I’ve been reading Robert Silverberg’s short stories and novels for over 50 years. Silverberg, a versatile writer, started out churning out story after story for the Science Fiction magazines of the 1950s. When those markets dried up, Silverberg turned to the paperback market. Then, after all that success, Silverberg left SF to write non-fiction books. Frederik Pohl, then editor of GALAXY and IF, lured Silverberg back to Science Fiction by telling him “write whatever you want.” Silverberg, inspired by this offer, wrote a lot of award-winning stories: “Nighwings” (1969), “Passengers” (1969), and “Good News from the Vatican” (1971). Over the decades, Silverberg would take occasional “breaks” but eventually he would return and write wonderful stories and novels. There have been several “Best of” collections of Robert Silverberg’s work. Subterranean Press published a series of books collecting most of Silverberg’s short fiction.
But First-Person Singularities is different. All the stories are told in the First Person. Some of these stories are familiar–like “The Secret Sharer–others are more obscure. If you’re a fan of Robert Silverberg’s work, this is a must-buy. If you’re a fan of science fiction, here are some great stories by one of SF’s masters. John Scalzi provides an entertaining Introduction. Do you have a favorite Silverberg story or novel? GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
The “I”S of Robert Silverberg: An Introduction by John Scalzi
Foreword by Robert Silverberg
Ishmael in Love
Going Down Smooth
The Reality Trip
The Songs of Summer
The Martian Invasion Journals of Henry James
Push No More
House of Bones
Call Me Titan
Our Lady Of The Sauropods
There Was an Old Woman
The Dybbuk of Mazel Tov Iv
Caliban
Passengers
Now Plus N, Now Minus N
The Iron Star
The Science Fiction Hall of Fame
To See The Invisible Man
The Secret Sharer