Οι Θήβες των εκατό πυλών

by Robert Silverberg, Χρύσα Μανώλη (Translator)

Στα εικοσιεφτά του ο Έντουαρντ Ντέιβις ήταν ένας πολλά υποσχόμενος χρονοδρομέας της Υπηρεσίας του Χρόνου. Είχε ήδη κάνει άλματα, δύο, τριών και έξι αιώνων στο παρελθόν, αλλά ακόμη και η πιο εξαντλητική εκπαίδευση δεν μπορούσε να τον προετοιμάσει για ένα άλμα 35 αιώνων προς τα πίσω, στην Αίγυπτο της Δέκατης Όγδοης Δυναστείας. Εν ριπή οφθαλμού βρίσκεται σ' έναν κόσμο ναών, τάφων, Φαραώ, πυραμίδων, θεών με κεφάλια τσακαλιών, σ' έναν κόσμο από μούμιες και σκαθάρια που μιλούν. Γιατί εδώ, στον καύσωνα και τη φασαρία της πυκνοκατοικημένης πόλης των Θηβών, πρέπει να σώσει δύο μέλη της Υπηρεσίας, τα οποία έχουν χαθεί στο χρόνο. Εξαπατημένος από μια μυστηριώδη ιέρεια του ναού, και καθοδηγούμενος από μια όμορφη αιγύπτια νεαρή σκλάβα, ο Ντέιβις περνάει στην απέναντι όχθη του Νείλου, στην Πολιτεία των Νεκρών, για να μάθει το επάγγελμα των ταριχευτών. Αλλά καθώς η ώρα του προγραμματισμένου ραντεβού του με τη δική του εποχή πλησιάζει όλο και περισσότερο, ο Ντέιβις έρχεται αντιμέτωπος, πρόσωπο με πρόσωπο, με την ανατριχιαστική αλήθεια για την τύχη των πρώην συναδέλφων του. . . και τα μεθυστικά, σαγηνευτικά θέλγητρα της «Αιγύπτου».

Genres: Science Fiction, Time Travel, Fiction, Fantasy, Short Stories, Africa, Egypt

171 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

There 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.

Reviews

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 and a half stars.

Time travel is one of the more interesting sub-genres in Science Fiction. It juxtaposes present day subjectivity with a trip to either the past or future. There’s a lot of good time travel fiction out there, Time and Again, Lest Darkness Fall, The Time Machine, Timeline, and Silverberg’s Hawksbill Station come to mind from what I’ve read.

There was also an Irwin Allen TV show, The Time Tunnel, that gamely tried to be entertaining. I believe it lasted one season, but it “jumped the shark” somewhere towards the end. You know an Irwin Allen TV show is struggling for ideas, when they introduce the silver-skinned aliens. Picture a producer saying, “Hey, this show needs a shot in the arm. Don’t we still have a vat of silver makeup lying around, the kind that nearly killed Buddy Ebsen, when he played the Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz. Well, slap it on some actors and we’ll get instant ratings.” *

Back to the book. It’s an interesting premise: a time traveler is sent back to ancient Egypt to rescue two previous travelers who were being sent to Rome and went off course by a couple of centuries and a couple thousand miles. This was written before GPS. The rescuer shows up and promptly passes out.

Three rules about time travel: 1) Don’t eat before doing it, 2) Make sure you use the bathroom beforehand, 3) Wear clean underwear. Okay, these rules could apply to almost anything. Actually, this is the advice my mother would give before we headed to the beach.

There’s a serviceable plot undermined by some of the worst dialogue put down on paper. This is a standard complaint I have for a lot of science fiction writers. Great story, crappy dialogue.

If you enjoy or are intrigued by this type of story, it’s worth a read. If not, avoid.

*I’ve actually worn the stuff. Eventually it gives your urine the look and consistency of mercury.

[mark monday · Rating 2 out of 5]

exceedingly minor outing from Silverberg, alas! the time-traveling premise is fun and he definitely makes ancient Egypt come alive. his descriptions are wonderful. unfortunately, when the masks are removed and the time travelers are revealed, the dialogue becomes rather lame and dated.

in the end this is one of those rare novels where the brevity actually works against it. the briefness cut off what could have been an absorbing immersion into a fascinating culture.

and now I'm going to tart up my review for no reason because that's how I do.



"(Breathing)

Egypt, Egypt
(repeat)
Egyptian Lover
Egyptian Lover Baby
(repeat)

Give me a freaky kinky nation
with a total female population
I can deal with that situation
I don't care about my reputation
(repeat)

I'm The Egyptian Lover
Sexy Senior
It's not just a name
but an adventure
I mix so fast
I scratch so sweet
there's not another D.J.
on earth who can compete

U know it
Egyptian Lover

Egypt is the place to be
Egypt, Egypt
(repeat)

Pyramids are Oh so shiny
The women here are Oh so cute
The freaks are on the floor now
Dancing to beats that I compute

(Breathing)

(Instrumental Break)

(More Breathing, Groaning, Moaning, etc.)"

[George K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Πέμπτη επαφή με το έργο του Ρόμπερτ Σίλβερμπεργκ και γι'ακόμη μια φορά έμεινα ευχαριστημένος, αν και όχι ενθουσιασμένος. Πρόκειται για μια μεγαλούτσικη νουβέλα επιστημονικής φαντασίας, με κεντρικό θέμα ένα ταξίδι πίσω στον χρόνο, στην Αίγυπτο της Δέκατης Όγδοης Δυναστείας. Σ'αυτήν την περίοδο στέλνεται ο νεαρός χρονοταξιδιώτης της Υπηρεσίας Χρόνου, Έντουαρντ Ντέιβις, με σκοπό να βρει δυο συναδέλφους του που κατά λάθος στάλθηκαν στην Αίγυπτο την συγκεκριμένη χρονική περίοδο. Ο Ντέιβις, αφού θαυμάσει τις Θήβες, θα βρει τους δυο χρονοταξιδιώτες, έχοντας ως σκοπό να τους φέρει πίσω. Όμως πολλά πράγματα έχουν αλλάξει πάνω τους...

Πολύ καλογραμμένη νουβέλα, που βασίζεται περισσότερο στις εξαιρετικές περιγραφές των Θηβών της Αιγύπτου εκείνης της μακρινής, πολύ μακρινής εποχής, παρά στην πλοκή και τους χαρακτήρες. Η αλήθεια είναι ότι η κεντρική ιδέα μου φάνηκε τόσο ιντριγκαδόρικη και ενδιαφέρουσα, που θα μπορούσε κάλλιστα να αναπτυχθεί σε διπλάσιο ή και τριπλάσιο μέγεθος, έτσι ώστε να μάθουμε περισσότερα πράγματα για την Υπηρεσία Χρόνου και τους σκοπούς της και να γνωρίσουμε καλύτερα τους πρωταγωνιστές. Αλλά αυτό ισχύει για τις περισσότερες καλές νουβέλες: Πάντα θέλουμε παραπάνω. Γενικά μου άρεσε πολύ, ταξίδεψα έστω και για λίγο σ'έναν μακρινό κόσμο.

[Mguising · Rating 3 out of 5]

I blab on at times about how authors fill in a story with non essential mumbo jumbo just to keep a book fat for the bookshelf. This book did the opposite. A novella size for sure, but the material I feel requested otherwise.

The premise is what grabbed me years ago, as I read it and mentioned the time travel story to Egypt many, many times throughout my life. I did not, however, remember the specific storyline. I know why. It wasn’t that grand.

I for one needed more explanation on why. Without giving up too much of the story, time service rookie Edward Davies travels back to ancient Egypt to retrieve 2 co workers that had been lost in time. Sounds good! Could have been great but the writer had us taking for granted too many unknowns. Unbelievable as the story is…I still want to believe. Believe a character would do what they do. There were points where there is this “yes we will, no we won’t …yes we will, no we won’t and leaving the reader wanting to slap someone. Well this reader in any case.

Great premise, but more details on characters and story. It is an adult story too and frankly unnecessarily so. There was no romantic entanglement which would have helped in story and spice.

[Wayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Put up your hand if you have NEVER fantasised about journeying to some place in the past that has a Special Hold on your imagination ???

SEE................NO ONE !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Robert Silverberg with his WRITING REPUTATION and TALENT had this book sewn up when he decided to allow his characters to Time Travel to that most exotic and fascinating of ALL places...ANCIENT EGYPT.

Or had he ???
Oh, my!! Oh my !!!
(What a give away!!!This SCREAMS : "Disappointed Reviewer".)

Especially wonderful is the recreation of the Factory of Preparation of the Dead for Full Mummification.
This will ignite your Ancient Egyptian Juices.
Here he places his Main Character and it never gets better than this.
If only he had exploited this a bit more.
But this is more a novella or long short story.
Because Our Hero is on a Mission to find and return two other Time Travellers who have been left stranded in the Past.
Or have they??
Is there something else going on?
Of course there is, and we WANT there to be MORE.
Robert Silverberg presses ALL the RIGHT buttons.

This was my second read of this novella and I was looking forward to it. The Mummy Factory was a sharp memory.
Less sharp, to be honest, non-existent, was the denouement of the tale.

WHY COULDN'T I RECALL THE ENDING of this enjoyable story ??

It NEVER crossed my mind that perhaps I WANTED to forget.
TO me the twist and sting in the tail of the tale, for indeed there is one, is (OUCH!!!) at the reader's expense.
Although it occurs to the hero whose devastation we somehow just DON'T share.
How can this possibly be, I think now?
(Curiouser and curiouser, as Alice would have it.)
I was on tenterhooks as the pages grew less and less.
What could be going to happen ?

READ IT YOURSELF
...you will probably be UTTERLY and DEVASTATINGLY THRILLED AND SHOCKED.

I was handed a wet cucumber sandwich.

[AJRXII · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. I read it when it first came out around 91 and I don't know how many times since. A great time travel book without all the physics that a lot gets into!!

[Kurt Springs · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review was first published on Kurt's Frontier.

Synopsis:

Edward Davies is a rookie of the Time Service. He has made several training-jumps up to 600 years in the past. Now is he jumping 3500 years, to ancient Egypt of 1500 BC: Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt. His mission is to find two fellow agents who have gone missing. The problem is, they don’t want to be rescued.

Review:

Thebes of the Hundred Gates is a novella by famed science fiction writer Robert Silverberg. Normally, I am not a fan of time travel, but this one is very well handled. Edward Davies travels back to rescue two people who missed their jump. They were preparing to go to ancient Rome. They arrived at the wrong time and wrong place. However, Edward arrives fifteen years after they did. Now, they’ve made comfortable lives for themselves. As an archaeologist, I appreciate the sensory detail Robert Silverberg goes into.

[John Mahony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Edward Davis, a rookie the Time Service, is sent from the 27th Century to Ancient Egypt to find two colleagues, a man and a woman who have gone missing. When he gets there he finds that the woman has become a priestess and the man an astronomer. Both have gained wealth and esteem. They don't want to give it up and they don't want Davis to return and give them away.

The idealistic Davis is offered a slave girl, a harem and a share of the takings to stay in Thebes. What a quandary.

Silverberg draws on his knowledge of history and archaeology to create a convincing Thebes with its heat, dust, crowds, pyramids, obelisks and fountains as well as its City of the Dead, where Davis serves a brief and memorable apprenticeship.

A short work of 30,000 words. An enjoyable read, though another 10,000 words might have made it top stuff.

[Patrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Silverberg's novella seems similar to those one might see in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, but perhaps this one didn't make the cut. While the story itself takes several diverting turns, it also has some troubling problems, not the least of which is that a 27-year-old begins a sexual relationship with a slave girl who is described as "around 16 or 17." Silverberg also doesn't establish the time travel "rules" of his universe. Surely one would think that having three people stuck in ancient Egypt would corrupt the timeline, but perhaps the past is immutable in Silerberg's world. But we don't know because these parameters are never established. A short read but, unfortunately, not a very good one.

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tiem travel!!! In Ancient Egypt! Fun fun fun!

I had mixed feeling about this book. Very quick read. Incredibly detailed down to everyday life in Thebes. But in some instances, the writing would trail off as if I was supposed to get a handle on what was going on, but uh, no. I get disappointed when that happens. Just get it all out there or why try to write the scene at all? Noises and implications are not super helpful sometimes.

BUT, I love Ancient Egypt. One of my favorite bits that I got to study in high school. To time travel back to that time period would be both scary and amazing.

Full Review:
https://beentherereadthat.blog/2018/0...

[Alexander Theofanidis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ένας εθελοντής ταξιδεύει στο χρόνο στην αρχαία Αίγυπτο για να σώσει 2 χρονοταξιδιώτες που πηγαίνανε στην αρχαία ρώμη και εξώκειλαν κοντά μιάμιση χιλιετία, μόνο και μόνο για να ανακαλύψει ότι έχουν εγκατασταθεί για τα καλά στην αυλή του Ακενατόν και δεν έχουν καμία διάθεση να επιστρέψουν.

Περισσότερο νουβέλα παρά μυθιστόρημα, δεν καταλαβαίνεις γιατί γράφτηκε ή γιατί δεν δουλεύτηκε λίγο περισσότερο ώστε να έχει λόγο ύπαρξης στο εκδοτικό στερέωμα. Οι χαρακτήρες είναι λίγο χάρτινοι, η πλοκή λίγο παιδική και το τέλος δεν ικανοποιεί.

[Matt Shaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

Late in this rich novella, a character argues, "The glory of the Time Service! What glory? It's just a job, and a damned hard one."

I do archaeology, and I can attest that it is also damned hard, dirty work, free from anything like glory. However, we do it because it allows us a touch with the past, an almost-conversation with those who just aren't around anymore. Silverberg's story (not his first time travel tale, but maybe his first full-immersion swim in a past culture) gives just that: a sensual glimpse of life in Thebes during Amenhotep III's reign. The characters are believable and affable enough, the story concise and, though I could stand more, it doesn't overstay its premise. This is a pleasant diversion, in an appetizer-sized portion.

[Missy · Rating 2 out of 5]

While it was an easy read, I was quite disappointed in this Novella. For one of the "big" names for a few decades in the Science Fiction / Fantasy genre, this was mediocre at best.

Silverberg managed to make Thebes in 18th Dynasty Egypt as exciting as watching paint dry. This book certainly doesn't send me to the library shelves or the book store to explore more of his writings.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story.

[Nuno Ribeiro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tebas das Mil Portas, um título que na realidade se refere à cidade de cem portas de Tebas da antiguidade egípcia, é um romance escrito por Robert Silverberg nos inícios da década de 90 do século XX, reflectindo de uma forma algo superficial sobre as implicações que as viagens no tempo poderõ vir a ter sobre a vida humana. Tebas é na realidade uma cidade do Antigo Egipto, designada por Uaset em antigo egípcio, sendo a capital do reino durante o Império Novo, entre 1550 a.C. e 1070 a.C., incluindo as XVIII, XIX e XX dinastias; nas proximidades de Tebas ergue-se hoje a cidade de Luxor, também mencionada no romance de Silverberg.

Quanto ao tema de fundo do livro, se fosse possível viajar para o passado da História Humana neste planeta, seria possível permanecer e viver o resto da vida nessa época remota? Em caso afirmativo, como decorreria a dia-a-dia de seres humanos contemporâneos nessa realidade?; e quais seriam as implicações para o ser humano e para a própria História de tal facto?

Apesar de apreciar muito o estilo, a prosa e as histórias de ficção científica imaginadas por Robert Silverberg, confesso que este livro me deixou algo insatisfeito, na medida em que o autor responde razoavelmente à primeira pergunta mas descura completamente a segunda questão que indiquei acima. Acho, por isso, que este romance não é dos mais conseguidos deste autor, apesar de, na perspectiva do romance histórico, descrever de uma forma relativamente vívida a realidade da antiguidade egípcia e o ambiente previsível de tal cidade, à época a capital do reino egípcio e uma das cidades mais importantes e movimentadas dessa época. Aconselho apenas a quem gostar de ficção científica e de ler as obras escritas por este autor.

[Mikael Kuoppala · Rating 3 out of 5]

Robert Silverberg offers a simple but fascinating story about Edward Davis, a time travelling historian who journeys into ancient Egypt to rescue two of his lost colleagues. Silverberg does a great job with his storytelling. He brings ancient Egypt alive with a delicate, descriptive language, and to a lesser extent does the same to his characters who remain vague, but perhaps for a reason.

The plot is extremely straightforward, even to the point of being implausible, but somehow the piece captivates and manages to stimulate thoughts even through its rather obvious philosophical speculations. This book is definitely nothing very original or innovative, but I suspect it will nonetheless be quite memorable.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick read, this read more like a short story than a novel, and at 116 pages, perhaps it was. I would've liked to have had more details along the way about the characters, but they were not well developed. I think this biggest problem with this book is that it had no climax. It carried along at a steady keel, with minimal ups and downs. It was interesting, but not very engaging.

[Stas · Rating 2 out of 5]

I borrowed this book a couple of times sometime between 1999 and 2001 from the school library, when I was about 10 years old (give or take). Looking back, I only have vague memories as to the plot, but I do recall being titillated by its "adult content"... It was one of the first books I'd read which contained the word "fuck" as well as one or two sex scenes... Haha

[Matt D · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was exponentially better than I could have ever imagined; I thought it would just be a junk quick read between bigger books, but little did I know that in just over a hundred pages it would suck me in and have my imagination obtained with the characters, wishing myself there.

[Bailie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's well paced, and the reader is quickly and easily immersed into its world without clunky exposition. It did wrap up a bit too quickly, it could easily have been dragged out a few more chapters, but as it is it's a satisfying read.

[Veronica Bailey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad book, but it could have used some filling out, I think. Only 116 pages, so a fast read, but not a lot of depth to it. And the ending wound up feeling very abrupt.

[Corinne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite an unexpected ending that I truly enjoyed ;)

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was surprised by the ending, I'll admit. Overall the detail was amazing.

[Vicho · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise is good... but... too damn short!
There so much action to explore! I wish this book could have a sequel because I felt that it misses something...
A quick 1 day read.

[Alex · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not staggeringly amazing.

[Durval Menezes · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have read this book a long time ago (10 years or more) but remember absolutely nothing about it, so it must have been pretty unremarkable (therefore the 2-stars rating).