A few weeks ago, James Reasoner reviewed Robert Silverberg’s The Longest Way Home on his excellent blog here. I’m a big fan of Robert Silverberg’s work, but somehow The Longest Way Home had slipped under my book radar. I found a copy and read it. A young boy, visiting a royal family (on this planet called “Masters”), wakes up with the estate under attack by the Folk (the worker class). With some grit and luck, the boy manages to escape the massacre. He finds sanctuary in an alien village and then begins his 10,000 mile trek back to his home. I’m assuming this book was marketed as a Young Adult novel. The boy goes through some terrible deprivations. The journey is full of danger and mystery. If you’re in the mood for a survival novel, The Longest Way Home will grip you. For an even more exciting survival novel, I’d also recommend My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George. It’s a story of a teenage boy who survives for a year alone in the Appalachian mountains. GRADE: B+
I remember when this book came out and don’t think it was marketed as a YA novel, but it certainly could have been.
Thanks for bringing THE LONGEST WAY HOME to my attention, James. I enjoyed reading it. Silverberg knows how to tell a compelling story.
From my years working in elementary and junior high school libraries, I remember Gary Paulsen’s books (especially THE HATCHET and its sequels) as being in a similar vein: YA novels focused on (usually) a teenage boy being stranded in nature and having to find his way back to civilization.
Yes, I thought of Gary Paulsen’s books, too, Deb, while reading THE LONGEST WAY HOME. The “kid against the wilderness” theme fascinates me.
Hadn’t heard of this Silverberg book either, but of course it can be difficult to keep up with him.
George, the “kids against the wilderness” genre is a favorite of mine, also. For distaff versions, Mazer’s THE ISLAND KEEPER and O”Dell’s ISLAND OF THE BLUE DOLPHINS are both pretty entertaining.
The title is familiar, but I can’t recall if I’ve ever read MY SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN.
I’ve read O’Dell’s ISLAND OF THE BLUE DOLPHINS, but I haven’t read Mazer’s THE ISLAND KEEPER, Drongo. I’ll have track down a copy. My son and daughter read MY SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN as an assignment in Fifth Grade. Back then, I read all the assigned books, too, so I could help them with their essays if they asked. I was amazed by the story of MY SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN. I think you’d really enjoy it, Drongo. It’s one of the best survival novels I’ve ever read.
I couldn’t finish this Silverberg. I’ve read Blue Dolphin and I agree it is a pretty good YA book. I just finished rereading Heinlein’s Between Planets, which for all the fact that the science is extremely date, still reads very well.
Heinlein knew how to write a good story, Stan. Sure, the science is dated in most of his work, but the characters and plots still grab me. About two-thirds of the way through THE LONGEST WAY HOME, the action sagged. I think Silverberg could have made things more interesting by introducing a Master counter-offensive that Joseph could have joined.