Alpha 8

by Robert Silverberg (Editor)

Includes:

Introduction by Robert Silverberg
A dusk of idols by James Blish
The human operators by Harlan Ellison and A.E. Van Vogt
Think only this of me by Michael Kurland
The short ones by Raymond E. Banks
Warm by Robert Sheckley
When the change-winds blow by Fritz Leiber
One face by Larry Niven
The man who lost the sea by Theodore Sturgeon
The happiest creature by Jack Williamson
Klysterman's silent violin by Michael Rogers
The new reality by Charles L. Harness

Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories

242 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published November 1, 1977

About the author

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Robert Silverberg is a highly celebrated American science fiction author and editor known for his prolific output and literary range. Over a career spanning decades, he has won multiple Hugo and Nebula Awards and was named a Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America in 2004. Inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame in 1999, Silverberg is recognized for both his immense productivity and his contributions to the genre's evolution.
Born in Brooklyn, he began writing in his teens and won his first Hugo Award in 1956 as the best new writer. Throughout the 1950s, he produced vast amounts of fiction, often under pseudonyms, and was known for writing up to a million words a year. When the market declined, he diversified into other genres, including historical nonfiction and erotica.
Silverberg’s return to science fiction in the 1960s marked a shift toward deeper psychological and literary themes, contributing significantly to the New Wave movement. Acclaimed works from this period include Downward to the Earth, Dying Inside, Nightwings, and The World Inside. In the 1980s, he launched the Majipoor series with Lord Valentine’s Castle, creating one of the most imaginative planetary settings in science fiction.
Though he announced his retirement from writing in the mid-1970s, Silverberg returned with renewed vigor and continued to publish acclaimed fiction into the 1990s. He received further recognition with the Nebula-winning Sailing to Byzantium and the Hugo-winning Gilgamesh in the Outback.
Silverberg has also played a significant role as an editor and anthologist, shaping science fiction literature through both his own work and his influence on others. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife, author Karen Haber.

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Silverberg produced the Alpha series of reprint anthologies to showcase short works of science fiction that he felt were of good literary worth but that had not received commensurate appreciation in the field since their initial appearance in the genre magazines. This eighth volume contains a pretty good balance of very well known writers and others that are not as well remembered. The stories first appeared in a range from 1950 to 1973. My favorite stories were the ones by Jack Williamson, Theodore Sturgeon, Charles L. Harness, and Fritz Leiber. I thought the one odd choice was a collaboration by Harlan Ellison and A.E. Van Vogt; I've always liked Van Vogt and Ellison has always been my favorite, but The Human Operators isn't among the best of either. Overall, it's a pretty good collection of fine old stories.

[Timothy · Rating 4 out of 5]

** A Dusk of Idols (1961) • James Blish
**** The Human Operators (1971) • Harlan Ellison and A. E. van Vogt
*** Think Only This of Me (1973) • Michael Kurland
*** The Short Ones (1955) • Raymond E. Banks
***** Warm (1953) • Robert Sheckley
**** When the Change-Winds Blow (1964) • Fritz Leiber
*** One Face (1965) • Larry Niven
**** The Man Who Lost the Sea (1959) • Theodore Sturgeon
**** The Happiest Creature (1953) • Jack Williamson
**** Klysterman's Silent Violin (1972) • Michael Rogers
*** The New Reality (1950) • Charles L. Harness