Lord Valentine's Castle (Majipoor, #1)

Lord Valentine's Castle (Majipoor: Lord Valentine #1)

3.82 of 5 stars 3.82  ·  rating details  ·  3,718 ratings  ·  116 reviews
Valentine, a wanderer who knows nothing except his name, finds himself on the fringes of a great city, and joins a troupe of jugglers and acrobats; gradually, he remembers that he is the Coronal Valentine, executive ruler of the vast world of Majipoor, and all its peoples, human and otherwise...

Lord Valentine's Castle was the first of Robert Silverberg's novels about Maji...more
Paperback, 528 pages
Published July 1st 1995 by Eos (first published 1980)
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Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)
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mark monday
Valentine finds himself outside the city of Pidruid one afternoon, completely bereft of memory, as the city makes ready for the arrival of Lord Valentine - one of the four great Powers of the mega-world of Majipoor. what's a man to do in such a situation? why, join a traveling band of jugglers, of course. travel a lot, meets lots of new people and see lots of new things, have a bunch of trippy dreams, and eventually reclaim a fabulous destiny. that's what i'd do too.

i reread this due to a group...more
Christian
Jun 15, 2009 Christian rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: My enemies
Recommended to Christian by: The back of another Silverberg book I never read
Shelves: science-fiction
A peculiar book, since no matter how bored or frustrated I was with the infuriating characters and slogging pace, I still wanted to finish it. And I did, to my disappointment Trite and more or less predictable, the book is really no more than a tour of Majipoor Silverberg's made-up planet of far-away pseudo-magic and leftover bits of science. There is some cleverness and creativity, but creating an unproven fantasy ecosystem is nothing new. Majipoor brings a few tasty tidbits to the table, but a...more
Becca
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Kat  Hooper
3.5 stars, audio version

ORIGINALLY POSTED AT Fantasy Literature.

Valentine has been wandering the planet of Majipoor for a couple of years, but has almost no memory of where he’s been or what his life was like before. When he discovers that he has a talent for juggling and joins a troop of entertainers, he becomes more connected to his world and aware that something is wrong with him. After experiencing some “sendings” in dreams and hearing about the dreams of others, he begins to realize that he...more
Kerry
REREAD #1: 9/10 (26 October 2007 - 2 November 2007)

Lord Valentine's Castle by Robert Silverberg

Come to the magical planet of Majipoor. Follow Valentine as he joins a motley band of jugglers to seek the secret of his lost past across a wide and wondrous world. In the shattered city of the Shapeshifters, in the temple of the Lady of Sleep and the Isle of the King of Dreams. From the depths of a dying emperor's dark domain, to the destiny that awaits him high atop Lord Valentine's Castle.

I first re...more
allegra
i first read this when i was less than half my current age, re-read it many times over the next ten years, and still remember it fondly. i was immersed in the setting of majipoor, loved the vaguely implied science fiction framework around a fantasy tale, liked the feel of the character interactions, felt like i would recognize the strange flavors of the foods silverberg described. i bought a few extra copies to give to others, when i discovered that they needed to read it, too. i don't have any...more
Ryk Spoor
I have written my most detailed review of this book on my own site (http://grandcentralarena.com/on-my-sh...). In brief, this is one of the most wonderful -- in multiple senses of the word -- books I have ever read, all revolving around the eponymous main character, Valentine, and his quest to discover who he is and, once he knows, what he should and can do about it... a decision that will affect his entire world.

The world of Majipoor is a world of fantasy colliding with science, or science fict...more
Walt O'Hara
Some Spoilers. Review based on a second reading decades after the first time, when I was still in my teens. At the time, I remember liking this book. Now, as an adult, I find that I'm not nearly as impressed with it as I was long ago, but there are still some fun moments. Lord Valentine's Castle is about one Valentine, who comes to wakefulness near the seaside city of Padruid, on a giant continent on a giant planet called Majipoor. He has no memory of his previous existence before this point. Th...more
Rebecca
This was my first fantasy or scifi book I read as a teenager, and I adored it back then and read it many times. (It's also the reason I learned to juggle...) I was curious how it would hold up after such a long time, and I'm not disappointed. It lost a bit of its shine, but I'm not sure whether that's because I'm older now, or whether it's because I've read the book so often, even if it's been a while.

This is not the book to pick up if you're looking for an intricate plot or good characterisatio...more
Sandino
Първата ми книга прочетена на гсм-а. При голямото количество актуални книги, които са ми се натрупали за четене, никога нямаше да стигна до нея иначе. А все пак се води една от класиките. Силно си личи, че е писана 80та година. Много наивна, героите са или много добри, или много лоши. Нашия човек е толкова добър, способен и обаятелен, че е просто перфектен във всичко, всеки който прекара 5 мин с него го обиква и всяка трудност се оправя за 20 минути максимум. Върха беше финалната битка, когато н...more
Joe
This is a wonderful pulp scifi novel done in a very literate style. I think I was just in the right mood for its innocent epic hero quest storyline, but let me tell you, so many books long to attempt even a tenth of what this book accomplishes. It covers so many emotions and so many of what Joseph Campbell refers to in Hero of a Thousand Faces, and it does so in a manner that effortlessly goes back and forth between chilling and lightheartedness that it left me aghast. The book centers on a lost...more
Perry Whitford
Jan 23, 2012 Perry Whitford rated it 1 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition Recommends it for: I wouldn't even wish this on a Terry Pratchett fan.
Two questions whose answers are unfathomable will be enough for me to review this book:
1) How can Robert Silverberg, an interesting and occasionally excellent writer of countless science fiction and fantasy novels, sometime prose artist of vivid skill and imagination and creator of memorable, generally avaricious or morally dubious characters write and publish such a childish, asinine piece of vacuous, melodramatic drivel as this book?
2) How in the name of Bilbo Baggins and Gully Foyle did it wi...more
Ian
"You may not pass!" the ugly, stupid guards thundered.

"Huh. Yikes. I really need to get by you, guys," Valentine said.

The guards considered this briefly. "Well, you may not!" they again thundered, just as stupidly and uglily.

Valentine had a momentary crisis of faith. He doubted himself. How could he ascend to his rightful throne on Castle Mount (thirty miles tall, home to the Fifty Cities, but plausible because the planet of Majipoor is enormous but very low-density, you see, so the gravity is j...more
Mattox
Wow, talk about outdated.
Apparently this was some kind of bar-raising fantasy back in the day. Well, it hasn't stood the test of time. It's also just a really poor book on many levels.
One irritating thing is the virtuous quality of Majipoor. Plausibility aside, to create a world that is so fundamentally good is to venture into the greatest fantasy - something us Earthlings know nothing about. This is an extremely difficult concept to make cohesive, and Silverberg fails miserably at it. It also r...more
Steve
By the looks of the blurb on this book, it seemed like it would be a fairly standard 'quest' type book with elves and dwarves and nasty evil folk. And you know what, it pretty much is (only elves and dwarves are replaced by 'aliens' making it Sci-Fi not fantasy).

At times it can be a little slow, and other times too fast – almost dismissive of huge tracts of journey. Didn't feel any particular affinity for any of the characters and didn't really care if they finished their quest successfully or...more
Oni
Dec 24, 2012 Oni rated it 2 of 5 stars
Shelves: fantasy
Lord Valentine's Castle is not one of Silverberg's best. Reading this book is just like watching a PG-13 movies for a supposed Rated movies.

First, the story is so simple. A rightful king, trying to regain his rightful throne from his usurper. Throughout his journey to become a king, he gathered friends and loyalists, later become his most trustful servants. Simple. Less than one paragraph. It might work for a story written for RPG or adventure computer game, but for a novel? Na...

The plot is sim...more
Kenneth
This is a well-intentioned book that starts off with a great premise, but loses itself by the time it's halfway over. A man finds himself on the hills outside of a major city at the edge of the known world, with no memories of anything except his own name. Whomever he is, his innate charisma and physical skill gain him friends and eventual employment with a traveling juggling troupe. His dreams are haunted by images which seem to point both toward his unknown past and toward a dire and perilous...more
Angela
Disappointingly, more travel guide than high adventure. I read this book when I was fourteen or so, so maybe I'd feel differently about it today. I remember a wonderfully imaginative science fiction world with a mile-high, terraformed mountain palace, inflatable floating trees, an underground spiral labyrinth where the ruler's predecessors are confined to languish in stasis.

But while showing off a nice and shiny world, there's very little in the way of coherent plot or interesting characters. T...more
Globalt38
Very good! I read this back in High School after passing it over in the library for at least a year or more (I hadn't read any Silverberg yet and I think it may have been because the title and cover (castle and guy on a white horse at the time) looked too much like a romance novel... :-) But once I did - I couldn't put it down and went on a Robert Silverberg binge. Has that great mixture of SF, Fantasy, with the blending of old & new. The World (Majipoor) reminded me a little of Ringworld wh...more
Jenni
Really rather enjoyed it - would be 3.5 stars if I could, but not really 4 stars as it's not something I expect to re-read any time soon. Lots of chewy world-building stuff, with a good wrap-up at the end (and something that held at least a bit of surprise too). Might well look out for Valentine Pontifex though not sure if I'll bother with Majipoor Chronicles.
Сибин Майналовски
Любимо четиво от доста дълго време насам. Ами падам си по приказките, какво да кажа :) Страхотна Текла Алексиева както винаги - илюстрациите й са направо произведения на изкуството и ако някой се сети да ги събере в едно както тези от кориците на Стивън Кинг... равен няма да има :)

За жалост продълженията на този солиден епос лечно според мен доста отстъпват на първообраза си. Така или иначе това е отлична алтернатива на "Игра на тронове" - по-малко секс, повече живи герои и нито намек за онази...more
Don
Am I reading a Hugo award-nominated novel here, or an imaginary travelogue? I'm having a hard time believing this would be considered the cream of the crop in 1981. Must have been a slow year. The problem I have with this novel is the complete lack of conflict. 100 pages in and nobody has tried to cheat, take advantage of, deceive, belittle or cause bodily harm to the main character. You might argue that the dreams are conflict, but that's kinda lame. I can't believe this is going to get much be...more
Allen Garvin
Classic scifi novel by Silverberg, set on one of the backwater planets of the universe, some 10,000 years after settled by humans and other aliens. Though a lot of old technology still works, no one really understands it anymore, and the book takes on some of the trappings of fantasy. The world-building here is exceptional: the cities are really alive, each vibrant and unique, and in between are well-realized mysterious wildernesses. It's a huge world, packed with mystery as much as with people...more
Thalia
This was a great book, very different from what I am used to reading about. It had adventure, thrill, love, and mystery. All in all it was great reading with interesting twists in the story that you would not have thought to be in there. It does have one or two more adult context but other than that it was great. The characters are great you learn to like them and the other creatures that you meet up with are from another world entirely. This was a great book and I would highly recommend reading...more
Jared
Valentine awakens with only hazy memories of his past and a curious sense of oddness around the new coronal who shares his name. After joining a band of jugglers, Valentine slowly begins to unravel both his past and the wonders of Majipoor. Silverberg’s ability to create a world that seems so strange, alien and alive is absolutely sublime. Throw in the dulcet romance that blossoms between the juggler Carabella and Valentine and the ends they go to for each other and you’ve got yourself one grand...more
David Melbie
Dec 08, 2010 David Melbie rated it 4 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition Recommends it for: Fantasy fans
Recommended to David by: Robert Silverberg!
I first read a story of Majipoor in Legends, and I knew that I must begin, sometime, to read the entire series. Well, this is where it started and what a great story of character transformation.

I need to remember to look for:

Majipoor Chronicles (1981)
Valentine Pontifex (1983)
The Mountains of Majipoor (1995)

and,

THE PRESTIMION TRILOGY
Sorcerers of Majipoor (1997)
Lord Prestimion (1999)
The King of Dreams (2001)

--From A Reader's Journal, by d r melbie.
Daniel Roy
This one is a strange but otherwise pleasant beast. It's a great little adventure romp in the hybrid realm known as science fantasy, which is to say it borrows both from the science fiction and fantasy genres. Although mostly formulaic despite the genre breeding, its protagonist is nevertheless engaging enough to keep the storytelling fresh throughout.

The mix of science fiction and fantasy is more mongrel than clever crossbreed. Although the world-building lies firmly within the purview of scien...more
Suz
I've had this book recommended to me a number of times, and I was prepared to love it... but I didn't.

The world-building in this book was phenomenal. I thought it was fantastic, stunning, etc. A giant planet known as Majipoor was settled, well, whenever humans fell from the sky and took the joint over. There's a giant continent called Padruid where the story takes place. There is a mix of left-over-from-long-ago science and magic, different species, a fully fleshed out culture, government, socie...more
Bertrand
After having spent 15 years writing intellectual scifi, Robert Silverberg decided to change his approach and produced a great epic scifi/fantasy novel in order to get more visibility and commercial success.
This is the origin of Lord Valentine's Castle, an adventure fiction where the main character is Majipoor: a gigantic planet populated by dozens of billions of individuals (humans and exotic races). Although the setting is futuristic, technology is almost absent because of scarcity of metal an...more
Miramira Endevall
Jun 26, 2010 Miramira Endevall rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: No one.
Recommended to Miramira by: Isaac Asimov, after a fashion
Shelves: own
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
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Lord Valentine's Castle (Mass Market Paperback)
Lord Valentine's Castle (Majipoor 1)
Lord Valentine's Castle (Majipoor 1)
Lord Valentine's Castle (Majipoor, #1)
Lord Valentine's Castle (Majipoor: Lord Valentine, #1)

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Robert Silverberg is one of science fiction’s most beloved writers, and the author of such contemporary classics as Dying Inside, Downward to the Earth and Lord Valentine’s Castle, as well as At Winter’s End, also available in a Bison Books edition. He is a past president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America and the winner of five Nebula Awards and five Hugo Awards. In 2004 the Sc...more
More about Robert Silverberg...
Legends The Science Fiction Hall of Fame: Volume 1 Dying Inside Legends II Majipoor Chronicles (Majipoor, #2)

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