M - Novels
From the cover blurb:
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| The
second book in the series begun with Lord
Valentine's Castle.
This is a collection of stories set on Majipoor connected
by short interludes with Hissune. As the copyright page
says: "Portions of this book have appeared in
somewhat different form in Omni, Fantasy
& Science Fiction, and Isaac Asimov's
Science Fiction Magazine." It adds some
interesting details to the history and geography of the
big planet, but does not really further the story of
Valentine.
See the individual entries for plot descriptions. Contains: |
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From the cover blurb:
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I hope I'm not giving anything away by saying that the "power" Muller has is that all the ugly, unpleasant qualities of his soul (which we all have inside us, mixed with the good) are continually broadcast like a psychic body odor, so that anyone approaching him feels overwhelming depression, anger, and grief. The cover blurb is misleading in that Muller was not really a spying on the Hydrans, he was just the first human sent to their world to make contact. As Muller was never able to communicate with them, it's inaccurate to say he was "discovered" and punished for his actions. They did to him what they did for their own private reasons, and he went on his way. The story provides numerous opportunities for ruminations on the worth of the human race and the eternal question of when ends justify means. All in all, a pretty good read, worth checking out. On the technological front, there is faster than light travel of the "warp" variety, some gravity control, and average human life expectancy between 150 and 200 years. | |
A juvenile novel concerning the discovery of the lost tomb of Pharaoh Akhenaten. It is not science fiction. Silverberg also wrote a non-fiction book about this Egyptian ruler: The Rebel Pharaoh.
From the 1968 cover blurb:
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| Nominated for Nebula Award for best novel, 1968. Perhaps not Silverberg's best, but a very good work nonetheless, and one that deserves to be in print. There is naturally a dated quality to the story, as there is bound to be with any book written in the 60s about the 90s. I find little difficulty setting that aside, and I think many other readers would be just as understanding. Vornan is a fascinating enigma, simultaneously wise and ignorant, promiscuous and innocent, powerful and overwhelmed. The cover blurb is inaccurate in the bit about "underdeveloped" countries--that hysterical belief in imminent doom is widespread in Europe and the United States as well as Africa and South America. The Apocalyptists, as they are called, are everywhere, staging massive public saturnine orgies of excess (is that redundant or what?). Their credo is, "The world ends tomorrow, enjoy what you can today." Vornan is living proof (if he's really from 2999AD) that the world will not end with the new millennium. The 20th Century people who get caught up in the mystery man's whirlwind global tour find their lives changed in many ways, some obvious, some subtle. This book really shows the depth of characterization Silverberg is capable of . Recommended if you can find it. |  |
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From the cover blurb:
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It is 2232
AD, and the human population of Earth has been unable to
curb its constant growth. Living space is at a premium,
and a massive effort by DF FitzMaugham has led to the
creation of the United Nations Bureau of Population
Equalization. "Popeek" (as it is called) has
three main duties: redistribution of people from
overcrowded areas to sparsely populated ones, euthanasia
of undesirable people, and research into alternative
means of alleviating population pressure, including
terraforming Venus and the development of
faster-than-light travel to search for habitable planets.
The "undesirables" who are euthanized include
babies with birth defects and the criminally insane.
Although a great many people find Popeek deplorable,
there are also a large number who feel that Popeek does
not go far enough given the severity of the problem. When
FitzMaugham is assassinated, his assistant Roy Walton
takes over the reigns of the massive enterprise only to
find that things are not what they seem: the FTL project
has been successful and the first ship is already out
looking for a suitable planet; the Venus team is long
past their contact date and presumed missing; and there
are several other secret projects going on. But Walton
has other problems, most notably his brother Fred. The
two have never been close, and now their animosity
endangers the entire planet. An enjoyable read, well-plotted and full of surprises, though (like most science fiction from the 50s) it's quite short, with little fleshing out of characters or situations. In some ways, I feel the need for a sequel. Walton, the "hero" of the book, is quite ruthless, very much believing that anything he does is justified for the good of humanity, and I would prefer to see him brought down by his own abuse of his power. |
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From the cover blurb:
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| The fourth book in the Majipoor series. It's set 500 years after the time of Valentine. A young man of noble blood is sent on a difficult mission to the far north reaches of Majipoor to negotiate with a previously unknown primitive tribe. It's full of the Big Planet wonder of this great setting: strange peoples, cultures, and beasts, all colorfully and lovingly portrayed. Quite enjoyable, though it seems too short, lacking the epic scope of the Valentine books. That's not really a criticism, more an observation. No disappointments here. | |
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From the dust jacket (Doubleday):
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| This book
finds Silverberg collaborating with his wife, Karen
Haber, in a longer work based on the short story of
the same name. According to the Introduction, this book
was written at the instigation of Byron Preiss, who saw
in the story the seeds of an interesting future history.
After rereading the original story, Silverberg and Haber
worked out the characters and situations (with
"considerable modifications" he says). Then she
wrote the first draft, he went through it, she produced a
second draft, and so on until it reached its final form.
There are three more novels in the series (The
Mutant Prime by Karen
Haber, is the next one, and is set 15 years after this
book). The story is actually much more complicated than the blurb would indicate, and Michael, Melanie, and Jena are only three of many characters. There's also Eleanor Jacobson, the mutant Senator from Oregon, who plays a prominent role until her assassination; Andie Greenberg, Eleanor's non-mutant aide, who feels strongly that mutants should be treated equally; Kelly McLeod, Michael's non-mutant girlfriend; Stephen Jeffers, the mutant replacement for Jacobson in the Senate; and associated family and co-workers for all of these, as befits the lengthy multigenerational saga which begins here. A word about the mutants in the scenario. These are not X-Men type mutants. Here's the general idea: Starting around 600 years ago, people began being born all around the earth with abilities beyond those of normal humans: clairaudience, telekinesis, and so on. The only outward sign of their mutation was a golden color to the irises of their eyes. For centuries they kept away from public attention, fearing the persecution that too often accompanied discovery. They banded together into Clans, formed communities of their own, developed their own society outside the mainstream of human life, and married only other mutants, partly because no one else wanted them, partly in hope of perpetuating the gifts they had into future generations. The vast majority of mutants have one power or another; a small number have two powers. As expected, when the mutants went public in the 1990s, not all normals were thrilled by the prospect of mutants among them. At the time this story takes place in 2017, there's still a lot of discrimination (technically illegal, but widespread nonetheless), and even the most open-minded normal probably wouldn't want his daughter to marry a mutant. There is talk of the development (either naturally or by genetic manipulation) of a super-mutant, which would have powers much greater than garden-variety mutants. |
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Last updated October 21, 2002
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