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The Collected Stories of Robert Silverberg #6
Lion Time in Timbuctoo
The stories in Volume 6 of the Collected Stories were written between 1989 and 1995, appearing in Playboy and in shared-world anthologies.
LION TIME IN TIMBUCTOO: the Black Death of 1348 wiped out nearly all the population of Western Europe instead of just one fourth, and the survivors were unable to resist the westward march of the expansionist Ottoman Turks…
A TIP ON A TURTLE: A mysterious tall man has the knack of knowing which turtle will win the races held in a Caribbean hotel. But then, he knows everything.
IN THE CLONE ZONE: seven years ahead of the headlines about the cloned sheep Dolly, Silverberg wrote this sinister story about human cloning…
HUNTERS IN THE FOREST: a nasty little item in which the most dangerous beast turns out not to be the obvious one.
A LONG NIGHT’S VIGIL AT THE TEMPLE: the only science-fiction story ever written as a homage to J.R.R. Tolkien.
IT COMES AND GOES: an odd little story, occupying the hazy borderline between science-fiction and fantasy, about substance abuse.
LOOKING FOR THE FOUNTAIN: An alternate America: Spanish conquistadores in the New World and a vagrant band of Crusaders.
THE WAY TO SPOOK CITY: A brilliant icy sheen lights everything up in the Occupied Zone, but for a spooky patch of darkness.
THE RED BLAZE IS THE MORNING: the woeful story of a veteran archaeologist in the last days of his career.
DEATH DO US PART: A quasi-immortal falls in love with someone of normal lifespan.
THE INVASION DIARIES OF HENRY JAMES: James’s eyewitness account of the War of the Worlds.
CROSSING INTO THE EMPIRE: the mighty capital
of a great empire vanishes… and reappears in modern-day Chicago.
THE SECOND SHEILD: Metaphorical matter about the artist’s anguished struggles.
LION TIME IN TIMBUCTOO: the Black Death of 1348 wiped out nearly all the population of Western Europe instead of just one fourth, and the survivors were unable to resist the westward march of the expansionist Ottoman Turks…
A TIP ON A TURTLE: A mysterious tall man has the knack of knowing which turtle will win the races held in a Caribbean hotel. But then, he knows everything.
IN THE CLONE ZONE: seven years ahead of the headlines about the cloned sheep Dolly, Silverberg wrote this sinister story about human cloning…
HUNTERS IN THE FOREST: a nasty little item in which the most dangerous beast turns out not to be the obvious one.
A LONG NIGHT’S VIGIL AT THE TEMPLE: the only science-fiction story ever written as a homage to J.R.R. Tolkien.
IT COMES AND GOES: an odd little story, occupying the hazy borderline between science-fiction and fantasy, about substance abuse.
LOOKING FOR THE FOUNTAIN: An alternate America: Spanish conquistadores in the New World and a vagrant band of Crusaders.
THE WAY TO SPOOK CITY: A brilliant icy sheen lights everything up in the Occupied Zone, but for a spooky patch of darkness.
THE RED BLAZE IS THE MORNING: the woeful story of a veteran archaeologist in the last days of his career.
DEATH DO US PART: A quasi-immortal falls in love with someone of normal lifespan.
THE INVASION DIARIES OF HENRY JAMES: James’s eyewitness account of the War of the Worlds.
CROSSING INTO THE EMPIRE: the mighty capital
of a great empire vanishes… and reappears in modern-day Chicago.
THE SECOND SHEILD: Metaphorical matter about the artist’s anguished struggles.
400 pages, Paperback
First published March 20, 2000
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 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 4, 2018
Vanameistri hilisema perioodi paremik. Hilisem periood siis tähendab 90ndaid. Lühiromaan/nimilugu on üks parimaid, alternatiivajalooline õukonnadraama alternatiivsest 20. sajandi Aafrikast, Timbuktuust, maailmas kus Must Surm tegi Euroopa päris tühjaks ja väikeriigid Inglismaa ja Prantsusmaa on endalt just Osmani Impeeriumi ikke raputanud. Tsivilisatsiooni kese on Aafrikas ja Timbuktuus ootavad vana valitseja surma nii troonipärija, Noor Lõvi, kui ka terve hulk igasugu suursaadikuid, küll Inkade Impeeriumi oma, küll Asteekide, küll Osmanite, kes siis seal ajaviluks veidi intrigeerivad. Alternatiivajalugu on küll ulmekirjanduse debiilne sohipoeg, aga see siin oli ikka Silverbergi meistrikäega kirjutatud ja seetõttu päris hea.
Tene päris vinge lugu oli samuti lühiromaan, "The Way to Spook City". Lugu tulnukate vallutatud tsooni oma kadunud venda otsima minevast noomehest. Ameerika keskosas on seal maandunud tulnukate miskitsorti udu või muu poolläbipaistva ent tuntava piiriga piiratud suur maalahmakas, ja seal on juba teistsugune floora ja fauna, ning ka maalased kes sinna on jäänud on juba veidi teistmoodi. Miskitsorti initsiatsiooniriitusena täiskasvanuks saamisel on teismelistel tavaks sinna tsooni minna ja seal kuu või kaks elada. Loo peategelase vend on ent juba pool aastat kadunud olnud ja ta peab talle sinna tsooni järgi minema. Väga hea lugu.
Kolmanda suurepärase loona mainiks lõpust "Crossing into the Empire't". Moodsasse Chicagosse sõidab regulaarsete ajavahemike järel sisse keskaegne Impeeriumi pealinn, mis kangesti meenutab Bütsantsi ja Konstantinoopolit. Igasugu stalkerid pakivad seljakotid šveitsi armee taskunuge, binokleid, coca-cola purke ja muud träni täis ja lähevad sinna vahetuskaupa tegema, keskaegse linna elanikud on hirmul ega julge vastupidiseid käike teha. Meie poolt on ka politseitõkked ja muud piirangud, lisaks miski udu. Lugu jälgib ühe taolise kaupmeheks maskeerunud stalkeri teekonda keskaegsesse pealinna ja mis seal siis kõik juhtub. Bütsants on Silverbergil korduv sundmõte, meenutaks siinkohal tema klassikalist romaani "Up the Line" ja mitte vähem klassikalist lühiromaani "Purjetades Bütsantsi", viimases küll ei saanud ta end basileuste-aegsest Konstantinoopolist tühjaks kirjutada, aga sellest pole midagi - esimesena mainitus ta seda sai.
Ülejäänud lood on tuntud headuses, välja arvatud miski pastišš Wellsi "Maailmade sõja" teemadel, mis oli umbes sama tüütu, kopitanud ja igav nagu originaalgi. Jätke see lugu vahele kui keegi seda kogumikku loeb. Muidu - loomulikult soovitan.
Tene päris vinge lugu oli samuti lühiromaan, "The Way to Spook City". Lugu tulnukate vallutatud tsooni oma kadunud venda otsima minevast noomehest. Ameerika keskosas on seal maandunud tulnukate miskitsorti udu või muu poolläbipaistva ent tuntava piiriga piiratud suur maalahmakas, ja seal on juba teistsugune floora ja fauna, ning ka maalased kes sinna on jäänud on juba veidi teistmoodi. Miskitsorti initsiatsiooniriitusena täiskasvanuks saamisel on teismelistel tavaks sinna tsooni minna ja seal kuu või kaks elada. Loo peategelase vend on ent juba pool aastat kadunud olnud ja ta peab talle sinna tsooni järgi minema. Väga hea lugu.
Kolmanda suurepärase loona mainiks lõpust "Crossing into the Empire't". Moodsasse Chicagosse sõidab regulaarsete ajavahemike järel sisse keskaegne Impeeriumi pealinn, mis kangesti meenutab Bütsantsi ja Konstantinoopolit. Igasugu stalkerid pakivad seljakotid šveitsi armee taskunuge, binokleid, coca-cola purke ja muud träni täis ja lähevad sinna vahetuskaupa tegema, keskaegse linna elanikud on hirmul ega julge vastupidiseid käike teha. Meie poolt on ka politseitõkked ja muud piirangud, lisaks miski udu. Lugu jälgib ühe taolise kaupmeheks maskeerunud stalkeri teekonda keskaegsesse pealinna ja mis seal siis kõik juhtub. Bütsants on Silverbergil korduv sundmõte, meenutaks siinkohal tema klassikalist romaani "Up the Line" ja mitte vähem klassikalist lühiromaani "Purjetades Bütsantsi", viimases küll ei saanud ta end basileuste-aegsest Konstantinoopolist tühjaks kirjutada, aga sellest pole midagi - esimesena mainitus ta seda sai.
Ülejäänud lood on tuntud headuses, välja arvatud miski pastišš Wellsi "Maailmade sõja" teemadel, mis oli umbes sama tüütu, kopitanud ja igav nagu originaalgi. Jätke see lugu vahele kui keegi seda kogumikku loeb. Muidu - loomulikult soovitan.
March 5, 2014
I discovered Robert Silverberg late, very recently in fact. I'd probably read a couple of his stories in anthologies here and there, but even though I'd had a bunch of his stuff hanging around the house for over a decade (a legacy of my SFX days), I only got round to reading his work these last six months. What an oversight. Silverberg has become one of my favourite authors.
This collection of stories from the 90s more than adequately demonstrates the man's amazing imagination, his brilliance with the language, and, most important of all, his deep humanity. This guy gets people, he gets them like Ursula Le Guin gets them - that's high praise, by the way.
If you've not read Silverberg, I recommend you do. Anything. Not necessarily this book, although it's as good a place as any to start. My favourite story in this collection? Crossing the Empire. Sublime stuff.
This collection of stories from the 90s more than adequately demonstrates the man's amazing imagination, his brilliance with the language, and, most important of all, his deep humanity. This guy gets people, he gets them like Ursula Le Guin gets them - that's high praise, by the way.
If you've not read Silverberg, I recommend you do. Anything. Not necessarily this book, although it's as good a place as any to start. My favourite story in this collection? Crossing the Empire. Sublime stuff.
May 27, 2024
13 stories:
Lion Time in Timbuctoo (1990)
A Tip on a Turtle (1991)
In the Clone Zone (1991)
Hunters in the Forest (1991)
A Long Night's Vigil at the Temple (1992)
It Comes and Goes (1992)
Looking for the Fountain (1992)
The Way to Spook City (1992)
The Red Blaze Is the Morning (1995)
Death Do Us Part (1996)
The Martian Invasion Journals of Henry James (1996)
Crossing Into the Empire (1996)
The Second Shield (1995)
Lion Time in Timbuctoo (1990)
A Tip on a Turtle (1991)
In the Clone Zone (1991)
Hunters in the Forest (1991)
A Long Night's Vigil at the Temple (1992)
It Comes and Goes (1992)
Looking for the Fountain (1992)
The Way to Spook City (1992)
The Red Blaze Is the Morning (1995)
Death Do Us Part (1996)
The Martian Invasion Journals of Henry James (1996)
Crossing Into the Empire (1996)
The Second Shield (1995)
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews