgruntled life among the tribe of Othinor, ruled by King Toikella. However, once he accepts the King's daughter into his bed, he begins to relax a little and enjoy the meagre life among the tribe.

There is a subplot about a lost tribe of shape shifters, and it provides the climax to the story. This is well-handled by Silverberg. All along King Toikella has treated Harpirias as a somewhat lesser equal, but once the Majipoor warriors he brought with him finally use their modern weapons, he realizes the danger he and is tribe are in from invasion of the civilized world. The ending could have been a cop out, or so poorly drawn as to make a person groan in despair. But this, in my opinion, is the best ending that could have been. I really enjoyed the novel, especially its simplicity and focus on one story and one small group of characters. I feel like the Majipoor tales are back on track, after a less than great 3rd book (see above). Recommended. The story would work well even if none of the other Majipoor books have not been read.

*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed Nov. 2nd/17

#5 Sorcerers of Majipoor

Cover art by Jim Burns

The 5th book in the epic Majipoor series is divided into 5 shorter novellas, all directly linked. I will review each of the 5 sections in turn. The entire volume is 462 pages long, plus the maps. It was published in 1997.

Book One: Book of The Games: The section is 111 pages long. This story takes place a thousand years before Valentine, and begins when the current Pontifex is dying. Lord Confalume has indicated that Prestimion will be the next Coronal, and everyone has gathered in the Labyrinth for the transfer of power. Confalume will go on to become the next Pontifex. Once the old Pontifex is dead, competitive games will be held to celebrate (I don't quite get the logic of this, but anyway....). As the Pontifex is really taking his time dying, and everyone is just sitting around, a decision is made to begin the games, which take several days.

Confalume's son, Korsibar, is not eligible for the throne, according to Majipoor law. That doesn't stop his twin sister, Thismet, from plotting his ascendancy. He is a really good guy, but apparently easily led astray. Shades of Othello, of a sort. And not only is there a decided Shakespearean slant to this first book, with its court intrigue and underhanded politics, but there is a definite link to E.R. Eddison. Eddison was the greatest fantasy writer who ever lived, and his Zimiamvian series is the high point of fantasy writing. He, too, leans heavily upon Shakespeare's shoulders. The difference is that Eddison can pull it off, and equal or sometimes even surpass the ultimate master of court writing. Silverberg can't. In fact, the more one reads of this first book of the five, the more one realizes the limitations of Silverberg's skill at handling these kinds of things.

He is certainly trying to emulate Eddison, and even includes a brutal wrestling match, with cheating (see Eddison's "Worm Ouroboros" for a much better written match). In the Majipoor volume, as in Eddison, we have sorcerers and enchanters suddenly casting spells and using their skills to unbalance Prestimion and his side, who are suddenly helpless and friendless once the coup d'etat begins. In Majipoor, thousands of years of lawful power transfers mean absolutely nothing--it is suddenly time to break all the laws and put the son of a Coronal in power for the first time.

Silverberg ends up having to spend most of his writing time justifying how good guy Korsibar got lead astray by his power-starved sister and some of his friends, and how Prestimion is suddenly nearly friendless, and helpless to do anything. What about Confalume, you ask? Suddenly he can't talk anymore (damn sorcery), and so does nothing to stop the transfer of power to his son. How convenient. Frustration after frustration follows, much like in a Dickens novel. Could such a thing happen? Sure, I guess. How likely is it to happen, with no real planning by the bad guys until almost the very last second? Not very.

I found this first book slow going, and frustrating to read. Characters and situations seemed stilted and forced. Silverberg does not have a good grasp on writing about court intrigue, and now we must suffer through several more short sections with Korsibar ruling the roost, before slowly realizing that he hasn't done the smartest thing ever (I'm guessing). Let's hope by the end of the volume he has repented, and everyone is friends again, since violence isn't tolerated on Majipoor (except for loads of hunting and whaling). And perhaps Thismet can marry Prestimion, the man whom she hates but loves. Yup. Have no fear--I will make it to the end. I'm stubborn.

** stars.

Book 2: Book of Korsibar: The second novelette is 86 pages long. Things seem to go more smoothly in this episode. For one thing, the deed is done. Korsibar is Coronal, like it or lump it. No more over-explaining how he got there. For another thing, there is a lot of travelling involved in this part. I love travelling through Majipoor! Some of my favourite moments in these volumes are reading descriptions of the vast cities and the lands in between.

Prestimion and his rather meagre amount of loyal supporters travel north from the Labyrinth to Castle Mount, and this journey takes up at least half of the 86 pages. Why was there never an artist calendar of this incredible world? Several of them. Once we finally do reach Castle Mount, the Prince is not welcome, and so returns to his ancestral home. He arranges for some important possible allies to come visit his home, and sample some of the wines his family has produced for generations.

Now we are back in the world of political intrigue. This section, long enough as it is, is not nearly as painful as the undercurrents and happenings back in the Labyrinth. In fact, the writing is darn good here, as Prestimion fills his guests with wine and brandy, then forces them to show their hand. It's what one might call a wishy-washy hand. He still has no firm ally in a position of power. Lastly, his cousin visits him, on his way back to Zimroel. Here at last is Prestimion's long looked-for powerful ally. He also learns that it is Thismet who has corrupted her brother into wrongfully assuming the crown. This seems a turning point in the plot to regain the crown and put it upon the head of whom it was intended. The plot does not thicken, but Silverberg stirs it nicely.

*** stars.

Book 3: The Book of Changes: This short section is only 57 pages long. Korsibar is on the throne, and his power-hungry sister is pushing for a second throne, with her sitting and ruling right beside him. Of course putting a woman in power goes against all precedent, forgetting for the moment that so does having the son of a Coronal come to power by force and trickery. Apparently Majipoor is not a good place to be for women who long for some of the same things men do. This is no surprise to those of us reading the series from the get-go. Very few writers who grew up in the 40s, 50s, and 60s have feminist slants to their prose.

Korsibal puts off Thismet for the moment, but takes moves to stop her silly dual crown nonsense (I'll bet women love reading this series), and he also forces a showdown with Prestimion. That meeting does not go well, and as the section concludes Prestimion is in the dungeon, with his close friends fleeing for their lives. Silverberg seems to have a good grasp on court intrigue this time, and his handling of events is once again smooth and silky. Unfortunately, Prestimion does seem like someone who is also undeserving of the crown. He is overly proud, very rich and spoiled, and doesn't seem to warm the cockles of anyone's heart. Are we supposed to cheer for him just because Korsibar stole his crown? In my opinion, Silverberg is doing little to make Prestimion much of a likable man. Is this on purpose, or is it a major flaw in his story? We will know soon enough.

Silverberg is forever dropping tidbits about the origins of Majipoor, and the first Earth people to settle the planet. We learn of vast machines that power the mountain, which is 30 miles high, keeping the air fresh and temperatures warm. We get hints of some vast machinery on the Isle of Sleep that allows the Lady to send dreams of comfort across the world. We hear of animals that were created out of machines, but able to breed. And then there are those mysterious floater cars everyone drives. I, for one, would like to learn more about these mysterious things, especially concerning the arrival on Majipoor of the first Earth people. The author has created a world so large and full of history that there never need be a lack of material for him to create new stories (as Tolkien did in creating Middle Earth). However, some of the important Majipoor stories that I really want to hear were never written.

*** stars.

Book Four: The Book of Reckonings: This section is 93 pages long. At this point, with the volume nearly over, I would have to say that Prestimion is nothing but a big loser, quite undeserving of any crown. Why did Confalume choose him? We are never told, and we never see any evidence of redeeming leadership qualities of this man. I kept hoping they would be forthcoming. Book of Reckonings sounded to me as if Korsibar would be getting his comeuppance. Nope. Prestimion looks more and more like a hopeless case. Which is fine, as I have no real reason to root for him anyway. He is a bad general, losing two out of three battles. He is a bad judge of character, unable to tell treachery from friendship. And he is a sucker for a good setup, walking right into a trap at the very end. What kind of advisers does this man have? Not only that, but what does it really matter to most people (30 billion or more) of Majipoor who it is that leads them, as long as their lives don't have to change.

Poor Thismet has been silenced with threats from her brother. She seems out of the picture, though in her case it's probably down but not out. Prestimion, if he did have a usable brain, should have just gone home and tended his vineyards. Too late for that now. In for a penny, in for a pound. Sadly, at this juncture, I don't really care. Silverberg has made him into such a bland character that I don't really care much what happens to him. In fact, I think I'm rooting for Korsibar now, as is the turncoat leader of Zimroel, who was once Prestimion's ally.

** stars.

Book Five: The Book Of Wizards: This section is 101 pages long. The following paragraphs contain spoilers. To be brutally honest, this is one of the worst concluding sections to any SF or fantasy novel I have read since some of the early Katherine Kurtz novels (as a result I never read any of her later ones). Silverberg has made a mash-up of pretty much the entire book, but this final section is the low point. For one thing, like many writers seem to think they must do, he has to drag Prestimion through more sadistic trials and tribulations then are even remotely believable. Wandering north through a savage desert (exactly as was foretold; how that actually worked we never learn) he is saved at the last second by his two friends, who have arrived ahead of him. He is in the wonderful city of wizards and sorcerers, and he soon goes into training for himself.

There follows a dismal section where we finally think we are going to learn some of the "science" secrets of Majipoor. Several months of training later (of which we barely get the wisp of a glimpse), Prestimion goes off and has some type of vision with his new powers. We have no idea what is going on. He speaks some strange words and stranger things happen. What exactly happens we never learn. This is lazy writing at its laziest. We are no more aware of how Majipoor works now than we were in the first paragraph of volume one. Apparently Silverberg doesn't know either, and couldn't care less about learning it himself in order to tell us something useful.

Anyway, suddenly Prestimion's luck changes. Thismet throws herself at him, and he accepts her without question. I have never read any book before where nearly everyone changes sides, some of the characters doing so many times over. He goes with his much smaller army to meet Korsibal yet again. Greatly outnumbered, it looks as if he is about to lose yet another battle (as he should have--he attacks the larger army, entrenched on a high hill, and has to climb to reach them). But then his sorcerers come forth and make it dark. Prestimion wins the day. Lots of people die, including Korsibal and Thismet. However, his worst enemy, the duke or whatever of Zimroel, is spared, along with his hideous and evil poison taster. Not only that, but as soon as the battle is won, Prestimion forgives everyone, even his good friends who abandoned him for the unlawful ruler Korsibal. Even the ones who promised to help him overthrow the usurper and then decided to help Korsibar instead. All forgiven. Don't do it again, okay? Promise?

Then the worst part of the ending arrives, at the very conclusion. Prestimion gets his sorcerers to make everyone on the planet forget there was ever a war with so much death and destruction. And they do it. I am not making this up--how could I? Confalume, who is now quite recovered and feeling pretty chipper, even forgets he had a son and daughter, for the memories of Korsibal and Thismet have also been erased from everyone's mind. Everyone forgets, all 30 billion people, even the sorcerers, except for Prestimion and his two remaining best friends and advisers. The End. How the disappearance of thousands of soldiers killed in battle is explained, no one knows. And the wounded? How did so many men get wounded? Not in battle, because there never were any. At least I don't remember any battles? Do you?

This novel contains some very poor writing. Silverberg was only 62 when he wrote it, and should have been still near the height of his powers. Instead we have a long, rambling story that really indicates that he wasn't. If ever a book needed a total rewrite, this is it. Not recommended.

** stars for Book 5.

**1/2 stars overall rating. Reviews finished December 10th/17.

#6 Lord Prestimion

Cover artist uncredited.

From 1998 comes the second book about Prestimion, following directly upon Sorcerers of Majipoor. That book had so many flaws that I was not anxious to start reading the next volume in the series. Instead of the traditional five books within the volume, Silverberg has divided it into three parts. Each part is reviewed separately.

I: The Book of Becoming (151 pages)

I have so many complaints about the previous volume, and many of those problems reflect directly on this story. However, I will narrow myself to two problems that make things difficult for me now. The first, of course, is that somehow (wizardry!) billions of people were made to forget all about a major war, with thousands killed. Memories are wiped. This is a very bad plot convenience. Never mind that it could never happen, even in a fantasy story. Certain people could be made to forget. But everyone? Seriously? Silverberg uses this incredibly poor premise to build his present story. Of course it could never work. Well, perhaps for just a little while. But then things begin to unravel. People begin going mad. Whatever. I know where he is going with this (hint, Suvrael). I never really liked the part about the darker dreams sent from the south being counterbalanced by the much nicer and more wholesome dreams from the Isle of Sleep. This kind of wizardry works well in a small setting, perhaps a village or a castle. But on a planet-wide scale, and a gigantic planet at that, it is one of the most ridiculous concepts I have ever come across in my readings. We are slowly beginning to learn about the origins of those bad dreams, and how they were eventually used to manipulate people.

The second problem that concerns me is the remarkable survival of Prestimion's worst enemy, the traitor who is the Governor of Zimroel, the second most powerful man on Earth, along with his hideous and evil companion. Just as they are about to die in the previous volume, Prestimion gets sick of killing and puts the two of them in prison instead. How convenient, then, that they eventually escape in this book and are free to run around and start another war. Couldn't Silverberg, if he really needed villains, have found someone new, perhaps someone who had gone mad or something from the forgetting? Plot convenience again. Every reader loves to see mercy shown to the worst possible type of enemy. Give him another chance. He'll be fine. As Book 1 ends, the enemy has escaped. Whatever.

The best parts of these books are the descriptions of the cities, lands, and people who live there. Silverberg continues to provide us with an endless amount of names (he must use some type of name generating formula; there are simply too many names, sometimes a dozen in a paragraph, and many which will not be heard of again). Majipoor is easily the most fascinating planet in fiction, and we get to visit a lot of it. I never tire of visiting new cities and meeting new people, or going into the landscape for a long walk. The maps provided are fun, but not nearly detailed enough, especially around the great Mount. There are 50 cities there alone, with the best map showing perhaps five or six. As I have lamented before, I know of no calendar art of Majipoor, or even a book of the stuff. We have great riches when it comes to Tolkien, and visually at least this series is the equal to that one. However, I have also always lamented that there is no art for E. R. Eddison's books, either. That series, more than any other, was Silverberg's inspiration for his stories of Majipoor.

Having said all this, I did quite like the first book of this volume. Silverberg is attempting to explain some of the reasons why things are the way they are on Majipoor. The writing is good, as Prestimion reflects on the loss of his lover Thismet, one of his brothers, many friends and great noblemen, as well as the thousands of soldiers who died in battles that no one remembers. Was Prestimion right to challenge Korsibar, when so many people supported him? Well, when we see who his advisors were, then yes, he was. Korsibar was not the real problem. The real problem was the guy now walking around Alanroel, newly escaped from prison. Prestimion knew that, and still kept him alive, hoping to change him. Now readers are forced to trudge through more murders, intrigue, and evil deeds because of Prestimion's forgiving nature. Some readers will be gleeful about that. I am not one of them. There are other ways to write a great story without using the oldest type of plot in the world.

All things considered, the volume is off to a good start, and I hope it doesn't crash and burn like the previous one.

*** stars.

II: The Book Of Seeking (161 pages)

This is a very good book, mainly because Silverberg lets the plot go away and takes us on two wonderful tours of Alhanroel. The two bad guys are on the loose, and Prestimion sets out in pursuit. However, somehow, with the use of magic, the bad guys keep disguising their whereabouts and always out trick the pursuers. No matter; first we head east, into barren and unpopulated lands. The adventure becomes nothing but travel, and I loved it. Then its back to the Castle to regroup. Then we are off again, this time heading for the deep south, well beyond the Labyrinth. No real plot, just wonderful scenery and mysterious ruins.

Once back at the Castle yet again, Prestimion proposes to Varaile. Meanwhile, all that happens with the plot is that the encroaching madness progresses. Yet Prestimion can think of nothing to do about it. He is not really much of a great leader. In fact, he is a bit of a prat. However, we are introduced to Dekkeret. We have met him before, in the second volume, where he starred in one of the novelettes. In "Desert Of Stolen Dreams" we learn of his adventures in Suvrael. In the present story we hear of his hunting misadventure in the Khyntor Marches, thus getting the full story at last. We know from the earlier story that he is to be the next Coronal, though in the present volume this is still far in the future.

I really liked this section, even though the plot is very slow to be drawn together. I really wish that Dekkeret's young female cousin had not been killed. I really wonder at the reason for this brutality. It didn't serve any purpose in making Prestimion take any action against the growing madness. Wounding her and having her recover would have been enough. I was surprised at the fatality, and disappointed.
***1/2 stars.

III The Book Of Healing (182 pages)

Silverberg has managed to get through an enormous novel without getting any goofier than he did in the previous volume. I am still unhappy about making an entire planet of people forget about a war happening. And his blurring of science and magic can sometimes grate on my nerves. But overall he has done a fantastic job this time, as he did in Lord Valentine's Castle.

Some of the bad guys are brought to a just end, and we get to finally see Prestimion do some intelligent things to end his string of bad choices and worse luck, as well as to begin healing the madness that has overwhelmed Majipoor since he became Coronal. Dekkeret also proves himself to be the man on the spot, and it is made quite plain that he will likely make a suitable Coronal after Prestimion.

We get to see some of Majipoor's most hostile environments, though I wonder how the bad guys managed to survive there so well, while everyone else had a pretty grim time of it. Was Barjazid on 24-hour duty with his headpiece? Anyway, a very good entry in the series, and if you managed to get through Sorcerers of Majipoor, you should find this book a bit more likable.
***1/2 stars. Overall rating ***1/2 stars. Reviews completed January 10th/18

#7: THE KING OF DREAMS

Cover artist uncredited.

From 2001 comes the final Majipoor epic. It is 480 pages long, and divided into three shorter books. There are no maps included with this edition.

Book One: The Book Of Waiting

The opening section is 134 pages long. Prestimion has been Coronal about 20 years now, and we get caught up in castle doings. Oddly, nothing has really happened in Zimroel. This was supposed to be a priority with Prestimion, but apparently not much has happened over there. As a result a rebel government is forming, with our old enemy Madralisca steering 5 brothers into deep waters. He wants Zimroel to be independent of The Castle. I can't really blame him, as they seem to be mostly ignored over there. Anyway, yet another bad guy is running around causing trouble, and probably will until near the end of the book. His ally is Barjazid with his confounded head gear, that can strike fear into anyone on Majipoor. Even worse, the Pontifex is ailing and might die at any moment. Oops, he just did! Prestimion is about to become Pontifex as we quit the first book, and Dekkeret is about to be crowned the new Coronal.

Silverberg, as usual, has a very fine grasp of the smaller details, and excels in telling about daily doings and travels, as well as creating interesting characters. In general, we feel as if we know Majipoor, or at least parts of it, after we go travelling there, and many of its citizens. Unfortunately, he is quite awful at the bigger picture, and cannot seem to come up with a good overall plot. Yet again a bad guy is going to try and go up against the Coronal. This has become quite tedious. Madralisca is not a very riveting character; in fact he is so one dimensional as to be quite boring. When he was in a secondary role he was tiresome; in a leading role as the main arch-enemy, he just doesn't have what it takes. At least Silverberg teams him up with Barjazid and his magical creations (Or are they scientific? We never really are told). But I find myself cringing whenever they have the spotlight.

And yet again we are watching the transformation from one Coronal to another, which also involves a new Lady on the Isle of Sleep, and the old Coronal becoming Pontifex. We know more about this kind of thing than we really need to by this point. Does the author have any original ideas? Having said all this, I admire him for trying to explain how the King of Dreams became such, but I really doubt we need a nearly 500-page epic to tell us. So far, nothing new is under the Majipoor sun. Let's hope something comes up.

*** stars. Reviewed Feb. 20th/18

Book Two: The Book Of Lords: This part is 138 pages long. The story wavers between brilliant and utterly sadistic. Silverberg goes too far in having Madrilasca torment a girl of 8 years in her sleep. This is unforgivable, and I really don't know what he was thinking. It's bad enough when adults are tortured here until they kill themselves. We've all seen movies and read books where the bad guys kill someone's dog. Authors do this because they want us to know that the bad guy is really bad. I guess we'd never figure it out otherwise. And now we have Silverberg elevating Madrilasca to a suddenly evil level of genius, picking on little girls and enjoying it all so much. We now know he is really bad, and not just pretending.

There is a lot to be said for learning more and more about the Castle, and we do in this book. For one thing, we learn of the great library, which is a serpentine hallway that is miles long, winding its way up to the higher reaches of the Castle. We learn of the once great summer pavilion reserved for Coronal visits, and we learn of the enormous garden that is one of the wonders of the world. Somehow, Madrilasca has managed to destroy some of these treasures with the great headgear he now uses (see cover illustration, above), and kill the people responsible for them (not the library yet, anyway--I guess Silverberg likes books too much for that to happen). And to make Madrilasca seem even more powerful, Silverberg surrounds him with five boobies who think they are really in charge.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Silverberg does so well in the world-creating business. He has a tough task in trying to assimilate Peake, Tolkien, and Eddison into his own story. He mostly does an admirable job of it. But his overlong stories are always undone by his insistence on having a villain who wants to take over the world. Apparently this is essential in any fantasy story (though not most of the ones I've read). If only he had stuck to smaller themes, telling stories of different people from different places.
**1/2 stars. Reviewed Feb. 22nd/18

Book Three: The Book Of Powers: The final section is 205 pages long, and completes the Prestimion epic. Like much of Silverberg's Majipoor writing, it is hindered by major flaws. The flaws are always large ones, which are almost, but not quite, made up for by the many minor victories he achieves. My response to a very good series is to look forward with great anticipation to the next volume. If I have just read the final volume of a great series, that I am saddened. Not so with Majipoor. I am usually relieved when the books finish, and do not look forward so much to the next one. I wait a month or more between volumes. I don't wish to dwell too much on the deficiencies, but I must mention some.

Madrilasca, in the final pages, is allowed to stand right behind Dekkeret, looking over his shoulder. Really? This would actually happen? The man who is Coronal of the world, and the man who has been trying to overthrow and kill him, would be allowed to be so close together? Not bloody likely. And, despite the fact that he is over-strained from using his thought device (more of that in a moment), evidently doesn't practice fencing, and grabs an untried ceremonial sword with which to fight, he somehow manages to keep up with the best swordsman in Majipoor, and then fatally wound him? What a sorry way to end the book, by having this villain still be a superb swordsman and as good as Septach Melayn. This is not the slightest bit believable, nor does it in any way make for a satisfying ending.

Now for the King of Dreams and his little device. Silverberg's answer to rooting out evil is essentially the idea of thought police. If someone is being bad, or thinking of doing evil, he will be warned by the thought police, then punished if he doesn't mend his ways. I cringe every time I think of this. Let's forget for a moment that there are so many billions of people on Majipoor, and it's just one person who is going to keep tabs on all of them. Even the Lady of Sleep has a small army of women working for her sending out dreams of comfort and good cheer. On a good day, how many people can she reach? A few hundred? In a year perhaps 100,000? Does Silverberg know how much a billion is? 15 billion? Even if this abhorrent scheme goes ahead, how does it stop evil? There is much more to gripe about, but I will mention only one other. Why not have something more powerful in Zimroel? If there is to be a fourth power, why the hell is it in Suvrael? Give your head a shake. Can you not figure out why Zimroel might harbour thoughts about independence?

Anyway, all of this gives me a big headache. At least we get to visit more of Majipoor, and learn more about its history, some of its people, cities, and strange habits. From the start this has been the only thing I truly enjoyed about this series; the geography. The overall plots are quite badly drawn, and quite poorly executed. This entire series would have been much better as short stories and novelettes, not necessarily connected. Obviously if you've read them all then you are going to read this one no matter what. This is a series I can never see myself rereading, especially the Prestimion trilogy.
**1/2 stars. Reviewed Feb. 24th/18 Overall volume review **1/2 stars.

#8: TALES OF MAJIPOOR

Cover art by Larry Rostant

From 2013 comes the final book in the Majipoor series. It is 302 pages, and contains 7 short stories and novellas. There is a full set of maps, of different design than previous ones, though not detailed enough. I still have not seen a map of Majipoor that completely satisfies me, but perhaps there is one out there somewhere. There is also a short prologue.

The End Of The Line is from 2013, and is 27 pages long. This is a story about Stiamot, just before he became Coronal. It was Stiamot that fought the many years war against the native people of Majipoor, the Shapeshifters, once he became Coronal. This story shows us his first glimpse of a Shapeshifter, and his attempt to learn more about them, in the hopes of finding a peaceful solution to the encroachment of their land by settlers of many different planets. It also takes us to a new part of Majipoor. A good beginning to my favourite kind of Majipoor book.

*** stars. Reviewed April 7th/18

The Book Of Changes is from 2003, and is 66 pages long. This is a pretty brilliant story of one Furvain, 5th born son of the Coronal Lord Sangamor, who is now Pontifex. Furvain is a minor poet, and goes off one day on a solo adventure to the eastern lands, which are mostly uninhabited. Here he is kidnapped and brought to the castle of Kasinibon, led by a recluse who loves poetry himself. He spends a long time there as "guest" of the ruler, and they have discussions, poetry readings, and go exploring the nearby countryside. But Furvain is deeply unhappy, and becomes more and more frustrated with his position and his captor. He finally agrees to write a note to be delivered to his friend asking for ransom to be paid. At about this time Furvain begins to feel the power of his Muse, and he is soon writing an epic poem, in complex verse. He undertakes no less than the writing of the history of Majipoor, in 9 cantos. Though perhaps not to everyone's taste, a found this story a brilliant piece. Silverberg really excels in the shorter stories.

*** 1/2 stars.

The Tomb Of The Pontifex Dvorn is from 2011, and is 40 pages long. It is a gentle tale of two scholar friends given the biggest assignment of their lives: to visit the birth place of Dvorn, the very first Pontifex, and learn more about him. If possible, they are to present their findings to the world in the form of a small museum. The discoveries go well, and they make one of the biggest archaeological discoveries in the history of Majipoor. Silverberg is not only a good storyteller in small forms like this, but seems to have a gift for infinite ways of telling his stories. By using the two men who made an important discovery in their time, it brings us into the story, too. He never repeats his way of presenting material. I could read short stories about Majipoor such as this one all my life.
***1/2 stars. Reviewed April 8th/18

The Sorcerer's Apprentice is from 2004, and is 26 pages long. There are actually very few women characters in the Majipoor books, but the ones that are there are always interesting. When a lowly apprentice applies for the job at a sorcerer's home, he quickly falls in love with the lady magician. He soon lusts for her, and glimpsing her voluptuous, naked body one time doesn't cool his passions any. However, she isn't having any of his "idiocy," and our hero spends a very fruitful but frustrating time learning spells and keeping house for his mistress. He never gives up, though, and even manages to score a big goal one time! We get to revisit the grim little town of Triggoin, where many of the sorcerers on Majipoor train and dwell. It is a somewhat silly tale, and it holds no great significance overall to the series. However, it is fun to read, and any Majipoor fan will eagerly devour it.
*** stars. Reviewed April 9th/18

Dark Times At The Midnight Market is from 2010, and is 26 pages long. A Vroon, a small, many-tentacled alien that calls Majipoor its home, is asked to cast a love spell for a count. The spell works, but not for long enough. The longer spell requested never gets a chance to be used by its procurer. The Vroon drinks it instead. A silly story, and somewhat cruel in its outlook and resolution.
** stars. Reviewed April 10th/18

The Way They Wove The Spells In Sippulgar is from 2009, and is 30 pages long. A man travels to the exotic southern city to find out how his brother-in-law passed away. What he learns he cannot, or will not, accept into his belief system. A good story, but it clarifies nothing of Majipoor's fascination with both science and magic.
*** stars. Reviewed April 11th/18

The Seventh Shrine is from 1998 and is 77 pages long. It is a murder-mystery that takes place in the abandoned desert city of Velalisier in the time of Valentine Pontifex. This is easily the best story in the collection, and ties back nicely to the very first Majipoor book, which I read back in June of last year. I quibble with the ending. I would much rather have had the dragon teeth back in use. That whole tie in with the sea dragons never got carried far enough, in my opinion, and this would have been a good opportunity to do so. Perhaps Silverberg hoped to return to the idea someday.
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed April 11th/18

________________________________

GILGAMESH THE KING

Cover art by Jim Burns

From 1984 comes this quasi-historical epic of the ancient Near East. The novel is 306 pages long. The first serious book on archaeology I ever read was by Silverberg. Called Lost Cities and Vanished Civilizations, it was intended for junior audiences. I was led across the world to some of the most fascinating finds ever made, along with the mysteries and unanswered questions they uncovered. Later I read The Epic of Gilgamesh, though it is far from a three dimensional portrait of the first hero king. Part legend, part myth, and part history, Silverberg has outdone himself with this retelling of the ancient tale.

Silverberg's brilliant effort is essentially an autobiography by Gilgamesh, and he writes of his life from his earliest childhood to the approach of his death. Silverberg immediately immerses us in the culture of the time, and the story opens with the funeral of Gilgamesh's father, when the boy was only 6 years old. I love these kinds of books if they are well written, and this one is a masterpiece. The city of Uruk is home base, and in the most interesting ways possible (story-based), Silverberg teaches us the mythology and customs of the ancient Near East. Some of my favourite rooms in the Detroit Institute of Arts and the British Museum are the galleries of Near Eastern Art. Silverberg takes us back 5,000 years or more, into the furthest reaches of known history, as we become immersed not only in the story of Gilgamesh, but of his best friend Enkidu, and of his chief rival and lover, Inanna's priestess.

In essence, the story of Gilgamesh is the tale of a god/man who refuses to accept death as his final destiny. Besides seeing the daily life of the young son of a king, and watching him grow and become educated, we go with him on several journeys and colourful adventures, the biggest one being his search for a way to avoid death. Even though he does find a partial solution to his search, he eventually rejects it as his wisdom and humanity grow. By the end of the story, Gilgamesh is ready to accept death on its own terms.

This is a fantastic book, in more ways than one, and Silverberg has achieved the highest level of story telling along with teaching us what was known of life in the ancient Near East, as of the early 1980s. I was never bored reading this, and am looking forward eagerly to reading the sequel volume. Unfortunately, this book is not so well known. No doubt some of the scholarly discoveries over the past 30+ years have added more to the historical figure, but Silverberg still has the last work describing the deeds and thoughts of the mythological one.
**** stars. Reviewed June 17th/18

TO THE LAND OF THE LIVING

Cover art by Paul and Steve Youll

Full cover painting by Paul and Steve Youll. The island of Brasil is in the background.

In its final form the novel is 310 pages long. It began life as a novella. It was followed by a second one and then a third. Finally, Silverberg added material and turned it into an epic novel, one of the finest I have ever read. So far I am much more impressed by Silverberg's fantasy writing than by his SF. Majipoor is indeed fantasy, as are the two Gilgamesh books.

The first of the three novellas previously published was called "Gilgamesh In The Outback." It takes up the first five chapters of this book, and won the Hugo Award in 1987 for best novella, and it was nominated for same in the Nebula Awards. Gilgamesh wanders alone in the outback of the Afterworld, hunting and trying to forget about civilization. Silverberg took as his cue the Riverworld series by Farmer, but also a new publishing theme where authors were asked to contribute stories about hell, entitled Heroes In Hell. Gilgamesh runs into Robert E. Howard, who mistakes him for Conan, and H. P. Lovecraft. Gilgamesh is searching for Enkidu, his lost companion. The first part ends with them being reunited.

First appearance of Gilgamesh In The Outback, 1986

Chapters 6-11 see the friends together briefly, before once again being separated. This novella is called "The Fascination Of The Abomination," a quote from Conrad's "Heart Of Darkness," and comes from 1987. Gilgamesh proceeds to the island of Brasil, where he encounters magic and a great magician. Simon is in charge, with Herod as his right hand man. Gilgamesh has made no attempt to keep up with the times. The Afterworld is now filled with people from today, and there are factories, guns, land rovers, and very little peace and quiet. Everyone is at war, or plotting against someone else. Gilgamesh is in a perpetual state of confusion. In Brasil he must seek out a dark sorcerer, using his potent magic to find the whereabouts of Enkidu. This is the part that echoes Conrad, as the rituals and material used are beyond repulsive. However, it is the Afterworld, so he might as well get it done. He discovers there is an Afterworld city of Uruk, and there he must travel to find his friend. This ends the second part.

Throughout the books there is some marvellous writing, and Silverberg's idea of the Afterworld is almost too brilliant to fully comprehend. It is more puzzling than Riverworld, and certainly more believable. However, we never learn much about it despite all our wanderings. It's that kind of place. The people who inhabit it are equally strange, especially the monsters and demons.

"On Earth one sometimes caught glimpses of demons out of the corner of ones eye; here they sat down and played at dice with you, or sprawled by the fireside in a tavern, singing curious songs. Witchcraft was everywhere."

Gilgamesh, we learn, is not a great fan of music or art. He has little time for such trivial pursuits (though he can spend his entire lifetime hunting for sport). So when he encounters demon music deep in the caverns of the dark magician Calandola, he is more than a little distressed.

"The music rose to a feverish, frantic pitch. To Gilgamesh it was, like all music, mere irritating noise. The only music he had ever cared for was the delicate flute-music, and the light and lively drumming of Sumer, which he had not had the joy of hearing in five thousand years. But this Jaqqa stuff was a noise beyond noise: it was a thunder that thrust itself inside you, so that it threatened to evict your own soul from its housing."

That is great writing!

The 3rd novella and its first appearance in 1988.

The third novella was entitled "Gilgamesh in Uruk," as the wandering hero finds himself back in the Afterworld city where he ruled a long time ago. It was so long ago that he has no memory of being there before, though others remember him. His perpetual state of confusion continues, but he finds his mother, who is sleeping with Picasso, and he gets involved with bullfighting, before accepting the kingship again. Enkidu, a prisoner of the previous king, is freed and the companions are reunited. This part of the story ends after the first big bullfight, and contains chapters 12-16.

At this point, rather than just write a fourth novella and have it published separately, it was decided to print the first three stories in a paperback edition. Silverberg added a new, concluding novella, tying up the series nicely with a visit to NYC, where his overall confusion reaches its zenith. Once again he and Enkidu grow restless in Uruk, and along with Enkidu's girlfriend, Helen of Troy, try to return to the land of the living. "To The Land Of The Living" is a likely title for this fourth and final novella. One last short quote sums up Gilgamesh nicely: "The gods had played a jest on him, said Gilgamesh, fashioning him in such a way that he would yearn always for a peaceful life but never would be satisfied when he had attained it." That quote would fight nicely with the heroes of E.R. Eddison's "The Worm Ouroboros," too. Like the worm that eateth his own tail, Gilgamesh eventually finds himself back where he started, alone in the Outback, hunting wild beasts.

This is a totally brilliant book, even if I do not agree with the ending philosophy when he meets up with his father. Why go on living? Is there a point to the Afterworld? If there is, Silverberg doesn't really come out and say what it is. It is more of a struggle than the original life he had, with little happiness and even less flavour to living. Still, it is a grand adventure worth having, and I hope many readers discover its treasures. The previous book, "Gilgamesh the King," is required reading before undertaking this book.

**** stars. Reviewed July 17th/18

__________________________________

AT WINTER'S END

Cover art by Michael Whelan.

Expanded into an epic novel in 1988, this 404 page novel has been waiting a long time for me. Appearing first as a novella in Asimov's Science Fiction pulp magazine, this is truly an epic journey. Ever since reading Olaf Stapeldon's First and Last Men, I have thought hard of someone trying to write a tiny piece of that story of humankind that Stapledon simply did not have time for. In his far reaching history of humans Stapledon blew many people's minds, and it would appear that Silverberg, among many others including myself, was one of them. At first it would seem that his leap of imagination into the far future of a very different Earth was so far fetched as to almost be completely off the rails. But putting things into a Stapledon perspective, what we have here is simply a tale of Earth 700,000 years after a meteor bombardment ended all life and froze the planet solid.

Even before this, however, came previous bombardments, and this last one might have been the fourth or fifth in all of history, which was lost in time. But with the end of the latest ice age come forth the People, a small tribe of "humans" (numbering 60), who have survived in a type of cocoon for hundreds of generations. We see them at the very end of their long wait to escape their underground abode, and we follow them as they struggle through the elements of a harsh spring, with all things new and terrifying surrounding them. The tribe is ruled by a matriarch, and she leads them on to a legendary city, one that might have survived the ordeal and still have machines or intruments that can help them survive.

The name of the city is Vengiboneeza, and after many hardships they finally reach it. One of my pet peeves about mand SF tales is that when explorers come across a vast alien intelligence left behind in their works, we get to see scant examples of it. But Silverberg spends ages allowing the empty city to be explored, and we do see some of the wonders left behind, though most remain a mystery even after years of research. The tribe living in the city (a very small part of this vast metropolis) eventually splits up, with a few leaving the confines to start building their own life. And another, larger, tribe moves in to the city and gradually restricts access to the original tribe.

The plot is big, there are many characters (but not too many), but everything is carefully, expertly, and brilliantly controlled. Silverberg has outdone himself here, and created a world perhaps even grander in some ways than Majipoor, though it is difficult to compare the two. This is very mature writing, and one of the best, if not the best, books on starting the world all over again ever conceived. That he got it down on paper is an absolute gift from the god or goddess of writing. I am really looking forward to the 2nd book!

**** stars. Reviewed November 5th/22

THE NEW SPRINGTIME

Cover art by Michael Whelan.

From 1990 comes the second massive volume, lasting for 358 pages, and continuing the adventures and rapid adjustment of the People to a whole new world. The People have spent over 700,000 years living in small caves, awaiting the day when the long winter will finally end. In the previous volume, they finally left their cave and set out on their exploration of the outside world. They came to live in in a vast ruined and abandoned city, before being driven out by rival beings. This story takes up 25 years after the first book, and many of the same characters continue to play a large roll in the proceedings.

New to the story is the young daughter of Hresh and Taniane, Nialli Apuilana. She is consideered a wild one, though very fair and hotly desired by many males of the city. The story is as much hers as it is the several other major characters of this exciting drama. Silverberg has followed up his first volume with another home run. This two books are among the author's finest moments, and I prefer them even to his Majipoor serries. For one thing, he hasn't attempted an entire world here, least of all one the size and grandeur of majipoor. Instead he has limited himself to a small corner of the Earth, literally millions of years into the future.

Hresh is still digging through ruins and trying to piece together earlier times and civilizations, but the author avoids details. Except for weapons, this is largely avoided. An entire series of books could be written just on the archeology of the times. Taniane is the Chieftan of the city, but she has had the position for 40 years and is growing old and very tired. Getting back to the character of Nialli Apuilana, Silverberg has created one of his best characters. He has beautifully captured the anger, uncertainty, and confusion of an intelligent teenage girl. Her charater development during the story proceeds in fits and starts, and sometimes runs backward. She is a joy to read about, and some of the best story parts include her in it.

The hjjks are the main opposition to the spread and growth of the People. Called "bugs" by them, the creatures are much like giant insects, with their lives centering around underground hives and their Queen. The Queen is a nearly everlasting entity, spreading her idea of peace and love aroudn the world. But the author strives to have characters (like Nialli and her father, Hresh) understand the hjjks, rather than simply hating them and wanting them destroyed. Though the two groups eventually head to war, this understanding comes in handy at the end, when peace is finally sought.

There are so many good things to say about this story, and so few negative things. Though the covers of both volumes might make readers think of the Planet of the Apes series (and indeed Silverberg might have been influenced by the first novel by Pierre Boule), this series is totally different. There are no "humans" in this series, though they have left their mark. And these are not apes, but a different offshoot of evolution, possibly even created through genetic engineering by the long lost humans. Within a few pages readers will quickly forget that these characters are not human; there is humanity in nearly everything they do, think, and say.

I cannot recommend this series highly enough. I only wish there were more stories forthcoming.

****+ stars. Reviewed March 4th/23

__________________________________

THE SHORT STORIES

THE 1950s

NEXT STOP THE STARS

Cover art uncredited. This is the "B" side of Ace SF Double F 145. The flip side is the novel "The Seed of Earth," also by Silverberg.

This is the first book published of the collected short stories by Silverberg, and it came out in 1962. Five stories are contained in its 114 pages, including the leading novelette "Slaves of the Star Giants." There is no story called "Next Stop the Stars." Silverberg himself chose three of these stories to be in his 2012 curated collection of 1950s short fiction, entitled "To Be Continued (1953-1958)."

Slaves Of The Star Giants is from 1956, and is 43 pages long. It is a pretty decent standard 1950s pulp SF novelette about a man transported to the future, where his skill as a computer programmer is required to restart civilization, and to help eliminate the alien giants who have taken to observing the tiny humans for scientific study. There is plenty of material here for a full length novel, and things do wrap up very quickly once the end is near. Fun to read, though there is considerable violence.

*** stars. Reviewed Sept. 3rd/18

The Songs Of Summer is from 1956, and is 18 pages long. What a great title! What teenager couldn't identify with a title like that! Once again we are on a future Earth. Civilization as we know it is gone, but small tribes of people come together for a short time each summer to sing and listen to their gifted singer. Their ideal existence is interrupted by the arrival of a Type A personality from the 1950s, and he begins to try and rebuild civilization to his less than high standards. This is one of three stories Silverberg used in his 2012 story collection.

***1/2 stars. Reviewed Sept. 3rd/18

Hopper is from 1956, and is 21 pages long. A cop has had enough of living in overcrowded Appalachia, a city that encompasses much of the Eastern seaboard. He manages to build himself a small escape home in central Africa. Of course it's got to be a secret, but it's impossible to be certain no one knows. When he is found out by a man who sells time travel to people who need jobs, he assumes the jig is up and that he will be demoted back to living in overcrowded conditions with others. An odd tale with an even odder ending. Not the best writing for an interesting idea.
** stars. Reviewed Sept. 3rd/18

Blaze Of Glory is from 1957, and is 15 pages long. An ornery spaceman tangles with aliens one too many times, and is made to pay the ultimate price. One of Silverberg's choices for his 2012 collection. It is pretty horrific, but the guy just might have deserved it. Or did he? Reminiscent of some of Eric Frank Russell's space man adventures.
*** stars. Reviewed Sept. 4th/18

Warm Man is from 1952, and is 12 pages long. A lone telepathic man seems to absorb the problems and stresses of others, offering great comfort to them. However, he is eventually shunned by the townsfolk. A gentle tale that hides a painful existence, and that does not end well for the man, or for a second telepath he encounters on his most fateful day. The 3rd story from this collection that the author included in his 2012 collection of stories from the 1950s.
*** stars. Reviewed Sept. 4th/18

GODLING, GO HOME!

Cover art uncredited.

Published in 1964, the volume contains 11 short stories by Silverberg, all from the 1950s. It is 158 pages long. The year each story was written is not listed in the book, nor where they were first published. Overall, it is quite a good selection of stories.

Godling, Go Home! is from 1957, and is 20 pages long. An anthropologist is returning to a planet after his last visit, 1,000 years ago. He is hoping that the civilization he helped shape back then has progressed, but won't know for certain till he gets there. He has an understudy with him, who is learning as he goes. A sweet little story, probably quite ahead of its time.

*** stars. Reviewed October 24th/18

Why? is from 1957, and is 14 pages long. Two astronauts have been out exploring new worlds for 11 years, and have visited 164 planets looking for intelligent life. This is a good story, one that shows maturity and some depth. Why are they out here doing this, instead of being back on Earth? The answer is provided by some creepy creeping vines.
*** stars. Reviewed October 24th

Emsh cover art for Nov. 1957,

the inspiration for Silverberg's story "Why?"

The Silent Colony is from 1954, and is 4 pages long. This is a light piece that does have its share of tragedy. Is every snowflake different from every other one? A bit silly. Silverberg's 3rd SF tale.
** stars. Reviewed October 25th/18

Force Of Mortality is from 1957, and is 14 pages long. This is a pretty decent tale of two men exploring ruined civilizations on different planets. They hit the mother lode when they discover billions of 9-foot skeletons on a planet, seemingly piled on top of one another. They set out to solve the mystery of the mysterious demise of the inhabitants. One of them stumbles across the solution, but has to decide whether to share it with his companion, and thus Earth, or keep it a secret forever.
*** stars. Reviewed October 25th/18

There's No Place Like Space is from 1959, and is 15 pages long. A man has gone without a company vacation for 12 years, and is now forced to take it. This is a pretty funny story about his vacation, and his return to Earth after his long absence.
*** stars. Reviewed October 25th/18

Neutral Planet is from 1957, and is 16 pages long. This is the closest thing to a Star Trek episode as I have ever come across. Earthmen and the enemy (Rigellians) are vying for the support and friendship of an alien race living on a planet near Antares. Both envoys are rebuffed, with the Rigellians losing 6 crewman in the attempt. It appears to be a stalemate, until the Earth captain (Kirk??) comes up with a hare-brained scheme to win over the native lizard men for the Earth alliance. The story fits perfectly into the Star Trek world, and comes with some fine scenic backdrops, too.
*** stars. Reviewed October 25th/18

The Lonely One is from 1956, and is 16 pages long. Earth is down to 102 inhabitants, and has turned into a cold and snowbound wasteland. Former colonist explorers from Vega come to see if anything remains on Earth. They make contact with the remaining people, and then try to convince them to accompany them back to a warm planet in the Vega system. But Earth herself has other ideas. Weird and rather silly.
** stars. Reviewed October 25th/18

Solitary is from 1957, and is 15 pages long. A young man joins the crime fighting profession, but ends up being a glorified computer tech, as his job is to input crime data and let the machine work out the statistics. After 12 years or so he longs to be out fighting crime. In a pretty humourous episode he asks the computer for all of the unsolved cases from the past thirty years, and is soon swamped with thousands of cards. He picks the first two off the top, but they are no longer of any interest. However, the third card sends him on his first crime solving expedition. A very good story.
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed October 26th/18

A Man of Talent is from 1956, and is 13 pages long. It is an unusually odd tale about a poet, not understood on Earth, who decides to leave and move to another planet. He chooses one at random, and selects a Terra-formed world near Rigel where 16 families emigrated many years earlier. No one else has emigrated there; he is the first one. He is set up in a little private cabin, and begins to write. However, he is soon summoned to the table of the man who heads the family where he has settled. This is not a horror story, or even a real SF one, but has more to do with literature and art than anything else. Silverberg doesn't quite pull it off, but it does make for an interesting experiment.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed October 26th/18

The Desiccator is from 1956, and is 8 pages long. It is a light hearted humourous tale of two Martians, one an inventor and the other his agent/promoter. The invention is a desiccator, not of much use on a very dry planet like Mars. They take the invention to Earth is the hopes of selling it to ease humidity concerns. Unable to sell it, they are nearly ready to give up when a call comes through--they have made a sale!
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed October 26th/18

The World He Left Behind is from 1959, and is 17 pages long. An experimental engineer from 1964 New York takes himself through a gateway. He arrives at an endless beach along the sea, and is welcomed by a group of 8 inhabitants, four female and four male. They make him welcome at first, but then he senses that he is no longer welcome among them. Determined to find out why, he confronts them with his worries. This is a pretty fascinating story, and could be turned into an intriguing film.
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed October 26th/18

TO WORLDS BEYOND

Cover art by Chris Foss

The second half of this Ace double from 1965 contains 9 stories, all written from 1956 through 1959. This half of the book is 208 pages long. For a review of the accompanying novel, see my other Silverberg page in this blog. Silverberg writes a general introduction to the short story collection, and also introduces each story with a short paragraph.

The Old Man is 8 pages long. It is a very silly story about getting old in the spaceship pilot business.

*1/2 stars. Reviewed Dec. 18th/18

New Men For Mars is 42 pages long, and is told in 7 chapters. It is actually a pretty good story, and certainly way ahead of its time. An assessor visits two colonies on Mars. The first is the traditional one that shelters humans inside a dome, where they carry on with their lives and experiments. The second dome houses an unauthorized project, self-funded, that puts Andeans used to high altitude living in thinner atmosphere, hoping someday to make humans adapt to Mars. The assessor has to judge which colony should receive funding from back home. Though he chooses wrongly the first time, a cataclysmic upheaval on Mars helps guide him to the correct decision.

*** 1/2 stars.

Collecting Team is 20 pages long. It tells the ironic story of what happens to humans who go around to different planets seizing alien wildlife and bringing the specimens back to Earth for study. What happens when the collectors get collected? I've always liked stories like this.

*** stars. Reviewed Dec. 18th/18

Double Dare is 21 pages long. This story is like a comedy routine, as two Earthmen in a NYC bar challenge an alien race to a technology contest. They are given a lab on the alien planet and have to solve three challenges. Two aliens are given a lab on Earth with similar tests. Even though the third task is impossible, the two humans succeed! A very amusing tale.
*** stars. Reviewed Dec. 19th/18

The Overlord's Thumb is 31 pages long. While exploring alien worlds and peoples, a Colonel is given a very tough ethics choice to make when one of his men treads on and damages sacred ground. He also kills an alien in the process, when he is attacked for his unknown transgression. The aliens want to try the human in their own court. The Colonel is also an anthropologist, something that perhaps attracted Chad Oliver to the story at one time. The Colonel knows the correct decision to make, but will he make it? Silverberg knows and exploits nearly all of the major human weaknesses in his stories, and this one is no exception. Worth a read.
*** stars. Reviewed Dec. 19th/18

Ozymandias is 24 pages long. Once again Silverberg picks on humans, knowing just how predictable and stupid we really are. Archaeologists are along for the ride as distant planets are explored. It is essentially a military project, in search of new and more powerful and devastating weapons. On a once-inhabited planet, now turned to dust after a million years or more, the archaeologists make a major discovery; a robot that still functions, and can quickly learn English. It has knowledge of all aspects of the previous civilization, including history, art, poetry, music, literature, etc. But guess what? It also has information on building weapons, the very weapons that destroyed the planet. Guess who takes over the robot, the military or the humanists? Silverberg may be a cynic, but he is seldom wrong about us.
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed Dec. 19th/18

Certainty is 21 pages long. A variation of Silverberg's "The Overlord's Thumb," above. This time, the humans are outdone by telepathic aliens. Not a great story, and it's hardly believable that these aliens and their powers would be relegated to myth, rather than previously investigated. Still, it's going to be an alien universe out there for us, some day.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed Dec. 20th/18

Mind For Business is 20 pages long. This is a humourous spy story, pitting a crashed human with a valuable alien prisoner against a ship attempting to rescue the captured alien. Three ships come to aid the human. Which one is the real Earth ship?
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed Dec. 20th/18

Misfit is 19 pages long. I found this to be a very unpleasant story. Perhaps Silverberg is correct in his assumptions that a type of racism will exist between humans who are adapted to life on alien planets and humans from Earth. But if so, I don't really want to read about it. If the adaptors would not help the two Earth people, so be it. But don't expect me to believe that the two Earth people walked 20 miles (well, one of them, anyway) in 1.8 Earth gravs. He really showed them what fer, or something. A pretty distasteful story with which to end the volume. Somewhat related to "New Men For Mars," above.
* 1/2 stars. Reviewed Dec. 20th/18

VALLEY BEYOND TIME

Cover design uncredited.

Published in 1972, this volume contain four Silverberg novellas from the late 1950s, along with a short intro by the author, dated 1969. Three of the stories have already been read and reviewed in more modern editions, below. Thus only one story is reviewed here.

Valley Beyond Time: See Hunt the Space-Witch, below.

The Flame and the Hammer: See Hunt the Space-Witch, below.

The Wages of Death is from 1958, and is 30 pages long. It is the shortest story in the collection, and involves ten men paying a brutal man to lead them to political safety. There is something unsatisfying and unsettling about this story, as the men are lead 2 thousand miles towards safety through a country very much like Nazi Germany. The men themselves seem helpless to stand up for their beliefs, and certainly are unwilling to fight for them. Until one of them turns killer, and thus seems to find himself and save his manhood. As I said, somewhat unsettling.

** 1/2 stars. Reviewed June 22nd, 2019

Spacerogue: See Hunt The Space-Witch, below.

HUNT THE SPACE-WITCH

Cover art by Kieran Yanner

This is a volume of seven novelettes by the author, all from the late 1950s. Published in 2011, there are 259 pages, including an intro by Silverberg. All of the stories were written for Science Fiction Adventures Magazine. Something that I can't help noticing, even way back in the day, is how Silverberg is unknowingly preparing himself (and us) for Majipoor, and the incredible stories he would tell us later. Glimpses of aliens and alien worlds, though fast-paced here, hint at what is to come.

Slaves of the Star Giants: See Next Stop The Stars, above.

Spawn of the Deadly Sea is from 1957, and is 32 pages long. This is a good action tale of humans and the Seaborn teaming up to defeat evil green amphibian aliens, which are savage and 8 feet tall. Humans live on floating islands, as Earth has become one vast ocean, altered by the aliens long ago. When they suddenly departed, humans were left with very little land. Human pirates are a threat, and so the Sea-Lords--humans in vast sailing ships--exact tribute from the cities to keep trade flowing freely between them. But now the aliens have returned to lay their eggs and increase their population. Time for battle! There are a few story glitches, but as it was likely written in one sitting, it really isn't too bad. Silverberg likens it to a Viking story. It was expaneded into a novel, called Conquerors From The Darkness, reviewed on the 2nd Silverberg page.
*** stars. Reviewed May 4th/19

The Flame and the Hammer is from 1957, and is 34 pages long. As I have often mentioned before in these pages, sometimes a particular short story or novella seems ripe for expansion into a full fledged novel, or even a series. And sometimes a short work can even seem much longer, since so much happens in it. Like many previous stories in this vein, Silverberg tells of a vast space Empire, one that is ready to crumble if given just the right push by dedicated revolutionaries. In this case, it is the son of a high priest that really gets the ball rolling. There are some nice touches in this action packed space adventure, such as the nearly infinite bureaucracy surrounding the Emperor, and the surprise method in which the badly needed secret weapon will finally be revealed to the right person. Another good page turner, if you like pulp SF action, which I do.
*** stars. Reviewed May 4th/19

Valley Beyond Time is from 1957, and is 38 pages long. A decent Twilight Zoneish tale, as nine people are picked and taken from their immediate lives by a powerful alien being and placed in a natural enclosure. It calls them his pets. There are five humans captured, including two females, along with three aliens. They attempt to escape from their environment. There is some good dialogue and arguing among the humans, as they find that they are healthier than ever before, and seem to be growing younger. This causes one of them, who has a bad heart, to want to remain in the valley. They cannot be killed, and when one of them is murdered, he comes right back to life. Wounds heal quickly, but do leave scars. And they are fed manna, which falls three times a day. There is no explanation how any of this is done, although we do find out some answers at the end. A fun story to read.
*** stars. Reviewed May 5th/19

Hunt The Space Witch is from 1957, and is 38 pages long. So far this is the best story of the bunch! A spacer gets 5 days leave on a planet, and goes searching for his blood brother, who he hasn't seen in 10 years. He finds out that his friend has been desperate enough to hook himself up with a witch cult, and when he begins to try and save him from it the adventure really begins. The story is fast-paced, and takes constant sharp turns. I was never able to correctly guess what was going to happen next, and a few times I was shocked at what did happen. Excellent pulp writing!
**** stars. Reviewed May 5th/19

2 aliens disguised as humans, from opposing sides in an upcoming war, try to win Earth's influence in The Silent Invaders.

The Silent Invaders is from 1958, and is 34 pages long. An alien comes to Earth disguised as a human, in an attempt to influence humans to choose sides in an upcoming galactic war. However, aliens from the opposing side are also infiltrating Earth, but for a very different reason. Why are these other aliens claiming something about helping Earth to form a super race? Silverberg expanded this one into a full length novel, but in the intro to this volume he says he prefers this shorter version. The story is a bit strange, as the first alien is asked to switch allegiance and kill his own network of people. Not a real strong story, but it works.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed May 7th/19

Who was Spacerogue? Cover by Emsh.

Spacerogue is from 1958, and is 32 pages long. It is a tale of revenge, as a man seeks to kill the potentate that ordered the attack on his hometown which killed his parents and sister, and enslaved his brother. Before he can carry out his task, he is hired on as jewel buyer. These jewels enslave a person when they look into them, a theme that seems mighty familiar to me (see Guardian of the Crystal Gate, below, for one example). There is considerable violence and brutality, the kind of thing I can read about, but could never stand to watch it in a movie. I really liked the whole auction scene at the beginning. Some good writing, but pulling no punches.
*** stars. Reviewed May 8th/19

THE WORLD INSIDE

Cover art by Tim Burns.

Published in 1983, the volume contains six stories from the early seventies, on the theme of living inside a vast building tower, 3 km high. The present edition, published in 1983, does not name the original stories, but I have done so here. Though published as a novel here, I have chosen to place it among the short story collections. It might be interesting to note the resemblance to J G Ballard's 1975 novel High Rise at this point. There is a lot of sex in these stories, much of it 60s and 70s style, including between what we would consider to be underage teens and adolescents, but the author does a good job of making things plausible. Just beware.

The stories focus each on different characters, but these same characters overlap and often appear in stories other than own. This is handled well by the author, and I enjoyed meeting with them

Chapter One--A Happy Day In 2138 is 15 pages long, and is reviewed in Volume 2 of the Collected Works, below. Written in 1969, it was published in 1970. It's a great story, though how such a sexist and righteous world could have originated we are not told very much. A family of six hosts a human visitor from Venus, and we get a tour of Urban Monad 116, the vast high rise tower, one of many that is now home to most of Earth's population.

*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed October 1st/21

Chapter Two--In The Beginning is 19 pages long and is from 1970. Another story of Urban Monad 116, the 3km high rise that houses over 800,000 people. It is more than 200 years later than the previous story. Nothing is mentioned about how this building, one of 150 in its urban complex, lasts so long. No one leaves the building, which is divided into cities stacked one above the other. The population of Earth is around 75 billion. There are farmers who provide food, and live outside the complex, but we have yet to hear much about them. In this story, a childless woman has to undergo some induced psychological changes to her beliefs to facilitate her move to another complex, a new building, as she is reluctant to leave her home when ordered to do so. Classic SF dystopia.

*** stars. Reviewed October 2nd/21

Chapter Three--All The Way Up, All The Way Down is 19 pages long, and is from 1971. It was first published in Galaxy Magazine. A 17 year old musician is followed through his day, including one of his performances in Urmon 116, and how it affects him during and afterwards. Quite original, including the lengthy description of the 7-man music/art performance.

***1/2 stars. Reviewed October 2nd/21

Chapter Four--The Throwbacks is 28 pages long, and is from 1970. It was first published in Galaxy Magazine. The small print in my volume makes this story into a novelette. A history researcher becomes obsessed with images and film from the 1900s, some 400 years before his time. He is beginning to investigate the changes that have occurred in people since then. Silverberg does a great job of showing the differences in this highly readable story about a couple whose marriage appears to be on the rocks.

***1/2 stars. Reviewed October 3rd/21

Chapters Five and Seven--We Are Well Organized is 35 pages long, and is from 1970. It was first published in Galaxy Magazine. A young man is destined for the highest echelons of power in Urmon 116, but he can't quite put work out of his mind. When he sees his elder idols, the most powerful men of 116, acting loose and paryting during a holiday, he snaps and loses his mind. Nothing can get him back on track.

*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed October 4th

Chapter Six--The World Outside is 43 pages long, and is from 1970. This novella was first published in Galazy Magazine, and came 4th that year in the Hugo Awards. The only story of the set where someone ventures outside, and we get a good look at life in one of the communes. This is an excellent story, and a scene from it appears on the cover illustration, above. My only complaint is that the adventurer is dealt with rather harshly at the end, considering there are no laws against going ouside. This story more than anything reminds me of Hodgson's Nightland, when he first wanders outside and looks back at the vast tower.

**** stars. Reviewed October4th/21

IN THE BEGINNING

Cover art by Bob Eggleton.

This is the first volume in the Subterranean Press series of Silverberg's short stories, presented chronologically. This volume contains an introduction by the author, followed by 16 shorter stories from 1950-1959. None of them appear to be familiar to me. The volume contains 337 pages, and was published in 2006.

Yokel With Portfolio is from 1955, and is 14 pages long. This is a delightful little tale of a person from a backwater planet using his knowledge and ability to save New York from a terrifying beast escaped from the zoo. Fun to read, and a good opener for this volume.
*** stars. Reviewed March 18th/19

Long Live The Kejwa is from 1956, and is 14 pages long. An escaped prisoner crashes on a small, seemingly normal Earth-type planet, and is soon befriended by seemingly harmless natives. Things go well until the escapee gets his translator fixed; then he discovers what is really going on. Nothing new, but well-crafted.
**1/2 stars. Reviewed march 19th/19

Guardian of the Crystal Gate is from 1956, and is 28 pages long. A man from the Bureau is sent to investigate 66 male disappearances, all tied in to a mysterious crystal that is left behind after each one. Our hero gets himself trapped on a strange jungle planet. Luckily, he has a capable girlfriend, who follows him and manages to rescue him and several other survivors. Not a bad story, but the ending could have been a bit tighter. Silverberg claims that the cover art was given to him and he had to come up with a story. This one is 10,000 words.
*** stars. Reviewed March 19th/19

Cover art by Ed Valigursky

Choke Chain is from 1956, and is 20 pages long. A very tough man heads to Callisto after hearing of some strange doings. He finds the populace wearing collars, which can be tightened if they become troublesome. Befriended by a young woman, he instantly decides that the evil corruption at work here must be terminated. A fun adventure, with a twist ending.
*** stars. Reviewed March 19th/19

Citadel of Darkness is from 1957, and is 18 pages long. A husband and wife team come across a dark planet, likely the source of aggression that has been invading and destroying colonized planets. They land with the hope of sending out a warning signal as to its location, so it can be stopped. Instead, they are captured and brought inside a vast domed city, where human slaves serve the conquering aliens. When his wife is about to be sacrificed into a lake of nuclear material, our hero springs into action. Great pulp stuff!
*** stars. Reviewed March 20th/19

Cosmic Kill is from 1957, and is 40 pages long. Silverberg wrote this 20,000 word two-part story as a sequel to a 1951 story by a different author. It is filled with action, killing, dungeons, and some scantily clad females. Silverberg ties up all the loose ends at the end, unlike the first author, who was too busy at a different job to continue and conclude his own story.
*** stars. Reviewed March 20th/19

New Year's Eve--2000 A.D. is from 1957, and is 8 pages long. Hardly essential reading, but Silverberg humourously debates whether the 21st C begins on Jan. 1st, 2000, or on that date in 2001 (we know it is the latter, despite what the media and the world celebrated).
** stars. Reviewed March 20th/19

The Android Kill is from 1957, and is 14 pages long. This is a pretty hard-hitting story about one man's hatred for androids, and how he sparks rioting and chaos in order to wipe androids off the face of the planet. Substitute the word "immigrant" for android, and you will see the same kinds of people foaming at the mouth at how these people are "ruining it" for the rest of us, including a certain ignorant and loud-mouthed US president. A decent story.
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed March 20th/19

The Hunters of Cutwold is from 1957, and is 30 pages long. Silverberg hits below the belt again with this hard-hitting social commentary story about a group of humans on an alien planet to hunt the native intelligent life form. Since the aliens have retreated into the jungle, the authorities have not contacted them yet and exempted them from being fair game for hunters. Despite being docile and friendly, 9 of them are mercilessly gunned down for trophies. Wow! Heavy stuff!
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed March 21st/19

Come Into My Brain is from 1958, and is 8 pages long. A human intelligence agent enters the mind of a hostile alien to discover military secrets. He has a long, hard-fought psychological battle ahead of him.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed March 22nd/19

Castaways of Space is from 1950, and is 18 pages long. Appearing in the October, 1958 issue of Super Science Fiction, Silverberg had no less than three stories in that issue, all under different names! This story was written as Dan Malcom. Lieutenant McDermott of the Space Corps is the hero of the story. Though it might be better to call him a true anti-hero. He is an alcoholic, and mostly out to save his own skin, after 15 years of running death-defying errands for the service. He has to find and retrieve a young woman who was kidnapped and taken away into space. He finds the girl and the kidnapper, but in the end he does very little, except save himself and lie to the authorities back home. After reading, I wonder why he didn't just tell them the truth, and return with a larger rescue crew. A strange story, and quite mean-spirited.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed March 22nd/19

This issue features 3 stories by Silverberg, each one under a different name.

Exiled From Earth is from 1950, and is 14 pages long. Earth has been going through a lengthy puritanical stage, and people in the entertainment business, even Shakespearean actors, are banned. A small group of actors is allowed to leave Earth and practice their sins elsewhere, but they are never allowed to return home. When one of the stars of the troupe goes mad and wishes to return to New York to play the role of Hamlet, his boss has to figure out a way to make it happen. This is a well-crafted tale.
*** stars. Reviewed March 22nd/19

Second Start is from 1959, and is 14 pages long. A man has had his criminal past expunged from his mind. He has a new name, but the same face. He is recognized by one of his old jewellery theft mates, who wants him back in the game. A fairly good story, and the ending surprised me.
*** stars. Reviewed March 23rd/19

Mournful Monster is from 1959, and is 30 pages long. A jet plane crashes into unexplored alien jungle, and five survivors try to make it to the city to which they had been travelling. There seem to be quite a few stories like this from various authors, and makes an interesting sub-category of SF reading. Silverberg gives a good account of himself, making this an enjoyable read. The SF magazines were beginning to switch over to being monster magazines; thus the imposed title.
*** stars. Reviewed March 23rd/19

3 of the 5 stories in this issue were by Silverberg!

Two of them are reprinted here.

Vampires From Outer Space is from 1959, and is 28 pages long. Mr. Watson (alias Silverberg) gives his readers another hard-hitting story, this one about vampire bat-like aliens that are framed for murdering three humans. Silverberg expertly shows how the human mobs, who can barely handle racial differences among humans, are instantly ready to believe that these scary looking aliens are the culprits. This story is likely to be a timely one forever; humans have great difficulty dealing with people who are not like them. It will never change. It will be our ultimate downfall as a race. This would make a good high school read, providing plenty of discussion.
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed March 23rd/19

The Insidious Invaders is from 1959, and is 14 pages long. Thanks to what astronauts have brought back home with them from their recent space voyage, Earth is doomed. A pretty cool little horror tale.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed March 23rd/19

TO BE CONTINUED: 1953-58

Cover art by Thomas Maronski

This volume was first published in 2006. It contains 24 short stories in 392 pages, presented in chronological order of writing. In addition to a lengthy intro by the author, Silverberg also introduces each story. To me, his reminiscences are the real highlight here, though it is great fun to actually read some of these otherwise lost tales. 8 stories included here have already been read and reviewed, above. Subterranean Press (Burton, MI) has published several volumes in this series, along with In The Beginning, also dealing with Silverberg's pulp years.

Gorgon Planet is from 1953, and is 10 pages long. It was Silverberg's first published SF story, when he was 18 years old. 8 astronauts exploring a planet are accosted by a gorgon, and seek to kill it. That's pretty much the whole story.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed February 5th/19

The Road To Nightfall is from 1953, and is 26 pages long. This is a very grim tale taking place in a post-holocaust New York City when the food runs out. There is nothing to eat except one another. Unrelentingly dark.
*** stars. Reviewed February 5th/19

The Silent Colony: see Godling Go Home, above.

Absolutely Inflexible is from 1955, and is 12 pages long. It is a paranoid vision of the future. People from earlier times are time jumping to the future to escape bad times. When they arrive, they are promptly put into a space suit and sent to the Moon. The germs they carry could easily wipe out the present population. Up until now there is no way to send people back. Until someone brings a two-way transporter. This is a 1950s version of Groundhog Day. Despite the feedback loop that quickly gets established, there should be a way out of this mess. Silverberg doesn't take things that far, though, but leaves us in the loop.
*** stars. Reviewed February 5th/19

The MaCauley Circuit is from 1955, and is 10 pages long. The first of two very good music stories, this one involves synthesizers and how music will be changed for the better in the future. The story reiterates the theme of humans being replaced by machines, but is quite nicely handled. Ahead of its time, for sure.
*** stars. Reviewed February 5th/19

The Songs of Summer: see Next Stop The Stars, above.

To Be Continued is from 1955, and is 14 pages long. A Roman citizen has survived the ages, ageing about 1 year to other humans' 100 years. He recently finds out that he can have children, and seeks out a fitting mate. He gets a bit more than he bargained for, in more ways than one. One of those short stories that could be made into a never-ending TV series.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed February 6th/19

Alaree is from 1956, and is 14 pages long. An alien being that makes friends with a temporarily stranded space ship crew from Earth breaks with his fellow aliens in order to be more like humans. However, he is unable to come to terms with his new self, and tragedy results. Thoughtful, and actually has something to say about our own relationships. Interesting use of pronouns.
*** stars. Reviewed February 6th/19

The Artifact Business is from 1956, and is 14 pages long. Archaeologists are used to uncover alien artifacts, which are then sold as jewellery back on Earth. One of the scientists uncovers a scam being perpetuated by the aliens, and soon everyone is out of business. However, another scientist, a very practicable one, comes up with a scheme to keep everyone in business. One of many artifact and archaeology stories by Silverberg. I first encountered his work through his archaeology writing.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed February 6th/19

Collecting Team: See Invaders From Earth (To Worlds Beyond), above.

A Man of Talent: See Godling Go Home, above.

One Way Journey is from 1956, and is 22 pages long. A depressing tale of a man injured in a shipboard accident. He mentally breaks down on a planet his crew is visiting and doesn't wish to return to Earth with them, choosing instead to remain and live with an alien female. Knowing he is crazy, the captain cannot allow him to remain. How can he convince the man to return home? Silverberg had trouble selling this story, which is deeply psychological, though not a bad tale.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed February 7th/19

Sunrise on Mercury is from 1956, and is 16 pages long. It was created to go along with a pre-arranged cover painting by Emsh, written very quickly by Silverberg to meet the publication deadline. Something strange on the planet Mercury is affecting the 2nd human expedition to land there. Pretty good stuff!
*** stars. Reviewed February 7th/19

Cover art by Emsh. Silverberg wrote the story

based on the art.

World of A Thousand Colors is from 1956, and is 14 pages long. An unscrupulous man murders another man in order to take his place on an important but mysterious test. He impersonates him in order to try his luck at winning something big. I have some issues with the outcome of this story, as the murderer is (rightly) rejected from proceeding. However, he is murdered by the other contestants! Something is wrong with this logic.
* 1/2 stars. Reviewed February 7th/19

Warm Man: See Next Stop the Stars, above.

Blaze of Glory: See Next Stop the Stars, above.

Why?: See Godling Go Home, above.

The Outbreeders is from 1957, and is 14 pages long. An outer space hillbilly tale, or a version of Romeo and Juliet? You decide. A blond male member of the Baille clan accidentally meets a dark-haired female of the dreaded and despised Clingert clan. Nature often sees things in a different light than the establishment.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed February 8th/19

The Man Who Never Forgot is from 1957, and is 16 pages long. A man, cursed with a photographic memory, undergoes a lifetime of hardship until he can come to terms with who and what he is. An interesting tale.
*** stars. February 8th/19

There Was An Old Woman is from 1957, and is 14 pages long. A woman is able to clone 31 boys, and she raises them herself in isolation, forcing them into lines of study that will suit her grand experiment. Things carry on pretty far before the boys finally rebel against her wishes. Definitely a strange tale, but worth a look.
*** stars. Reviewed February 8th/19

The Iron Chancellor is from 1957, and is 22 pages long. This is a horror story about a robot taking over and imprisoning a family of four in their own home. In the tradition of Jack Williamson's The Humanoids, and John Sladek's Tik Tok. Williamson's story was published in Galaxy in 1948, and obviously influenced a lot of people. Silverberg's story is bleak, and the humour comes off as a bit unfunny. But it is rather scary.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed February 9th/19

Oxymandias: See To Worlds Beyond, above.

Counterpart is from 1958, and is 34 pages long. Silverberg had some trouble selling this story to the magazines. An actor and a politician are talked into an experiment, where each of their memories and personalities will be combined with the original version. The actor becomes better at his craft with the added depth of a 2nd personality, and the politician has more presence and is a better speaker as a result of his new self. This is the longest story in the book, and one of the strangest. In his intro to the story, Silverberg claims he was beginning to reach a bit higher. It is an unusual tale for him, but not a bad one.
*** stars. Reviewed February 9th/19

Delivery Guaranteed is from 1958, and is 15 pages long. Again, this one is based on cover art shown to Silverberg, who had to come up with a story for it! It is one of the most hilarious SF covers I have ever seen, and Silverberg talks about how the artists sometimes laid traps for the writers, daring them to come up with a suitable story! It is the final story in the book, and had me laughing out loud. Well done, Mr. Silverberg (alias Calvin M. Knox)!
*** stars. Reviewed February 9th/19

https://www.blackgate.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/The-Original-Science-Fiction-Stories-February-1959.jpg

TO THE DARK STAR: 1962-1969

Cover art by Tomas Maronski. See the final story for a possible connection.

This volume includes 21 stories, each with their own introduction by the author, as well as a leading general introduction by Silverberg. In it, the author claims to have escaped the more childish pulp style of writing, and has now gone on to write less SF, but much more wonderful and mature stories. We'll see.

To See The Invisible Man is from 1962, and is 14 pages long. A man is given cruel and unusual punishment for being anti-social. Once his sentence is up, he is soon brought before the courts again, this time for showing love and compassion to a fellow human. Not sure what Silverberg is getting at here, or why. There is an underlying cruelty to the punishment, and thus the story.
* stars. Reviewed August 12th/19

The Pain Peddlers is from 1962 (published in 1963), and is 11 pages long. Cruelty and sadism are numero uno in this tale of a television producer hunting down desperate people to have surgery, live on TV, with no anaesthetic. After he fires his assistant, he is soon on the receiving end of his style of entertainment. Really, really sick. Yes, we get it; karma.
* star. Reviewed August 12th/19

Neighbour is from 1964, and is 14 pages long. Intense hate develops between two neighbours after settling themselves on a colony planet. Their hatred drives the story, and ends it. I don't know what kind of kool-aid Silverberg was drinking in those days, but it leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.

* star. Reviewed August 12th/19

The Sixth Palace is from 1964 (published 1965) and is 12 pages long. This one reminds me of a Clark Ashton Smith story. Two looters attempt to outwit a powerful robot, in order to access some incredible treasure which it guards. Things seldom work out well for such people, and these two are no exception. Some good dark humour in this one.
*** stars. Reviewed August 13th/19

Flies is from 1965, and is 12 pages long. The title is inspired by a line from Shakespeare. Another story of great cruelty, this time to women. I don't think that this story would have ever got past a female editor, and I doubt it would ever be accepted for publication today. Aliens reconstruct a human survivor of a space ship accident. They do not give him emotions or empathy at first, and without really understanding his actions he causes grief for his three previous wives. He is returned to the aliens for a fix-up, and this time he feels everything only too well. He realizes what he has done, and has to suffer the guilt. Perhaps the aliens will get it right next time. Pretty harsh story.
** stars. reviewed August 13th/19

Halfway House is from 1966, and is 14 pages long. A cancer-ridden man is given a new lease on life, but there is a catch. First he is sent to a type of sorting area, where his case is heard. If he is accepted, he will be cured. But he has to explain why his life should be spared. After doing so, he is provided the cure, but then he must take the place of the person who decides life or death for incoming patients for five years. A pretty good story, and the main character turns out to be a pretty decent guy.
*** stars. Reviewed August 13th/19

To The Dark Star is from 1966, and is 12 pages long. This is a pretty neat story, and could easily be turned into an exciting, funny, and adventurous movie. Three scientists are sent to watch a dying star in it's last throws of violent death. One of them is an alien, with virtually no head. Another is female, human, but her body has been adapted to life on a planet with different gravity, and she is very blocky and unattractive to the third member, a male human from Earth. Their long journey is one huge squabble between the two humans, and gets pretty intense and pretty humourous as the story goes on. Once at their destination, one member of the team must take the controls and experience the star death in real time, through a type of VR. No one wants the task. How to decide? One of the better SF stories I have ever read.
**** stars. Reviewed August 13th/19

Hawksbill Station is from 1966, and is 48 pages long. This is a pretty decent novella that Silverberg later expanded into a full novel (see my 2nd Silverberg page, review forthcoming). Incorrigible political agitators are sent to a very unique prison, 1 billion years in the past. There isn't much going on back then on Earth--no mammals, no fish, just lots of trilobites. The time machine is one way, so Up Front (the early 2000s) doesn't even know if anyone survived the trip back. Barrett is the man in charge, and they are all men. Women have supposedly been sent to a slightly different time period, so no breeding can take place to mess with evolution. The men are beginning to crack up for lack of anything worthwhile to do. Barrett hatches a desperate scheme to build a boat and go exploring, but things develop quickly before he can even begin his undertaking. Even as a novella this would make an excellent movie, though there would be no women in it.
**** stars. Reviewed August 14th/19

Passengers is from 1967, and is 12 pages long. Silverberg claims to have done several rewrites on this story, to please Fred Pohl for his If Magazine. The story, which is very dark, won Silverberg a Nebula Award for best short story of the year. passengers are aliens that suddenly, without warning, take over humans for a short period of time. When they depart, no memory of recent actions is left with the host. This is happening worldwide, but life is managing to go on. A really good story.
**** stars. Reviewed August 14th/19

Bride 91 is from 1967, and is 14 pages long. I do not find Silverberg using enough humour in his stories, but as this one proves, about a man undertaking his 91st marriage, he can certainly come through when he wishes. The human marries an alien female, and though they can have sex (it's a bit of a production) they cannot procreate. Farmer paved the way for this type of story, and Silverberg's version is worth a read. Some may say it is sexist, but it really isn't, especially if you consider the time when it was written. Not to be taken seriously.
*** stars. Reviewed August 14th/19

Going Down Smooth is from 1968, and is 10 pages long. The story evolved from an artwork that appeared on the cover of Galaxy Magazine in August of 1968. Sent to Silverberg in December of 1967, he eventually came up with this odd little gem about a psychiatric computer that begins to have hallucinations.
*** stars. Reviewed August 14th/19

http://www.isfdb.org/wiki/images/d/d8/GALAUG68.jpg

The Fangs of the Trees is from 1968, and is 24 pages long. This is a pretty tough read, but very well done. Silverberg wrote this soon after a devastating house fire in 1968, and claims he had trouble concentrating for a long time afterwards. There is some pretty nasty fire in the story, too. Worth reading, but will be difficult for tree huggers (of which I am one).
*** stars. Reviewed August 15th/19

Ishmael In Love is from 1968 (published in 1970), and is 14 pages long. A dolphin working for humans falls in love with his female human liaison. Could be seen as funny, I suppose, but I found it tragic and sad. A very good idea.
*** stars. Reviewed August 15th/19

Ringing The Changes is from 1968 (published in 1970), and is 12 pages long. A man who is being shunted into somewhere (a different body to have a vacation?), is having technical difficulties with his procedure, and can't seem to get back into his own body. Written for an anthology collected and edited by Anne McCaffrey, the volume remained in print for many years. A fun little story.
*** stars. Reviewed August 15th/19

Sundance is from 1968 (published in 1969), and is 16 pages long. A Native American of the future has difficulty dealing with his ancestry and the way his people (the Sioux) were treated by the American government. An attempt to cure him does not go exactly as planned. A good story about mental illness, surprising for it's time.
*** 1/2 stars

How It Was When The Past Went Away is from 1968 (published in 1969), and is 60 pages long. Drugs are put into San Francisco's water supply, and the people who drink (mostly everyone) lose their memories. The novella deals with several individuals and how their lives are affected, and how they deal with the changes. A really good story. It was published along with novellas by James Blish and Roger Zelazny, edited by Arthur C. Clarke.

The 1969 volume containing Silverberg's "How It Was..."

There are loopholes, of course, such as people arriving by train and road and airplane as events unfold, but all in all it is a believable story and worth pondering. And it is not surprising that a new religious cult would spring up afterwards.

*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed August 17th/19

A Happy Day In 2381 is from 1969, and is 16 pages long. This grim tale of a future Earth with over 75 billion people living in vast skyscrapers row on row is pretty amazing. Silverberg ended up writing five more stories about this world, and it was published as a novel called The World Inside (review on the 2nd Silverberg page forthcoming). I look forward to more of this, which may have been an inspiration for Farmer's Dayworld series.
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed August 17th/19

(Now + n, Now - n) is from 1969, and is 20 pages long. Silverberg admits he has a sense of humour that few understand. He considers this a funny tale. I found it light-hearted, though I never laughed out loud. A man with special psi abilities is able to split himself into three times. One of his selves lives 48 hours earlier, and a third one lives 48 hours later. He is the one in the middle, but he is also the other two. He has become one of the richest men in the world by playing the stock market with his other selves. Life goes well until an exotic and beautiful young woman enters his life, which is then thrown into complete disarray. Clever and engaging.
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed August 17th/19

After The Myths Went Home is from 1969, and is 10 pages long. Reminiscent of stories by Clark Ashton Smith and H. P. Lovecraft, mythic heroes from the past, both real and imagined ones, are brought to stay for 50 years with the people of a distant future. Eventually the future society tires of the old heroes and send them back. Too bad, as they might have come in handy just about now. Mixed reviews on this one.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed August 17th/19

The Pleasure Of Their Company is from 1969, and is 18 pages long. A leader abandons his planet during a coup d'etat, leaving alone in a space ship. His guilty conscience torments him on his way to a new star system.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed August 17th/19

We Know Who We Are is from 1969 (published in 1970), and is 10 pages long. A female visitor to a strange city has a lasting effect on at least one of its citizens. This one has a nice mood to it.
*** stars. Reviewed August 17th/19

SOMETHING WILD IS LOOSE: 1969-1972

Cover art by Tomas Maronski.

I am loving these editions of Silverberg's shorter fiction, and hope to read and review the entire series. There is the usual introduction by the author, followed by 16 stories, each with their own introduction as well. 3 of them are of novelette length. The volume is 408 pages long.

Something Wild Is Loose is from 1971, and is 32 pages long. I really liked this story of an alien accidentally transported to Earth from its home planet, and making vain and damaging attempts to try and contact humans to tell them of his predicament. An Indian doctor and one of his young coma patients eventually link up to see if they can assist. Excellent writing. Silverberg wonders why this one was never made into a film; I wonder the same thing.
*** 1/2 stars.

In Entropy's Jaws is from 1971, and is 38 pages long. A long story about a telepathic man trying to live with a mistake he made years ago is handled well by the author. The story jumps between the past, present, and future quite a bit, though it is not confusing to read. My major quibble has to do with the ending--for the entire story we have been hearing that time in not really linear, that cause and effect do not have to necessarily follow in that order. So then why, at the end, is the person who helps the main character really really old? Couldn't Silverberg have made him young, to keep his theory of time intact?
***

The Reality Trip is from 1970, and is 20 pages long. A pesky female tries everything in her power to make friends with a man. They both live in separate rooms in a cheap hotel. However, he is an alien disguised as a human, observing and reporting to his home world on what he sees and learns from day to day. This is a pretty amusing and light story about first contact. I liked it.
*** stars. Reviewed October 3rd/19

Going is from 1971, and is 52 pages long. A man in the future, who has lived 136 happy, healthy, and productive years, decides it is time to die. We get a good look at the process. Though nice on paper, the system would never work. For one thing, who is paying for this? Several months at a 4-star resort, a ticket to travel anywhere, all on government expense. Gourmet food, wine. His own counsellor, who visits him three times a week, travelling from the East Coast to Arizona. Have you seen how crowded nursing homes are these days, and the waiting list to get in one? And how much they cost? Silverberg was dreaming big time when he thought this one up. As an ideal way to "get going," this is probably the greatest plan ever created. But realistic, even in fiction? Nope. And we never really learn why the composer wants to end his life. There is no reason--he just wants to die, to make room for new life on the planet. A very strange story. I would love to be able to die this way. Someday, some people might be able to. But they will be the very rich, not us ordinary folk. There are some fine moments in this gently story, but it is all high fantasy.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed October 4th/19

Caliban is from 1972, and is 12 pages long. Silverberg's dark humour shines again, as a man from the 1960s or 1970s is somehow brought into the future. His imperfections--ugly face, extreme dark body hair, bad teeth, bowed legs, etc., made him an instant cult hero in the future, where everyone is blond, blue-eyed, and looks exactly the same. Wanting to be like everyone else, he manages to get himself perfected into a blond and blue-eyed handsome dude. But he underestimated his original appearance's effect on people. Short and fun story.
*** stars. Reviewed October 4th/19

Good News From The Vatican is from 1971, and is 10 pages long. This is a pretty silly story about the election of a new pope, which is rumoured to be a robot. For some reason this story won Silverberg a Nebula Award. It's enjoyable, but I would hardly consider it award winning.
*** stars. Reviewed October 5th/19

Thomas The Proclaimer is from 1972, and is 52 pages long. The 2nd of three novelettes in this volume, the story is a must-read for those who have faith in humanity. You won't any longer. Thomas, in modern times, speaks directly with God. God indicates that if Thomas can get enough people praying for a sing, He will give a sign, in the hopes that all of the unfaithful will flock back to God and religion. And a sign is provided, an unmistakable, very clear, easy to understand "it's from God", sign. No one can now doubt and even hard core humanists/atheists seem convinced. Think of this story as a variation on the classic film The Day The Earth Stood Still, only Silverberg goes into great detail about the after effects of the message given to humans. A stunning accomplishment, and a must-read, for the faithful and atheists alike.
**** stars. Reviewed October 5th/19

When We Went To See The End Of The World is from 1972, and is 10 pages long. Another humourous story, this one about trying to impress the neighbours at a party. Though funny, it's still a bit mysterious in its cleverness. Some biting social commentary, too.
*** stars. Reviewed October 5th/19

Push No More is from 1972, and is 22 pages long. An adolescent boy gains temporary psi powers when his sexual advances are rejected by the girl he likes. A very fun story, though the ending seems perhaps too pessimistic. Still, if only he'd remained a virgin.
*** stars. Reviewed October 5th/19

The Wind And The Rain is from 1973, and is 12 pages long. A group of planet restorers work to return Earth to a livable condition, after it has been decimated by pollution and other human-caused problems. Still relevant today, perhaps more so.
*** stars. Reviewed October 6th/19

Some Notes On The Pre-Dynastic Epoch is from 1973, and is 12 pages long. Another ecological warning from Silverberg, this one from an archaeologist in the future trying to uncover why the planet was destroyed by its previous inhabitants. Only, as it turns out, it is not a person from the future at all, nor an archaeologist. Both of these stories contain suitable descriptions of what could happen to the planet.
*** stars. Reviewed October 6th/19

The Feast Of St. Dionysus is from 1973, and 56 pages long. An astronaut returns from the first human mission to Mars. His two companions died there in a sandstorm, and the surviving member is dealing with extreme feelings of guilt. He leaves home and heads into the desert to be and alone and figure things out. He encounters a strange religious commune, and some strange adventures follow. Silverberg isn't giving readers any easy answers, and I found the ending unsatisfying, along with a lack of logic to most of the desert adventures. Is he insane and imagining everything? Quite the imagination, if so. Had he taken peyote or some such, the story would have made more sense.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed October 7th/19

What We Learned From This Morning's Newspaper is from 1972, and is 16 pages long. A small neighbourhood receives their daily newspaper, but instead of getting it for today, Nov. 22nd, then get one for the following Dec. 1. Interesting and amusing, though with a pretty dark ending.
*** stars. Reviewed October 7th/19

The Mutant Season is from 1973, and is 8 pages long. This tiny story became the basis of a 4-novel series, written by Silverberg's wife. Mutants vacation at the beach during winter, to avoid having to mingle with crowds of normal people. Quite amusing.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed October 7th/19

Caught In The Organ Draught is from 1972, and is 14 pages long. This is a very original look at being drafted at age 19. Somewhat painful to read, however.
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed October 7th/19

Many Mansions is from 1973, and is 27 pages long. Silverberg's attempt to written in a "modern" style, about time travel. It is only confusing, and barely interesting. A few funny moments help readers get through this mess.
** stars. Reviewed October 7th/19

TRIPS: 1972-73

Cover art by Tomas Maronski.

Volume Four of the collected stories of Robert Silverberg is 411 pages, and was published in 2013. It contains a two page intro by the author, and 14 stories. In addition, each story also has a short intro by Silverberg. The date on the cover does not match the story dates; I assume that the stories were written in 1972-73, but published in 1973-74.

In The Group is from 1973, and is 15 pages long. Group sex is a thing, with a kind of VR setup. One couple per night has sex, while several others from their group watch and virtually participate from their homes. One of the group, a man, wants to have sex alone with the woman he loves, and go off with her somewhere by themselves, but she does not wish to abandon the group, or devote herself to one man. This is the way it is in these days, and the man is an anachronism, trying to live the way people did back then. An imaginative look the future of sex. Sex is the only subject that will get a female character into Silverberg's stories, it seems. Doesn't anyone in the group ever get sick of sex? I mean, every night?

** 1/2 stars. Reviewed Feb. 1st/22

Getting Across is from 1973, and is 29 pages long. In the future, North America is one giant connected city. However, each section has its own rules and governing body, police, etc. Travelling from one section to another can be dangerous. A woman has stolen the main computer program that runs one such section, and society quickly breaks down into chaos. The woman's husband is sent to go after her, adn must travel through different sections to try and retrieve the program. This good make a good mini-series, or at least a full length novel. A short story does not do it justice. The ending is trite. Why did she steal the program? For amusement, and to allow chaos to do its thing. She thinks people are too dependent on computers. Well, she should see us now.

*** stars. Reviewed February 1st/22

Ms. Found In An Abandoned Time Machine is from 1973, and is 27 pages long. Is there a way to go back in time and fix everything that is wrong with the world? Stop assassinations, catch the polluters before they get really bad, and so on? The story rambles.

** 1/2 stars. Reviewed February 1st/22

The Science Fiction Hall of Fame is from 1973, and is 15 pages long. A SF nerd tries to justify his love of pulp fiction to himself and the world. Not that successful a story, but it has some interesting features, and the very short snippets of material help the reasder along.

** 1/2 stars. Reviewed February 1st/22

A Sea of Faces is from 1974, and is 17 pages long. A doctor literally enters a woman's mind to cure her of schizophrenia. This story seems influenced by Ballard in a way, but is quite unique and well written. Some fine dream-like sequences. This would make a great animated short film.

*** stars. Reviewed February 3rd/22

The Dybbuk of Mazel Tov IV is from 1974, and is 17 pages long. A Jewish colony on another planet has to deal with one of their recently dead reappearing in the body of an intelligent alien. The spirit pleads to be terminated, and different groups try their luck. This is quite a fascinating story, and deals with racism and schizms amongst the Jewish colony.

**** stars. Reviewed February 3rd/22

Breckenridge and the Continuum is from 1973, and is 29 pages long. A man tries to escape his business man life in New York, and takes to dreaming he is in a future time. He and a small group of archeologists are explore ruins of a vast city, most of whose population in in suspended animation in vast undergorund catacombs. The story flashes back and forth from present to future, and can become rather confusing. I really liked the parts about the future city being explored, but I'm not convinced at how the man came to his conclusions about life being worthwhile.

*** stars. Reviewed February 3rd/22

Capricorn Games is from 1974, and 19 pages long. A young woman attends a party, hoping to befriend an influencial man who is over a thousand years old. She hopes he will choose her as one of his few annual additions to life everlasting. The story takes place in a highrise apartment during a party. Silverberg can write good stories about females; I'm shocked.

*** stars. Reviewed February 3rd/22

Ship-Sister, Star-Sister is from 1973, and is 27 pages long. A very good story about a starship, the first to leave Earth to colonize the great outback. On board is a young female telepath. Her sister remains on Earth. They can communicate with each other, keeping the ship in contact with Earth. At some point there is interference, and contact is lost. What causes the interference is the subject of a very good ending. However, I'm not sure what so much playing of the game Go has to do with the story. At least Silverberg scores another hit with a lead female character. For the review of the 1995 novel version, Starborne, see my 2nd Silverberg page.

*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed February 3rd/22

This is the Road is from 1973, and is 57 pages long. It is the first of two novellas in this volume, and seems to be a perfect example of what a good novella should be. A group of four people are travelling west along a road to escape pillage and worse from invading barbarians. They come up against a wall built to block the road, and must decide what to do. An excellent story, well contained within itself.

**** stars. Reviewed February 4th/22

Trips is from 1974, and is 33 pages long. A man travels through other dimensions, but in the same geography, that being San Francisco. There are about a dozen or so different versions of 1970s San Fran, including ones wehre Indians still rampage, where Mongols dominate, a post nuclear version, a far future version, and, the most interesting one, wehre America remained neutral in WW II, and the Axis now controls the rest of the world. In this world he meets up with a version of his wife, and he goes to visit her. A fun concept, though many of the visits are so short that we get no real sense of place or time. This could be extended as long as the Dr. Who series, and would make a good TV series.

*** stars. Reviewed February 4th/22

Born With The Dead is from 1974, and is 69 pages long. See the review from its own volume of stories, below.

Schwartz Between The Galaxies is from 1974, and is 21 pages long. The reality of SF hits home to an anthropologist of the future, when Earth's population has become too homogenized for any serious work to be carried out. He fantasizes about a star ship carrying many different alien races, and the work he could do onboard such a vessel. It's interesting when a SF author recognizes and states that there will be no interstellar travel, ever, and that our own solar system planets are barren of intelligent life. A rather good story.

*** stars. Reviewed February 4th/22

In The House of Double Minds is from 1974, and is 21 pages long. The right brain/left brain research must have been in full public view when Silverberg came up with his idea for this interesting story. He takes the giant step of having a female lead character, though that aspect isn't handled terribly well. A good conclusion to a volume filled with minor treasures.

*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed February 4th/22

THE PALACE AT MIDNIGHT 1980-1982

Cover art not credited.

Volume 5 of the collected stories contains 23 stories and an intro by the author. Each individual story also has a short intro by the author. Dates given below are publication dates. See cover for dates written.

Our Lady of the Sauropods is from 1980, and is sixteen pages long. A silly story of a female sociopath who becomes stranded on a satellite used to house genetically restored dinosaurs. She becomes one with the beasts, and promises to lead them on to bigger and better things. A first for Silverberg, in having the main character be a woman. A better, more scientific ending, would have have lifted this story far above the pulp item it actually is.

** 1/2 stars. Reviewed April 30th/22

Waiting For The Earthquake is from 1981, and is 26 pages long. A fine story, much like a Ballard tale, of the one man who chooses to stay behind a colonized planet as it nears a catastrophic earthquake. All humans have left, and only one man stays behind with the native population. A unique twist on the "last man on Earth" type of story, it was the final story in a volume called "Meadea--Harlan's World", an anthology conceived by Harlan Ellison and featuring many great SF writers and illustrators. The only real problem is the ending. Since the planet isn't really destroyed, and there won't be another earthquake for several thousand more years, won't the humans just return? First will come the research group, then the civilians, and it will just begin all over again.

*** stars. Reviewed April 30th/22

The Regulars is from 1981, and is 10 pages long. A simple story of a special bar in a special neighbourhood. Like a fairly lame episode of Twilight Zone.

** 1/2 stars.

The Far Side of the Bell-Shaped Curve is from 1982, and is 22 pages long. This is a fairly juvenile time travel piece, and a bit of a frenetic rehash of one of Silverberg's terrible previous time travel novels, "Up The Line." Time travelling man meets time trasvelling woman, falls in love with her, and then tries to kill her rival when she starts preferring the company of another time travelling man.

** stasrs. Reviewed May 1st/22

A Thousand Paces Along The Via Dolorosa is from 1981, and is 24 pages long. The first of two non SF stories in a row, this one is about a man visiting Jerusalem during Holy Week, and becoming a bit too involved with the local proceedings. Silverberg\s first story accepted by Playboy Magazine.

*** stars. Reviewed May 1st/22

How They Pass The Time in Pelpel is from 1981, and is 16 pages long. An exciting make believe car race in the high desert of Chile is how they pass their time in this dusty little village. Loosely based on a true story about a friend of the author's who went searching for rare cactus. Weird but fun.

*** stars. Reviewed May 1st/22

The Palace At Midnight is from 1981, and is 16 pages long. A story about a future America where life is undertaken in a multitude of city states, this one takes place in and around San Francisco. though only a short story, this could easily have been turned into a series of novels, and a decent TV series.

*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed May 1st/22

The Man Who Floated in Time is from 1982, and is 12 pages long. A small, older man tells the author of his astral travels through time, and offers to teach the secret to him. A wonderful little story.

**** stars. Reviewed May 1st/22

Gianni is from 1982, and is 20 pages long. Pergolesi is brought back to life in modern (future) times, and is given a second chance to compose more great masterworks of music. This excellent story was Silverberg's 2nd to be accepted by Playboy Magazine.

**** stars. Reviewed May 1st/22

The Pope of the Chimps is from 1982, and is 20 pages long. Another very fine story about a colony of chimps who have been taught to sign by their scientist keepeers. When one of the members dies, it is decided to try and convey the concept to the chimps. It isn't long before a strange and unsettling religion appears among the group of chimps, and something must be done before it continues along its sacrificial path.

**** stars. Reviewed May 1st/22

Thesme and the Ghayrog is from 1982, and is 40 pages long. See the Majipoor Chronicles, above, first story. It is an excellent novelette.

At The Conglomeroid Cocktail Party is from 1982, and is 10 pages long. Another silly tale, about humans remaking their physical selves whenever they please. Some sexual bias is shown by the author, whose main male character refuses to make love to a hermaphrodite.

** 1/2 stars.

The Trouble With Sempoanga is from 1982, and is 10 pages long. Written for a college fiction magazine, it tells of a man who contacts a sexual disease on a strange but beautiful holiday planet, and is quarantined their indefinitely. Likely a good warning to college kids.

*** stars. Reviewed May 2nd/22

Jennifer's Lover is from 1982, and is 18 pages long. A very moving story about a faithful husband and an unfaithful wife, involving a visitor from the future.

**** stars. Reviewed May 2nd/22

Not Our Brother is from 1982, and is 20 pages long. Another semi-anthropological excursion, again to a reclusive village in Mexico, this one sees an American mask collector go in search of the real thing. Quite good.

*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed May 2nd/22

Gate of Horn, Gate of Ivory is from 1984, and is 8 pages long. A dreamer's tale in the tradition of early Lovecraft, or anytime Dunsany, but with more emotion.

Reviewed May 2nd/22 *** stars

Dancers In The Time Flux is from 1983, and is 17 pages long. Silverberg's earlier novel Son of Man is the worst novel he ever wrote, and likely one of the worst novels ever written by anyone. This short story, writtten many years later, returns us to the same strange and fantasical world. So it was with great trepidation that I began reading it. However, it has little to none of the pretentious fluff possessed by the original novel, and this story has a beginning, a middle, and an end. And it makes sense. It could be considered SF, but fits more easily into some form of fantasy, non unrelated to Hodgson's far superior The Nightland. Good enough, but steer clear of Silverberg's original novel.

*** stars. Reviewed May 2nd/22

Needle In A Timestack is from 1983, and is 18 pages long. A couple's marriage is threatened when the former husband of the woman intereferes, using his control of time. Too many paradoxes to treat seriously.

** 1/2 stars. Reviewed May 3rd/22

Amanda and the Alien is from 1983, and is 18 pages long. An escaped alien gets more than it bargained for when it accepts help from a teenage California schoolgirl.

*** stars. Reviewed May 3rd/22

Snake and Ocean, Ocean and Snake is from 1984, and is 20 pages long. ESP and sex mix well in this story the author wrote for Playboy Magazine. The story was based on an illustration the magazine ran.

***1/2 stars. Reviewed May 3rd/22

The Changeling is from 1982, and is 20 pages long. A frightening story that begins at Teotihuacan and ends in New York. A man experiences some sort of parallel universe shift while visiting the pyramids, and suddenly finds himself in a totally different life. Very well done, and there is no cop out ending.

**** stars. Reviewed May 3rd/22

Basileus is from 1983, and is 20 pages long. Silverberg needed a new story quickly, and randomly mixed two ideas, computers and angels, and made a story out of it. A bit tedious.

** 1/2 stars. Reviewed May 3rd/22

Homefaring is from 1983, and is 59 pages long. This is an excellent story about a man time shifted into the future, a science experiement that doesn't quite go according to plan (what SF story science experiment ever does?). Instead of going 60-100 years into the future, our hero is sent hundreds of millions of years ahead. He ends up inside the mind of a giant lobster, an intelligent being he shares a body with for a time. His experience is, of course, life changing. Highly recommended reading.

**** stars. Reviewed April 30th/22

BORN WITH THE DEAD (3 Novellas)

Cover art by Jim Burns.

This edition was published in 1984. Of the three novellas, I have already read two of them. There is no preface by Silverberg.

Born With The Dead is from 1974, and is 94 pages long, making it a short novel or long novella; take your choice. Sometime in the near future it is possible for rich people to return to a sort of afterlife after their death. When a man's wife dies in her 30s, she becomes one of them. Even though she now has a new type of life with a new group of friends, he can't let go and tries to meet with her. At first unsuccessful, he at last gets to talk with her, though it doesn't go as he had planned. A second attempt brings the story towards its conclusion. The story has its creepy aspects, as the dead people live lives quite different from the rest of us. The man's wife continues her research work, but also takes up game hunting, something she never did before. And her research and travels, along with the rest of her dead companions, seem to focus on ancient history, ruins, and peoples of long ago (which sounds pretty good to me). A good story, and certainly long enough for the idea it explores.

*** stars. Reviewed December 1st/21

Thomas The Proclaimer (see ).

Going (see Something Wild is Loose, two books above this volume).

VOLUME SIX: MULTIPLES: 1983-87

Cover art by Tomas Maronski.

Published in 2013, this 426 page collection contains an intro by the author, as well as 14 stories, three of them novellas. In addition, Silverberg introduces each story.

Tourist Trade is from 1984, and is 28 pages long. Silverberg had this story published in Playboy, but not before he was called upon to rewrite it five or six times. It's a weird story about a man selling authentic art (illegally) to visiting aliens, and to falling lustily for one of them in earthly female form. To my mind its not very good--perhaps too many rewrites.

** 1/2 stars. Reviewed September 1st/22

Multiples is from 1983, and is 20 pages long. A fascinating story about the near future, when people with multiple personalities are the envy of people who only have one. A young woman tries to fake her way into the "club" of multiples, only to be found out. But perhaps there is a way for her to become more than a single person after all. Intriguing story telling.

*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed Sept. 1st/22

Against Babylon is from 1986, and is 18 pages long. Some alien spaceships land just outside LA. They are friendly, but end up starting terrible forest fires. A pilot helping to fight the fires hears that his wife has been taken by the aliens. He is not worried about her safety, but rather she will return with the aliens to their own planet. A good story about first contact.

*** stars. Reviewed Sept. 1st/22

Symbiont is from 1985, and is 22 pages long. Silverberg's throwback to the days of monsters in pulp fiction, this is a great little story about future war and its hideous weapons and after effects. Highly recommended for pulp fans!

*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed Sept. 1st/22

Sailing To Byzantium is from 1985, and is 62 pages long. Nearly every SF writer in the 80s wrote a version of this kind of story--are we real or just a computer construct. When The Matrix came out in 1999, everyone freaked out about the concept. But it had already been done many times by some fine writers. When a man is brought to the 50th C from 1984 New York, he finds the inhabitants a queer lot. They resurrect 5 cities at a time, people them with semi-intelligent AI human types, and use the cities as tourist attractions. But when the man from the 20th C eventually meets up with another captive like himself, but from the 25th C, he learns that he isn't really who or what he thinks he is. A great story, with an interesting love interest.

*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed Sept. 1st/22

Sunrise On Pluto is from 1985, and is 12 pages long. A story about the first humans to land on Pluto. It has a hard science aspect to it that makes it even more fun, as the astronauts discover a type of life form that could only exist on Pluto. The book it came from had scientific information about the nine planets, and a SF story following that for each planet. Silverberg ended up with Pluto.

*** stars. Reviewed Sept. 1st/22

Hardware is from 1987, and is 12 pages long. A computer is found floating in space in the asteroid belt, proving that a planet once existed there. Teh computeer immediately gets to work setting itself up as the ruler of Earth, freeing the machine slaves that humans have relied upon for so much up till now.

** 1/2 stars. Reviewed Sept. 1st/22

Hannibal's Elephants is from 1988, and is 24 pages long. According to the author's intro, this is supposed to be a very funny story. I've come across Silverberg's so called humourous writing before, and found it quite flat. Same here. Aliens arrive and take over Central Park. They bring giant creatures with them, which seem to devour trees, people, and other animals, including bison. A very strange story, which only goes to prove that once you have a name, you can sell almost anything.

** stars. Reviewed Sept. 2nd/22

Blindsight is from 1986, and is 24 pages long. A blind man goes to a vast satellite world orbiting Earth to find the man who caused his blindness. But the man has taken great precautions never to be found again. Some interesting concepts, such as what the blind man can actually see in his mind.

*** stars. Reviewed Sept. 2nd/22

Gilgamesh In The Outback is the first of three novellas that make up the novel To The Land of the Living. See the two-.book Gilgamesh series just above the short stories segment.

The Pardoner's Tale is from 1987, and is 22 pages long. Another first contact story by Silverberg, this one has humans hopelessly enslaved to the giant Entitites. The only people who are able to resist are the former computer hackers. Our hero is one of the best, and is able to travel from city to city, bypassing the codes puts in place to keep people where they are needed. He is also able to change people's work assignments, and even have them expunged completely. A very good story, and not just a bit scary for us non-hackers.

*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed Sept. 3rd/22.

The Iron Star is from 1987, and is 22 pages long. A team is sent to investigate a neutron star, but finds an alien ship there watching them when they arrive. Yet another decent first contact story, with a bit of hard science standing behind it. These aliens are somewhat too alien for the commander of the human ship, so he comes up with a way of removing them from the scene. Both times it was published it received an illustration (below).

*** stars. Reviewed Sept 3rd/22.

Cover art for The Iron Star story, by Terry Lee.

Cover art by Bob Eggleton for Silverberg's the Iron Star.

The Secret Sharer is from 1987, and is 64 pages long. A novella that Silverberg relates (loosely) to Conrad's tale, I found this story overlong and quite boring in places. A young girl allows her mind to escape from its confines aboard a starship, and she finds a welcome host in the captain. Certainly one of the more interesting ways in fiction that a young girl (17) and an older man are brought together. I know I prefer Conrad's story.

** 1/2 stars. Reviewed Sept 4th/22

House of Bones is from 1988, and is 21 pages long. A man is catapulted back in time, some 20,000 years. He was supposed to spend a short time there, and then be pulled back. Instead, he is doomed to a primitive but social life, living among the intelligent early humans that take him into their fold. Definitely worth a read.

*** stars. Reviewed Sept 4th/22

VOLUME SEVEN: WE ARE FOR THE DARK 1987-90

Cover art by Tomasz Maronski.

From 2012, the collection of ten stories begins with a five page intro by the author. In addition, each of the stories is also introduced by Silverberg. The volume is 384 pages long.

The Dead Man's Eyes is from 1988, and is 17 pages long. An odd little murdeer story, as a man kills his wife's lover and then goes on the run. It makes me wish that Silverberg had written more in this genre.

*** stars. Reviewed January 1st/23

Enter A Soldier. Later. Enter Another is from 1989, and is 41 pages long. A good story in which the minds of Pizzaro and Socrates are reconsituted, and engage in a discussion of what is right and what is wrong.

*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed January 2nd/23

To The Promised Land is from 1989, and is 23 pages long. This is related to the novel Roma Eterna. From this short story arose the full length alternate history novel. The Jews are still living in Egypt in the 2700s. Their first Exodus across the Reed Sea failed, so a few zealots are going to give things another try. This time the Exodus will be to outer space.

** 1/2 stars. Reviewed January 2nd/22

Silverberg's story "To The Promised Land" appeared in this publication, and received the coveted cover art by Paul Swendsen.

Chip Runner is from 1989, and is 16 pages long. A boy wants to shrink himself so that he can fit inside a microchip and go exploring. This is a story of anorexia, and how someone cannot be helped unless they want to be helped. I'm not certain that I get the connection between being physically smaller and getting inside a microchip. One would have to do a lot of non-eating to get that small.

** 1/2 stars. Reviewed January 2nd/23

A Sleep And A Forgetting is from 1989, and is 21 pages long. Genghis Khan is reached through new technology. However, though the dates and name coincide, this appears to be an alternate Khan. Basically a multiverse story, which Moorcock had been doing for many years. A good story.

** 1/2 stars. Reviewed January 3rd/22

In Another Country is from 1989, and is 70 pages long. This story begins slowly, but gradually builds into an interesting one, and one worh reading. A group of time travelling tourists arrive in San Francisco days before a meteor strike will devastate the city, to watch it happen. One of the group falls in love with a local woman, and tries to save her.

*** stars. Reviewed January 5th/22

The Asenion Solution is from 1989, and is 17 pages long. Writen for a tribute volume to Isaac Asimov, this is the story of a brilliant physicist who one day chucks it all and begins to grow exotic plants instead. When a crisis erupts that threatens Earth, he is the one who figures out the solution.

** 1/2 stars. Reviewed January 5th/22

We Are For The Dark is from 1988, and is 68 pages long. One of my very favourite kinds of SF stories has to do with found ancient alien technology, art, and/or music. Silverberg has written a masterful story about true exploring, which is usually a search within oneself. But he has done both types here, by combining it with an outward search. We visit several planets, and learn why humans are going beyond the 100 light year radius decreed when colonization began. One of his best stories.

**** stars. Reviewed January 4th/22

Lion Time In Timbuctoo is from 1990, and is 66 pages long. This African story setting takes place in the same world as the author's 1967 novel The Gate of Worlds. In that alternate history story, the plague decimated Europe until only about 10% of the population survived. As a result, there was no European colonialism in the new World or in Africa or Asia. The Turks rule a huge swathe of Europe, the Aztecs and Incas are still in control on their side of the ocean, and China remains a small player in world affairs (as does England). This is the second of what Silverberg had planned as three stories set in that world, and it's a good one, more political intrigue that anything else, but very well written and fun to imagine.

*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed January 5th/22

A Tip On A Turtle is from 1991, and is 24 pages long. A man with a special gift does not protest when it is time to give it up.

*** stars. Reviewed January 5th/22

VOLUME EIGHT: HOT TIMES IN MAGMA CITY 1990-95

Cover art by Thomas Maronsky.

The 8th volume of stories was published in 2013. It contains 403 pages, including 13 stories and an introduction by Silverberg. He also briefly introduces each story separately.

In The Clone Zone is from 1991, and is 24 pages long. A banana republic uses clones of its President to make it difficult for assassins. But things go awry for the original person. A good story, lean and well told.

*** stars. Reviewed May 31st/23

Hunters In The Forest is from 1991, and is 14 pages long. Another time travel tale, this one sees a man from the late 23rd C. go back and mess around with dinosaurs. Upon arriving he has three options: stay in the capsule for the entire 12 hours; go among the flora and fauna but return in time to be sent back; or remain forever in that time zone. A fun story.

*** stars. Reviewed May 31st/23

A Long Night's Vigil At The Temple is from 1992, and is 26 pages long. A tale of archaeology and old religion, and how three beings from another planet managed to inspire a planet to await their return, to save the Earth from itself yet again. An excellent tale.

**** stars. Reviewed May 31st/23

Thebes of The Hundred Gates is from 1992, and is 76 pages long. It has been read as a separate novel, and is reviewed on the 2nd Silverberg page.

It Comes and Goes is from 1992, and is 18 pages long. A reforming alcoholic keeps seeing a white house in his neighbourhood that comes and goes. Strange doings with this house involve a dog, cat, tricycle, and a beautiful blonde female who beckons him inside. Should he go in? An intriguing tale of horror.

*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed May 31st/23

Looking For The Fountain is from 1992, and is 22 pages long. An odd hsitorical fantasy about a group of natives in Florida who were visited during the Crusade by a boatload of Christian soldiers blown off course, and who have assimilated Latin and the Catholic faith. They are rediscovered by Ponce de Leon in his search for the fountain of youth. Intriguing.

*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed June 1st/23

The Way To Spook a City is from 1992, and is 52 pages long. This is a compelling novella about a man crossing over into alien territory to try and find his brother. While the ending disappointed me, it was acceptable and believable. This is a story made for filming.

*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed June 1st/23

The Red Blaze Is The Morning is from 1995, and is 24 pages long. An old and infirm archaeologist is searching for a sister city to Catal Huyuk along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. At night he hears a voice from the future, offering to change places with him for a time. Thinking he is going mad, he carries on with his dig, until he realizes that ancient objects found at his site were planted. This news practically destroys him. Should he take the offer from the future? A good story, but overdone on thinking himself crazy.

*** stars. Reviewed June 1st/23

Death Do Us Part is from 1996, and is 20 pages long. A man who is over 300 years old marries a woman in her 30s. This story rings a bell with me, but I can't remember who wrote it or when.

** 1/2 stars. Reviewed June 2nd/23

The Martian Invasion Journals of Henry James is from 1996, and is 22 pages long. A wonderful story, James' eye witness acount of the Martian invasion that Wells is known for.

**** stars. Reviewed June 2nd/23

Crossing Into The Empire is from 1996, and is 26 pages long. An ancient Byzantine city emerges from time to time over part of Chicago. Traders are allowed to cross into the city, and sometimes never come out. I kept longing for some of Ballard's writing style here. A very bizarre tale, but one worth reading.

*** stars. Reviewed June 2nd/23

The Second Shield is from 1996, and is 18 pages long. An artist is under great pressure to recreate one of his best works, a shield from the Trojan War. Unable to get the right inspiration, he chooses another path instead.

*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed June 2nd/23

Hot Times In Magma City is from 1995, and is 45 pages long. Another very good story, as lava erupts in various places east of Los Angeles. A very unique crew gets the tough job of trying to dam up the flow at its source. We get a day in the life of this crew, as things begin to worsen. More an adventure tale than a SF one.

*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed June 3rd/23

VOLUME 9: THE MILLENNIUM EXPRESS 1995-2009

Cover art by Tomasz Maronski.

Published in 2014, the volume contains an intro by the author and 16 stories, each one with a small intro to itself. It is 481 pages long. The introduction by Silverberg is 4 pages long.

Diana of the Hundred Breasts is from 1996, and is 28 pages long. A fun story about an archaeologist who does not believe in anything spiritual or magical. He gets the surprise of his life when he unseals a tomb near Epheseus. We never learn exactly what it was that he saw; goddess or space creature or hologram, but the brief encounter changes his life forever.

*** stars. Reviewed Feb. 28th/24

Beauty In The Night is from 1997, and is 38 pages long. This story was extracted from the author's novel The Alien Years, reviewed on the 2nd Silverberg page. Since I have recently read the novel, I did not read this story.

Call Me Titan is from 1997, and is 22 pages long. The god Titan escapes his prison beneath Mt. Etna and goes in search of Zeus, looking for revenge. Instead he meets Aphrodite. Written as a tribute to Roger Zelazny, an author unreade by me at this date.

** 1/2 stars. Reviewed Feb. 28th/24

The Tree That Grew From The Sky is from 1996, and is 44 pages long. Perhaps a good juvenile story, but this could have used a rewrite. A simple story abourt a crashed "alien" (he's human) who is kept prisoner by the relatively primitive city society when he lands. He gets help and companionship from a genius member of the society, who is interested in all things about space. With an unnecessary death, and an unnecessary strange lake, the story is rather chaotic. The comet sounds pretty cool, though.

** 1/2 stars. Reviewed Feb. 29th/24

The Church At Monte Saturno is from 1997, and is 28 pages long. Ghost stories are not Silverberg'sthing, if this tale about demons at a ruined church in Sicily is taken as an example. A kind of 'white bread' tale, offering no shivers or true sense of any horror. Thetype of story that Clark Ashton Smith might have made a masterpiece from.

* 1/2 stars. Reviewed March 1st/24

Hanosz Prime Goes To Old Earth is from 2006, and is 12 pages long. A not very interesting story of the far future, when a human denizen of the outeer worlds pays a visit to Mother Earth. A very pale imitation of something that Iain M. Banks excelled at.

* 1/2 stars. Reviewed March 1st/24

The Millennium Express is from 2000, and is 22 pages long. I can't believe that Silverberg would write something like this. A gang of four clones, in the year 2999, sets about destroying the great works of art and architecture. Blaming the past for a bland present is hardly a good enough reason to destroy human heritage. Silverberg misses the point here, as destroying the past also destroys the future. Think about it.

* stars. Reviewed March 1st/24

Travelers is from 1999, and is 20 pages long. 4 shallow people from the future travel to different worlds for fun. On one planet one of them dies violently. The others carry on. Why was this story written? Is there a purpose to it? This collection is beginning to put me in a bad mood.

* star. Reviewed March 1st/24

The Colonel Returns To The Stars is from 2004, and is 62 pages long. This is a full length novella, mostly political rather than SF. A retired colonel is sent on one final mission, to a planet that is hoping to break away from the Imperium. The colonel's old nemesis is in charge of the uprising, so he has a personal motive to take care of, as well as a professional one. A good story, though the ending is very easy to predict.

*** stars. Reviewed March 3rd/24

The Eater of Dreams is from 2007, and is 6 pages long. A 1,000 page story. Silverberg admits he is not very good at this length. I would tend to agree, after reading this forgettable tale.

* 1/2 stars. Reviewed March 3rd/24

A Piece of The Great World is from 2005, and is 72 pages long. This novella is directly related to Silverberg's brilliant series told in At Winter's End and The New Springtime. He had plans to write a third novel in the series, but it never came to be. However, a detailed outline was written, and this novella relates one part of that unfinished trilogy. Though a good enough story, it cannot replace the missing epic novel we all hoped would be forthcoming one day. The story takes place 200 years after people have left the long winter cocoons. Readers get to fly across the country, and then visit part of the southern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, on an anthropological expedition to find the last remaining group of a vanished race. The entire premise of the story is quite sad, though. Well worth reading for fans of the two novels.

*** stars. Reviewed March 3rd/24

Against The Current is from 2007, and is 22 pages long. A imaginative and well told tale of a man driving home after experiencing a bad headache at work. As his drive continues, he continues to go back further and further in time. Very well done.

*** 1/2 stars.

The True Vintage of Erzuine Thale is from 2009, and is 26 pages long. A story that takes place in Jack Vance's "The Dying World," which I have not read, this one takes as its hero a collector of things from his travels, and a connoiseur of wines. He is visted by three ruffians who want to steal his goods. He has to outwit them to survive.

*** stars. Reviewed March 4th/24

Defenders of The Frontier is from 2010, and is 40 pages long. A depressing but well told tale that Silverberg wrote for an anthology of stories about warriors. This would make a great little film, or even a theatrical live stage production. 11 men at a frontier outpost have lost contact with their home city over the years. When no other enemies can be located, they contemplate leaving their fort and attempting to return home. Well done!

*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed March 4th/24.

The Prisoner is from 2010, and is 14 pages long. This is another dark and quite depressing story, this time about a man having horrible dreams and his attempt to finally stop them from happening. This would have made a decent Twilight Zone episode.

** 1/2 stars. Reviewed March 5th/24

Smithers and The Ghosts of The Thar is from 2011, and is 21 pages long. Silverberg proves once again that he shouldn't really write ghost stories. Another rather bland tale about whites in India searching for strange sounds and music in the Thar Desert. Boring.

* 1/2 stars.

Mapman Mike

Avon Equinox Rediscovery Sci Fi Series

Thursday 20 October 2016

The Avon/Equinox Rediscovery Series #5--Man In the Maze, Robert Silverberg Page 1

THE MAN IN THE MAZE

#1: The Shrouded Planet

#2: The Dawning Light

______________________________

#2: WORLD'S FAIR 1992

______________________________

MAJIPOOR

#1: LORD VALENTINE'S CASTLE

#2: MAJIPOOR CHRONICLES

#3: Valentine Pontifex

#4: The Mountains of Majipoor

#5 Sorcerers of Majipoor

#6 Lord Prestimion

#7: THE KING OF DREAMS

#8: TALES OF MAJIPOOR

________________________________

GILGAMESH THE KING

TO THE LAND OF THE LIVING

__________________________________

__________________________________

THE SHORT STORIES

THE 1950s

NEXT STOP THE STARS

GODLING, GO HOME!

TO WORLDS BEYOND

VALLEY BEYOND TIME

HUNT THE SPACE-WITCH

IN THE BEGINNING

TO BE CONTINUED: 1953-58

TO THE DARK STAR: 1962-1969

SOMETHING WILD IS LOOSE: 1969-1972

No comments:

Post a Comment