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The Chalice of Death: Three Novels of Mystery in Space
Three novels of adventure among the stars from the Science Fiction Grand Master and author of Across a Billion Years. In The Chalice of Death, Hallam Navarre is tasked by his alien master to seek out a fabled weapon on the homeworld of a once-mighty, but long-fallen, empire that is all but a planet called Earth. In Starhaven, Johnny Mantell is a fugitive who finds sanctuary on an artificial world run by criminals, only to discover that every haven has its price. And in Shadow on the Stars, Baird Ewing travels to distant Earth on a desperate mission to save his colony from rapacious aliens, but becomes swept up in a bigger war—a war in time as well as space. As a young man, Robert Silverberg was a science fiction prodigy, turning out top-flight stories in the blink of an eye. Even in those early years, his prose showed evidence of the literary and imaginative qualities that would make him a giant in the field who would go on to win multiple Hugo and Nebula Awards—as this trio of space adventures attests.
- GenresScience Fiction
468 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2011
19 people are currently reading
85 people want to read
About the author
Robert Silverberg
2,364 books1,609 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
February 7, 2017
Three Early Novels
Here are three novels the author wrote at the beginning of his career. All three were half of a series of paperbacks published by Ace Books where the publisher put two novels together to form a book with two front covers.
All are worth reading and are great adventure stories.
Here are three novels the author wrote at the beginning of his career. All three were half of a series of paperbacks published by Ace Books where the publisher put two novels together to form a book with two front covers.
All are worth reading and are great adventure stories.
June 14, 2020
This is a review of the omnibus that includes three Robert Silverberg novels published in 1958 for Ace Books. I wrote long reviews for each title individually. Below are abbreviated reviews:
CHALICE OF DEATH
"Years ago--a hundred thousand, the legend says--man had sprung from Earth, an inconsequential world revolving around a small sun in an obscure galaxy. He leaped forward to the stars, and carved out a mighty empire for himself. The glory of Earth was carried to the far galaxies, to the wide-flung nebulae of deepest space.
"But no race, no matter how strong, could hold sway over an empire that spanned a billion parsecs. The centuries passed; Earth's grasp grew weaker. And, finally, the stars rebelled."
The Galactic Empire fell thirty thousand years ago, and now the worlds are nearly devoid of the race of Men. The few that remain are considered wise and venerable, and so these sons of old Earth serve as advisors to powerful kings and planetary lords. They are scattered and what little they know of their forgotten home world is passed down as myth.
Hallam Navarre is struggling to maintain his position of influence on the mighty world of Jorus, and one morning he makes up a poor excuse when he oversleeps for the Overlord's court. He claims to have been researching the fabled Chalice of Death, which is said to grant immortality to the strong. His master sends him on a wild goose chase across millions of light years to recover this treasure.
Instead, Navarre discovers the prophecy actually refers to a final group of warrior Earthmen in suspended animation. If he can only outwit and outmaneuver his many enemies, he might be able to wake them and lead the human race to reclaim their ancestral home.
What follows is an adventure tale of intrigue, betrayal, and war… Ok, I can't help myself. These old Ace paperbacks are just so much fun….
STARHAVEN
Johnny Mantell is a beachcomber and a drunk, a man adept at minding his own business and staying out of harm's way, but after being accused of a murder he does not remember, he is forced to flee to the man-made planet of Starhaven, the last refuge in the galaxy for desperate criminals. It is lorded over by a brilliant but ruthless dictator named Ben Thurdan who will stop at nothing to protect his utopian pleasure planet.
This novel is firmly rooted in the traditions of both pulp science fiction magazines and PBO crime novels.
As always Silverberg concocts a fast-paced adventure brimming with far-fetched futuristic technologies--robot assassins, space battles, masks that render their bearers all but invisible, low gravity casinos and dance halls.
SHADOW ON THE STARS
Baird Ewing arrives on Earth seeking assistance for his home world of Corwin, which is threatened by an alien invasion. Unfortunately, he finds that over the last thousand years, the Mother World has evolved into a pacifist, effete culture centered around the arts and sciences. It has no military and no weapons. Not only can it not defend Corwin, it is itself in danger of imminent subjugation to the militant colony of Sirius IV.
Ewing is kidnapped by Sirians and then rescued in a bizarre manner, which eventually leads him to deduce that Earth has a functioning time machine. He must travel to the past to save himself (just as he was saved by a future version of himself). Time travel only works in one direction. Since he cannot accelerate back to his point of departure (he can only progress “through forward time at a rate of one second per second”), this creates multiple Ewings in the past.
Suffice to say, causality paradoxes and temporal hijinks ensue, which eventually resolve themselves into creative solutions to help both Earth and Corwin.
This is a fun early treatment of time travel. Despite the pulp-adventure tone, Silverberg actually provides a fairly sophisticated set of rules around temporal displacement.
CHALICE OF DEATH
"Years ago--a hundred thousand, the legend says--man had sprung from Earth, an inconsequential world revolving around a small sun in an obscure galaxy. He leaped forward to the stars, and carved out a mighty empire for himself. The glory of Earth was carried to the far galaxies, to the wide-flung nebulae of deepest space.
"But no race, no matter how strong, could hold sway over an empire that spanned a billion parsecs. The centuries passed; Earth's grasp grew weaker. And, finally, the stars rebelled."
The Galactic Empire fell thirty thousand years ago, and now the worlds are nearly devoid of the race of Men. The few that remain are considered wise and venerable, and so these sons of old Earth serve as advisors to powerful kings and planetary lords. They are scattered and what little they know of their forgotten home world is passed down as myth.
Hallam Navarre is struggling to maintain his position of influence on the mighty world of Jorus, and one morning he makes up a poor excuse when he oversleeps for the Overlord's court. He claims to have been researching the fabled Chalice of Death, which is said to grant immortality to the strong. His master sends him on a wild goose chase across millions of light years to recover this treasure.
Instead, Navarre discovers the prophecy actually refers to a final group of warrior Earthmen in suspended animation. If he can only outwit and outmaneuver his many enemies, he might be able to wake them and lead the human race to reclaim their ancestral home.
What follows is an adventure tale of intrigue, betrayal, and war… Ok, I can't help myself. These old Ace paperbacks are just so much fun….
STARHAVEN
Johnny Mantell is a beachcomber and a drunk, a man adept at minding his own business and staying out of harm's way, but after being accused of a murder he does not remember, he is forced to flee to the man-made planet of Starhaven, the last refuge in the galaxy for desperate criminals. It is lorded over by a brilliant but ruthless dictator named Ben Thurdan who will stop at nothing to protect his utopian pleasure planet.
This novel is firmly rooted in the traditions of both pulp science fiction magazines and PBO crime novels.
As always Silverberg concocts a fast-paced adventure brimming with far-fetched futuristic technologies--robot assassins, space battles, masks that render their bearers all but invisible, low gravity casinos and dance halls.
SHADOW ON THE STARS
Baird Ewing arrives on Earth seeking assistance for his home world of Corwin, which is threatened by an alien invasion. Unfortunately, he finds that over the last thousand years, the Mother World has evolved into a pacifist, effete culture centered around the arts and sciences. It has no military and no weapons. Not only can it not defend Corwin, it is itself in danger of imminent subjugation to the militant colony of Sirius IV.
Ewing is kidnapped by Sirians and then rescued in a bizarre manner, which eventually leads him to deduce that Earth has a functioning time machine. He must travel to the past to save himself (just as he was saved by a future version of himself). Time travel only works in one direction. Since he cannot accelerate back to his point of departure (he can only progress “through forward time at a rate of one second per second”), this creates multiple Ewings in the past.
Suffice to say, causality paradoxes and temporal hijinks ensue, which eventually resolve themselves into creative solutions to help both Earth and Corwin.
This is a fun early treatment of time travel. Despite the pulp-adventure tone, Silverberg actually provides a fairly sophisticated set of rules around temporal displacement.
March 21, 2017
The Chalice of Death is an e-book reissue of three of acclaimed sci-fi author Robert Silverberg’s early work. Published originally as pulp fiction in the 1950s, these three novellas showcase Silverberg’s ability to quickly produce action-driven science fiction with complex characters and believable worlds.
In ‘Chalice of Death,’ Hallam Navarre, the Earth advisor to an alien monarch, is sent to find and retrieve a fabled weapon that is thought to convey immortality upon he who possesses it. In order to find this mythical weapon, Navarre must find the planet Earth from which his ancestors sprang, and which once controlled a vast interstellar empire. What he finds when he finally does find Earth is that he must make a choice; the ‘chalice’ does exist, but it’s not what he thought. Instead, it is a capability that will determine the fate of two worlds, only one of which can survive, and he must choose which that will be.
‘Starhaven’ is an artificial world controlled by criminals. Johnny Mantel is a fugitive who has travelled there to find safe haven, but upon arrival he learns that even sanctuary comes with a price. Is it, however, one that he is willing to pay?
The final story in this series is ‘Shadow on the Stars.’ Band Ewing is on a mission to Earth to save his colony from marauding aliens. Upon arrival, he finds himself in the middle of a much wider war, one that spans time as well as space.
Silverberg is a multi-genre author who got his start writing for the sci-fi pulp magazines that were widespread during the 1950s. Each of the stories in this volume was originally published, sometimes under different titles, either in one of the pulp magazines or a pulp paperback. They demonstrate his ability to turn out highly entertaining stories almost on demand, while at the same time breaking with some of the traditions of the era, such as bug-eyed aliens and never-ending space battles. His characters have depth, and their situations are much more complex than the standard story of the period.
Sci-fi fans, especially those who are old enough to remember having read some of the popular magazines and paperbacks from sci-fi’s golden age, will thoroughly enjoy this collection.
In ‘Chalice of Death,’ Hallam Navarre, the Earth advisor to an alien monarch, is sent to find and retrieve a fabled weapon that is thought to convey immortality upon he who possesses it. In order to find this mythical weapon, Navarre must find the planet Earth from which his ancestors sprang, and which once controlled a vast interstellar empire. What he finds when he finally does find Earth is that he must make a choice; the ‘chalice’ does exist, but it’s not what he thought. Instead, it is a capability that will determine the fate of two worlds, only one of which can survive, and he must choose which that will be.
‘Starhaven’ is an artificial world controlled by criminals. Johnny Mantel is a fugitive who has travelled there to find safe haven, but upon arrival he learns that even sanctuary comes with a price. Is it, however, one that he is willing to pay?
The final story in this series is ‘Shadow on the Stars.’ Band Ewing is on a mission to Earth to save his colony from marauding aliens. Upon arrival, he finds himself in the middle of a much wider war, one that spans time as well as space.
Silverberg is a multi-genre author who got his start writing for the sci-fi pulp magazines that were widespread during the 1950s. Each of the stories in this volume was originally published, sometimes under different titles, either in one of the pulp magazines or a pulp paperback. They demonstrate his ability to turn out highly entertaining stories almost on demand, while at the same time breaking with some of the traditions of the era, such as bug-eyed aliens and never-ending space battles. His characters have depth, and their situations are much more complex than the standard story of the period.
Sci-fi fans, especially those who are old enough to remember having read some of the popular magazines and paperbacks from sci-fi’s golden age, will thoroughly enjoy this collection.
December 6, 2018
This is three early novellas of Silverberg. My first experience with reading him, I read only the titular first story. Many thousands of years in the future, the location of Earth has been lost but the descendants of it remain valuable advisors throughout the universe. When advisor Navarre makes a mistake or two, he ends up embarking on a quest that even he doesn't believe in. Along the way, he finds allies and enemies.
Navarre is set up as a sympathetic protagonist, but by the end, I felt considerably little sympathy for him due to his fast and loose moral code, which seemed to give him the right to do illegal things in pursuit of his goals. I will read the other two novellas here in time, at times when I am looking for easy escape, but I think it unlikely I will look for more by Silverberg,
Navarre is set up as a sympathetic protagonist, but by the end, I felt considerably little sympathy for him due to his fast and loose moral code, which seemed to give him the right to do illegal things in pursuit of his goals. I will read the other two novellas here in time, at times when I am looking for easy escape, but I think it unlikely I will look for more by Silverberg,
December 31, 2016
This book created a sci-fi fantasy that would forever hook me to utopian books and thoughts. My foray into science in higher education was due to this book that I managed to get from the stingy librarian of my school in Sahibganj. I am glad that he relented and issued it to me.
February 27, 2012
A collection of three old Silverberg novels/novellas from the '50s, very pulpy and science-light space operas, which should indicate whether or not you'd like them. From my standpoint, two of them are Silverberg's better "pulpy" novels (Starhaven and Shadow on the Stars are fine books), and the other one is a roller-coaster of action, so this is a damn fine collection. If you like the good-old-days of pulp fiction, space opera, of simple yet thrilling science fiction, you are the ideal reader.
Some of them were renamed since their days as Ace Doubles, so I'll use their new (well, originally intended) names here.
The Chalice of Death: Hallam Navarre, Earthman adviser working for decadent a alien noble is late for work, and claims he's working to discover an ancient tall-tale: the Chalice of Life. The noble thinks this is a swell idea, and sends him off to find it. Navarre (and his two friends, a half-breed and another adviser to another noble) decide they're more likely to find the mythical, long-lost planet Earth than the Chalice, so they set off to find it.
Rapid-fire story that began as a three-novel serial, and that shows. It's all non-stop movement and action, the characters falling in and out of trouble, getting thrown in jail (repeatedly), being double-crossed, and making a miraculous discovery that will change the fate of the universe. I thought it was a little too fast, leaving it with under-developed characters and plot, but if you're okay with leaving those behind you'll get a rollicking adventure.
Starhaven: Beachcomber Johnny Mantell is blamed for a murder he didn't do, so he flees to Starhaven, an artificial planet-fortress full of pirates, murderers, and thieves. (Really, it's like a Rapture for criminals.) There, Mantell falls in love with Myra, secretary for dictator Ben Thurdan, and is caught up in a plot to overthrow Thurdan to prevent a less-beneficent dictator from replacing him.
Starhaven is a great blend of pulp action, intrigue, and from its slow speed and developments, it has stronger characters. It combines Silverberg’s wild ideas and creativity with great pacing and a balanced story arc; it’s near the top of his early novels, and I enjoyed it. Also, I dig Starhaven as a perfect pulp paradise mixed with a Bond villain's lair; great setting.
Shadow on the Stars: Ambassador Baird Ewing heads from the colony world Corwin back to Old Earth, to requisition help against the insectoid alien Klodnoi. But he finds a changed earth, with pacifist inhabitants about to become the protectorate of another colony world. A colony world whose ambassadors believe Ewing is working against them, so he's taken into custody. He's saved by a mysterious stranger, and the next day, discovers that Earthling rebels have time-travel technologies... you see where this is going.
Many of Silverberg's early novels had glimpses of his future brilliance, straining to be something more important than a simplistic pulp job, and Shadow on the Stars is one of the few that succeeds at doing so. It's got a strong, character-driven focus, a puzzle-like approach to time travel paradoxes, and a unique giant space battle near the end. Its finale is predictable, but perfect.
(Full review found here.)
Some of them were renamed since their days as Ace Doubles, so I'll use their new (well, originally intended) names here.
The Chalice of Death: Hallam Navarre, Earthman adviser working for decadent a alien noble is late for work, and claims he's working to discover an ancient tall-tale: the Chalice of Life. The noble thinks this is a swell idea, and sends him off to find it. Navarre (and his two friends, a half-breed and another adviser to another noble) decide they're more likely to find the mythical, long-lost planet Earth than the Chalice, so they set off to find it.
Rapid-fire story that began as a three-novel serial, and that shows. It's all non-stop movement and action, the characters falling in and out of trouble, getting thrown in jail (repeatedly), being double-crossed, and making a miraculous discovery that will change the fate of the universe. I thought it was a little too fast, leaving it with under-developed characters and plot, but if you're okay with leaving those behind you'll get a rollicking adventure.
Starhaven: Beachcomber Johnny Mantell is blamed for a murder he didn't do, so he flees to Starhaven, an artificial planet-fortress full of pirates, murderers, and thieves. (Really, it's like a Rapture for criminals.) There, Mantell falls in love with Myra, secretary for dictator Ben Thurdan, and is caught up in a plot to overthrow Thurdan to prevent a less-beneficent dictator from replacing him.
Starhaven is a great blend of pulp action, intrigue, and from its slow speed and developments, it has stronger characters. It combines Silverberg’s wild ideas and creativity with great pacing and a balanced story arc; it’s near the top of his early novels, and I enjoyed it. Also, I dig Starhaven as a perfect pulp paradise mixed with a Bond villain's lair; great setting.
Shadow on the Stars: Ambassador Baird Ewing heads from the colony world Corwin back to Old Earth, to requisition help against the insectoid alien Klodnoi. But he finds a changed earth, with pacifist inhabitants about to become the protectorate of another colony world. A colony world whose ambassadors believe Ewing is working against them, so he's taken into custody. He's saved by a mysterious stranger, and the next day, discovers that Earthling rebels have time-travel technologies... you see where this is going.
Many of Silverberg's early novels had glimpses of his future brilliance, straining to be something more important than a simplistic pulp job, and Shadow on the Stars is one of the few that succeeds at doing so. It's got a strong, character-driven focus, a puzzle-like approach to time travel paradoxes, and a unique giant space battle near the end. Its finale is predictable, but perfect.
(Full review found here.)
September 24, 2012
Fun stuff. Nothing deep or complicated, but a good read anyhow. Better than some, worse than others, but I have a great time with this stuff.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews