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The Collected Stories of Robert Silverberg #4
The Collected Stories of Robert Silverberg, Volume 4: Trips
The stories here, all of them written between March of 1972 and November of 1973, mark a critical turning point in my career. Those who know the three earlier volumes have traced my evolution from a capable journeyman, very young and as much concerned with paying the rent as he was to advancing the state of the art, into a serious, dedicated craftsman now seeking to leave his mark on science fiction in some significant way. Throughout the decade of the 1960s I had attempted to grow and evolve within the field of writing I loved building on the best that went before me, the work of Theodore Sturgeon and James Blish and Cyril Kornbluth and Jack Vance and Philip K. Dick and half a dozen others whose great stories had been beacons beckoning me onward and then, as I reached my own maturity, now trying to bring science fiction along with me into a new realm of development, hauling it along even farther out of its pulp-magazine origins toward what I regarded as a more resonant and evocative kind of visionary storytelling. Robert Silverberg, from his Introduction
416 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2008
12 people are currently reading
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About the author
Robert Silverberg
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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.
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 - 11 of 11 reviews
August 26, 2018
In an alternate universe, such as one of the ones that the protagonist of the title story "Trips" might have wandered into, this would have been the final volume of Silverberg's collected stories. His authorial notes on each story are very explicit about his accelerating burnout with writing short fiction and his questioning of the value of Science Fiction itself. The book ends with Silverberg swearing off short stories entirely, committed to two more novels, then washing his hands of his whole writing career after twenty years of constant production.
Having just quit my own 22-year career as a public librarian, I know where R.S. is coming from.
Most of the stories in this volume were written during what Hunter S. Thompson described as "this foul Year of Our Lord 1972." Thompson and Silverberg are both reacting to the dying aftershocks of Sixties counterculture as it shifts into the more self-absorbed, materialistic Seventies. Thompson bemoaned the fading ideals of the 60s' drug culture, whereas for Silverberg it was the fallout from the "New Wave" of SF, which elevated science fiction as a literary genre while losing readers in the process. Silverberg, who had contributed heavily to that experimental phase of SF while also having had a big hand in the rip-roaring pulp era, began to heavily question the point of it.
Bless him, but Silverberg's malaise produced some damn fine stories. "In the Group" pokes 70s' sexual culture in the eye by pointing out that not everyone may be suited for the new sexual norms. "The Dybbuk of Mazel Tov IV" is a call-back to a more classic style humans-and-aliens story with an amusing Jewish twist. "Ship-Sister, Star-Sister" is an engaging character tale of telepathy across the light years. "This Is the Road" is a far-future fantasy that presages Silverberg-to-come in style and substance. The novella "Born With the Dead" is an absolute masterpiece that puts a different spin on walking corpses than anyone else has attempted or copied since.
Two stories, "The Science Fiction Hall of Fame" and "Schwartz Between the Galaxies," directly address Silverberg's difficulties with his chosen profession. And then he leaves the building. Thank the gods and Lord Valentine's Castle that he came back.
Having just quit my own 22-year career as a public librarian, I know where R.S. is coming from.
Most of the stories in this volume were written during what Hunter S. Thompson described as "this foul Year of Our Lord 1972." Thompson and Silverberg are both reacting to the dying aftershocks of Sixties counterculture as it shifts into the more self-absorbed, materialistic Seventies. Thompson bemoaned the fading ideals of the 60s' drug culture, whereas for Silverberg it was the fallout from the "New Wave" of SF, which elevated science fiction as a literary genre while losing readers in the process. Silverberg, who had contributed heavily to that experimental phase of SF while also having had a big hand in the rip-roaring pulp era, began to heavily question the point of it.
Bless him, but Silverberg's malaise produced some damn fine stories. "In the Group" pokes 70s' sexual culture in the eye by pointing out that not everyone may be suited for the new sexual norms. "The Dybbuk of Mazel Tov IV" is a call-back to a more classic style humans-and-aliens story with an amusing Jewish twist. "Ship-Sister, Star-Sister" is an engaging character tale of telepathy across the light years. "This Is the Road" is a far-future fantasy that presages Silverberg-to-come in style and substance. The novella "Born With the Dead" is an absolute masterpiece that puts a different spin on walking corpses than anyone else has attempted or copied since.
Two stories, "The Science Fiction Hall of Fame" and "Schwartz Between the Galaxies," directly address Silverberg's difficulties with his chosen profession. And then he leaves the building. Thank the gods and Lord Valentine's Castle that he came back.
September 24, 2016
A few years back, Subterranean Press began collecting the short works of Robert Silverberg in a series of collectors' editions. I have pretty much all of Silverberg's works in other collections, but luckily Subterranean also released electronic versions of the books priced at $2.99 a volume. At that price, it was worth it, even if I had all the stories in other volumes. And making the price even more worth it were the book and story introductions by Silverberg, which give a lot of insight into his life and career.
Silverberg started as a journeyman SF writer in the 1950s (and the first volume in the Subterranean series covers this period). But be really blossomed starting in the mid-1960s, and by the end of the sixties he was one of the two or three best SF writers around. Trips covers 1972 to 1973, when Silverberg was at the top of his form, ending with his temporary (5 year) exodus from the field.
Trips features some very good work by Silverberg's, including his award winning novella "Born with the Dead," the story of a future (well, future when the story was written) world in which the dead can be rekindled, but become rather cold, distant versions of themselves.
It also features such classics as the title story, "Trips," about a man who walks through parallel worlds, looking, he thinks for another version of his wife. "Ms. Found in an Abandoned Time Machine," "In the House of Double Minds," and several others are also well worth reading or re-reading.
Trips is not quite as good as the preceding volume, Something Wild Is Loose, though that volume is really spectacular, so saying this one isn't as good is not really a complaint. Well worth reading.
Silverberg started as a journeyman SF writer in the 1950s (and the first volume in the Subterranean series covers this period). But be really blossomed starting in the mid-1960s, and by the end of the sixties he was one of the two or three best SF writers around. Trips covers 1972 to 1973, when Silverberg was at the top of his form, ending with his temporary (5 year) exodus from the field.
Trips features some very good work by Silverberg's, including his award winning novella "Born with the Dead," the story of a future (well, future when the story was written) world in which the dead can be rekindled, but become rather cold, distant versions of themselves.
It also features such classics as the title story, "Trips," about a man who walks through parallel worlds, looking, he thinks for another version of his wife. "Ms. Found in an Abandoned Time Machine," "In the House of Double Minds," and several others are also well worth reading or re-reading.
Trips is not quite as good as the preceding volume, Something Wild Is Loose, though that volume is really spectacular, so saying this one isn't as good is not really a complaint. Well worth reading.
April 22, 2025
Too much fantasy for me.
January 20, 2020
Price koje su me dojmile iz ove zbirke, a da ih nisam prije procitao:
The Sf hall of fame
A sea of faces
Trips
This is the road
The Sf hall of fame
A sea of faces
Trips
This is the road
September 20, 2017
I felt it's about time I read some organized Silverberg short stories. Actually, when isn't it a good time to do that?
Since I discovered this series of retrospective collections, I thought it'd be a good idea to start with what I thought was the author's "best era": 1972 through 1973.
So here's a breakdown of stories:
- In the Group (short story): 3*
On near-future Earth, people congregate sexually remotely in groups of 8 via specially designed machines. One guy falls for a girl, and is immediately shunned by the group and suggested therapy. Interesting idea, especially for 1972, I only wish the author could've done more with it.
- Getting Across (novelette): 4*
This one is set on a semi-dystopic Earth, where the entire surface is covered by one gigantic metropolis, with computer-run independent districts shunning each other, and travel between them restricted in an 'iron curtain' fashion. One guy must find his ex in a different district and retrieve an important piece of hardware. Super cool setting. I wish this was longer and featured more exploration of the metropolis.
- Ms. Found in an Abandoned Time Machine (short story): 1*
This one is really weird for Silverberg. Multiple threads in a very short story: time traveler attempts to stop Lincoln's murder, a number of terrorists operate against the US government. Couldn't clearly understand the what's whats here.
- The Science Fiction Hall of Fame (short story): 1*
Again too many parallel threads for such a short story. Unable to follow or care.
- A Sea of Faces (short story): 1*
Near-future psychiatry, supposedly paralleling a similar work of Roger Zelazny's. Again, unable to follow or care.
- The Dybbuk of Mazel Tov IV (short story): 2*
On a remote planet colonized by Jewish refugees, the soul of a dead colonist "haunts" a local alien and is exorcised by a rabbi. Cute, but too mystic for me.
- Breckenridge and the Continuum (novelette): 1*
Another parallel to classical works. This time Canterbury Tales. A bunch of travelers gather round the fire on a remote planet to tell myths of their planets. Would be interesting if it were readable at all. The narrative jumps too quickly from one point of view to another I found it impossible to follow.
- Capricorn Games (novelette): 1*
During a party in a high-rise building on near-future Earth, our main character sets about determining the other participants' birth-signs. Doh!
- Ship-Sister, Star-Sister (novelette): 3*
Finally some 'golden age' science fiction: a ship of colonists is launched from Earth and one crew member can telepathically communicate with her sister back home, up until the communications are hijacked by... stars. This story could've been much more, but details of the game of GO take up at least half.
- This Is the Road (novella): 3*
Epic fantasy setting, beautifully described. Castes, invaders, magic, different races. Unfortunately for two thirds of the story it's just 4 people talking in front of a gate...
- Trips (novelette): 3*
Man keeps jumping from alternate universe to alternate universe in search of his wife's double. A little too many universes, with not enough focus on each. Nice twist at the end though.
- Born with the Dead (novella): 2*
Again set on near-future Earth, this novella is a metaphorical retelling of the myth of Orpheus. The dead can be rekindled to life, but, even if possessing their former memories, it appears they are no longer concerned with their previous lives or loves. One 'live' guy struggles to get across to his former wife, currently rekindled to life. I liked neither the idea, nor the characters.
- Schwartz Between the Galaxies (novelette): 1*
Another story I simply wasn't able to follow, or understand what it is about.
- In the House of Double Minds (novelette): 3*
A woman is assigned care to a group of kids whose cerebral hemispheres have been severed from each other. Interesting characters and speculations on what might occur, but, just when the ball started rolling, bam! The story's over.
In the end, maybe this wasn't the best choice to start the collection of collections with. Most stories seem to have a political grind to ax, and are either too short when they should've been longer, or the other way around. But don't worry, Mr. Silverberg, I haven't given up on you yet.
Since I discovered this series of retrospective collections, I thought it'd be a good idea to start with what I thought was the author's "best era": 1972 through 1973.
So here's a breakdown of stories:
- In the Group (short story): 3*
On near-future Earth, people congregate sexually remotely in groups of 8 via specially designed machines. One guy falls for a girl, and is immediately shunned by the group and suggested therapy. Interesting idea, especially for 1972, I only wish the author could've done more with it.
- Getting Across (novelette): 4*
This one is set on a semi-dystopic Earth, where the entire surface is covered by one gigantic metropolis, with computer-run independent districts shunning each other, and travel between them restricted in an 'iron curtain' fashion. One guy must find his ex in a different district and retrieve an important piece of hardware. Super cool setting. I wish this was longer and featured more exploration of the metropolis.
- Ms. Found in an Abandoned Time Machine (short story): 1*
This one is really weird for Silverberg. Multiple threads in a very short story: time traveler attempts to stop Lincoln's murder, a number of terrorists operate against the US government. Couldn't clearly understand the what's whats here.
- The Science Fiction Hall of Fame (short story): 1*
Again too many parallel threads for such a short story. Unable to follow or care.
- A Sea of Faces (short story): 1*
Near-future psychiatry, supposedly paralleling a similar work of Roger Zelazny's. Again, unable to follow or care.
- The Dybbuk of Mazel Tov IV (short story): 2*
On a remote planet colonized by Jewish refugees, the soul of a dead colonist "haunts" a local alien and is exorcised by a rabbi. Cute, but too mystic for me.
- Breckenridge and the Continuum (novelette): 1*
Another parallel to classical works. This time Canterbury Tales. A bunch of travelers gather round the fire on a remote planet to tell myths of their planets. Would be interesting if it were readable at all. The narrative jumps too quickly from one point of view to another I found it impossible to follow.
- Capricorn Games (novelette): 1*
During a party in a high-rise building on near-future Earth, our main character sets about determining the other participants' birth-signs. Doh!
- Ship-Sister, Star-Sister (novelette): 3*
Finally some 'golden age' science fiction: a ship of colonists is launched from Earth and one crew member can telepathically communicate with her sister back home, up until the communications are hijacked by... stars. This story could've been much more, but details of the game of GO take up at least half.
- This Is the Road (novella): 3*
Epic fantasy setting, beautifully described. Castes, invaders, magic, different races. Unfortunately for two thirds of the story it's just 4 people talking in front of a gate...
- Trips (novelette): 3*
Man keeps jumping from alternate universe to alternate universe in search of his wife's double. A little too many universes, with not enough focus on each. Nice twist at the end though.
- Born with the Dead (novella): 2*
Again set on near-future Earth, this novella is a metaphorical retelling of the myth of Orpheus. The dead can be rekindled to life, but, even if possessing their former memories, it appears they are no longer concerned with their previous lives or loves. One 'live' guy struggles to get across to his former wife, currently rekindled to life. I liked neither the idea, nor the characters.
- Schwartz Between the Galaxies (novelette): 1*
Another story I simply wasn't able to follow, or understand what it is about.
- In the House of Double Minds (novelette): 3*
A woman is assigned care to a group of kids whose cerebral hemispheres have been severed from each other. Interesting characters and speculations on what might occur, but, just when the ball started rolling, bam! The story's over.
In the end, maybe this wasn't the best choice to start the collection of collections with. Most stories seem to have a political grind to ax, and are either too short when they should've been longer, or the other way around. But don't worry, Mr. Silverberg, I haven't given up on you yet.
July 18, 2020
A collection of powerful stories by one of the top science fiction authors. These were written at a time of stress for Silverberg, and it shows. (Several stories are about troubled relationships.)
I really liked "The Science Fiction Hall of Fame," which is not only fun to read but it makes you ask yourself why you like science fiction.
Other top stories included "Trips," "Born with the Dead," "A Sea of Faces," and Ms. Found in an Abandoned Time Machine."
Definitely worth reading if you like Silverberg or are interested in the science fiction of the Seventies.
I really liked "The Science Fiction Hall of Fame," which is not only fun to read but it makes you ask yourself why you like science fiction.
Other top stories included "Trips," "Born with the Dead," "A Sea of Faces," and Ms. Found in an Abandoned Time Machine."
Definitely worth reading if you like Silverberg or are interested in the science fiction of the Seventies.
August 8, 2018
Силвърбърг, както винаги, е пълен с интересни идеи, но за съжаление в този етап от кариерата му излишното многословие взима връх. Практически всеки разказ тук е около два пъти по-дълъг, отколкото би трябвало, и поне на мен това до голяма степен ми развали удоволствието. Така че давам средна оценка 3/5.
June 26, 2019
These stories were written during a period of Silverberg's life where he was burned out and growing tired of SF, shortly before he took a four year sabbatical, and it really shows. Stories like Sea of Faces eschew traditional narrative forms while Science Fiction Hall of Fame indicts SF as a worthless, juvenile, waste of time.
September 21, 2022
An excellent collection of short stories, each accompanied by a fascinating autobiographical not about how the story came to be written.
May 9, 2023
In the Group (1973)
Getting Across (1973)
Ms. Found in an Abandoned Time Machine (1973)
The Science Fiction Hall of Fame (1973)
A Sea of Faces (1974)
The Dybbuk of Mazel Tov IV (1974)
Breckenridge and the Continuum (1973)
Capricorn Games (1974)
Ship-Sister, Star-Sister (1973)
This Is the Road (1973)
Trips (1974)
Born with the Dead (1974)
Schwartz Between the Galaxies (1974)
In the House of Double Minds (1974)
Getting Across (1973)
Ms. Found in an Abandoned Time Machine (1973)
The Science Fiction Hall of Fame (1973)
A Sea of Faces (1974)
The Dybbuk of Mazel Tov IV (1974)
Breckenridge and the Continuum (1973)
Capricorn Games (1974)
Ship-Sister, Star-Sister (1973)
This Is the Road (1973)
Trips (1974)
Born with the Dead (1974)
Schwartz Between the Galaxies (1974)
In the House of Double Minds (1974)
August 20, 2016
Puhas kuld! Silverberg aastail 1972-1973 oli enam vähem tipus, või tegelikult oli ta tipu saavutanud juba mõned aastad varem, aga ütleme et aastail 72-73 oli peensusteni lihvitud oskusele lisandunud elutarkusest ja küpsusest tulev kindlus. Hinde "5" pälviks see kogumik juba ainuüksi auhinnalise lühiromaani "Born with the Dead" eest, aga ka muud lood (mitte küll kõik) annavad tunnistust Meistrist. Eriti need mis on siin ümbertrükituna "The Feast of St. Dionysos" - nimelisest kogumikust.
Sügav filosoofiline ulme, kvaliteedilt sellele kohe järgnenud labasest, primitiivsest, infantiivsest, otse öeldes, debiilsest "Star Wars" ajastust valgusaastate kaugusel. Science Fiction nii nagu peaks olema, enne idiootseid moodsate muinasjuttude lõppematuid triloogiaid ja lapsikuid ja idiootidele mõeldud nüristavaid ühetaolisi plastmassimaitselisi tooteid.
Sügav filosoofiline ulme, kvaliteedilt sellele kohe järgnenud labasest, primitiivsest, infantiivsest, otse öeldes, debiilsest "Star Wars" ajastust valgusaastate kaugusel. Science Fiction nii nagu peaks olema, enne idiootseid moodsate muinasjuttude lõppematuid triloogiaid ja lapsikuid ja idiootidele mõeldud nüristavaid ühetaolisi plastmassimaitselisi tooteid.
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