I've admired Silverberg's craft in devising a world utterly different than our own, where the major powers are the Aztecs and the Turks, and in painting the subtle nuances of such a world, to the tiniest detail. So, I cannot understand why he makes his main charachter commit such a stupid mistake, when the teensiest bit of sense would have commanded a different choice.
I was somewhat disappointed. But the intuition of the gates of worlds and of possible realities is wonderful. It reminds me when in Dick's The Man In The High Castle, set in a reality where Hitler won, someone circulates a fantasy where the events have gone othervise...a similar scene occurs when the portly mentor of our not overbright protagonist delineates the , to us, REAL story, and becomes suspectly heated in the telling. Was he an Universe shifter, like other protagonists of Silverberg's stories?

The Gate of Worlds takes place in 1985 in an alternate world in which the Black Death killed 3/4 of Europe (instead of 1/4) in 1348. As a result, the Turks could easily conquer Europe, leaving them in no position to colonize the New World, or anywhere else, for that matter, and non-Western civilizations all over the world were allowed to develop. But technology is almost a century behind.
This is the story of Dan Beauchamp, an 18-year-old Englishman who emigrates to the Aztec Empire, which takes up all of Central America and eastern North America. Europe is poor, but Mexico is a very rich country. I won't tell you how it ends, but it is very interesting, very realistic, and leaves you begging for a sequel.

This was a good book. ANY book that is a good book is a book that makes you think. What would have happened in the Plague had hit Europe worse then it actually did? Would there be a different powerhouse now? Who would rule? How good would the technology be? Anyways, i reccomend this book to anyone who likes to think, no matter what they like to think about.

I read "Sailing to Byzantium" about six months ago. I saw a reference to it the other day and I was surprised how vividly some of the stories still stuck out in my mind. Sadly, I have read little of Silverberg's work, but this book definitely made me want to dig out more of his novellas and short stories.

The two that stuck out the most admittedly were those with ties closest to my interests: ancient history and invertebrate zoology. The novella for which the book was named, "Sailing to Byzantium", sets the stage for what becomes a selection of wildly different and surprising stories. In "Sailing to Byzantium", Silverberg does a surprisingly good job of meshing ancient history and culture clash with classic science fiction concepts and plot twists. "Homefaring", on the other hand, lays out most of the plot surprises right off and spends a great deal of time exploring the implications of the setting: a civilization of intelligent lobsters. Aside from minor evolutionary-morphological quibbles, the story was a wondrously bizarre surprise. The other three stories were equally as deft in mixing plot and setting, but possibly through my own prejudices, they don't stick nearly as well in my brain.

Silverberg discusses in his introduction that he enjoys working in the novella format and it really shows. In all five stories, Silverberg really gets the chance to sit down and enjoy the worlds that he's working in. Each have their own impressively creative spark that really make you wonder how one can come up with such ideas.

If you're looking for good, classic science fiction, then Silverberg's work is one that you should definitely pick up. If you want a good example of what the genre has evolved from in the last twenty or thirty years, it is still well worht reading. Either way, I think anyone looking to broaden their field of science fiction reading should try this book.

"Sailing to Byzantium" gathers together five of Robert Silverberg's most accomplished novellas, accompanied by introductions describing their conception. There is not a weak story in the collection; in fact, each is so compelling that the reader will find himself chafing against the boundaries of the novella format, repeatedly asking, Why didn't Silverberg devlep this topic more? Why couldn't I see more of this character? The inclusion of the introductions allows the reader to attempt the disturbing task of reconciling Silverberg's beautiful, poetic writing with his prosaic and sometimes downright mercenary explanations of how a story came into being.

Fans of Silverberg's work should purchase this attractive (the cover features a very nice painting) anthology; fans of SF and fantasy unacquainted with his work should remedy this oversight, and this collection is a good place to start.

I think Silverberg's stories are masterpieces of the imaginations,absolutely intriguing,and at the same time deeply unsettling.We don't know when in the future "Sailing to Byzantium"is set;we are also totally in the dark as to who is in charge of the whole works.Who has read (or is reading)Tad William's Otherland series will find a similarity whit the dicotomy puppets-citizen in the distinction between citizens and "temporaries". The story is fascinating in the details,the strange levity of descriptions,the questions it arises .Think also of H.G. Wells Time Traveler.Eloi whitout Morlocks?Silverberg is not only a great S.F. writer,but a learned connoisseur of history.

This book was very interesting and informative, with valuable, detailed information about each extinct or endangered species that I could not find anywhere else. This has information that is very good and it is wonderful if you are looking for detail in research of these animals or if you are writing your own book about them. This can tell you everything from the color of the dodo's feathers to the sound of the quagga's neigh...

This book is indeed a rare breed of book. It is interesting and informative, and it is full of finer details and key information that I could not find anywhere else. This is a great book to read if you're researching extinct or rare animals, or if you even want to write your own book on the topic. A true gem....

The story is well writen but just down right borring i could not read 2 pages with out falling asleep and the ending was a big let down

This is his best, in my opinion. The theme of the book is fairly simple (almost cliched when you get to the surprise near the end) yet it is still an engrossing read. However, the biggest surprise (unless you're smarter than me - not too hard!) is when you find out the nature of the main characters in the book, which happens not too far into it. All in all, a great book.

This book ios one of the best books that I've ever read. This is the only book that'll I'll read more then once and still be excited. He is by far one the best sci-fi writers of our times!

This fairly recent offering shows Silverberg's skill at combining a gripping plot and sympathetic characters, even if it does seem at first to be a re-run of Planet of the Apes. Excellent descriptive passages of a ruined city in an America following a 700,000 year long ice-age created by bombarding comets. The plot has many twists before the happy ending. Has echoes of the Gilgamesh novel which is better.

I've been looking everywhere for this book, and have been unable to find it at nearby bookstores and libraries. I read it many years ago, in junior high I believe, which seems not so long ago, but I haven't read it since. As soon as I find a copy to buy though, I plan on devouring the story word by word. Of all the books I have read, Silverberg's tale of a far-future earth has stuck with me, never fading as so many books and their plots often do. This is classic SF written by one of the masters in the genre. I recommend this to anyone searching for a great adventure and not wanting to be bogged down in a long drawn out series, i.e. Hubbard's Mission Earth, or Jordan's Wheel of Time, or perhaps to make the wait between installments not so agonizing, i.e. George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire or the Dune prequels by Kevin J. Anderson and David Herbert, two current obsessions of mine. Also try Silverberg's Lord Valentine books, those are classics as well, and worthy reads for any fantasist looking for someplace better to be, if only for a little while.

Silverberg is perhaps SF's greatest living author. This is one of the best of his later works, a spellbinding and engrossing novel that transports to the reader to an alien world. It's not easy to create convincing aliens that human readers can identify with, but Silverberg succeeds here with a fascinating tale full of mythic archetypes, beautifully drawn characters, and of course his glittering and vivid prose.

A briskly-paced narrative of the first circumnavigations, including accounts of Spanish, English and Dutch expeditions, to exploit the Americas and, especially, the Far East. A real page-turner(!)

If you like history, the age of enlightenment, and sailing you'll probably like this book. It has a very good account of Magellans expedition (it's the only through one I've read). I wish there were more books like this

If someone is looking for a great read, Silverberg had done a terrific job in documenting the voyages of the great sailors and the building of the spice trades through the hands of the Portugese, Spanish, Dutch and English. Make no doubt, they all acted like pirates, except the Dutch had a better of sense of business and thus won out in the end. I highly recommend reading this book.

Ponape and Nan-Matol ARE still mysterious islands in the South Pacific - despite much archaeological speculation, Easter Island is too! This wild tale combines the mystery of these islands with hollow-earth theory and techno-occultism to produce a fantasy epic only Abraham Merritt could conceive.

abraham merritt: a great writer from the age before the far corners of the world had been explored. when there was still a sense of innocence about what the world contained. it is gone now that we have investigated the whole world. there are no strange islands in the south pacific; no metal monsters in outer mongolia; no bridges to valhalla above the artic circle in scandinavia. there are times when knowing too much hurts the ability to dream. from pat taylor

I gave this five stars because it deserved it. It's still a classic and still a lot of fun to read. However, readers be warned. You must remember it was written in 1919. Stereotypes abound. Women are voluptous, wear very little clothing and are either totally good or totally evil. If you can make allowances for all that, then it's a thoroughly enjoyable romp and the author's imagination is stunning. Today, he would place his adventure on an alien planet. In 1919, the vast uncharted regions of the Pacific were vast and alien enough to contain lost races, lost civilizations, unimaginable science, etc. My recommendation is to suspend all disbelief and critical judgment and simply enjoy.

Four hundred years from now the population of Earth awaits a comet whose coming is feared to mark the end of all human life. How this will happen exactly is a matter of speculation. Among the thinkers of this 25th century society debate rages over whether we will burn, freeze, suffocate or drown. It just so happens that the human race survives, and the end of the world, eagerly awaited throughout history, is postponed yet again.

The Earth goes on to become an ancient planet, undergoing all manner of metamorphoses, spawning countless civilizations which flourish and die. Over millions of years physical and mental changes ensure humanity evolves into a species far superior to its hopelessly inadequate ancestors before passing away, leaving the Earth a barren husk studded with the ruins of an earlier age. While we are burdened with the knowledge that all things pass, we take comfort in knowing that creation is neverending.

The illustrations in "Omega" are good, though a couple are vaguely amusing. One can't help grinning at the fleet of aircraft that resemble flying sail boats. I suppose people in the 25th century will feel the same way when they look back at the SF illustrations done in the late twentieth. Maybe "Omega" would seem less dated without the illustrations, although some of the science described in the writing is also inaccurate. No matter. As Einstein once said, imagination is more important than knowledge, and this book is without question imaginitive.

If "Omega" hadn't been written where would Olaf Stapledon have got his inspiration for "Last and First Men"? It's always ironic when a "groundbreaking" work gets its inspiration from an earlier, more obscure source; just as an inventor gets the credit for someone else's idea, so too an original novel lies forgotten in the wake of its more popular successor. Until now.

"Omega" is an interesting book, although it probably won't become compulsory reading for English students. It might seem a bit deep for those looking for a gripping story with interesting characters. In terms of scope and vision, "Omega" is in the same class as anything written by H.G. Wells.

This is a rather wonderful old frensh sf novel from the last years of the 19th century. It was a great hit in Scandinavia in danish (and, I believe) swedish) translations in the 1890s. Very nice pictures too. The story falls in two parts. The first part is about an end-of-the world-s care a few centuries in the future, when astronomers find out (helped by a message form Mars!) that a comet is going to hit the Earh. The second part is a future history from after the comet hit to the REAL end of life on Earth, millions of years in the future. A very nice story - thoroughly dated, but still a great read, if you got the temper for this kind of thing. And it is quite obvious that Stapledon had read Flammarions future history when he wrote his great masterpiece"Last and first men" .

This wonderful book was first published in 1893 in French. It was very popular in its time and has been translated to 11 languages. The English translation of 1894 has been reprinted only once. I first read this book in a Foreign language edition a number of years ago, and since then, I have been waiting for a new English edition. This book predates a number of similar apocalyptic novels published later. It served as a source of inspiration for a number of authors such as Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, and Olaf Stapledon. If you have read Stapledon's "Last and First Men", don't miss Flammarion's gem. You will find many similarities.

Not Silverberg's best. Set on an alien world inhabited by humans but their culture and technology is like that of Earth's middle ages. Therefore, the book is more like a fantasy or historical novel than SF. Told from the point of view of a political/sociological/religious rebel, it can get a tad preachy at times and the whole psychedelic drug thing seems a bit dated (the book was written in the late 60's or early 70's) though interesting nonetheless. If you're new to Silverberg check out "The World Inside" or "Downward to the Earth" before this one.

I have to concur with a fellow reviewer - there is very little here that is science fiction. However, the science fiction genre releases the novel from some restrictive bounds and allows Silverberg to fully develop his ideas. The story: a planet has been settled by what I call "Catholic Puritans" - religious fundamentalists that believe self-containment and self-effacement are the keys to a stable society. They retain the idea of confessional (called "draining") to allow some relief from the totality of self-reliance. Referring to oneself directly (i.e. use of the pronouns I, we, etc.) is a sin, as well as burdoning someone (other than a Drainer) with any personal problems.

Into this society is born Kinnall, a noble. He meets an Earthman (with no such cultural conditioning) who introduces to him a drug that allows, for a short time, the direct communication between minds. Kinnall comes to the realisation that to know someone is to truly love him, and sets out to spread his newfound knowledge with the fervor of a prophet, even though it is illegal.

The story, while interesting, is not the reason to read the book. It is a superbly crafted tale, told in the first person by Kinnall, so you come to be immersed in the culture and morals of the society. The background is so consistently maintained that you feel it is a real place (or, that it could be a real place) and philosophy.

This is not really so much a science fiction tale as a parallel tale (rebuttal?) to the sexual revolution of the late '60's. The technology is similar (for example, they have automobiles), although the government system is more autocratic. Instead of sex, however, it is friendship and brotherly love that are the revolutionary concepts. One could argue that such a revolution has not yet occurred on Earth, and we could certainly use it! This book is not meant to preach, but is an immersing experience that is both enjoyable and a little thought-provoking.

Gee, look at this another out of print and utterly awesome Robert Silverberg book, how the author himself can let all these great books of his go out of print is totally beyond me, sometimes I think that the chance that a book will stay in print is inversely proportional to how good it is (check out my comments on the Helliconia books by Aldiss for more of those rants). Needless to say this one was awarded either the Hugo or Nebula or both and it darn well deserved it (and I think there was some stiff competition that year). Unlike the shift at the time toward "hard science fiction" (Ringworld had just come out the year before and changed all the rules about scientific accuracy), Silverberg fills his novel more with ideas and feelings, using the medium to ultimately make comments that can apply to us and showing us the necessity to know yourself so you can know others. In a nutshell, the book details the story of a man named Kinnall who lives on a planet where selfhood is totally abolished, everyone talks in the third person ("one this and one that") and some talk totally in the passive voice and basically people close off to one another completely. Into this world comes an Earthman with a drug that can break down the barriers between people and let you enter into their minds and upon tasting it, Kinnall embarks on a quest to let his world know about love and knowing each other. The book is told in devastatingly searing prose, and Kinnall's observations are always poignant, you can feel his conviction for his cause and get a feel for the emotional barreness of a world where the words "I love you" are a total abomination. While not as intense as Dying Inside, this one further served to cement Silverberg's reputation as one of the best authors of the seventies. Probably one of the greatest science fiction novels of all time, if only for its complete examination of a society where self baring is a crime, it deserves to be read even today and its message taken to heart. If you don't know yourself, you can never know anyone else. Who says reading never teaches you anything important?