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A haunting novel of a dying world.
"Very allegorical but it is effective on this level because it is also effective on the level of science fiction. The deserted city is a real presence; the first signs of disintegration ripple along the read-er's nerves much as the fungoid organisms champ away silently at the doomed city. Absorbing." -IRISH TIMES
"Very allegorical but it is effective on this level because it is also effective on the level of science fiction. The deserted city is a real presence; the first signs of disintegration ripple along the read-er's nerves much as the fungoid organisms champ away silently at the doomed city. Absorbing." -IRISH TIMES
- GenresScience FictionFiction
157 pages, Perfect Paperback
First published January 1, 1966
2 people are currently reading
84 people want to read
About the author
D.G. Compton
47 books36 followersDavid Guy Compton has published science fiction as D.G. Compton. He has also published crime novels as Guy Compton and Gothic fiction as Frances Lynch.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
January 2, 2024
'The Silent Multitude' is an oddly fascinating SF novel, neither new wave nor pulp, but a document of quiet urban desolation. As subtle as it is short, elusive and relatively unknown author, D.G. Compton, has uniquely threaded a futuristic tale about a UK city decomposing via the invisible throes of 'the sickness' (a spore-like fungus that alludes to be of extraterrestrial origin, and congregates in the concrete and stone of buildings, eating it to the core). Yes, another UK novel about fungoid invaders, perhaps only at a microscopic level, so readers who'd expect to find the playful doom of 'The Fungus' or John Blackburn's 'Scent of New Mown Hay' will be mystified, and perhaps even bored. Here, Compton parallels the decay of the city of Gloucester with 4 characters who have evaded the evacuation. One character can't leave because he refuses to revisit his prior life, another can't leave because Gloucester is where she grew up, while another can't leave due a filial and delusional bond to the city, and another makes no exit because he is bound to his faith and dedication to his duty of Dean of Gloucestershire church. Faith no more, the city has no room for the living.
No gunfights. No royal army advancing. No war room shenanigans. This is simply about desolation, the urban landscape accelerating its doom to match the inner psyche of characters bonded to their captivity to this future architecture. Of course, one can compare it to the works of J.G. Ballard and perhaps even Burgess, but Compton unfolds deep levels by remaining a simple stylist and never pulp-reveling his fantastical doom. Not quite New Wave, definitely not pulp, but a weird rumination that is far from perfect (some dialogue is rigidly flat), yet 'The Silent Multitude' surely lingers under the skin, and perhaps just like the spores, it reminds us that we're not only moving within a house of cards, but a city of illusion that eats itself to rubble.
I dig Compton. I look forward to his others. Synthajoy, Steel Crocodile, and The Unsleeping Eye.
No gunfights. No royal army advancing. No war room shenanigans. This is simply about desolation, the urban landscape accelerating its doom to match the inner psyche of characters bonded to their captivity to this future architecture. Of course, one can compare it to the works of J.G. Ballard and perhaps even Burgess, but Compton unfolds deep levels by remaining a simple stylist and never pulp-reveling his fantastical doom. Not quite New Wave, definitely not pulp, but a weird rumination that is far from perfect (some dialogue is rigidly flat), yet 'The Silent Multitude' surely lingers under the skin, and perhaps just like the spores, it reminds us that we're not only moving within a house of cards, but a city of illusion that eats itself to rubble.
I dig Compton. I look forward to his others. Synthajoy, Steel Crocodile, and The Unsleeping Eye.
January 15, 2016
A dreamy psychological tale of the four people who stay in Gloucester after the city has been evacuated, as the buildings collapse around them thanks to an interstellar concrete-eating spore. Our cast of characters includes Dean Goodliffe, shackled to his faith and the fate of the 800-year-old cathedral in his care; Paper Smith, a mentally-challenged recluse who hasn't communicated with other people in years other than to acquire his cache of old newspapers; Simeon, embittered son of a prominent architect, a malcontent who sneaks into the collapsing cities to vindictively watch his father's creations crumble; and Sally Paget, a journalist looking for the "human element" in this catastrophe.
The apocalyptic backdrop to is fascinating, but the eroding buildings are more backdrop than a main element; don't expect a standard "escape the crumbling city" catastrophe novel, because it isn't. Compton wrote very character-driven works, and The Silent Multitude is more a psychological study of four fascinating characters than it is a typical disaster/apocalypse story. I'm also not entirely sure Compton succeeded at making it a more philosophical or introspective piece; it seems poised to become an examination of something deep and insightful but Compton leaves it far too open to the reader's interpretation, not even hinting at any assertions. Instead, The Silent Multitude is an exercise in nihilism, a quiet and melancholic character study.
It's an interesting read, and Compton is a fantastic and underrated author at his best. Sadly, this is not his best, though it's not as bad as I'm told Chronicules or The Missionaries are.
Full review, and other SF book reviews, on my blog.
The apocalyptic backdrop to is fascinating, but the eroding buildings are more backdrop than a main element; don't expect a standard "escape the crumbling city" catastrophe novel, because it isn't. Compton wrote very character-driven works, and The Silent Multitude is more a psychological study of four fascinating characters than it is a typical disaster/apocalypse story. I'm also not entirely sure Compton succeeded at making it a more philosophical or introspective piece; it seems poised to become an examination of something deep and insightful but Compton leaves it far too open to the reader's interpretation, not even hinting at any assertions. Instead, The Silent Multitude is an exercise in nihilism, a quiet and melancholic character study.
It's an interesting read, and Compton is a fantastic and underrated author at his best. Sadly, this is not his best, though it's not as bad as I'm told Chronicules or The Missionaries are.
Full review, and other SF book reviews, on my blog.
January 24, 2012
Why would a book about crumbling buildings be interesting? Why on earth would I spend money on this, and why was this book never reprinted?
The answer is yes.
Does that make sense? No. Not in the least, but I've never read another book about scenery crashing down. The book has a strangely quiet and melancholy tone, which seems rather odd, because I always assumed that collapsing buildings would be quite loud. However, I have been sufficiently convinced that this is not the case, and that Compton has everything quite right. The book was worth the 50 cents. Probably more.
The answer is yes.
Does that make sense? No. Not in the least, but I've never read another book about scenery crashing down. The book has a strangely quiet and melancholy tone, which seems rather odd, because I always assumed that collapsing buildings would be quite loud. However, I have been sufficiently convinced that this is not the case, and that Compton has everything quite right. The book was worth the 50 cents. Probably more.
Read
February 13, 2024this is a microcosm of the ways we've been conditioned to respond to societal decay in the modern age. the actions of the four principle characters across a condensed few days make their roles more clear than any real life analogues, but they're emblematic of the subtle ways people have learned to behave under an oppressive, hubristic water torture drip of power and a worsening world they can't control.
December 3, 2024
Here we find Compton with a more focused sense of restraint and cloud like movement than his other works. The Silent Multitude is Compton’s contribution to the dying earth sub-genre of SF.
Among the bustling streets of Gloucester a pandemonium gradually unfolds. The neighboring cities of England have already been decimated by an alien life form that propagates itself through invisible spores, descending upon cities from above. The spores feed on primarily limestone and granite and gently whither away each cities metropolitan expanse, leaving only the skeleton of steel enclosures.
In Compton fashion, the novel focuses primarily on a select group of inhabitants of the decaying city, rather than a larger sense of world-building and technological musings typically found in SF. Compton’s landscapes and technological developments are always used as a means of going deeper into the inner landscape of his characters.
The novel follows four protagonists (five if we count Tug the cat, which I felt was a strongpoint of the novel): Simeon, an aggressive and disillusioned architect who finds a sadomasochistic joy in the disintegration of the modern world. Bill Smith, an elderly homeless man voluntarily living in isolation and an almost self-induced trance in order to keep from remembering his regretful past. Dean Goodliffe, the minister and primary caretaker of an 800 year old church, who refuses to evacuate the city on his spiritual vocation. And Sally, a journalist and suburbanite who comes to Gloucester to photograph and report on the spores takeover, interviewing the inhabitants who stay behind.
There is a resemblance to Camus’ The Plague in this novel. Where the conditions of modernity are eradicated in the face of a silent and invisible enemy. Each character develops a particular relationship to this event. Some impart a refusal to acknowledge reality, some a percolating fear, and others a celebration in the face of collapse.
This is not a bracing novel by Compton, but to be fair that is probably not an appropriate adjective to describe David’s work. In contrast with Farewell, Earth’s Bliss, Synthajoy, and The Unsleeping Eye, the psychological examinations that underpin Compton’s work were not as strong. The allegories were effective but a bit too simple for my taste. I like to take away something from a novel, or at least be greatly entertained, this work did not manage to entirely accomplish either. Though, from the sheer quality of the writing, Compton is a key figure in SF and I look forward to collecting and reading his entire bibliography.
“I think it’s our loss that we don’t believe in dying for our beliefs anymore - What’s wrong with us is that we don’t live our beliefs either. Not properly live.”
Among the bustling streets of Gloucester a pandemonium gradually unfolds. The neighboring cities of England have already been decimated by an alien life form that propagates itself through invisible spores, descending upon cities from above. The spores feed on primarily limestone and granite and gently whither away each cities metropolitan expanse, leaving only the skeleton of steel enclosures.
In Compton fashion, the novel focuses primarily on a select group of inhabitants of the decaying city, rather than a larger sense of world-building and technological musings typically found in SF. Compton’s landscapes and technological developments are always used as a means of going deeper into the inner landscape of his characters.
The novel follows four protagonists (five if we count Tug the cat, which I felt was a strongpoint of the novel): Simeon, an aggressive and disillusioned architect who finds a sadomasochistic joy in the disintegration of the modern world. Bill Smith, an elderly homeless man voluntarily living in isolation and an almost self-induced trance in order to keep from remembering his regretful past. Dean Goodliffe, the minister and primary caretaker of an 800 year old church, who refuses to evacuate the city on his spiritual vocation. And Sally, a journalist and suburbanite who comes to Gloucester to photograph and report on the spores takeover, interviewing the inhabitants who stay behind.
There is a resemblance to Camus’ The Plague in this novel. Where the conditions of modernity are eradicated in the face of a silent and invisible enemy. Each character develops a particular relationship to this event. Some impart a refusal to acknowledge reality, some a percolating fear, and others a celebration in the face of collapse.
This is not a bracing novel by Compton, but to be fair that is probably not an appropriate adjective to describe David’s work. In contrast with Farewell, Earth’s Bliss, Synthajoy, and The Unsleeping Eye, the psychological examinations that underpin Compton’s work were not as strong. The allegories were effective but a bit too simple for my taste. I like to take away something from a novel, or at least be greatly entertained, this work did not manage to entirely accomplish either. Though, from the sheer quality of the writing, Compton is a key figure in SF and I look forward to collecting and reading his entire bibliography.
“I think it’s our loss that we don’t believe in dying for our beliefs anymore - What’s wrong with us is that we don’t live our beliefs either. Not properly live.”
August 30, 2016
A co-worker lent me his copy of this, after telling me of the premise. The science fiction part of the premise was incredibly promising to me: a spore brought back from space attacks granite and the lime in mortar and concrete, resulting in one city after another simply falling apart! A great "what if" and a major change in pace from the usual alien invasion stories. I envisioned something like a mix of Day of the Triffids, The Magnetic Monster and The Monolith Monster.
Unfortunately, this fantastic idea is just the backdrop for the actual action: a character study of four people. This might work if there was some point to their characters or if the characters were interesting or even just a little pleasant. Instead we get the Dean of a Cathedral who stays on believing that his church will be spared, either by God or by it's ancient construction (the least irritating of the quartet); William "Paper" Smith, a street person who lives hidden in an old coal room of an office building with his pet cat and his enormous collection of newspapers; the daughter of the editor of a major newspaper, come to the city to find a story; and Sim, the son of the architect that redesigned Gloucester (the site of the action) and a former architect himself who hates the modern city and what is had done to man, seems to hate people, and definitely hates women. If your idea of a scintillating science fiction story is trying to figure out Paper Smith's secret (hint: he has money and when you find out exactly who he is you realize he's ten times more of an asshole than you expected) or watching Sim trying to get into the reporter's pants by first hitting her, then stealing her expensive camera and offering to exchange it for sex, then by just attempting to go for it, well, then this book is for you. If you actually want to learn more about what happens to the city, or what the destruction of most large scale construction would do to our society, don't read this book, because you will be incredibly disappointed.
Unfortunately, this fantastic idea is just the backdrop for the actual action: a character study of four people. This might work if there was some point to their characters or if the characters were interesting or even just a little pleasant. Instead we get the Dean of a Cathedral who stays on believing that his church will be spared, either by God or by it's ancient construction (the least irritating of the quartet); William "Paper" Smith, a street person who lives hidden in an old coal room of an office building with his pet cat and his enormous collection of newspapers; the daughter of the editor of a major newspaper, come to the city to find a story; and Sim, the son of the architect that redesigned Gloucester (the site of the action) and a former architect himself who hates the modern city and what is had done to man, seems to hate people, and definitely hates women. If your idea of a scintillating science fiction story is trying to figure out Paper Smith's secret (hint: he has money and when you find out exactly who he is you realize he's ten times more of an asshole than you expected) or watching Sim trying to get into the reporter's pants by first hitting her, then stealing her expensive camera and offering to exchange it for sex, then by just attempting to go for it, well, then this book is for you. If you actually want to learn more about what happens to the city, or what the destruction of most large scale construction would do to our society, don't read this book, because you will be incredibly disappointed.
November 21, 2020
A real lost masterpiece this one. It would sit comfortably alongside Ballard's Drowned World or Wyndham's Day of the Triffids - downbeat literary science fiction. It's character-based and deals with neurosis and alienation with a proficiency worthy of Philip K Dick. There's even a touch of Dickens in the authorial perspective as we follow the wanderings of Tug the cat through the empty streets of the ancient English city of Gloucester. The city is itself a character. Its rapid decay, due to a spaceborne parasite that eats limestone, mirrors the moral decline of the other cast members and society as a whole. Or does it? Allegorically, The Silent Multitude is complex, but despite the clarity of the prose alongside the straightforwardness of the plot, the resolution resists conclusion in a manner that satisfies the reader while leaving literally vital questions open. In short, it leaves you thinking, as all truly good books do. For me, it was an engrossing and compelling read from cover to cover, but then I was born and raised in Gloucester so I'm hardly impartial.
March 3, 2020
Full review: https://sciencefictionruminations.com...
"“He was out now looking for signs. He knew how to stay alive. He was a strangely violent man, to him the fall of the city was some sort of unholy celebration (89).”
The decaying/empty city as allegory: its few post-evacuation occupants (a tramp and his cat, the cathedral’s dean, a young suburban woman, a troubled architect’s son — all well-drawn characters) wander the deserted [...]"
"“He was out now looking for signs. He knew how to stay alive. He was a strangely violent man, to him the fall of the city was some sort of unholy celebration (89).”
The decaying/empty city as allegory: its few post-evacuation occupants (a tramp and his cat, the cathedral’s dean, a young suburban woman, a troubled architect’s son — all well-drawn characters) wander the deserted [...]"
February 18, 2024
This is a dystopian novel that reads almost like a play about four main characters (and a cat) in a crumbling Gloucester. It was published in 1966 and has some dated aspects such as a man collecting newspapers but the characterisation is strong. Gloucester is almost another character: the city is being attached by a fungus that causes the buildings to collapse.
The protagonists all defy the eviction order and spend most of the novel evading the authorities who are trying to clear the city. Comptom’s prose is a delight to read, it is clear, descriptive and yet unobtrusive. It is rare to read about a homeless person and their struggles, especially from that time, and the obvious mental illness that he suffers from. His dealings with the vending machine and the cat are humorous and touching.
The novel reminded me of The Beatles song, ‘Eleanor Rigby,’ with a Father Mackenzie type vicar and a lonely, female journalist. It is sad, touching, real and a good story. I read it in a couple of sittings.
The protagonists all defy the eviction order and spend most of the novel evading the authorities who are trying to clear the city. Comptom’s prose is a delight to read, it is clear, descriptive and yet unobtrusive. It is rare to read about a homeless person and their struggles, especially from that time, and the obvious mental illness that he suffers from. His dealings with the vending machine and the cat are humorous and touching.
The novel reminded me of The Beatles song, ‘Eleanor Rigby,’ with a Father Mackenzie type vicar and a lonely, female journalist. It is sad, touching, real and a good story. I read it in a couple of sittings.
September 1, 2023
Unexpectedly engaging in that one would expect something like this from, oh, John Fowles or some such literary writer. It is SF in its setting and the reactions of the characters to the changing world around them, but it is a study in that change and how people adapt. Adapt inside. Compton's prose are elegant and studied and he moves us smoothly through a world that begins in the familiar and then carries us into a desolation that offers a chance to do better.
October 1, 2022
This is one of those books written in the late sixties that leave me wondering if people ever actually talked like that. The spoilt rapey young man seems like an archetype of those times. But hey there are only 4 characters and one of them is a cat. The writing is like a cross between J.G. Ballard and P.D. James. I will read more of his stuff.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 25, 2022
Probably a 3.5, really, but a nice read reminiscent of Ballard's 60s stuff. There's not a lot of "sci" in its fi, the book's more about the four main characters' interactions with crumbling Gloucester (and the looming threat to the rest of humanity) as a backdrop.
September 23, 2017
2.5 stars
May 26, 2024
4 stars, probably 3.5, but the first 50 pages was very literary and was 5 stars. Wonderfully depressing. Bit of a slog in the middle.
January 1, 2013
The book has an interesting melancholy tone of watching the world crumble, but is also somewhat disjointed-feeling. Generally interesting in terms of the end of the world aspect, but a bit muddled.
May 24, 2015
A cat and a few humans remain in a dying city. Also, more typos in my 1966 paperback than I've ever noticed in a book.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews