To Worlds Beyond

by Robert Silverberg

Genres: Science Fiction

158 pages

First published January 1, 1965

About the author

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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.

Reviews

[Richard Palmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nine interesting and original short stories about humankind’s exploration and colonisation of other planets set mainly in the 28th century. Some tales are better than others, the weaker ones tending toward the mawkish naivety of the pre-space flight era in which they were written. But there is a lot here which remains very thought-provoking and relevant today.

[Craig Childs · Rating 4 out of 5]

This 1965 book is Robert Silverberg's third published short story collection. These nine stories are lighthearted, clever, often humorous, and brimming with excitement over the prospect of Man's taking his rightful place among the stars…

In his brief but hysterical introduction, Isaac Asimov waxes about the unfairness of Silverberg's talent and also his desire to spend some alone time with Silverberg's pretty wife. Suffice to say, this could never have been written today.

Four of the stories have never been reprinted in any other Silverberg collection:

"The Old Man" (1957) -- An aging Space Patrol veteran must face the fact that piloting ships is a young man's game--and he may not make the grade anymore. (Only time collected)

"New Men for Mars" (1957) -- Two colonies compete for resources on Mars. The first has high culture, low survival quotient: it contains a healthy genetic diversity from all the cultures of Earth, but they can only survive inside a dome. The second is low culture, high survival quotient: it consists of members of a single Peruvian tribe capable of surviving in oxygen-depleted environs. Which colony is better suited to survive the rigors of taming this new world? (Only time collected)

"Collecting Team" (1956) -- A team of zoologists captures alien animals to take back to earth's zoos. Today, they will find the thin line between collecting and being collected. One of Silverberg's most oft-anthologized short stories. Originally published as "Catch 'Em All Alive!"

"Double Dare" (1956) -- Two Terran engineers make a bar bet with a Domerangi that they can reverse engineer any machine built by the aliens. They realize too late they must build a perpetual motion device if they want to preserve their honor!

"The Overlord's Thumb" (1957) -- A fidgety botanist accidentally kills an alien. His commanding officer is confronted with a dilemma--should he discipline the cadet himself or turn the lad over to be tried according to local law?

"Ozymandias" (1958) -- Archaeologists find a robot with the stored knowledge of a civilization that died a million years ago. Highly engaging. Makes use of the author's love of archaeology and lost civilizations.

"Certainty" (1959) -- An officer tasked with protecting Terran sovereignty on far-flung outpost worlds may be up against more than he can handle when he encounters a race of telepaths. (Only time collected)

"Mind for Business" (1956) -- An Earth spy crash lands on a deserted moon, and he must decide which of three rescue teams headed his way is really human. The dominant humanoid races in the galaxy may be visually indistinguishable from each other, but their personalities are not… (Only time collected)

"Misfit" (1957) -- Foss, an earthman, arrives on a gravity-heavy planet looking for his wife. The adapted humans who live there have been genetically modified specifically for that environment; their animosity towards Earth forces Foss to risk his life unnecessarily.

[Luís Baixinho · Rating 2 out of 5]

versão brasileira

[Timothy · Rating 3 out of 5]

9 stories:

The Old Man (1957)
New Men for Mars (1957)
Collecting Team (1956)
Double Dare (1956)
The Overlord's Thumb (1958)
Ozymandias (1958)
Certainty (1959)
Mind for Business (1956)
Misfit (1957)