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Among Strangers
Wraparound Dust Jacket Illustration by David Ho.
We’re pleased to announce Among Strangers, a huge (over 750 pages) gathering including three novels and a novella by Robert Silverberg, all of which examine human/alien interaction.
About the Book:
In this remarkable quartet, Robert Silverberg journeys into the pulsating heart of the unknown—the strange, the alien, the unexplored without and undiscovered within. With the assured deftness and seasoned thoughtfulness of a Grand Master, Silverberg plunges us into otherworldly psyches, forbidden areas and utterly mystifying realities.
In Those Who Watch (1967) three New Mexico humans, an eleven-year-old Hopi boy, a widowed single mother, and a divorced Air Force Colonel, unwittingly become entangled with aliens who have long monitored human civilization. Further complicating affairs, an agent from a rival alien species lands on Earth determined to chase down the three renegade observers.
The Man in the Maze (1968) is Dick Muller, an engineered telepath, once a hero but now exiled by an ungrateful humanity to the labyrinth on Lemnos. When administrator Boardman tries to enlist Muller once more for a dangerous mission and Muller refuses, the eponymous maze takes on a mental meaning warped enough to rival any physical construct.
An overlooked gem, the near-future, post-apocalyptic Tom O’Bedlam (1985)—presented here for the first time in the author’s definitive version—explores the gossamer boundary between rapture and rupture. The denizens of a frayed world begin experiencing collectively shared dreams just as a space probe light years away sends back images eerily similar to their dreamscapes. Is the titular Tom O’Bedlam humanity’s destined prophet to the stars, or a deranged cult leader fated to push a fragile civilization over the brink?
“The Way to Spook City” (1992) takes us through an unforgettable rite of passage, a life-changing voyage into the alien Occupied Zone.
These four masterfully crafted tales, by turns sensitive, suspenseful, enigmatic, and visionary, eloquently show that not only beauty, but maybe even reality itself, lies in the eye of the beholder. Only Among Strangers can we truly see ourselves.
Trade: Fully cloth-bound hardcover edition
Limited: 250 numbered copies, signed by the author
We’re pleased to announce Among Strangers, a huge (over 750 pages) gathering including three novels and a novella by Robert Silverberg, all of which examine human/alien interaction.
About the Book:
In this remarkable quartet, Robert Silverberg journeys into the pulsating heart of the unknown—the strange, the alien, the unexplored without and undiscovered within. With the assured deftness and seasoned thoughtfulness of a Grand Master, Silverberg plunges us into otherworldly psyches, forbidden areas and utterly mystifying realities.
In Those Who Watch (1967) three New Mexico humans, an eleven-year-old Hopi boy, a widowed single mother, and a divorced Air Force Colonel, unwittingly become entangled with aliens who have long monitored human civilization. Further complicating affairs, an agent from a rival alien species lands on Earth determined to chase down the three renegade observers.
The Man in the Maze (1968) is Dick Muller, an engineered telepath, once a hero but now exiled by an ungrateful humanity to the labyrinth on Lemnos. When administrator Boardman tries to enlist Muller once more for a dangerous mission and Muller refuses, the eponymous maze takes on a mental meaning warped enough to rival any physical construct.
An overlooked gem, the near-future, post-apocalyptic Tom O’Bedlam (1985)—presented here for the first time in the author’s definitive version—explores the gossamer boundary between rapture and rupture. The denizens of a frayed world begin experiencing collectively shared dreams just as a space probe light years away sends back images eerily similar to their dreamscapes. Is the titular Tom O’Bedlam humanity’s destined prophet to the stars, or a deranged cult leader fated to push a fragile civilization over the brink?
“The Way to Spook City” (1992) takes us through an unforgettable rite of passage, a life-changing voyage into the alien Occupied Zone.
These four masterfully crafted tales, by turns sensitive, suspenseful, enigmatic, and visionary, eloquently show that not only beauty, but maybe even reality itself, lies in the eye of the beholder. Only Among Strangers can we truly see ourselves.
Trade: Fully cloth-bound hardcover edition
Limited: 250 numbered copies, signed by the author
- GenresScience Fiction
760 pages, Hardcover
Published June 30, 2022
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 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 25, 2022
Among Strangers by Robert Silverberg- I began reading Silverberg in the late 50's when I bought a copy of Revolt on Alpha C, a juvenile space adventure that my twelve-year-old mind ate up. The last sixty years has seen me return again and again to see what Silverberg is writing now. His journey has taken many paths, and he seems to flourish no matter what he's writing. This book includes three novels from the 60's, 70's, and 80's. The main subject for each is how mankind deals with the arrival of alien species. In The Man in The Maze, a human diplomat negotiates with a visiting alien culture and comes away feeling more sympathy for the aliens than his own kind. Those Who Watch describes an alien encounter with a fearful human race. Tom O'bedlam shows our world already in chaos and THEN the aliens arrive. Great stuff. It was fun re-reading these books again. A great addition to your Science Fiction library. Thank you Subterranean Press and thanks NetGalley for this wonderful ARC!
August 31, 2022
Here are four fairly short novels about human reactions to encounters with aliens. As usual Silverberg's "What ifs" center on the humans and showcase his original thinking. The stories are well constructed and well written, but I have to admit that I like his shorter works better. His style of writing is such that I never feel any real connection to any of the characters even though they are very human. That works better for me in a shorter form. That said, this is a good collection.
July 18, 2022
"Among Strangers" by Robert Silverberg is a collection of four classic Silverberg novels originally published between 1968 and 1992. Fans of Silverberg will not be disappointed. The first story entertains the reader with (fairly intimate) interactions between aliens monitoring the human race and the individual humans they encounter when their spacecraft encounters technical difficulties of the explosive kind. The second story is based on Greek classics and is a wonderfully well told as a tale of survival, discovery, and growth both at the individual and species level taking place a couple of centuries in the future when interstellar space travel is common. The third tale is possibly encouraging depending on your viewpoint. It is a dystopian post-apocalyptic take on a potential future of the West Coast of the US. The final tale is a creative view of a future in which humans and aliens have reached some kind of coexistance after the aliens take over vast portions of the the US. Each story is thought provoking, includes aliens and gives a unique and entertaining perspective. It was easy to give this collection five stars!
May 15, 2022
Silverberg has been around a very long time and has a great reputation, although he seems to be a bit inconsistent in terms of the quality/popularity of his books. I liked this one, but it is not his best. These are good stories overall, and certainly a worthy read.
Thanks very much for the free ARC for review!!
Thanks very much for the free ARC for review!!
October 14, 2022
Unfortunately this book was a DNF for me. Between an introduction that spends a lot to time decrying the idea that authors shouldn't be writing about characters for whose experience they have little to no referential experience and the clear reality that the first few pages prove the point I don't feel I can read this comfortably.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 25, 2022
This is a compilation of four stories by Silverberg. It's an interesting read. Silverberg's story are original.
September 2, 2022
Among Strangers
[Blurb goes here]
Among Strangers is a small compilation of stories from Robert Silverberg. As most compilations and/or anthologies go, some stories will fall short, and some will not. That's entirely up to you, and the things you enjoy. The Man in the Maze, written in 1968, in my opinion, is by far the best one. That story alone was worth the ticket price. I have read it a couple of times since finishing the book, I probably would do so again in the near future.
Even though I didn't enjoyed all stories, it has to be said: Silverberg is a master writer. His words, like chameleons, changing from one tale to the next, as if written by someone else entirely, giving each of his characters a unique personality. Giving each of the tales a unique 'touch and feel.'
Don't let this book pass you by. It is a wonderful time machine, where anachronism is just part of its charm.
Thank you for the free copy!!
[Blurb goes here]
Among Strangers is a small compilation of stories from Robert Silverberg. As most compilations and/or anthologies go, some stories will fall short, and some will not. That's entirely up to you, and the things you enjoy. The Man in the Maze, written in 1968, in my opinion, is by far the best one. That story alone was worth the ticket price. I have read it a couple of times since finishing the book, I probably would do so again in the near future.
Even though I didn't enjoyed all stories, it has to be said: Silverberg is a master writer. His words, like chameleons, changing from one tale to the next, as if written by someone else entirely, giving each of his characters a unique personality. Giving each of the tales a unique 'touch and feel.'
Don't let this book pass you by. It is a wonderful time machine, where anachronism is just part of its charm.
Thank you for the free copy!!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews