Sandy

Sandy made a comment on his review of Invaders from Earth

"Wow! Most impressive! Nice to have reading goals, isn't it, especially with favorite authors...."

Sandy rated a book 4 of 5 stars

Invaders from Earth
by Robert Silverberg

read in May, 2013

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There is apparently a marked difference in the novels that sci-fi great Robert Silverberg wrote before 1967 and the ones he penned from '67 to eight or nine years after. Those two dozen novels of the 1954-'65 period, it has been said, are well-writte...more There is apparently a marked difference in the novels that sci-fi great Robert Silverberg wrote before 1967 and the ones he penned from '67 to eight or nine years after. Those two dozen novels of the 1954-'65 period, it has been said, are well-written, polished, plot-driven tales reminiscent of the pulp era of sci-fi's Golden Age. But after author/editor Frederik Pohl gave Silverberg freedom to write as he chose in '67, a new, more mature, more literate quality entered Silverberg's work, and the two dozen novels that he wrote during this second phase of his career are often cited as his best. Having just completed seven books from this late '60s/mid-'70s period, I was curious to check out one of the author's earlier works, just for comparative purposes. At random, I selected 1958's "Invaders From Earth," Silverberg's ninth novel out of an eventual 75 or so...a most fortuitous choice, as it turns out. This is just one of seven novels and 80 (!) short stories that Silverberg released that year; surely, one of the most prolific 12-month periods that any author, in any genre, has ever experienced. The novel in question was originally released as one half of one of those cute little "Ace doubles"--D-286, for all you collectors out there, backed with David Grinnell's "Across Time"--and with a cover price of...35 cents.

In the novel, which transpires over a nine-month period in 2044, we meet a 32-year-old public-relations man with the unlikely name of...Ted Kennedy! Ted's complacent life--married to a pretty wife, with a nice home in the Connecticut suburbs and a rising position in his NYC-based firm--is given a sudden jolt when his agency is given a contract by the privately owned Extraterrestrial Development and Exploration Corporation. It seems that valuable mineral deposits have just been discovered on the Jovian moon Ganymede, but that the tiny world's nonviolent, seemingly primitive inhabitants are not willing to allow the newly arrived Earthmen to make use of these resources. Kennedy comes up with the idea for a colossal hoax, in the first of the novel's three discrete sections: to make it seem, via phony press releases, that an Earth colony has settled on Ganymede, and that it is being harassed and attacked by the "Gannys," so that U.N. forces might be duped into ultimately eliminating the intransigent natives. In the book's second section, Kennedy visits Ganymede, meets the peaceful natives and experiences a change of heart. And in the third, he returns to Earth, a hunted fugitive, wanted by both the Corporation and the U.N. forces, and works to head off this coldly calculated genocide of an innocent race....

As compared to those other seven Silverberg books that I recently read, I must admit that "Invaders From Earth" is certainly a less literate affair. It is written in a simpler, more straightforward style, and minus the literary and historical references--and sexual content, natch--found in the author's more mature work. Still, the book is immensely enjoyable, a true page-turner, exciting and imaginative. Indeed, the book's final 40 pages or so are quite suspenseful and thrilling, as the clock ticks down to the Corporation's planned extermination of the Gannys and hunted-man Kennedy does what he can in his self-made, noirish, nightmare situation. Silverberg generously peppers his novel with all sorts of imaginative touches. Thus, the deflector plates on automobiles; the "sober tabs" that partyers swallow before driving (what a wonderful idea, Pfizer!); the dust-eater to be found in Ted's living room; the staggered rush hours for workers in Manhattan (another great idea); the struggling Bureau of Weather Adjustment; the violet traveling cloaks that businessmen wear over their suits; and, most presciently, the 48" TV set in the wall of Ted's living room. We are also given a look at the futuristic Joyland Amusement Park, residing on a floating island in Long Island Sound; Silverberg would go on to give us a look at a lunar amusement park in his 1967 novel "Thorns," as well as an orbiting amusement park in 1968's "World's Fair 1992." In all, it is a very pleasing book, and capped by a wonderful conclusion. Although writer/illustrator/critic James Cawthorn has called the novel "a slight, routine affair," this reader was most impressed by it. Indeed, other than the surprising gaffe of using the word "contingent" instead of "concomitant" in one spot (this, from an author who has always seemed to have the remarkable facility for unfailingly choosing the perfect word), Silverberg has here created a perfect little sci-fi adventure, and one that makes me eager to check out many more of his earlier works. "You can't make a living doing books," Kennedy tells a coworker early on, but fortunately, for all of us, Silverberg persevered in the creation of many wonderful books, and his sci-fi work--even early on, apparently--is second to none....(less)

Sandy made a comment on his review of Born with the Dead

"Thanks, Henry. I guess the commonality between these two great authors is: great writing and a wonderful imagination. Enough for me!"

Sandy made a comment on his review of The Blind Owl

"Thanks for the kind words, Amin. Much appreciated...."

Sandy rated a book 5 of 5 stars

Born with the Dead
by Robert Silverberg

read in April, 2013

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"Born With the Dead" gathers together three of Robert Silverberg's mid-career sci-fi novellas into one remarkably fine collection. With a length greater than a short story or novelette but shorter than a full-length novel, these three tales clock in...more "Born With the Dead" gathers together three of Robert Silverberg's mid-career sci-fi novellas into one remarkably fine collection. With a length greater than a short story or novelette but shorter than a full-length novel, these three tales clock in at around 55 to 70 pages each, and all display the intelligence, word craft and abundance of detail common to all of Silverberg's work in the late '60s to mid-'70s. Although subtitled "Three Novellas About the Spirit of Man" on its original 1974 release, the collection features a trio of tales that, strive as I might, I cannot find a common denominator among. Two of the stories concern how mankind deals with the subject of death, while the third has man's relation to religion and God as its central theme. OK, I HAVE thought of some commonalities among all three: They are all wonderful exemplars of modern-day sci-fi, all compulsively readable, all memorable and all moving.

The collection kicks off with the title story, "Born With the Dead." This tale takes place in the futuristic world of, uh, 1993, by which time mankind has discovered a way to reanimate the recently deceased by a process known as "rekindling." These "Deads" live separately in their own communes (Cold Towns), apart from the "Warms," and have their own customs and society. We meet Jorge Klein, a teacher who had lost his wife, Sybille, some years before, and who is now engaged in the taboo practice of stalking his rekindled ex around the globe, with the hope of a possible reuniting. The bulk of the tale takes place in exotic Zanzibar (Silverberg had visited East Africa before penning his great novel "Downward to the Earth" in 1970), although the story's two best scenes transpire elsewhere. In the first, Sybille and a group of fellow "Colds" go on a safari in a Tanzanian preserve stocked with genetically reconstructed extinct life forms, such as the dodo, aurochs, even a megatherium; in the second, Jorge disguises himself as one of the rekindled dead to infiltrate a Cold Town in the wilds of southeast Utah! This truly is a remarkable piece of fiction, and well deserving of the Nebula Award that it won for best novella of that year. I have only two quibbles with this tale. First, the Arab state of Oman is on the Gulf of Oman, not the Persian Gulf, as Silverberg writes; and second, a Google Image search will reveal that Zanzibar's Beit al-Ajaib, the House of Wonders, has no "vast cupola," as the author describes it. Still, as I say, a masterful piece of work.

Next up in the collection is the 1972 novella "Thomas the Proclaimer." In this unique story, the God of the Bible has finally chosen to reveal Himself to modern-day mankind. He effects a bona fide miracle, stopping the Earth from rotating and moving along its orbit for a full 24 hours...and with no concomitant calamities! But this great revelation only leads to misery for humanity, as the organized religions become suspicious of God's motives and new religions begin to spring up; one even declares God to be the Devil himself! In the midst of this turmoil we encounter Thomas Davidson of Reno, a former thief and current born-again prophet, whose pleas for sanity go largely unheeded. We see the madness unfold from the viewpoints of a good half dozen characters, in this very clever tale. If I am reading Silverberg correctly, his message is a disheartening one; namely, that even if God exists and one day appeared, it would ultimately do mankind not a lot of good at all. Clearly not a huge fan of organized religions, the author gives us a scene in which a more science-minded group of believers decides to bury all articles of the various world faiths; better have an unabridged dictionary on hand to look up such words as "epitrachelion," "omophorion," "dikerotrikera" and "epigonation"! Interestingly, this novella also features a band of millennial doomsayers called the Apocalyptists, the same band that was spotlighted in Silverberg's 1968 novel "The Masks of Time"!

Finally, the collection gives us the 1971 Silverberg piece simply entitled "Going." In this extremely moving tale, my favorite of the bunch, it is the year 2095. Through medical advancements, the life span of the average human has been greatly extended, and most people live to be at least 150. Deemed a civic duty to "Go" (i.e., die) at the proper time to make way for incoming newborns, each individual must conscientiously choose the proper time for himself or herself to Go. Very much unlike the society in the author's masterful novel of 1971, "The World Inside," this human society deems it a great honor to help keep the world's population down. Whereas the '71 novel had depicted a nightmarish world of appalling overpopulation, the future world of "Going" seems almost like a paradise, and the Going routine that its central character--136-year-old composer Henry Staunt--under, uh, Goes seems as civilized as can be. Indeed, one might almost believe that this is Silverberg's idealized vision of a way to deal with the aged as they approach the end of life. Staunt decides to Go at a House of Leavetaking in the Arizona desert; a U-shaped residence somewhat similar to the U-shaped hospital that mutilated astronaut Minner Burris recuperates in, also in the desert Southwest, in the 1967 Silverberg novel "Thorns." Over the course of the novella, we are given all the facts of Staunt's long life, get to know his family, learn about his tastes, and see him adjust to his decision to Go, vacillating all the while. Ultimately, the story is somewhat sad, of course, but also life affirming; a wonderfully warm and emotional piece of futuristic sci-fi, filled with imaginative touches. As it brings the curtain down on many of its geriatric characters, it also brings down the curtain on this wonderful collection of finely written tales. Truly, three shorter pieces from one of sci-fi's best.(less)

Sandy made a comment on karen's review of San Diego 2014: The Last Stand of the California Browncoats (Newsflesh Trilogy, #0.6)

"Sloppy writing is never excusable, even in zombie fiction. Unless you are yourself a zombie writer...."

Sandy liked karen's review of San Diego 2014: The Last Stand of the California Browncoats (Newsflesh Trilogy, #0.6):

"
how do there keep being more of these?? and they aren't even new, i am just only now discovering them, and it is like when you take your winter coat out of storage (or in my case "flung behind the door that is really just for show because of all t... " Read more of this review »

Sandy liked karen's review of Goldengrove:

"
and here is a perfect example of why readers' advisory is so, so tricky, and why i am devoting my life to perfecting the process.

i first came across this book when i was doing an assignment for my readers' advisory class a couple of years ago. my... " Read more of this review »

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Sandy made a comment on his review of Invaders from Earth "Wow! Most impressive! Nice to have reading goals, isn't it, especially with favorite authors...."
May 15, 2013 08:01am · see review
Sandy rated a book 4 of 5 stars Invaders from Earth by Robert Silverberg read in May, 2013	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
There is apparently a marked difference in the novels that sci-fi great Robert Silverberg wrote before 1967 and the ones he penned from '67 to eight or nine years after. Those two dozen novels of the 1954-'65 period, it has been said, are well-writte...more
May 07, 2013 10:28am · see review
Sandy made a comment on his review of Born with the Dead "Thanks, Henry. I guess the commonality between these two great authors is: great writing and a wonderful imagination. Enough for me!"
May 06, 2013 05:03am · see review
Sandy made a comment on his review of The Blind Owl "Thanks for the kind words, Amin. Much appreciated...."
May 01, 2013 05:06am · see review
Sandy rated a book 5 of 5 stars Born with the Dead by Robert Silverberg read in April, 2013	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
"Born With the Dead" gathers together three of Robert Silverberg's mid-career sci-fi novellas into one remarkably fine collection. With a length greater than a short story or novelette but shorter than a full-length novel, these three tales clock in...more
Apr 30, 2013 06:17am · see review
Sandy made a comment on karen's review of San Diego 2014: The Last Stand of the California Browncoats (Newsflesh Trilogy, #0.6) "Sloppy writing is never excusable, even in zombie fiction. Unless you are yourself a zombie writer...."
Apr 29, 2013 08:45am · see review
Sandy liked karen's review of San Diego 2014: The Last Stand of the California Browncoats (Newsflesh Trilogy, #0.6): " how do there keep being more of these?? and they aren't even new, i am just only now discovering them, and it is like when you take your winter coat out of storage (or in my case "flung behind the door that is really just for show because of all t... " Read more of this review »
Apr 29, 2013 08:45am · see review
Sandy liked karen's review of Goldengrove: " and here is a perfect example of why readers' advisory is so, so tricky, and why i am devoting my life to perfecting the process. i first came across this book when i was doing an assignment for my readers' advisory class a couple of years ago. my... " Read more of this review »
Apr 26, 2013 08:21am · see review