Alpha 9

by Robert Silverberg (Editor)

Includes:

Introduction by Robert Silverberg
Dumb waiter by Walter M. Miller, Jr.
The monsters by Robert Sheckley
The sliced-crosswise-only-on-Tuesday world by Philip José Farmer
The funeral by Kate Wilhelm
The book by Michael Shaara
Dusty zebra by Clifford D. Simak
Goodlife by Fred Saberhagen
Nobody's home by Joanna Russ

Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories, Anthologies

180 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published October 1, 1978

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 4 out of 5]

This was the final volume to appear in Silverberg's Alpha series of anthologies which presented short science fiction stories he felt were of good literary merit that had not received much appreciation within the field. The series ended on a high note, as he presented stories that had originally appeared from the early '50s to the early '70s, both from giants in the field and less-well-known authors. It contains my favorite Philip Jose Farmer story, The Sliced-Crosswise Only-On-Tuesday World, as well as terrific stories by Walter M. Miller, Jr., Robert Sheckley, Fred Saberhagen, and others. My favorite is the classic humorous Dusty Zebra by Clifford D. Simak.

[Timothy · Rating 4 out of 5]

*** Dumb Waiter (1952) • Walter M. Miller, Jr.
***** The Monsters (1953) • Robert Sheckley
* The Sliced-Crosswise Only-On-Tuesday World (1971) • Philip José Farmer
***** The Funeral (1972) • Kate Wilhelm
***** The Book (1953) • Michael Shaara
**** Dusty Zebra (1954) • Clifford D. Simak
**** Goodlife (1963) • Fred Saberhagen
**** Nobody's Home (1972) • Joanna Russ