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Alpha 5
Includes:
The star pit by Samuel R. Delany
Baby, you were great by Kate Wilhelm
Live, from Berchtesgaden by George Alec Effinger
As never was by P. Schuyler Miller
We can remember it for you wholesale by Philip K. Dick
Yesterday house by Fritz Leiber
A man must die by John Clute
The skills of Xanadu by Theodore Sturgeon
A special kind of morning by Gardner R. Dozois
The star pit by Samuel R. Delany
Baby, you were great by Kate Wilhelm
Live, from Berchtesgaden by George Alec Effinger
As never was by P. Schuyler Miller
We can remember it for you wholesale by Philip K. Dick
Yesterday house by Fritz Leiber
A man must die by John Clute
The skills of Xanadu by Theodore Sturgeon
A special kind of morning by Gardner R. Dozois
Mass Market Paperback
First published July 12, 1974
1 person is currently reading
53 people want to read
About the author
Robert Silverberg
2,215 books1,583 followersThere are many authors in the database with this name.
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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 6, 2020
This fifth volume of Silverberg's reprint anthology series is my favorite of the run. It contains Delany's very good short novel, The Star Pit, and my favorite Philip K. Dick story, We Can Remember It For You Wholesale, as well as interesting pieces from Kate Wilhelm, Fritz Leiber, George Alec Effinger, Gardner R. Dozois, and John Clute. My favorite story in the book is Theodore Sturgeon's The Skills of Xanadu. The reason I gave this book the top rating is the inclusion of As Never Was by P. Schuyler Miller; it was one of my father's favorite stories. My father, who died in 1987, taught English and journalism for many years, wrote occasionally, and also enjoyed science fiction. He liked James Brach Cabell (especially Jurgen), George Allen England (especially The Flying Legion), and E.E. "Doc" Smith (especially The Grey Lensman). His favorite short stories were With Morning Comes Mistfall by George R.R. Martin and As Never Was by Miller. It's not my favorite, but it's a fine story, and who am I to argue? So, just as John W. Campbell presented it in 1943 in Astounding, give the knife a shot.
February 14, 2021
This is another great anthology from Silverberg, the fifth in his series of what he considers very good SF stories with no particular theme. It includes stories by, among others, Samuel Delany, Kate Wilhelm, Philip K. Dick, Fritz Leiber, Theodore Sturgeon, and Gardner Dozois, most of which I'd read previously, though a couple that were new to me.
"The Star Pit" is one of Samuel Delany's best short works. It focuses on the idea of how people feel when others can go places that they cannot. In the far future, humans can travel throughout the galaxy, but if they try to go more than 20,000 light years outside the galaxy, they first go insane, then die. But there are a very few humans with a genetic disorder that can. Called the Golden, they can travel to other galaxies. But they are amoral and above the law, sometimes bringing back wonders, at others bringing back things that cause harm. The main characters are haunted by the limitations that they have, and one is completely obsessed with going beyond, even if it destroys him and those who care for him. But the story also involves interpersonal relationships, including the ways the main characters can do rather self destructive things. And all of this is set at the Star Pit, an area where there are places where ships come for repair.
Kate Wilhelm's "Baby You Were Great" is an unsettling story about a future in which televised entertainment can include broadcast emotions. The woman who has been the star for years wants out, but she's trapped. Wilhelm draws the reader in, and by the end we share the feeling of helplessness that the trapped woman feels.
Fritz Leiber's "Yesterday's House" also explores the idea of someone trapped in a situation. The main character sails to a small island just off the coast of Maine. There he finds a young woman who lives with her two aunts. But the woman is trapped in a situation where she's been convinces that it's twenty years earlier. Leiber reveals why as the story unfolds.
"We Can Remember It for You Wholesale" by Philip K. Dick was the basis for the movie Total Recall, and much of the basic story is similar. A man is bored with his life, and wants to travel in space, but he can't afford to. He goes to a clinic where he can have artificial memories implanted. He wants to believe that he was a secret agent and who went to Mars and returned. But is this just an implanted memory or did it really happen. Dick does a great job exploring what memories are and how they relate to the nature of reality.
Gardner Dozois is mostly known as a great editor who won multiple Hugo Awards for his years at Isaac Asimov's SF Magazine. But he was also a great short story writer. His "A Special Kind of Morning" is about a war in the far future. The societies involved are frighteningly dehumanized, particularly the Combine, where humans are modified in horrific ways to meet the needs of an all powerful state. But their enemies, the Questors, are willing to use weapons of mass destruction the can kill billions. But in the midst of all this, it's the story of one veteran who has survived this, and his thoughts on human interaction, empathy, and in the end what makes us human.
All the stories here are very good. I'll continue with Alpha 6 soon.
"The Star Pit" is one of Samuel Delany's best short works. It focuses on the idea of how people feel when others can go places that they cannot. In the far future, humans can travel throughout the galaxy, but if they try to go more than 20,000 light years outside the galaxy, they first go insane, then die. But there are a very few humans with a genetic disorder that can. Called the Golden, they can travel to other galaxies. But they are amoral and above the law, sometimes bringing back wonders, at others bringing back things that cause harm. The main characters are haunted by the limitations that they have, and one is completely obsessed with going beyond, even if it destroys him and those who care for him. But the story also involves interpersonal relationships, including the ways the main characters can do rather self destructive things. And all of this is set at the Star Pit, an area where there are places where ships come for repair.
Kate Wilhelm's "Baby You Were Great" is an unsettling story about a future in which televised entertainment can include broadcast emotions. The woman who has been the star for years wants out, but she's trapped. Wilhelm draws the reader in, and by the end we share the feeling of helplessness that the trapped woman feels.
Fritz Leiber's "Yesterday's House" also explores the idea of someone trapped in a situation. The main character sails to a small island just off the coast of Maine. There he finds a young woman who lives with her two aunts. But the woman is trapped in a situation where she's been convinces that it's twenty years earlier. Leiber reveals why as the story unfolds.
"We Can Remember It for You Wholesale" by Philip K. Dick was the basis for the movie Total Recall, and much of the basic story is similar. A man is bored with his life, and wants to travel in space, but he can't afford to. He goes to a clinic where he can have artificial memories implanted. He wants to believe that he was a secret agent and who went to Mars and returned. But is this just an implanted memory or did it really happen. Dick does a great job exploring what memories are and how they relate to the nature of reality.
Gardner Dozois is mostly known as a great editor who won multiple Hugo Awards for his years at Isaac Asimov's SF Magazine. But he was also a great short story writer. His "A Special Kind of Morning" is about a war in the far future. The societies involved are frighteningly dehumanized, particularly the Combine, where humans are modified in horrific ways to meet the needs of an all powerful state. But their enemies, the Questors, are willing to use weapons of mass destruction the can kill billions. But in the midst of all this, it's the story of one veteran who has survived this, and his thoughts on human interaction, empathy, and in the end what makes us human.
All the stories here are very good. I'll continue with Alpha 6 soon.
October 9, 2020
This anthology came as part of an eBay lot purchased to acquire other volumes. I hadn’t heard of this Robert-Silverberg-edited series. A collection of reprints originally published between 1943 and 1972, there is no overarching theme; although the introduction references “science fiction registers changes” and recent American politics.
The best story is the oldest one, “As Never Was” by P Schuyler Miller. A classic time travel paradox. I also highly recommend “The Star Pit” and “The Skills of Xanadu.” The two are wildly different from each other in style and tone, but both seem on the cusp of greatness. “We Can Remember It For You Wholesale” is also quite good, but anthologized in so very many places
All in all, a brief (267pages) anthology worth picking up if you can find it.
ALPHA 5 IS RATED 78%.
6 GOOD / 2 AVERAGE / 1 POOR.
The Star Pit by Samuel R. Delany. 1966
Good. A densely written and plotted novella that just misses greatness for me. A normal man works as a mechanic at the edge of the galaxy and is haunted by the fact that he cannot go farther into space without going mad. Feels like this should have been expanded into a short novel.
Baby, You Were Great by Kate Wilhelm. 1967
Good. Relationship drama for a couple where the wife’s experiences are broadcasted to the world. Interesting parallels with today’s “Influencer” culture.
Live, From Berchtesgaden by Geo. Alec Effinger. 1972
Poor. A badly written tale of a girl flitting between the present and nazi Germany.
As Never Was by P. Schuyler Miller. 1943
Great. A time traveling archeologist brings a unique blade from the future and his successors try to determine its origin.
We Can Remember It For You Wholesale by Philip K. Dick. 1966
Good. The clever story of false memories that lead to the movie “Total Recall.”
Yesterday’s House by Fritz Leiber. 1952
Good. On an island, a young woman seems to be living the life of 20 years previous.
A Man Must Die by John Clute. 1966
Average. A man trains his body and mind to meet Father and discover if his purpose is more than the Oxen that surround him.
The Skills of Xanadu by Theodore Sturgeon. 1956
Good. An authoritarian man arrives on a simple peaceful planet whose guileless natives offer quite a bit of culture shock - and maybe much more.
A Special Kind of Morning by Gardner R Dozois. 1971
Average. Very tough to review this. The opening reads like bad fantasy monologging and I almost DNFed it. But the middle is a breath-taking imposing tale of future war fought with both city-destroying weaponry and the banal brutality of normal soldiers.
The best story is the oldest one, “As Never Was” by P Schuyler Miller. A classic time travel paradox. I also highly recommend “The Star Pit” and “The Skills of Xanadu.” The two are wildly different from each other in style and tone, but both seem on the cusp of greatness. “We Can Remember It For You Wholesale” is also quite good, but anthologized in so very many places
All in all, a brief (267pages) anthology worth picking up if you can find it.
ALPHA 5 IS RATED 78%.
6 GOOD / 2 AVERAGE / 1 POOR.
The Star Pit by Samuel R. Delany. 1966
Good. A densely written and plotted novella that just misses greatness for me. A normal man works as a mechanic at the edge of the galaxy and is haunted by the fact that he cannot go farther into space without going mad. Feels like this should have been expanded into a short novel.
Baby, You Were Great by Kate Wilhelm. 1967
Good. Relationship drama for a couple where the wife’s experiences are broadcasted to the world. Interesting parallels with today’s “Influencer” culture.
Live, From Berchtesgaden by Geo. Alec Effinger. 1972
Poor. A badly written tale of a girl flitting between the present and nazi Germany.
As Never Was by P. Schuyler Miller. 1943
Great. A time traveling archeologist brings a unique blade from the future and his successors try to determine its origin.
We Can Remember It For You Wholesale by Philip K. Dick. 1966
Good. The clever story of false memories that lead to the movie “Total Recall.”
Yesterday’s House by Fritz Leiber. 1952
Good. On an island, a young woman seems to be living the life of 20 years previous.
A Man Must Die by John Clute. 1966
Average. A man trains his body and mind to meet Father and discover if his purpose is more than the Oxen that surround him.
The Skills of Xanadu by Theodore Sturgeon. 1956
Good. An authoritarian man arrives on a simple peaceful planet whose guileless natives offer quite a bit of culture shock - and maybe much more.
A Special Kind of Morning by Gardner R Dozois. 1971
Average. Very tough to review this. The opening reads like bad fantasy monologging and I almost DNFed it. But the middle is a breath-taking imposing tale of future war fought with both city-destroying weaponry and the banal brutality of normal soldiers.
February 9, 2021
The 5th anthology in Robert Silverberg's Alpha books. This one contains 9 stories written in the 1940s and into the 1970s. There were some that I liked and others that I got bored with rather quickly and skipped.
The stories I enjoyed:
We Can Remember It for You Wholesale by Philip K. Dick 1966
This story was adapted into the movie Total Recall starring Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1990 and remade staring Colin Farrell in 2012. False memory and true. Which is which?
Yesterday House by Fritz Leiber 1952
This story featured a unique take on cloning.
The Skills of Xanadu by Theodore Sturgeon 1956
This one I read anxiously to find out how they would conquer the world. What would they do with the people there that had found a way to live harmoniously with the land and each other? It was interesting to see a new take on world conquering. ;) And oh boy! Are they ever prolific and effective at it!
The stories I enjoyed:
We Can Remember It for You Wholesale by Philip K. Dick 1966
This story was adapted into the movie Total Recall starring Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1990 and remade staring Colin Farrell in 2012. False memory and true. Which is which?
Yesterday House by Fritz Leiber 1952
This story featured a unique take on cloning.
The Skills of Xanadu by Theodore Sturgeon 1956
This one I read anxiously to find out how they would conquer the world. What would they do with the people there that had found a way to live harmoniously with the land and each other? It was interesting to see a new take on world conquering. ;) And oh boy! Are they ever prolific and effective at it!
December 15, 2020
Like most anthologies, there were stories that worked and those that didn't, but that will depend on the reader. This one has my all-time favorite novella of science fiction, "The Star Pit" by Samuel R. Delany, a great work of multiplexity. Alpha 5 also included the classic PKD story, "We Can Remember It For You Wholesale" which has been made into a film twice - Total Recall.
Two other stories that stood out for me were "Baby, You Were Great" by Kate Wilhelm and "Yesterday House" by Fritz Leiber. The other stories were bad but just didn't resonate much with me.
Two other stories that stood out for me were "Baby, You Were Great" by Kate Wilhelm and "Yesterday House" by Fritz Leiber. The other stories were bad but just didn't resonate much with me.
November 30, 2022
An excellent anthology put together by Silverberg with no overall theme, governed simply by his taste, never to see another reprinting ... I am not sure that I would classify any of these 9 stories as a singular sf masterpiece (4 stars all around!) yet this is one of the most uniformly excellent multiple author sf anthologies I have ever read ... like a well programmed music recital the choices, the order, the variety of these stories create a sum greater than the parts ...
Silverberg's intros are perfect examples of how a little goes a long way in that facet of being an editor ... funny tidbit: at the end of Silverberg's main Introduction, the last sentence: "Here are ten more visions, glimpses of the road ahead" - but there are only nine stories in here, wonder what happened to the tenth and what story was it? I imagine Harlan Ellison being a last minute jerk or something like that ...
The Star Pit (1967) • Samuel R. Delany
Silverberg's intros are perfect examples of how a little goes a long way in that facet of being an editor ... funny tidbit: at the end of Silverberg's main Introduction, the last sentence: "Here are ten more visions, glimpses of the road ahead" - but there are only nine stories in here, wonder what happened to the tenth and what story was it? I imagine Harlan Ellison being a last minute jerk or something like that ...
The Star Pit (1967) • Samuel R. Delany
4 stars ... Delany's usual excellent writing and usual thoughtful while a bit loose plotting ... thinking about it after awhile, this story grows on me ...Baby, You Were Great (1967) • Kate Wilhelm
4 stars ... Baby, You're the star of your "Truman Show" and you know it, and it's not just cameras but your feelings and sensations, and you can never be free, and the director needs more intensity in those feelings and sensations with each episode to keep the audience satisfied ...Live, from Berchtesgaden (1972) • George Alec Effinger
4 stars ... in a way not so much going on, but then the ending, thinking about it got to me ...As Never Was (1944) • P. Schuyler Miller
4 stars ... alternate time lines, infinite universes, why a time traveler can't return to the world they left if they visit the past but can if they visit the future, wasn't expecting those more sophisticated time travel ideas in a story so old ... intriguing and well written ...We Can Remember It for You Wholesale (1966) • Philip K. Dick
4 stars ... no longer the PKD-head that I was in younger years but this famous story is one of his best ...Yesterday House (1952) • Fritz Leiber
4 stars ... the most romantic story of the lot, seems a bit obvious to us now but for the early 50s ... some beautiful writing ...A Man Must Die (1966) • John Clute
4 stars ...The Skills of Xanadu (1956) • Theodore Sturgeon
5 stars ... don't know many writers who can combine an intriguing sf premise, effortlessly excellent prose, undercurrents of philosophy and political metaphors, and plenty of humor like Sturgeon does here ... if this is one of Sturgeon's lesser known stories (as Silverberg says) I better quickly get to reading more ...A Special Kind of Morning (1971) • Gardner Dozois
4 stars ... not up there with The Forever War but very very good metaphorical Vietnam War sf ...
August 10, 2016
Yeah, I don't like New Wave SF. Some stories here were interesting, most I couldn't finish. Get your PKD fix elsewhere and skip this.
Oh, and all stories were inexcusably sexist, for being so relatively modern. Hmf.
Oh, and all stories were inexcusably sexist, for being so relatively modern. Hmf.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews