EARLY ROBERT SILVERBERG SCIENCE FICTION RECOMMENDATIONS and Recent Acquisitions

Steve does a quick run-through of recent SFF/Horror acquisitions before delving into Silverberg's early career and suggests the finest early Roberts you must read...
#bookcollecting
#sciencefiction
#sciencefictionbooks
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#fantasybooks
#bookrecommendation
#robertsilverberg

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

'Dying Inside' review -kzbin.info/www/bejne/imS9enSceZ2kZq8

[@salty-walt]

I'd guess Dying inside is the most reviewed Silverberg on KZbin . . . . . . for a reason.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

@@salty-walt -Well, I personally think it's arguably his best novel and much of this is down to the fact that it's closest in tone and form to a mainstream novel. I love it, personally, but you have to remember it is in all the reference books (not a bad thing) and it's been in Gollancz Masterworks for years. It's in my top three of his, alongside 'Book of Skulls' and 'A Time of Changes'. I'd like people to read the Leigh Kennedy book I review alongside it, as it's a great book and she's unfairly neglected.

[@angusorvid8840]

I've read tons and tons of Silverberg. Probably my favorite SF writer of all time, if I had to pick one. Not all of his books are great but they are better than average, and when they are great they are some of the best ever produced. He's one of those rare writers who got better with age and maintained a very high level of quality while also being amazingly prolific. He's a true polymath, knowledgeable of many subjects. I've also read some of his non-fiction and it's very well written. I also enjoyed his historical novels like Lord of Darkness which I highly recommend. The man is just a solid writer. He's also one of the wealthiest sci fi writers of all time. From what I understand the man just knew how to invest wisely, and when you combined that with his amazingly ability to produce and his popularity, it's not surprising. But it's rare for any author to become wealthy.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Yes, I've read 'Lord of Darkness' and some of his non-fic. I couldn't agree more with your summation, amazing and underrated writer, despite his comparative fame. Great to have you here.

[@danieldelvalle5004]

Whenever I get reader's block I go for a Silverberg book. He's a magnificent wordsmith whose elevates the reader to a new level. He was one of the first SF writers that served as a gateway for me. I have not read any of these early Silverbergs so I have some catching up to do

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

He's in that ball park for me, too - a total pro who is always interesting, even his minor stuff.

[@user-zo7mr3op8i]

YOU ARE LUCKY.

[@richardtoogood9817]

What a sheer unadulterated delight that was to listen to. Marvellous. (And I definitely want to read that Hoffman).

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Thanks Richard. Yep, those German Romantics, crazy guys!

[@angusorvid8840]

Another thing about Silverberg is like Aldis and Brunner he started in the pre-New Wave, but once the New Wave got rolling, they rode it as far as they could. Unlike Brunner, he didn't fade into obscurity when the New Wave receded. Aldiss also managed to stay fairly relevant in the post-New Wave era. I always thought it was unfortunate that a lot of readers dismissed the New Wave once the hard sf and cyberpunk 80s got underway. The New Wave brought sci fi into the realm of great literature, and many works produced in that era are now getting their due recognition for how excellent they are. Look at much of Philip K. Dick's output, or Spinrad, Delaney, etc.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Utterly agree. In a literary sense, New Wave was the best thing that EVER happened to Genre SF. Aside from its own achievements, it encouraged 1970s writers of many stripes to step up and make an effort to write better quality prose- Greg Benford even shows its influence in Hard SF and NW is written all over the early Cyberpunk works- it's only when people got too hung up on the labels and cliches of Cyberpunk that it quickly became the road to cliche. It was the British Space Opera Renaissance of Banks onwards that has done irreparable harm to Genre SF and it feels as if it will never recover- people's over-eagerness for 'the real thing' - in other words, what their expectations of SF were more based on screen-based skiffy of film and TV took us back to the 1930s. Banks, Reynolds, Hamilton and Baxter- all nice guys in person- unfortunately could never match the literary quality of their predecessors and their willingness to pen endless sequels under pressure from publishers who wanted SF to work like Fantasy -because it sold- drove SF into the dull Postmodernism of the 1990s....I could rave on and on!

[@tomlabooks3263]

That edition of Maker of Universes!! Gorgeous. Also, I’ve read 60% of Silverberg’s production, which is A TON of books!! And love his work immensely.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Yes, I could NOT resist that Farmer!

[@sciencefictionreads]

Silverberg is someone I've neglected who I need to get to. That being said, lastnight during two slow hours at work I read his short story Homefaring which was quite enjoyable.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

His oeuvre is massive, of course. I usually cite his big five as being 'The Man in the Maze' (a great entry point), 'A Time of Changes', 'Downward to the Earth' and then his two climactic masterpieces 'The Book of Skulls' and 'Dying Inside'. But there are lots of other great ones - anything between 67 and 76 is excellent. Glad to see you enjoyed 'Earth Abides' by Stewart recently - a truly great book.

[@macsnafu]

I've read some early Silverberg. Revolt on Alpha C and The Lost Race of Mars, both as Scholastic Book Services books. Intended for teen and pre-teen readers, especially the latter, but still fun and interesting to read. My favorite Silverberg period is the late 60s, early 70s, such as the novel To Open The Sky, but I wouldn't turn down his earlier work.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

There are some good things early on- I'd specify 'Invaders From Earth' and 'Master of Life and Death', personally.

[@victorrodley9099]

More Silverberg to check out,thanks Stephen,Also loved the farmer hardback.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

I could NOT resist that PJF! Thanks Victor.

[@jodeyrust8546]

first SF book i read was To Live Again by Silverberg and i’ve loved him and the genre ever since (about 6 months ago)

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

'To Live Again' is a good one, agreed.

[@rickkearn7100]

You characterize Silverberg so well, OB. You have piqued my curiosity and spurred a renewed interest in yet another writer I've neglected over the decades, and have put him onto my winter reading list because of this post. Admittedly, I have not read much of him (an early anthology of many of his stories which absolutely captivated me), but your references to his autobiography, especially with respect to his personal experiences getting published, intrigue me. Thanks much old chap! And you are so spot-on about one's early reads setting one's taste. I despair sometimes, of finding that virtuosity I discovered back in the day, in modern writers. And because of this, I find my enthusiasm for spending time exploring them dampened. I wonder if I've cheated myself. Cheers.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

I think reading is a very subjective experience- but I also believe that anything truly worth reading will stand up to scrutiny. As I'm currently re-exploring the 1990s in SF, I'm thinking more about changing editorial ideas about what 'good' SF writing is and how commerce has interfered with it. I'd urge you to focus on the following Bobs for maximum impact, suggesting this reading order: 'The Man in the Maze', 'A Time of Changes', 'Downward to the Earth', 'The Book of Skulls' and 'Dying Inside'. There are other truly great works, but for me, these are the pinnacles of Silverberg's takes on power, transcendence, transformation and redemption, his key themes, I feel.

[@soundsfromthewestcoast9939]

The early Ace stories by Silverberg are available in 3 volumes by Armchair Fiction. Just started Vol 1 this evening, which includes Chalice of Death (Lest We Forget Thee Earth), Starhaven, and Shadow On The Stars (Stepsons of Terra), along with a couple of shorts. Tge other 2 volumes are on my Amazon wish list Also just ordered By Force Alone thanks to your recommendation 😁 Thanks...Pete.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Yes, I have seen those volumes, good shout here for people wanting new copies, thanks!

[@altonbrek]

Robert Silverberg is one of the strongest Golden-age Science Fiction Writers. A true grandmaster of the genre.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Agree about BS's strengths as a writer, but Silverberg is not Golden Age, my friend: his career did not begin until the late 1950s. The Golden Age is 1939-1950 and refers to John W Campbell's editorial significance at 'Astounding' magazine, arguably ending even sooner-circa 1946/7- when 'The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction' launched. By the time Horace Gold launched 'Galaxy' in 1950, it was definitely over.

[@salty-walt]

Of course almost all of the Silverbergs you talked about sounded pretty good to me, so again, thanks for the list. . . AND the addenda.

[@daretzky2001]

I finally bought "Hell's Cartographers" - it was in my Amazon basket for far too long. Four of these authors wrote favourite SF novels of my teenage years - "Hothouse", "Gateway", "Deathworld" and "Stars my Destination". And yes, Silverberg's piece is probably the best but to me most significant quote came from Frederik Pohl: "The proper measure of the stature of a science fiction writer isn't the size of his bank balance or his audience, it is degree to which other writers copy him". Amen.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Very good point from Pohl. Though you could argue that truly sui generis writers are easy to copy, but hard to imitate if you see what I mean. It's a great book overall, though, wish there were more like it!

[@daretzky2001]

@@outlawbookselleroriginal "truly sui generis writers are easy to copy, but hard to imitate". Absolutely. Always. That's why we have one Ray Bradbury, one William Gibson, one Cordwainer Smith, one Philip K. Dick, one Jack Vance and hordes of their imitators. Similar ideas, similar tones... yet still always something amiss. Element of honesty, I think. Anyway, I would gladly read "Hell's Cartographer's" volume 2 and 3 (I think Aldiss mentioned such possibility somewhere in the book) but since there is none I ordered "Trillion Year Spree" and "In Search of Wonder". Maybe I should re-read "The Way the Future Was". These guys still have a lots of relevant things to say.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

@@daretzky2001 Nonfiction about SF is one of my favourite things: I'm thinking about getting back into collecting critical works and reference books again, as I have loads but love this sort of thing.

[@daretzky2001]

@@outlawbookselleroriginal Some time ago I discovered series "Modern Masters of Science Fiction" from University of Illinois. I read couple of these and I quite enjoyed them. And University Press of Mississippi got Literary Conversations Series with some SF writers among interviewees (Octavia Butler, Samuel Delany etc). Little repetitive in places but still interesting.

[@salty-walt]

I believe you recycled my joke into this video! Well played sir, well played. . .

[@thekeywitness]

I've read a few of Bob's books and I totally get the accolades. Great writer when he was in his prime (I haven't read outside of it). I'm sure his pulp erotica written under the non de plume Don Elliot, et al, is also above average!

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

I try not to be a Bob completist, but I am wanting to get into his serious nonfiction output of the 1960s. He's a mensch!

[@Ahnor1989]

I read the world inside and dying inside this year. Those were my first silverbergs and I liked them both a lot. Definitely gonna check out more soon. Thanks for the recommendations.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Yes, two good books, the latter a great one. There are around 10 of his works I consider essential for any serious SF reader.

[@waltera13]

@@outlawbookselleroriginal LIST!

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

@@waltera13 'The Man in the Maze', 'A Time of Changes', 'Dying Inside' - watch the review of this on the channel, Walter, and my Silverberg paperbacks video - 'Downward to the Earth', 'The Book of Skulls', 'Tower of Glass', 'Son of Man', 'Shadrach in the Furnace', 'Recalled to Life', 'To Live Again'.

[@waltera13]

@@outlawbookselleroriginal Although I've seen the videos, everything is free form enough that it never had the feel of a final answer, just the best that come to mind. It is excellent to have a list like this as I've been hitting the Silverberg too in the past few months. "Sailing to Byzantium" didn't do much for me and now I know it's not the best place for a random stab. "Nightwings" is usually highly recommended, and you don't mention it. I did get to "Man in the Maze" and loved the concept, but was rather disappointed by the square jawed, hard fisted uber mench who is his own deus ex machina and extricates himself out of satisfactorily unfolding the two major conundrums of the story; (Who & why the maze, & how are we gonna solve the problem with the aliens.) He's just about getting back to being his self sufficient superior libertarian self. I'm surprised in retrospect that there wasn't a scene where he shows off his sculpture and music in a smoking jacket. . .

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

@@waltera13 -A 'final answer' is not my aim: my aim is to encourage people to read and find their own answers. No, I don't recommend 'Nightwings' especially, as I didn't enjoy it as much as some other books -in the same way, 'Thorns' is regarded by many as his aesthetic breakthrough, but David Pringle, like me, feels it is not - and I suspect Neil Gaiman agrees with me on 'Man in the Maze'. Unlike you, I had a very different reading of 'Man', but that's the thing, as Kierkegaard said, "Subjectivity is Truth". That's art for you, I guess.

[@richardbrown8966]

Hamlyn paperbacks are very collectable, especially their horror paperbacks.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Yes, the Horror titles are- in line with the general trend at the moment of A fomat horror being very collectable...

[@salty-walt]

@@outlawbookselleroriginal "Paperbacks from Hell," as it were

[@blueblood8658]

I am currently reading Downward To The Earth as my first Silverberg and it is very good :)

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Glad you're enjoying it. It's often said that it has similarities to Conrad's 'Heart of Darkness', though the outcome and denouement is different, so I often think of it as SF's redemptive 'Apocalypse Now'. For SF's actual 'Apocalypse Now', watch my video about Lucius Sheperd's 'Life During Wartime'.

[@chucklitka2503]

Revolt on Alpha C was likely the first SF book I read - and still have most of it, cover and the last unknown number of pages missing. This version was, I think, a Scholastic version with illustrations.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Nice!

[@user-zo7mr3op8i]

I would like to visit Mr. Silverberg's gaff. He has a huge wall of National Geographics. That would do me.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/epS4h2B7jMSbrMk

[@doctormellow]

This is a long shot, but I've got a vague memory of reading a book of short science fiction stories in the late 70's, and one of them involved a girl who had a (supposedly) imaginary alien friend that lived at the bottom of the garden. The mother of the family was a terrible cook and failed dinners were buried in the garden. The 'imaginary' friend lived on these buried dinners and had furry teeth which she could remove. I remember a bit of dialogue in which the mother doesn't believe her daughter's friend exists; the daughter says "she's got furry teeth. She took them out and showed them to me." There's a kind of hallucinatory scene in which the imaginary friend/alien appears to have dismembered the child (seen by the mother), but then turns out not to have happened. That's all I can remember. It was all very, very weird, especially as I was about 9 years old at the time. Like I say, it's a long shot but does that ring any bells with anyone? Story name or author? It's bothered me for years and I'd love to read it again. I read a lot of books at school that were obviously intended for older readers but they still made a big impression on me.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

This does actually ring a very vague bell with me too - I'm thinking this is an anthology I may have read too. But as for title and author, no idea.

[@waltera13]

It "feels" a little like Alan Dean Foster to me, but I know I've never come across it. I'll post it on the Media Death Cult discord and see if anyone "bites"'

[@GypsyRoSesx]

I googled and found it. It’s called “at the bottom of the garden” and it’s by David Campton

[@GypsyRoSesx]

And it’s in SF1 edited by Richard Davis in 1980. The book cover has a man in a green running suit running from an orange wave like blob 🌊

[@GypsyRoSesx]

A link to the story is available but KZbin keeps deleting my comment believing it is spam

[@tamerlaaane]

Have you, as mentioned in your video, already read The 13th Immortal? I wouldnt do it, its dreadful in my opinion. I did read Master of Life n Death thanks to you and i enjoyed it quite a lot!

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

'13th' is one of his early hackworks- though I'll admit I've not read it.

[@waltera13]

It *is* hard to know which books are covered where (like *I* think you did Tidhar books - but how will I find them?) since everything is indexed by title, but they might not be mentioned 'in' a title. In a year who'll look for Tidhar, or PJ Farmer in the Silverberg vid? perhaps *more* encyclopedic hash-tagging?

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Bear with me on this, as I have some playlist tidying to do. I've mentioned Tidhar a couple of times, but have not done a video about his work- in fact, I've criticised it quite a bit. Just ask me anytime and I'll always point in the right direction.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/a6PVXnSXl8R_is0 -Silverberg roundup

[@waltera13]

@@outlawbookselleroriginal No worries, I meant it as a suggestion - I have no interest in Tidhar, I just used him as an example at hand from the video. I understand why you may want some things to be surprises or free form, but if you want the videos to *also* be a resource you may have to sacrifice that (surprise) to put titles and / or authors in the description so they come up in searches. -With every good wish 😁

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

@@waltera13 -Well, it will always be freewheeling with me, my youtubing is to be inspirational and not a reference source. My books are the resource, which is why I wrote them and why I refer to them in the videos - I earn very little money from them, so it's not just to earn some royalties and they're more considered and specific, so they are always there for people to discover. One thing you may not be aware of is that there is a character limit to titles for youtube videos, so I can't include every author I mention. I do have an expectation of the viewer that they do some digging themselves, as it's what I did and it's how I became an expert on a level I consider modest compared to people like Clute, Nichols and Pringle. Anyway mate, your input is always very much appreciated and I hope you continue to enjoy my stuff and specific questions always welcome!🙂

[@waltera13]

@@outlawbookselleroriginal Thanks. I *do* try . BTW, I was trying to say to put authors / titles in the description, or hash-tagging them there - not the video titles. Sorry if that was unclear with "titles" of two different media being discussed & me not wanting to write "hash-tag" too often. They don't even HAVE to be "so tagged" just a list in the description. And it's late here.

[@themojocorpse1290]

Has anyone read Tom o bedlam by silverberg ?

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

This is one I've not read yet- I've neglected post- 'Lord Valentine's Castle' Silverberg for years with around four exceptions, as this period is not supposed to measure up to 67-76, his period of genius. But I have a ton lined up, including this one.

[@quantumbacon]

Near completism ?

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

I guess so!

[@Joe-lb8qn]

The world of tiers book 7 is the equivalent of bobby ewing waking up in the shower. (Ok fair enough thats an old reference but whatever) read at your peril. I cannot stress enough that if you enjoyed the series let it go after vol 6 And if you didn't you wouldn't have got as far as 6 anyway.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Those later volumes were tacked on long after the fact, always a bad sign....

[@Joe-lb8qn]

@@outlawbookselleroriginal I enjoyed some of them but increasingly less and should have abandoned earlier. The story could have been wrapped up an an extra volume or two not drag it out until the excrescence of vol 7 😂