When the Blue Shift Comes by Robert Silverberg & Alvaro Zinos-Amaro
reviewed by Steven H Silver
Readers were first introduced to Hanosz Prime of Prime in the short story "Hanosz Prime Goes to Old Earth," published
in Asimov's in 2006.
That story forms a basis for Robert Silverberg's entry in When the Blue Shift Comes, "The Song of Last Things." He
introduces the reader to a universe far in the future of our own where mankind can change their forms as readily as we
change our clothes. An omniscient and chattering narrator explains, or often only hints at, the tremendous difference
between humans during our own time and during the time of Hanosz Prime.
The Collected Stories of Robert Silverberg, Volume 7: We Are For the Dark (1987-90) by Robert Silverberg
reviewed by Steven H Silver
Subterranean Press has been collecting many, although not all, of Robert Silverberg's short stories since they
published To Be Continued in 2006.
The series has now reached the late 1980s with volume 7, We Are For the Dark, which brings together ten stories,
many of which have historical backgrounds, from "Enter a Soldier, Later: Enter Another" to "Lion Time in Timbuctoo."
The Collected Stories of Robert Silverberg: Volume 6, Multiples, 1983-1987 by Robert Silverberg
reviewed by D. Douglas Fratz
It is easy to argue that over the past five decades, Robert Silverberg has been the field's most prolific author
of superior science fiction of all lengths, especially short fiction. Although his short fiction has
been featured in a number of previous collections -- some of which have been retrospective volumes with
titles that include "best of" or "collected stories" -- this new Subterranean Press series
of The Collected Stories of Robert Silverberg is a welcome and necessary addition to the library
of any science fiction reader.
The Last Song of Orpheus by Robert Silverberg
reviewed by Trent Walters
This is Robert Silverberg tuning into his melodic voice to retell the myths surrounding this character. Those familiar with Greek myth
can anticipate Orpheus' dive into Hades to retrieve his beautiful Eurydice, as well as his part in the story of Jason
and the Argonauts.
The story opens with the typical Greek bard's calling upon the Muse. Also, it establishes some of the themes
to be visited throughout.
Dangerous Dimensions by Robert Silverberg
reviewed by Trent Walters
Robert Silverberg's science fiction work has won him multiple Hugos and Nebulas. Are these justified? Do they
stand the test of time? This is a five-story ebook which puts those questions to the test.
All are very different: from culture SF, to classic SF, to contemporary
SF, to hip and quirky SF, to a more literary SF. There's something here for every type of SF
reader.
The Last Song of Orpheus by Robert Silverberg
reviewed by Rich Horton
An enjoyable and very smoothly written recounting of Orpheus's life (or, as Orpheus would have it, one cycle of his
ever-recurring life), the book tells most of the familiar stories about him, particularly his
musical gifts, his love for Eurydice and his doomed trip
to the Underworld to retrieve her, his study in Egypt, his journey on the Argo with Jason,
and his final fate at the hands of the Maenads.
The Collected Stories of Robert Silverberg, Vol. 4: Trips 1972-73 by Robert Silverberg
reviewed by Steven H Silver
This collection offers a rather strange and perhaps skewed look at his writing. Covering
two years at the beginning of the 70s, when the New Wave was still aiming for relevancy and the "old guard" was
trying to find its place in the brave new world created by the New Wave authors, the author found himself writing
against his own style.
Son of Man by Robert Silverberg
reviewed by Matthew Hughes
This is the story of Clay, a man of our time who is inexplicably thrust far, far, far into Earth's
future, to an era when not only is our civilization forgotten, but our whole species is no longer even a memory. Humankind
has moved on, several times, creating new species.
Clay travels across a dreamlike landscape in company with a handful of the Skimmers who are one variant of the
latter-day "sons of men" where he meets other iterations of the human meme, like a pink sphere inside a shining cube of a
cage and the regressed and grotty Goat-men; he becomes other kinds of human: he is himself a Skimmer for a while,
as a female as well as a male; he becomes a squid-like Breather and then spends a timeless period as an Awaiter, a
sapient carrot stuck in the earth, and more.
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The Collected Stories of Robert Silverberg, Volume One: To Be Continued by Robert Silverberg
reviewed by Paul Kincaid
There are several volumes already extant that purport to be part of the Collected Stories of Robert
Silverberg. There were problems with those earlier efforts, such as the fact that they tended to start in mid-career
and ignored such pedantic issues as chronology. But their biggest problem was that none of them ever came close to
completion, so Silverberg is starting again at the beginning. This, we are led to believe, is the definitive "Collected Stories."
Except, of course, it isn't.
Phases of the Moon by Robert Silverberg
reviewed by Jayme Lynn Blaschke
It reads not so much like a single author collection, but rather an anthology giving a historical overview of the
evolution of the genre spanning six decades. Every story here could have a different author's
name on it. The ease at which he shifts perspective and approach, changes the very rhythm of his sentences, the selection of words is nothing short of
amazing. Each story reads as if it sprang from a different mind, flowed from unrelated fingers
onto pages separated by not only miles, but lifetimes.
Roma Eterna by Robert Silverberg
reviewed by Alma A. Hromic
The Roman Empire never fell.
That's the premise that binds together this collection of stories about a never-ending Roman Empire
spanning not just centuries but pretty much millennia.
Ancient Rome and its doings has always been a fertile field for fiction writers to harvest, given the abundant historical reference
material and all the fun you can have figuring out how many names ending in "ius" you can put in without confusing your reader into
Byzantium.
The Longest Way Home by Robert Silverberg
reviewed by Cindy Lynn Speer
Joseph has spent all his life training to be a Master, learning his responsibilities and preparing for the day when
he will take his father's place as a leader. When he flew in to visit some kin, little did he realize the true
journey he would soon face. During an uprising, only the kindly actions of one of the elderly
Folk help him stay alive. Having escaped the slaughter, it is now up to him to travel back the 10,000
miles to his home, where he is uncertain of what waits.
The Book Of Skulls by Robert Silverberg
reviewed by Chris Donner
What happens when the promise of immortality lies directly and clearly ahead, a path to be
followed absolutely or ignored forever? How would we respond if we knew we could live
forever, but that it would require absolute dedication, unfailing pursuit, regardless of the personal
costs? This question is addressed by the author in this masterful novel.
Lord Prestimion by Robert Silverberg
reviewed by Victoria Strauss
This is the 2nd part of a complex epic, with a large cast of characters, a strong central
storyline, and a multitude of subplots. The beginning is fascinating, as is the exploration of
the ambiguous aftermath of Prestimion's decision to tamper with the
world's memory (too often, fantasy books fail to address the human
consequences of the great magics they describe).
Sorcerers of Majipoor by Robert Silverberg
reviewed by Victoria Strauss
A prequel to the Valentine novels, set a thousand years before
the events of Lord Valentine's Castle, this book also stands
somewhere between science fiction and fantasy. Silverberg has an
unparalleled ability to create vivid images. He brings the great planet of
Majipoor to vibrant and convincing life, as much a character in this drama
as any of the human ones.
The Alien Years by Robert Silverberg
reviewed by Greg L. Johnson
What do you do against an utterly unbeatable enemy? Silverberg
poses this question in his latest novel, in which the Entities arrive on
Earth -- aliens who refuse all attempts to communicate. They simply take
over, and humans are quickly relegated to the status of a second rate
species on our own planet. As much a multi-generation family epic as a
novel of alien invasion, Greg finds The Alien Years is very much
the work of an old master re-examining one of SF's classic themes.
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