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Across a Billion Years
1st edition paperback, vg++
249 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1969
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About the author
Robert Silverberg
2,342 books1,600 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 - 30 of 172 reviews
April 29, 2023
It’s unfortunate that this novel was overshadowed early on by Robert Silverberg’s views on rape:
In moving forward from that passage, it became the central question in my mind as to how this view enhanced or advanced the plot. Upon finishing the novel, I concluded that it was a weird, chauvinistic expression of Silverberg’s own views on the subject and he must have felt compelled to insert it into his story. The passage served as a distraction throughout the novel. It called into question Silverberg’s ability to realistically imagine human society 400 years into the future, which is major shortcoming for a science fiction writer.
If that passage had not been included in the novel, the story would still have been unimpressive. There were implied approvals of white-centric prejudices against racial diversity, and there was a lack of imagination regarding science and the stars. While the characters possessed descriptions of their alien origins, they existed primarily as names on the page.
In a vague way, Silverberg may have been providing a warning about the dangers of societal stagnation, but this seems contrary to Silverberg’s own stagnated views on rape and diversity; views that Silverberg envisioned as being stagnate for the next 400 years.
“You know, they say that rape isn’t really possible unless the victim cooperates. I mean, all she has to do is defend herself, and if she’s a girl of normal strength and her attacker isn’t some kind of superman, she’ll be able to fight him off. So when a rape happens, it’s either because the girl is paralyzed with fear, or else because she secretly wants to be raped. Besides, I don’t remember hearing you scream.”
In moving forward from that passage, it became the central question in my mind as to how this view enhanced or advanced the plot. Upon finishing the novel, I concluded that it was a weird, chauvinistic expression of Silverberg’s own views on the subject and he must have felt compelled to insert it into his story. The passage served as a distraction throughout the novel. It called into question Silverberg’s ability to realistically imagine human society 400 years into the future, which is major shortcoming for a science fiction writer.
If that passage had not been included in the novel, the story would still have been unimpressive. There were implied approvals of white-centric prejudices against racial diversity, and there was a lack of imagination regarding science and the stars. While the characters possessed descriptions of their alien origins, they existed primarily as names on the page.
In a vague way, Silverberg may have been providing a warning about the dangers of societal stagnation, but this seems contrary to Silverberg’s own stagnated views on rape and diversity; views that Silverberg envisioned as being stagnate for the next 400 years.
March 18, 2025
Across a Billion Years is a juvenile (it was published in 1969, before they invented the YA label) novel written in epistolary format as messages from a young man at an archaeological site to his disabled sister. It's an interesting story with all kinds of sf bric-a-brac involved such as an interstellar community with lots of alien races, a Dyson sphere, etc. It didn't get a mass market edition or reprinting until a decade and a half after it appeared, which is kind of telling. The Tor paperback doesn't indicate the intended audience unless you count the really not-great cover. The novel includes some random thoughts about sex and race and biases that were perhaps good food for thought in the 1960s but have aged really poorly in the time since. It was a good adventure in its day but is a product of that day. I wouldn't recommend it for a contemporary YA reader.
April 15, 2012
Across a Billion Years, by Robert Silverberg
Year first published: 1969
Review by Ed McKeown
Scattered throughout the globe of human-occupied space is evidence of a civilization that bestrode the galaxy before humanity was born. Now, a strange device has been discovered that shows the details of that great civilization. The details include a star map and hints that the High Ones are not extinct after all.
The map beckons, and humans, being what they are, will follow. To the next great step in human destiny--or ultimate disaster.
Robert Silverberg's YA story of an archeological expedition that comes face to face with the history they are studying is one of the best YA novels that I have read. It is told in an epistolary fashion through the device of "message cubes" that the protagonist, Tom Rice, a young graduate student on his first deep space expedition, is recording for his disabled telepath sister left behind on Earth.
This mixed race expedition of humans and aliens is on the trail of the High Ones, a near God-like race that ruled the galaxy a billion years ago. Despite the high concepts of the book, ancient powerful aliens, machines that run for a billion years, Dyson spheres and more, it is in the down to Earth details of Tom Rice's life and perceptions that the piece pulls you in. Tom is not a politically correct young man, which is in a way refreshing; he is having to deal with prejudices about aliens and artificial humans. He is snarky and over-opinionated. Tom reveals this aloud through the messages to his sister and one does see him develop as a human being both in tolerance and humility as the expedition plows forward into greater and greater danger and hardship.
One scene I did find a bit off-putting was his indifference to a young lady getting molested by another team member while they were uncovering a great discovery. While the incident is not a serious assault, and she wards off the hapless "lady's man" with ease, it is none-the-less something that takes you a bit by surprise and reduced my identification with the character. The book was written before 1969 and like other movies and books is a product of its time and the attitudes then. Occasionally one can risk one's POV character being a jerk (witness the scene in the 2004 movie Sideways where the character played by Paul Giamatti stole money from his mother) but it is a dangerous move in first person story. Still Silverberg makes it work.
His understanding of women and love grows also in the story starting out with some fairly typical and close to cliché interactions with Jan, who ends up being his girlfriend. But he is very young and how well did anyone of us understand the opposite gender at that age? So he is not unsympathetic in his fumbling toward romance and understanding.
From this more or less young "everyman's" perspective we see the expedition uncover a series of finds that bring the long lost alien's closer to our own time. Here Silverberg excels with the sense of wonder and excitement until we come face to face with working technology of the High Ones. But no discovery is without cost and a deadly one is extracted. Further discoveries abound until we stand on the edge of a new future that could imperil everything from the past and we learn that those we had looked on as near Gods, may have had feet of clay.
Across a Billion Years is an enjoyable read, perhaps a tad dated. There are areas you longed to see explored more, the artificial human female, Kelly occupies less of the book than I would have liked. We encounter AIs that seem to have some emotionality but that is also not explored. Still, there are only so many pages in a book and you have to choose characters and plot lines to follow and others to regretfully let slip by. I suppose the best thing you can say there is that you wanted more time with some of the characters and the milieu at the end of the book. Tom Rice may not start as someone you would necessarily seek out as a friend, but he ends as a young man you would be proud to know
Year first published: 1969
Review by Ed McKeown
Scattered throughout the globe of human-occupied space is evidence of a civilization that bestrode the galaxy before humanity was born. Now, a strange device has been discovered that shows the details of that great civilization. The details include a star map and hints that the High Ones are not extinct after all.
The map beckons, and humans, being what they are, will follow. To the next great step in human destiny--or ultimate disaster.
Robert Silverberg's YA story of an archeological expedition that comes face to face with the history they are studying is one of the best YA novels that I have read. It is told in an epistolary fashion through the device of "message cubes" that the protagonist, Tom Rice, a young graduate student on his first deep space expedition, is recording for his disabled telepath sister left behind on Earth.
This mixed race expedition of humans and aliens is on the trail of the High Ones, a near God-like race that ruled the galaxy a billion years ago. Despite the high concepts of the book, ancient powerful aliens, machines that run for a billion years, Dyson spheres and more, it is in the down to Earth details of Tom Rice's life and perceptions that the piece pulls you in. Tom is not a politically correct young man, which is in a way refreshing; he is having to deal with prejudices about aliens and artificial humans. He is snarky and over-opinionated. Tom reveals this aloud through the messages to his sister and one does see him develop as a human being both in tolerance and humility as the expedition plows forward into greater and greater danger and hardship.
One scene I did find a bit off-putting was his indifference to a young lady getting molested by another team member while they were uncovering a great discovery. While the incident is not a serious assault, and she wards off the hapless "lady's man" with ease, it is none-the-less something that takes you a bit by surprise and reduced my identification with the character. The book was written before 1969 and like other movies and books is a product of its time and the attitudes then. Occasionally one can risk one's POV character being a jerk (witness the scene in the 2004 movie Sideways where the character played by Paul Giamatti stole money from his mother) but it is a dangerous move in first person story. Still Silverberg makes it work.
His understanding of women and love grows also in the story starting out with some fairly typical and close to cliché interactions with Jan, who ends up being his girlfriend. But he is very young and how well did anyone of us understand the opposite gender at that age? So he is not unsympathetic in his fumbling toward romance and understanding.
From this more or less young "everyman's" perspective we see the expedition uncover a series of finds that bring the long lost alien's closer to our own time. Here Silverberg excels with the sense of wonder and excitement until we come face to face with working technology of the High Ones. But no discovery is without cost and a deadly one is extracted. Further discoveries abound until we stand on the edge of a new future that could imperil everything from the past and we learn that those we had looked on as near Gods, may have had feet of clay.
Across a Billion Years is an enjoyable read, perhaps a tad dated. There are areas you longed to see explored more, the artificial human female, Kelly occupies less of the book than I would have liked. We encounter AIs that seem to have some emotionality but that is also not explored. Still, there are only so many pages in a book and you have to choose characters and plot lines to follow and others to regretfully let slip by. I suppose the best thing you can say there is that you wanted more time with some of the characters and the milieu at the end of the book. Tom Rice may not start as someone you would necessarily seek out as a friend, but he ends as a young man you would be proud to know
April 22, 2015
Typical of your 1960s juvenile book. A good amount of action considering the book is about a group of archaeologists. Delivery is a bit distracting since it takes the form of a really long dictated letter from fraternal twin brother to sister. Science is really soft and dated but the point of the story is the entertainment value.
January 16, 2021
“We (archeologists) are enemies of entropy; we seek to snatch back those things that have been taken from us by the years.”
Classic science fiction. Considering it was written in the 1960s, this book’s science fiction works better than many current offering. It flunks sociology, as do many contemporaries.
“The first rule of archeology is be careful with the evidence. No, that’s the second rule. The first one is find your evidence.”
Twentieth century attitude towards rape; twenty-first century attitude toward interspecies sex. Some cringe-worthy moments. Our “hero” is meant to be clueless, but he’s also a chauvinistic ignoramus (at best).
“It’s unhealthy to gulp down a surfeit of miracles; gives one indigestion of the imagination.”
Topics of interest: Silverberg invented believable slang, acknowledging that languages evolve in four hundred years. Worked. Twenty-fourth century Israel includes the former United Arab Republic (Egypt, Iraq and Syria). Androids are an emancipated minority.
“Communication by pantomime isn’t terribly satisfying.”
Telepathic communication is discussed as “a full meeting of the souls. It is the end of secrecy and suspicion, of misunderstanding, of quarrels, of isolation, of flawed communication, of separation.” That was holy writ in the 1960s. Not so long as humans have greed and pride, not to mention psychopaths. In fact, those who control those impulses would be censored regardless of the mitigating factor of their behavior. Communication is good; knowing each other’s every thought, not so good.
“If we haven’t succeeded in blowing ourselves up by A. D. 2376, we’re probably to make out all right. Maybe.”
Classic science fiction. Considering it was written in the 1960s, this book’s science fiction works better than many current offering. It flunks sociology, as do many contemporaries.
“The first rule of archeology is be careful with the evidence. No, that’s the second rule. The first one is find your evidence.”
Twentieth century attitude towards rape; twenty-first century attitude toward interspecies sex. Some cringe-worthy moments. Our “hero” is meant to be clueless, but he’s also a chauvinistic ignoramus (at best).
“It’s unhealthy to gulp down a surfeit of miracles; gives one indigestion of the imagination.”
Topics of interest: Silverberg invented believable slang, acknowledging that languages evolve in four hundred years. Worked. Twenty-fourth century Israel includes the former United Arab Republic (Egypt, Iraq and Syria). Androids are an emancipated minority.
“Communication by pantomime isn’t terribly satisfying.”
Telepathic communication is discussed as “a full meeting of the souls. It is the end of secrecy and suspicion, of misunderstanding, of quarrels, of isolation, of flawed communication, of separation.” That was holy writ in the 1960s. Not so long as humans have greed and pride, not to mention psychopaths. In fact, those who control those impulses would be censored regardless of the mitigating factor of their behavior. Communication is good; knowing each other’s every thought, not so good.
“If we haven’t succeeded in blowing ourselves up by A. D. 2376, we’re probably to make out all right. Maybe.”
January 27, 2020
Amazing Premise -- 50s Sci-Fi Writing & Disturbung Sexual Attitudes!
Robert Silverberg is one of those Masters of SF that I never really read much of aside from a few short stories. Having read this, a 1969 novel about an archaeological expedition to find a race of aliens over a Billion years older than us, has a powerful premise… Coupled with some of the most pedestrian 50s SF writing, and outright disturbing sexual politics I've come across in a book that's Not About That.
A minor character treated as comic relief is a sexual predator who attempts to rape the heroine -- and the hero's response when it's clear he's assaulting her? Is to say, "She can take care of herself..."(!) Worse, her character reinforces that, because when she comes back to berate the hero - it's because she's mad he doesn't like her enough to have stopped this guy(!!). Honestly, Heinlein's propensity to dole out (erotic) Corporal Punishment to his female characters, and having a heroine who marries her rapist(!!!), doesn't go down as badly as this for me...
Quite aside from all that, the writing lets down the story -- it feels like Second-String Heinlein without any of Heinlein's spirit of breezy adventure, so the entire epistolary story limps along from one entry to the next, where Tom's relationship with Jan gets as much attention as the mixed Human/Alien/Android archaeological group's foibles as the collection of still-functional finds of the godlike High Ones. By the end, what should gobsmack you just feels like "Huh - nice, Tom. Good job..."
Robert Silverberg is one of those Masters of SF that I never really read much of aside from a few short stories. Having read this, a 1969 novel about an archaeological expedition to find a race of aliens over a Billion years older than us, has a powerful premise… Coupled with some of the most pedestrian 50s SF writing, and outright disturbing sexual politics I've come across in a book that's Not About That.
A minor character treated as comic relief is a sexual predator who attempts to rape the heroine -- and the hero's response when it's clear he's assaulting her? Is to say, "She can take care of herself..."(!) Worse, her character reinforces that, because when she comes back to berate the hero - it's because she's mad he doesn't like her enough to have stopped this guy(!!). Honestly, Heinlein's propensity to dole out (erotic) Corporal Punishment to his female characters, and having a heroine who marries her rapist(!!!), doesn't go down as badly as this for me...
Quite aside from all that, the writing lets down the story -- it feels like Second-String Heinlein without any of Heinlein's spirit of breezy adventure, so the entire epistolary story limps along from one entry to the next, where Tom's relationship with Jan gets as much attention as the mixed Human/Alien/Android archaeological group's foibles as the collection of still-functional finds of the godlike High Ones. By the end, what should gobsmack you just feels like "Huh - nice, Tom. Good job..."
January 9, 2017
Billions and Billions
By Bob Gelms
I haven’t thought about Robert Silverberg for quite a while. He is a sci-fi writer extraordinaire. In 1969 he wrote this week’s book, Across A Billion Years. It was out of print for a while but re-released last year in paperback. A few months ago, the e-book was released and that’s when I became aware of it. It has been a long time since I’d read anything by Mr. Silverberg. He is a very prolific writer and I read a lot of his stuff when I was a boy. He started publishing in the mid 50’s and is still publishing these days.
If you are a fan of sci-fi you undoubtedly have heard his name and quite likely read some of his stuff. To those of you who don’t read sci-fi I’d be willing to bet you have never heard of him. That never ceases to amaze me, how he is not a household name. Silverberg wrote during the golden age of sci-fi. He is in the Science Fiction Hall of Fame. He was voted into a very small, very exclusive group of writers when he was given the title of Grand Master by the Science Fiction Writers of America in 2005. There are only 33 writers who have that distinction. He is in the company of Arthur C. Clarke, Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, Ray Bradbury, Ursula K Le Guin, and others.
In the world of science fiction, the Nebula Award and the Hugo Award are like the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. Mr. Silverberg has won the Nebula five times. That’s FIVE times. Not to be left in the shadow of the Nebula Award he has also won the Hugo Award five times and he has been nominated for each award a few more times that he didn’t win. His influence on the genre is incalculable. Isaac Asimov once said of Robert Silverberg, “Where Silverberg goes today, the rest of science fiction will follow tomorrow.”
Across A Billion Years is a story that’s about 30 years ahead of it time. It has no villain, no Martians taking over Earth, no space battles, no phasers, little or no violence, and it doesn’t have a conflict like virtually every other sci-fi story from the 60’s and 70’s. What it does have is a mystery surrounding the most momentous discovery in the history of Earth. It takes place 300 years in the future but concerns itself with the ancient past on Earth. A group of space archeologists make a dazzling discovery about an alien race that lived on Earth and apparently ruled the galaxy a billion years ago. They left beguiling artifacts on Earth and elsewhere in the galaxy.
Tagging along on his first off-world expedition is graduate student, Tom Rice. The team members are a rag tag bunch of different species, some with very strange characteristics, none more so than an artificial intelligence android. They come upon a cube that Tom figures out is some kind of recording device. When he finally is able to decipher parts of the message, it turns out the High Ones might not be extinct after all. They then embark on a mission many light years away in search of the High Ones. The five humans, the five other alien crew members and the android have some trouble getting along. Bigotry rears its ugly head but they get it under control for the sake of the mission.
The story is told in the first person by Tom who is recording letters for his sister back on Earth. It is, in a way, Tom’s coming of age story. He wouldn’t set too well with a present-day woman but in the course of the story he changes and learns. While there are no blazing skrooch guns and it isn’t what I’d call a western-in-space, Mr. Silverberg does create interesting elements attached to the High Ones that will keep your attention all the way till the last page. This is more of a heady piece but never gets boring. Some of the archeological techniques are dated and so is some of the science when reading it today but back in 1969 this was state of the art. It’s a quick read and a very enjoyable one at that….highly recommended.
By Bob Gelms
I haven’t thought about Robert Silverberg for quite a while. He is a sci-fi writer extraordinaire. In 1969 he wrote this week’s book, Across A Billion Years. It was out of print for a while but re-released last year in paperback. A few months ago, the e-book was released and that’s when I became aware of it. It has been a long time since I’d read anything by Mr. Silverberg. He is a very prolific writer and I read a lot of his stuff when I was a boy. He started publishing in the mid 50’s and is still publishing these days.
If you are a fan of sci-fi you undoubtedly have heard his name and quite likely read some of his stuff. To those of you who don’t read sci-fi I’d be willing to bet you have never heard of him. That never ceases to amaze me, how he is not a household name. Silverberg wrote during the golden age of sci-fi. He is in the Science Fiction Hall of Fame. He was voted into a very small, very exclusive group of writers when he was given the title of Grand Master by the Science Fiction Writers of America in 2005. There are only 33 writers who have that distinction. He is in the company of Arthur C. Clarke, Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, Ray Bradbury, Ursula K Le Guin, and others.
In the world of science fiction, the Nebula Award and the Hugo Award are like the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. Mr. Silverberg has won the Nebula five times. That’s FIVE times. Not to be left in the shadow of the Nebula Award he has also won the Hugo Award five times and he has been nominated for each award a few more times that he didn’t win. His influence on the genre is incalculable. Isaac Asimov once said of Robert Silverberg, “Where Silverberg goes today, the rest of science fiction will follow tomorrow.”
Across A Billion Years is a story that’s about 30 years ahead of it time. It has no villain, no Martians taking over Earth, no space battles, no phasers, little or no violence, and it doesn’t have a conflict like virtually every other sci-fi story from the 60’s and 70’s. What it does have is a mystery surrounding the most momentous discovery in the history of Earth. It takes place 300 years in the future but concerns itself with the ancient past on Earth. A group of space archeologists make a dazzling discovery about an alien race that lived on Earth and apparently ruled the galaxy a billion years ago. They left beguiling artifacts on Earth and elsewhere in the galaxy.
Tagging along on his first off-world expedition is graduate student, Tom Rice. The team members are a rag tag bunch of different species, some with very strange characteristics, none more so than an artificial intelligence android. They come upon a cube that Tom figures out is some kind of recording device. When he finally is able to decipher parts of the message, it turns out the High Ones might not be extinct after all. They then embark on a mission many light years away in search of the High Ones. The five humans, the five other alien crew members and the android have some trouble getting along. Bigotry rears its ugly head but they get it under control for the sake of the mission.
The story is told in the first person by Tom who is recording letters for his sister back on Earth. It is, in a way, Tom’s coming of age story. He wouldn’t set too well with a present-day woman but in the course of the story he changes and learns. While there are no blazing skrooch guns and it isn’t what I’d call a western-in-space, Mr. Silverberg does create interesting elements attached to the High Ones that will keep your attention all the way till the last page. This is more of a heady piece but never gets boring. Some of the archeological techniques are dated and so is some of the science when reading it today but back in 1969 this was state of the art. It’s a quick read and a very enjoyable one at that….highly recommended.
August 13, 2017
I love Silverberg. But I guess even a great writer will write a bad book once in a while.
The premise of the book is very intriguing and would allow for some really grand things, but Silverberg botched it, unfortunately. He builds expectations up, just to let them fall flat on their face.
What's the meaning of having a crew made up of alien beings if you're not going to explore them and the interactions between everyone? Would the book be any different if the wholew crew was made up of earthmen?
What's the meaning of having a self-aware android if you don't fully explore the avenues you open towards the beginning of the book? Indeed, after a certain point Silverberg completely forgets about it.
What's the point of the 'love' story between the hero and Jan?
What's the point of the book being read as a series of messages from the protagonist to his sister? It completely breaks up the goings on and, frankly, apart from the technology-lim-overcoming that telepathy offers, there's not much going for the whole idea.
The ending is a very rushed affair, and quite frankly disappointing. Silverberg doesn't even offer a glimpse of what humanity can expect from the expedition's findings (indeed the protagonist says, I'm not going to tell you what we found, because it was so much) and the big enigma (what happened to the High Ones) is resolved with a whimper.
Oh well, you can't win all the time. This reads like a story S wrote for some magazine, which he later expanded to make a quick buck. Nothing more, and certainly not up to his level.
The premise of the book is very intriguing and would allow for some really grand things, but Silverberg botched it, unfortunately. He builds expectations up, just to let them fall flat on their face.
What's the meaning of having a crew made up of alien beings if you're not going to explore them and the interactions between everyone? Would the book be any different if the wholew crew was made up of earthmen?
What's the meaning of having a self-aware android if you don't fully explore the avenues you open towards the beginning of the book? Indeed, after a certain point Silverberg completely forgets about it.
What's the point of the 'love' story between the hero and Jan?
What's the point of the book being read as a series of messages from the protagonist to his sister? It completely breaks up the goings on and, frankly, apart from the technology-lim-overcoming that telepathy offers, there's not much going for the whole idea.
The ending is a very rushed affair, and quite frankly disappointing. Silverberg doesn't even offer a glimpse of what humanity can expect from the expedition's findings (indeed the protagonist says, I'm not going to tell you what we found, because it was so much) and the big enigma (what happened to the High Ones) is resolved with a whimper.
Oh well, you can't win all the time. This reads like a story S wrote for some magazine, which he later expanded to make a quick buck. Nothing more, and certainly not up to his level.
October 5, 2023
I was considering how to start off this review with a story. I realized within a single sentence that it was going to have to be very long to start making sense, and given my proclivity for digressions I decided to go a different route.
But it appears that we, as people, have a bit of a historical memory that goes back several decades and then turns to mush in our heads. An example, if I were to see someone wearing an outfit popular in 1988 it would probably look quite a bit different from an equally popular outfit from 1984. I could probably do okay with dating stuff based on just clothes (in that time span), but I feel much more confident placing items by decade… it provides some large error bars I can work within.
I think of it as a game, more or less, especially when seeing an old photo that no one in the family can date. So I’m pretty good, I feel, going back to the 1950’s* But show me a picture of a suit from 1935 and another from 1947 and I have some problems. I had a costume party to attend that was themed with the ‘roaring 20’s” and I kept pulling out anachronistic items for my costume.
And it gets harder as I go back in time. If I see a medieval painting and the subject is wearing a codpiece, well, after giggling, I would struggle to date it within the right century, let alone year, or decade. And if you conjure up a mental image of a pilgrim era colonist, you may have a good idea of how they dressed, but could you tell how someone may look in 1620 vs 1660? I could not.
I didn’t really have a great point to all that above, except to say that I read this book, and was able to date it to within 3 years of its publication just by the character interactions. The dialog and behaviors of these fictional people that are supposed to be living half a millennia in our future. I’m quite proud of myself.
However, the reason I noticed, I suppose, is that the main character in this story, the person that the author clearly intended for us to like, spends more time than he should lamenting about ‘diversity hires’ and how he isn’t racist.
It was, I’m pretty sure, meant to show the growth he went through as he reluctantly agreed over the course of the book that the diversity hires were indeed competent. Also, it must be pointed out, that he was upset because aliens (from other planets in the cosmos) and androids were replacing humans. I cringed as I read. It was the most heavy handed metaphor I’ve ever read. I appreciate his heart was in the right place, but ouch.
It also means that it was probably written after the civil rights era began. But there was another clue that didn’t come off so well.
Turns out, there was one human woman on this scientific expedition to uncover alien secrets, and she was pretty hot. One of the other scientists had an interest in her, and so decided, as men are want to do, rape her.
Our non-racist protagonist happened to be there, but also decided that as someone that supports a woman’s independence, decided not to intervene. You know, so she wouldn’t yell at him later.
The woman escapes unscathed, thanks to her ability to beat the shit out of our scientist with the overactive libido. But she confronts our protagonist about it later and he states, more or less, that a woman who gets raped secretly wanted it to happen or else she’d find a way to stop it herself.
When she protests, our hero calmly mansplains to her that she managed to fight off her attacker, thus proving his hypothesis correct.
I ended up reading that passage more than once, mostly in disbelief.
Funny enough, when I read The Stars My Destination the hero causally raped a woman in that story because she worked for a company that had done said man wrong. Old school sci fi can be pretty much unreadable for the wanton misogyny present. I kept waiting for our protagonist to come around much the way he realized he wassorta being racist against robots, but I don’t think he ever did. The attempted rapist faced no real consequences for his actions (he didn’t even get killed by the weird stuff that they stumbled on to later - I mean, they killed off another character instead).
God. This was so weird. Inside this messed up moral drama where no one is racist or has consequences for their actions there was a cosmic mystery unfolding that was actually interesting**. But I was waylaid by this other stuff that made it practically unreadable to me.
I cannot, in good conscious really recommend anyone read this. Somethings age poorly, but man, this was rough. If you think you’re okay with what I described above, then maybe you might enjoy this more than me.
*My kid, last year, walked up stairs and asked me if the pants he was wearing was “too 2015.” It was at that moment that I realized that I was good up until 2000 or so, and since then, it’s all a bit of a blur again.
** Actually, at the time it might have been interesting, but if you’re well read in the genre now, this might seem somewhat trite. Basically, space archeologists find a billion year old artifact that lead them on a scavenger hunt. The big reveal at the end isn’t that much of a reveal. And also, obstacles are presented to our crew and then overcome within a page sometimes. There were stakes, but seriously, when the military shows up to arrest our intrepid crew, and then it gets taken care of almost on the same page… it’s utterly devoid of the sort of tension I expect in any novel
But it appears that we, as people, have a bit of a historical memory that goes back several decades and then turns to mush in our heads. An example, if I were to see someone wearing an outfit popular in 1988 it would probably look quite a bit different from an equally popular outfit from 1984. I could probably do okay with dating stuff based on just clothes (in that time span), but I feel much more confident placing items by decade… it provides some large error bars I can work within.
I think of it as a game, more or less, especially when seeing an old photo that no one in the family can date. So I’m pretty good, I feel, going back to the 1950’s* But show me a picture of a suit from 1935 and another from 1947 and I have some problems. I had a costume party to attend that was themed with the ‘roaring 20’s” and I kept pulling out anachronistic items for my costume.
And it gets harder as I go back in time. If I see a medieval painting and the subject is wearing a codpiece, well, after giggling, I would struggle to date it within the right century, let alone year, or decade. And if you conjure up a mental image of a pilgrim era colonist, you may have a good idea of how they dressed, but could you tell how someone may look in 1620 vs 1660? I could not.
I didn’t really have a great point to all that above, except to say that I read this book, and was able to date it to within 3 years of its publication just by the character interactions. The dialog and behaviors of these fictional people that are supposed to be living half a millennia in our future. I’m quite proud of myself.
However, the reason I noticed, I suppose, is that the main character in this story, the person that the author clearly intended for us to like, spends more time than he should lamenting about ‘diversity hires’ and how he isn’t racist.
It was, I’m pretty sure, meant to show the growth he went through as he reluctantly agreed over the course of the book that the diversity hires were indeed competent. Also, it must be pointed out, that he was upset because aliens (from other planets in the cosmos) and androids were replacing humans. I cringed as I read. It was the most heavy handed metaphor I’ve ever read. I appreciate his heart was in the right place, but ouch.
It also means that it was probably written after the civil rights era began. But there was another clue that didn’t come off so well.
Turns out, there was one human woman on this scientific expedition to uncover alien secrets, and she was pretty hot. One of the other scientists had an interest in her, and so decided, as men are want to do, rape her.
Our non-racist protagonist happened to be there, but also decided that as someone that supports a woman’s independence, decided not to intervene. You know, so she wouldn’t yell at him later.
The woman escapes unscathed, thanks to her ability to beat the shit out of our scientist with the overactive libido. But she confronts our protagonist about it later and he states, more or less, that a woman who gets raped secretly wanted it to happen or else she’d find a way to stop it herself.
When she protests, our hero calmly mansplains to her that she managed to fight off her attacker, thus proving his hypothesis correct.
I ended up reading that passage more than once, mostly in disbelief.
Funny enough, when I read The Stars My Destination the hero causally raped a woman in that story because she worked for a company that had done said man wrong. Old school sci fi can be pretty much unreadable for the wanton misogyny present. I kept waiting for our protagonist to come around much the way he realized he wassorta being racist against robots, but I don’t think he ever did. The attempted rapist faced no real consequences for his actions (he didn’t even get killed by the weird stuff that they stumbled on to later - I mean, they killed off another character instead).
God. This was so weird. Inside this messed up moral drama where no one is racist or has consequences for their actions there was a cosmic mystery unfolding that was actually interesting**. But I was waylaid by this other stuff that made it practically unreadable to me.
I cannot, in good conscious really recommend anyone read this. Somethings age poorly, but man, this was rough. If you think you’re okay with what I described above, then maybe you might enjoy this more than me.
*My kid, last year, walked up stairs and asked me if the pants he was wearing was “too 2015.” It was at that moment that I realized that I was good up until 2000 or so, and since then, it’s all a bit of a blur again.
** Actually, at the time it might have been interesting, but if you’re well read in the genre now, this might seem somewhat trite. Basically, space archeologists find a billion year old artifact that lead them on a scavenger hunt. The big reveal at the end isn’t that much of a reveal. And also, obstacles are presented to our crew and then overcome within a page sometimes. There were stakes, but seriously, when the military shows up to arrest our intrepid crew, and then it gets taken care of almost on the same page… it’s utterly devoid of the sort of tension I expect in any novel
July 24, 2017
The imaginative scale of this book boogles my mind. Which is what we expect from any good science fiction.
August 17, 2024
I enjoyed this highly imaginative look into the distant future and alien worlds. Since I mostly can’t read Science Fiction, and Silverberg is one of the few authors I’ve been able to relate to — and I liked Inverted World — I am still looking for more recommendations.
May 12, 2023
This book is not only offensive for its viewpoints that the author obviously espouses in this book such that it’s only rape if the women screams and she probably wants it anyways and digging up a billion-year-old artifact is more important than helping a woman in the process of being raped. There are even more offensive takes the author has about his desire for a perfect merit-based world and how only the superior race of people should be allowed and diversity is always wrong for him and he says ‘for a Jew he is not bad.’ I can only hope he meant that in an ironic way, but I suspect not. The denouement of the novel is idiotic for placing perfection in the ideal space as an attainable changeless world while giving telepathy as an ultimate solution for our ever-living growth. It is possible that the author was so vile in the rest of the novella in order to highlight what was wrong, but the ending and the tone of the novel doesn’t strike me that way at all. It’s possible that he made that Jewish comment to show how idiotic the world is, but he also delves into a lot of other Israel religious non-sense about Buddhism and such. Frankly, I didn’t really want to resolve what the author really meant because even with a charitable interpretation he would be creating non-sense that leads to make-America-great fictional worlds.
Overall, a great novel to read for showing how grateful we all should be for getting out of the merit based misogynistic race-based simplistic worldview mindset of 1969. Sci-fi writers often are the most status-quo thinkers of their time period, and I can only hope this writer learned to grow beyond what he writes in this awful book for clearly, he did not mean the things he wrote as illustrations how not to behave by just considering the way he wrote the ending.
Overall, a great novel to read for showing how grateful we all should be for getting out of the merit based misogynistic race-based simplistic worldview mindset of 1969. Sci-fi writers often are the most status-quo thinkers of their time period, and I can only hope this writer learned to grow beyond what he writes in this awful book for clearly, he did not mean the things he wrote as illustrations how not to behave by just considering the way he wrote the ending.
Read
April 4, 2016I realize this book was written back in the 1960s for juveniles. I do not recommend it for juveniles.
There is a scene when the "hero" sees the attemped rape of a team member by a fellow archelogist and does not intervene. There is this paragraph where the hero states, there is no such thing as real rape because any woman can fight off an attacker. The woman does successfuly fend her attacker off and the hero says something like, "That just proved his point." There is another scene a few minutes later where the woman comes on the the hero and the hero says, "she must have been all turned on by the attempted rape. "
Librarians can just take this off the shelves as far as I'm concerned.
There is a scene when the "hero" sees the attemped rape of a team member by a fellow archelogist and does not intervene. There is this paragraph where the hero states, there is no such thing as real rape because any woman can fight off an attacker. The woman does successfuly fend her attacker off and the hero says something like, "That just proved his point." There is another scene a few minutes later where the woman comes on the the hero and the hero says, "she must have been all turned on by the attempted rape. "
Librarians can just take this off the shelves as far as I'm concerned.
April 2, 2017
When I first received an email for an inexpensive "new" novel by Silverberg, I thought: "Great!"
I wonder if there is a law, like Murphy's or Godwin's for cheap e-books by fairly gifted authors? Bezos' Law? It would read something to the effect that: The price of an e-book is inversely proportional to the square of the years since original copywright. In other words: I should have known that this Silverberg novel was from 1969.
This isn't The Forever War or The Lathe of Heaven or Rendezvous with Rama. And it certainly isn't Ringworld. It's an ordinary sci-fi novel from the period. Still, I bought it and, since Silverberg is generally a good author, I plodded through it. Written in the first person with the mores and cultural "insensitivity" that even the most liberal men had at that time, the novel contains sci-fi nuggets that are easily picked out of the more prosaic sections of the diary, allowing for comparison with the possible futures we envision in the novels written in the 21st century. The science concepts have held up reasonably well but with less detail than today's readers might otherwise demand.
Large sections of the novel are "chatty", which I despise. But, a civilization that's a billion years old? There were enough hooks to keep me skipping pages and extracting essence. Overall, meh. I can't say that it was really worth the money or the time. If given the choice of the novel or a McDonald's Filet of Fish....extra tartar sauce, please.
I wonder if there is a law, like Murphy's or Godwin's for cheap e-books by fairly gifted authors? Bezos' Law? It would read something to the effect that: The price of an e-book is inversely proportional to the square of the years since original copywright. In other words: I should have known that this Silverberg novel was from 1969.
This isn't The Forever War or The Lathe of Heaven or Rendezvous with Rama. And it certainly isn't Ringworld. It's an ordinary sci-fi novel from the period. Still, I bought it and, since Silverberg is generally a good author, I plodded through it. Written in the first person with the mores and cultural "insensitivity" that even the most liberal men had at that time, the novel contains sci-fi nuggets that are easily picked out of the more prosaic sections of the diary, allowing for comparison with the possible futures we envision in the novels written in the 21st century. The science concepts have held up reasonably well but with less detail than today's readers might otherwise demand.
Large sections of the novel are "chatty", which I despise. But, a civilization that's a billion years old? There were enough hooks to keep me skipping pages and extracting essence. Overall, meh. I can't say that it was really worth the money or the time. If given the choice of the novel or a McDonald's Filet of Fish....extra tartar sauce, please.
May 2, 2025
Reviews commenting about how out of touch author is relative to today’s social norms are accurate. It’s tough being judged by standards of 56 years later.
The story is good science fiction, explores some interesting topics of what makes us human, and more than anything is about people, in all our varied natures.
The story is good science fiction, explores some interesting topics of what makes us human, and more than anything is about people, in all our varied natures.
July 2, 2020
Will review at www.fantasyliterature.com.
March 15, 2024
Very mixed response to this book. It is of its time and aimed at younger teen reader, as the first person narration makes clear. I did skim those sections.
May 20, 2021
I really enjoyed this. Just the story of a junior member of team of archeologists investigating the remains of a long dead race of aliens that disappeared long ago. The story is told by way of messages dictated by the narrator to send to his sister back home.
March 10, 2017
Summary: A group of space archaeologists from different planets make a discovery that puts them on the trail of an ancient, highly advanced race that disappeared nearly a billion years ago.
Tom Rice is a graduate archaeology researcher part of a team drawn from several different races from different planets on an expedition excavating a site on one of the planets occupied by an incredibly advanced and ancient civilization, The High Ones. Tom, in his youthful enthusiasm, is the narrator of this story. The chapters are recorded messages to his telepath sister, Lorie, whose mind can communicate across the galaxy while her invalid body is confined to a hospital bed.
The dig, like most, is tediously routine at first, allowing us to get to know the expedition's characters--the android Kelly, the rhino-like Mirrick, Dr. Horkk from Thhh, Steen Steen, a hermaphroditic creature, Saul the stamp collector, Leroy Chang, who turns out to be kind of creepy, Pilazinool, who loves to remove and replace his robotic limbs, Dr Shein, who heads the expedition, 408b, an octopoid creature, and Tom's love interest, Jan, who at first is more interested in the stamp collector.
The expedition shifts from tedium to intrigue when Tom discovers a sphere that is kind of a projector, that plays back scenes from The High One's civilization. Nothing like this has ever been discovered. More than that, it puts them on a trail of discovery leading first to an asteroid where a robot has been entombed in a cave, it turns out over 800 years ago. They find the asteroid, and the robot intact, who conveniently is a universal translator. The robot in turn takes them to a home planet, abandoned "just" 275 million year ago by the Mirt Korp Ahm, as the High Ones call themselves. The planet continues to be inhabited by a fantastic assemblage of self-maintaining robots, much like Dihn Ruu, their interpreter.
It is here that Dihn Ruu learns why the aging home star of the Mirt Korp Ahm cannot any longer be seen. The planetary system has been enclosed by a Dyson sphere to conserve energy. And with this news, the explorers lay plans to head there, only to face arrest from Galaxy Central!
Will they make it to the home planet of the Mirt Korp Ahm? If they do, what will they find? Will they be received or destroyed? And how will these discoveries change them? These are interesting questions that I cannot answer without spoiling the conclusion.
Perhaps as interesting as this adventure from planet to asteroid to planet are the relationships between the members of the team. Silverberg explores the human-android relationship--are humans from a vat really different from those conceived the old-fashioned way? And why do humans inherently suspect other species?
Equally intriguing is Tom's perception of his sister. He pities her physical disabilities and "guards" her from aspects of his life that highlight her disabilities. Silverberg gives us an interesting portrayal of how the "abled" view those "differently abled" and how the "differently abled" see things.
Oddly, it seemed to me that what Silverberg considers the least is the encounter between species, and how such contact, particularly if one is far advanced, would change the explorers civilization. Nor does there seem to be much interest in the highly advanced robotic civilization, other than as stepping stones to learn what has become of the Mirt Korp Ahm.
Nevertheless, he raises the interesting question of what a race a billion years old might be like, for humans who reckon the advance of modern civilization over less than 50,000 years. Silverberg presents us with this interesting thought experiment clothed in a chase across a galaxy.
Tom Rice is a graduate archaeology researcher part of a team drawn from several different races from different planets on an expedition excavating a site on one of the planets occupied by an incredibly advanced and ancient civilization, The High Ones. Tom, in his youthful enthusiasm, is the narrator of this story. The chapters are recorded messages to his telepath sister, Lorie, whose mind can communicate across the galaxy while her invalid body is confined to a hospital bed.
The dig, like most, is tediously routine at first, allowing us to get to know the expedition's characters--the android Kelly, the rhino-like Mirrick, Dr. Horkk from Thhh, Steen Steen, a hermaphroditic creature, Saul the stamp collector, Leroy Chang, who turns out to be kind of creepy, Pilazinool, who loves to remove and replace his robotic limbs, Dr Shein, who heads the expedition, 408b, an octopoid creature, and Tom's love interest, Jan, who at first is more interested in the stamp collector.
The expedition shifts from tedium to intrigue when Tom discovers a sphere that is kind of a projector, that plays back scenes from The High One's civilization. Nothing like this has ever been discovered. More than that, it puts them on a trail of discovery leading first to an asteroid where a robot has been entombed in a cave, it turns out over 800 years ago. They find the asteroid, and the robot intact, who conveniently is a universal translator. The robot in turn takes them to a home planet, abandoned "just" 275 million year ago by the Mirt Korp Ahm, as the High Ones call themselves. The planet continues to be inhabited by a fantastic assemblage of self-maintaining robots, much like Dihn Ruu, their interpreter.
It is here that Dihn Ruu learns why the aging home star of the Mirt Korp Ahm cannot any longer be seen. The planetary system has been enclosed by a Dyson sphere to conserve energy. And with this news, the explorers lay plans to head there, only to face arrest from Galaxy Central!
Will they make it to the home planet of the Mirt Korp Ahm? If they do, what will they find? Will they be received or destroyed? And how will these discoveries change them? These are interesting questions that I cannot answer without spoiling the conclusion.
Perhaps as interesting as this adventure from planet to asteroid to planet are the relationships between the members of the team. Silverberg explores the human-android relationship--are humans from a vat really different from those conceived the old-fashioned way? And why do humans inherently suspect other species?
Equally intriguing is Tom's perception of his sister. He pities her physical disabilities and "guards" her from aspects of his life that highlight her disabilities. Silverberg gives us an interesting portrayal of how the "abled" view those "differently abled" and how the "differently abled" see things.
Oddly, it seemed to me that what Silverberg considers the least is the encounter between species, and how such contact, particularly if one is far advanced, would change the explorers civilization. Nor does there seem to be much interest in the highly advanced robotic civilization, other than as stepping stones to learn what has become of the Mirt Korp Ahm.
Nevertheless, he raises the interesting question of what a race a billion years old might be like, for humans who reckon the advance of modern civilization over less than 50,000 years. Silverberg presents us with this interesting thought experiment clothed in a chase across a galaxy.
June 10, 2020
I got this AUDIOBOOK for free. My opinions are my own. / Real rating = 3.5* rounded up
Tom, our main character, starts off this book very immature & narrow minded but manages to do some growing up by the end. Whether it was intended or not, I sort of see his growth and final improved understanding of people as a hopeful reflection of humanity's potential for growth. It is hard to judge the other characters, because we really only see them through Tom's eyes.
Because this book represents a series of audio-letters that Tom is recording for his sister, dialog is sparce. The pacing is a bit off, the beginning starts out slow and then, towards the middle, we begin a mad rush to the end. This was possibly intentional, since it does fit with how the archaeologists perceive their journey. Although there is evidence of the book's age (it was written in 1969), it has "aged" better than some of the other classics I've read.
HIGHLIGHT: Tom's reason for becoming an archaeologist and the discussion around it.
DIVERSITY: Tom's sister is completely bed-ridden (but is part of a telepathic communications network, so she doesn't mind) / There is a lot of species diversity here, since this is a mixed group of humans and aliens. Tom doesn't think he's sexist or racist but is forced to confront some of his own prejudices as the book progresses, which is part of the theme of the book.
CONTENTS: Disturbing discussion on sexual assault and failing to report one committed by a side character (consistent with Tom's early character; but it is never addressed again or explicitly refuted, although I believe it is implicitly so) / casual comments on sex, prudery, and interspecies relations / a few minor swears
NARRATION: Sound quality = Good / Speed = Really Good; I still sped it up a tiny bit, but I like it fast / Voices = There isn't a lot of dialog due to format, voices aren't strongly distinguished but it wasn't an issue for me / Summary = I liked it, but it didn't blow me away, a solid 4
Tom, our main character, starts off this book very immature & narrow minded but manages to do some growing up by the end. Whether it was intended or not, I sort of see his growth and final improved understanding of people as a hopeful reflection of humanity's potential for growth. It is hard to judge the other characters, because we really only see them through Tom's eyes.
Because this book represents a series of audio-letters that Tom is recording for his sister, dialog is sparce. The pacing is a bit off, the beginning starts out slow and then, towards the middle, we begin a mad rush to the end. This was possibly intentional, since it does fit with how the archaeologists perceive their journey. Although there is evidence of the book's age (it was written in 1969), it has "aged" better than some of the other classics I've read.
HIGHLIGHT: Tom's reason for becoming an archaeologist and the discussion around it.
DIVERSITY: Tom's sister is completely bed-ridden (but is part of a telepathic communications network, so she doesn't mind) / There is a lot of species diversity here, since this is a mixed group of humans and aliens. Tom doesn't think he's sexist or racist but is forced to confront some of his own prejudices as the book progresses, which is part of the theme of the book.
CONTENTS: Disturbing discussion on sexual assault and failing to report one committed by a side character (consistent with Tom's early character; but it is never addressed again or explicitly refuted, although I believe it is implicitly so) / casual comments on sex, prudery, and interspecies relations / a few minor swears
NARRATION: Sound quality = Good / Speed = Really Good; I still sped it up a tiny bit, but I like it fast / Voices = There isn't a lot of dialog due to format, voices aren't strongly distinguished but it wasn't an issue for me / Summary = I liked it, but it didn't blow me away, a solid 4
August 7, 2018
Every science fiction fan must be familiar with Robert Silverberg. The man has written more than 300 books, most of them SF. He won the Grand Master Award from the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFFWA) in 2003—a rare honor that goes only to the best in the business. (If you read a lot of science fiction, you'll probably recognize practically every name on the list of winners.)
Silverberg's 1969 novel, Across a Billion Years, is not regarded as one of his most ambitious efforts. But it's a great introduction to the rare talent the man displays in all his work. His facility with the English language is remarkable. His ability to convey a new worldview through invented vocabulary is beyond impressive. And the sheer creativity of the futuristic vision he lays out in the novel is dazzling. Few other writers in the genre have succeeded in creating a uniquely advanced alien civilization that is as utterly alien. Read this novel, and you're unlikely ever to forget the picture he paints of the civilization of the High Ones.
Welcome to an advanced alien civilization that is brilliantly conceived
The suspense builds slowly in Across a Billion Years. At first, the narrator speaks about his ten shipmates on the starship bearing them to the distant planet Higby V. They're a multispecies archaeological team on their way to dig into a site abandoned one billion years ago by the High Ones, an alien civilization that appears to have persisted with little or no change for hundreds of millions of years but have long since died out. The nonhuman members of the team are a motley crew that might have come out of a Star Wars bar scene (if the film had been released ten years earlier). The relationships among them, and the dialogue, are unremarkable, but reading on leads to a terrific payoff when the team finally solves the puzzle they encounter on Higby V.
Silverberg's 1969 novel, Across a Billion Years, is not regarded as one of his most ambitious efforts. But it's a great introduction to the rare talent the man displays in all his work. His facility with the English language is remarkable. His ability to convey a new worldview through invented vocabulary is beyond impressive. And the sheer creativity of the futuristic vision he lays out in the novel is dazzling. Few other writers in the genre have succeeded in creating a uniquely advanced alien civilization that is as utterly alien. Read this novel, and you're unlikely ever to forget the picture he paints of the civilization of the High Ones.
Welcome to an advanced alien civilization that is brilliantly conceived
The suspense builds slowly in Across a Billion Years. At first, the narrator speaks about his ten shipmates on the starship bearing them to the distant planet Higby V. They're a multispecies archaeological team on their way to dig into a site abandoned one billion years ago by the High Ones, an alien civilization that appears to have persisted with little or no change for hundreds of millions of years but have long since died out. The nonhuman members of the team are a motley crew that might have come out of a Star Wars bar scene (if the film had been released ten years earlier). The relationships among them, and the dialogue, are unremarkable, but reading on leads to a terrific payoff when the team finally solves the puzzle they encounter on Higby V.
March 2, 2021
Hey, it's Silverberg. Who am I to judge except by applying the most stars available.
I will say that I'm surprised I hadn't read it before. I've covered most of the Golden Age of SF territory. This was a unique plot I hadn't seen before, or unique enough to stand out.
Yeah, buy it, borrow it, whatever. Just go ahead and read it.
I will say that I'm surprised I hadn't read it before. I've covered most of the Golden Age of SF territory. This was a unique plot I hadn't seen before, or unique enough to stand out.
Yeah, buy it, borrow it, whatever. Just go ahead and read it.
March 21, 2024
This is good classic pulp-style scifi. As Silverberg does, it is written with some sort experimentation in style (if not sexiste with a good does of near racism - even though this is written in 1969). In this case, the narrative is in the form of recorded letters he plans to send to his twin sister who is a telepath describing events that occur during an archaeological project set on a distant planet on which the protagonist has signed onto as an apprentice. This, I noted, is the earliest mention of a Dyson sphere in a sci-fi novel (only 4 years after it was first coined. At first, I thought this might be tedious, but in actuality, it was not. I very much enjoyed this tightly written multilevel story right to the nice cleanly tied up finish.
December 3, 2017
Any book that involves an ancient, technologically advanced race that has vanished is sure to draw my attention. Across a Billion Years is told entirely through letters that the protagonist writes to his sister. Although I thought that approach would limit the story, I was wrong. Silverberg wove a tale that summons my inner geek—the one that wants to believe not only that life exists elsewhere in the universe but also that it includes civilizations that are eons ahead of our own development. The story feels like a hybrid of science fiction and future archaeology, relating an adventure of discovery with a poignant thread.
July 31, 2009
I learned early on that Silverberg is a dependable author in the sense that the quality of his writing is consistently competent. Nothing I have read by him has truly challenged and changed me, but most everything has been enjoyable including this juvenile.
April 1, 2014
Love the book simple by today's standards but I have to say it captivated me at the time.
August 29, 2017
I ENJOYED READING THIS BOOK. THAT SURPRISED ME A LITTLE, LOT OF TIMES YOU'LL GET A BOOK WITH A GRAND TITLE BUT THE STORY FALLS FLAT. NOT SAYING THIS IS A GREAT BOOK BUT IT WAS A FUN DIVERSION .
February 14, 2023
The author is considered one of the masters and the book a classic, originally published in 1969. But boy is it problematic, and not just because it’s a product of its time. Xenoarchaeology is the subject, the study of a long-gone, super-intelligent civilization known as the High Ones light years from Earth and its own galactic civilization. It’s narrated in the first person as a series of message cube letters from the main character archaeologist to his telepathic, handicapped fraternal sister back on Earth. And that’s where the problems start. The whole book is just way too chatty, personal, and colloquial, all the characters two-dimensional at best, the plot situations perfunctory and quickly resolved, with little development or tension.
You gotta give Silverberg credit for attempting to bring up larger human issues into the story: minority rights, sexual assault, cultural superiority, and the idea of being “alien.” Heck, one of the archaeologists is even an alien that presents as both sexes and referred to as “he/she” or “they/them,” an impressive addition for a white, male author in 1969. But the attempts and conversations on said subjects just come off as floppy and stilted, almost as if they were written by a white male born in 1936 who really wanted to sound progressive and hip but didn’t really know how to navigate the terrain. The scene where one male character attempts to sexually assault one of the women and *especially* the later conversation between the narrator and the woman in question…cringe. They therefore add little if anything to a story that actually had potential. That potential, however, is further negated by a rather abrupt ending you can see coming a mile away and full of all the requisite gee-whiz awe and pseudo-spiritual bullet points written by someone wanting to sound hip at the height of the drug culture of the late 60s. If the ending had blown me away with something unexpected, I may have relented to giving this three stars, but the overall problems leave me no choice but for two, or maybe two and a half. Final necessary thought: Jack McDevitt does xenoarchaeology much better. Go read his books.
You gotta give Silverberg credit for attempting to bring up larger human issues into the story: minority rights, sexual assault, cultural superiority, and the idea of being “alien.” Heck, one of the archaeologists is even an alien that presents as both sexes and referred to as “he/she” or “they/them,” an impressive addition for a white, male author in 1969. But the attempts and conversations on said subjects just come off as floppy and stilted, almost as if they were written by a white male born in 1936 who really wanted to sound progressive and hip but didn’t really know how to navigate the terrain. The scene where one male character attempts to sexually assault one of the women and *especially* the later conversation between the narrator and the woman in question…cringe. They therefore add little if anything to a story that actually had potential. That potential, however, is further negated by a rather abrupt ending you can see coming a mile away and full of all the requisite gee-whiz awe and pseudo-spiritual bullet points written by someone wanting to sound hip at the height of the drug culture of the late 60s. If the ending had blown me away with something unexpected, I may have relented to giving this three stars, but the overall problems leave me no choice but for two, or maybe two and a half. Final necessary thought: Jack McDevitt does xenoarchaeology much better. Go read his books.
December 27, 2019
9/10: Fantastic, left me wanting more.
Billion. Billion. One thousand million and seven years ago, the High Ones brought forth upon this planet...
This was a BookBub sale recommendation that caught my attention, so I dived on in.
It was written in the form of messages (or letters) to the protagonist's twin sister back on Earth, while he was out in the stars on an archeological expedition to uncover an ancient High One's outpost/site.
I enjoyed Tom's voice from the start, but the story itself soon pulled me in, despite it not being particularly exciting. No mad dashes across space, no gunfights on alien planets, no action or adventure to speak of, really. Just the diary/thoughts of a young apprentice archeologist discovering secrets of the universe.
At one time, I did think to myself that the author was approaching some aspects of the future in an unusual or unique way. A little retro, I might have thought at some stage. It wasn't until I reached the end of the book and read the copyright information that I realised this book was first published in 1969!
Immediately, the star rating I had decided the story would get got a boost because I hadn't seen that coming. Despite the 'retro' feeling to the sci-fi. I love it when an author surprises me.
So, a good story that kept me entertained, with a retro feel that made the sci-fi side of it feel fresh (which is ironic), and a couple of days spent in space with characters I could get behind and an outcome that was pretty cool, to say the least.
Some authors can transcend time; clearly, Robert Silverberg is one of them.
Billion. Billion. One thousand million and seven years ago, the High Ones brought forth upon this planet...
This was a BookBub sale recommendation that caught my attention, so I dived on in.
It was written in the form of messages (or letters) to the protagonist's twin sister back on Earth, while he was out in the stars on an archeological expedition to uncover an ancient High One's outpost/site.
I enjoyed Tom's voice from the start, but the story itself soon pulled me in, despite it not being particularly exciting. No mad dashes across space, no gunfights on alien planets, no action or adventure to speak of, really. Just the diary/thoughts of a young apprentice archeologist discovering secrets of the universe.
At one time, I did think to myself that the author was approaching some aspects of the future in an unusual or unique way. A little retro, I might have thought at some stage. It wasn't until I reached the end of the book and read the copyright information that I realised this book was first published in 1969!
Immediately, the star rating I had decided the story would get got a boost because I hadn't seen that coming. Despite the 'retro' feeling to the sci-fi. I love it when an author surprises me.
So, a good story that kept me entertained, with a retro feel that made the sci-fi side of it feel fresh (which is ironic), and a couple of days spent in space with characters I could get behind and an outcome that was pretty cool, to say the least.
Some authors can transcend time; clearly, Robert Silverberg is one of them.
November 24, 2025
This is my first read of Silverberg, and it left me quite disappointed. Firstly, the delivery of the story is done through a first person diary (“message cube”). Tom Rice skips over details and speaks very informally with many quirky mannerisms that became pretty tiresome after a while. Including the use of futuristic slang words which fall flat as a pancake for me. There are so many characters in this book who don’t develop much and the alien ones are hard to understand are become a bit irrelevant. Tom Rice conveniently does everything of importance to the expedition. I think the fact that I found Tom and Jan’s romance the most interesting reading speaks volumes to the failures of the main story. A billion year old civilisation being discovered was a nice surprise at the end but it was such a slog to get to I didn’t ultimately care much about it. I have to talk about how rape is discussed in this book, all I could think was why? Why did Silverberg feel the need to write a rapist into the first half of this book? And then precede to awkwardly try to argue that rape victims enjoy it and facilitate it. It goes without saying how putrid and out of touch this comes across. It put a bad taste in my mouth for the rest of the book. I wonder if all the erotica Silverberg wrote prior to this had any influence. One thing I did like about the book was the TP system. It is inventive to picture FTL communication as a telepathic system and gave some resolution to the messages to Tom’s sister at the end. I will read more Silverberg, but I will have to go for his most acclaimed work now, so I can see if he is worth giving up on, for me at least.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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