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Mind to mind;: Nine stories of science fiction
"The Mindworm," by C.M. Kornbluth; "Psyclops," by Brian W. Aldiss; "Novice," by James H. Schmitz; "Liar!," by Isaac Asimov; "Something Wild Is Loose," by Robert Silverberg; "Riya's Foundling," by Algis Budrys; "Through Other Eyes," by R.A. Lafferty; "The Conspirators," by James White; and "Journey's End," by Poul Anderson.
- GenresScience Fiction
Hardcover
First published August 1, 1971
24 people want to read
About the author
Robert Silverberg
2,365 books1,620 followersThere are many authors in the database with this name.
Robert Silverberg is a highly celebrated American science fiction author and editor known for his prolific output and literary range. Over a career spanning decades, he has won multiple Hugo and Nebula Awards and was named a Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America in 2004. Inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame in 1999, Silverberg is recognized for both his immense productivity and his contributions to the genre's evolution.
Born in Brooklyn, he began writing in his teens and won his first Hugo Award in 1956 as the best new writer. Throughout the 1950s, he produced vast amounts of fiction, often under pseudonyms, and was known for writing up to a million words a year. When the market declined, he diversified into other genres, including historical nonfiction and erotica.
Silverberg’s return to science fiction in the 1960s marked a shift toward deeper psychological and literary themes, contributing significantly to the New Wave movement. Acclaimed works from this period include Downward to the Earth, Dying Inside, Nightwings, and The World Inside. In the 1980s, he launched the Majipoor series with Lord Valentine’s Castle, creating one of the most imaginative planetary settings in science fiction.
Though he announced his retirement from writing in the mid-1970s, Silverberg returned with renewed vigor and continued to publish acclaimed fiction into the 1990s. He received further recognition with the Nebula-winning Sailing to Byzantium and the Hugo-winning Gilgamesh in the Outback.
Silverberg has also played a significant role as an editor and anthologist, shaping science fiction literature through both his own work and his influence on others. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife, author Karen Haber.
Robert Silverberg is a highly celebrated American science fiction author and editor known for his prolific output and literary range. Over a career spanning decades, he has won multiple Hugo and Nebula Awards and was named a Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America in 2004. Inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame in 1999, Silverberg is recognized for both his immense productivity and his contributions to the genre's evolution.
Born in Brooklyn, he began writing in his teens and won his first Hugo Award in 1956 as the best new writer. Throughout the 1950s, he produced vast amounts of fiction, often under pseudonyms, and was known for writing up to a million words a year. When the market declined, he diversified into other genres, including historical nonfiction and erotica.
Silverberg’s return to science fiction in the 1960s marked a shift toward deeper psychological and literary themes, contributing significantly to the New Wave movement. Acclaimed works from this period include Downward to the Earth, Dying Inside, Nightwings, and The World Inside. In the 1980s, he launched the Majipoor series with Lord Valentine’s Castle, creating one of the most imaginative planetary settings in science fiction.
Though he announced his retirement from writing in the mid-1970s, Silverberg returned with renewed vigor and continued to publish acclaimed fiction into the 1990s. He received further recognition with the Nebula-winning Sailing to Byzantium and the Hugo-winning Gilgamesh in the Outback.
Silverberg has also played a significant role as an editor and anthologist, shaping science fiction literature through both his own work and his influence on others. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife, author Karen Haber.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 27, 2026
I’ve been very excited about short fiction this year & this collection contains work by nine noted SF writers, many who I only knew via reputation. Unfortunately this is the worse book I’ve read so far in 2026. First off the topic is telepathy. Psychic powers held a perverse fascination for mid-century SF novelists and the theme doesn’t particularly interest me… I think of how the telepaths on Babylon 5 were the focus on many a weak plot, despite Walter Koenig’s best efforts!!
Perhaps the fault lies in Silverberg’s curation - he frequently chooses early stories from these writers bf they had honed their skill. I’m looking at the table of contents & I don’t think I liked any of the stories. Maybe my favorite was Psyclops, in which Aldiss presents a psychic conversation btwn a dying father & an unborn son…. I sort of/kind of liked the hysterical robot in Asimov’s Liar!!! Maybe the most memorable story was Novice by James M Schmitz in which a young genius level psychic law student convinces Earth Federation to acknowledge the sentience of a species of psychic alien tigers. The Lafferty is a kind of yuck yuck piece of faux philosophical balderdash.
The book also has a pervasive smug misogyny to it that really grates. All in all an awful book!
Perhaps the fault lies in Silverberg’s curation - he frequently chooses early stories from these writers bf they had honed their skill. I’m looking at the table of contents & I don’t think I liked any of the stories. Maybe my favorite was Psyclops, in which Aldiss presents a psychic conversation btwn a dying father & an unborn son…. I sort of/kind of liked the hysterical robot in Asimov’s Liar!!! Maybe the most memorable story was Novice by James M Schmitz in which a young genius level psychic law student convinces Earth Federation to acknowledge the sentience of a species of psychic alien tigers. The Lafferty is a kind of yuck yuck piece of faux philosophical balderdash.
The book also has a pervasive smug misogyny to it that really grates. All in all an awful book!
November 1, 2010
"what clever people have not yet learned, some quite ordinary people have not yet entirely forgotten"
Read
September 9, 2024One really bad story (that was maybe anti-abortion?) sours the pile for me, but the rest were incredible RA Lafferty kills it again… becoming 1of my favs
December 22, 2019
Edited by the legendary Robert Silverberg, Mind to Mind is an anthology of nine eclectic tales of telepathy—some dark, some hopeful, some humorous. Contributing authors include Isaac Asimov, C.M. Kornbluth, Brian W. Aldiss, James H. Schmitz, James White, Algis Budrys, R.A. Lafferty, Poul Anderson, and Robert Silverberg.
My personal favorites include…
“Novice” by James H. Schmitz in which a young law student with nascent telepathic abilities finds herself as an emissary between human colonists and the highly intelligent feline natives of the planet Jontarou.
We’re all familiar with Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics, the first of which dictates that a robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. Does that also include emotional harm? Senior management of a robot factory learns the harsh answer to this question when they unwittingly produce a telepathic robot that turns out to be a… “Liar!” by Isaac Asimov.
A telepathic alien inadvertently becomes a stowaway on a cargo ship bound for Earth. Stranded there, it’s innocent and desperate attempts to communicate directly with human minds only serves to cause them frightening nightmares and, in some cases, death. It isn’t long before hospital officials near the spaceport realize that… “Something Wild is Loose” by Robert Silverberg.
In “The Conspirators” by James White, a spacecraft from Earth passes through a radiation belt on its way to explore a distant planet. As a result, all laboratory animals aboard develop telepathic abilities at varying rates. Upon reading the minds of the human crew, the animals realize their ultimate and terrifying fate once the ship reaches its destination, so they devise an escape plan with the help of the ship’s cat, Felix.
In “The Mindworm” by C.M. Kornbluth, a parasitic telepath feasts on the negative emotions of his victims, leaving a trail of bodies in his wake.
My personal favorites include…
“Novice” by James H. Schmitz in which a young law student with nascent telepathic abilities finds herself as an emissary between human colonists and the highly intelligent feline natives of the planet Jontarou.
We’re all familiar with Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics, the first of which dictates that a robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. Does that also include emotional harm? Senior management of a robot factory learns the harsh answer to this question when they unwittingly produce a telepathic robot that turns out to be a… “Liar!” by Isaac Asimov.
A telepathic alien inadvertently becomes a stowaway on a cargo ship bound for Earth. Stranded there, it’s innocent and desperate attempts to communicate directly with human minds only serves to cause them frightening nightmares and, in some cases, death. It isn’t long before hospital officials near the spaceport realize that… “Something Wild is Loose” by Robert Silverberg.
In “The Conspirators” by James White, a spacecraft from Earth passes through a radiation belt on its way to explore a distant planet. As a result, all laboratory animals aboard develop telepathic abilities at varying rates. Upon reading the minds of the human crew, the animals realize their ultimate and terrifying fate once the ship reaches its destination, so they devise an escape plan with the help of the ship’s cat, Felix.
In “The Mindworm” by C.M. Kornbluth, a parasitic telepath feasts on the negative emotions of his victims, leaving a trail of bodies in his wake.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews