Little in life ages as poorly as science fiction. Representing contemporary mores can damn anyone’s posterity, but projecting them onto the canvas of the wrong future makes a writer ridiculous. So, even when it’s from a beloved writer like Robert Silverberg who is part of the fabric of American science fiction, a re-release of four stories from the 1960s, 1980s and 1990s in an expensive hardbound book seems inauspicious.

And, indeed, there is much wrong with Silverberg’s futures. He missed, as most writers did, the rapid advancement of connectivity while inequality festered and glaring social needs went unaddressed. The idea that, 50 years on from Those Who Watch (1967), more than half the world (and 80% of Americans) would have a mobile phone from which they could call any other from almost anywhere, was unthinkable. But the 1985 novella Tom O’Bedlam, re-edited and included in full here, captures the ugly tribalism of a population on the brink of disaster, even without our so-called “social” media and the misinformation they encourage.

So, even among the wrong guesses and reproduced biases (not least way too many white men objectifying female curves), there is a lot to admire. Collected as Among Strangers the four stories are all about humanity’s contact with aliens. The topic of human interactions with the “other” is infinitely fruitful.

https://bookandfilmglobe.com/fiction/i-remember-aliens-robert-silverberg-among-strangers/

Among Strangers is an interesting collection of four novellas about alien encounters that really captivated me. I thought "The Man in the Maze" was the most compelling of the lot. Robert Silverberg is an incredible writer and masterfully builds his worlds and characters. A highly recommended read.

Unfortunately this book was a DNF for me. Between an introduction that spends a lot to time decrying the idea that authors shouldn't be writing about characters for whose experience they have little to no referential experience and the clear reality that the first few pages prove the point I don't feel I can read this comfortably.

Here are four fairly short novels about human reactions to encounters with aliens. As usual Silverberg's "What ifs" center on the humans and showcase his original thinking. The stories are well constructed and well written, but I have to admit that I like his shorter works better. His style of writing is such that I never feel any real connection to any of the characters even though they are very human. That works better for me in a shorter form. That said, this is a good collection.

"Among Strangers" by Robert Silverberg is a collection of four classic Silverberg novels originally published between 1968 and 1992. Fans of Silverberg will not be disappointed. The first story entertains the reader with (fairly intimate) interactions between aliens monitoring the human race and the individual humans they encounter when their spacecraft encounters technical difficulties of the explosive kind. The second story is based on Greek classics and is a wonderfully well told as a tale of survival, discovery, and growth both at the individual and species level taking place a couple of centuries in the future when interstellar space travel is common. The third tale is possibly encouraging depending on your viewpoint. It is a dystopian post-apocalyptic take on a potential future of the West Coast of the US. The final tale is a creative view of a future in which humans and aliens have reached some kind of coexistance after the aliens take over vast portions of the the US. Each story is thought provoking, includes aliens and gives a unique and entertaining perspective. It was easy to give this collection five stars!


I thank Subterranean Press and Robert Silverberg for graciously providing a temporary electronic review copy of this book.

A broad variety of stories from one of the best.

The third story is the shortest and appeared in Playboy after the author convinced them to take another chance at including a piece of longer fiction. It takes a look at what happens when the aliens take over part of the US for their own. Wonder if it inspired Vandermeer’s trilogy; there are definitely some similarities between the two.

The other 2 stories are entirely different types of book length novels. One takes place in the most remote corner of the universe where a man looking for solitude hides himself inside an alien death maze; the other in a ruined USA where dreams are starting to take hold of the populace and a taxi driver presents himself as a new Messiah. Both stories show off the skills of the author as he creates complicated characters and complex narratives through very different environments effectively.

What was a nice part of the collection was the brand new introductions from the author. He goes back in time to discuss what was going on in his life at the time (it was usually complicated), his interactions with the publishers and some interesting perspectives on his inspiration.

A worthwhile addition to your collection. Enjoy! I certainly did!

Among Strangers by Robert Silverberg- I began reading Silverberg in the late 50's when I bought a copy of Revolt on Alpha C, a juvenile space adventure that my twelve-year-old mind ate up. The last sixty years has seen me return again and again to see what Silverberg is writing now. His journey has taken many paths, and he seems to flourish no matter what he's writing. This book includes three novels from the 60's, 70's, and 80's. The main subject for each is how mankind deals with the arrival of alien species. In The Man in The Maze, a human diplomat negotiates with a visiting alien culture and comes away feeling more sympathy for the aliens than his own kind. Those Who Watch describes an alien encounter with a fearful human race. Tom O'bedlam shows our world already in chaos and THEN the aliens arrive. Great stuff. It was fun re-reading these books again. A great addition to your Science Fiction library. Thank you Subterranean Press and thanks NetGalley for this wonderful ARC!

This is a compilation of four stories by Silverberg. It's an interesting read. Silverberg's story are original.

Silverberg has been around a very long time and has a great reputation, although he seems to be a bit inconsistent in terms of the quality/popularity of his books. I liked this one, but it is not his best. These are good stories overall, and certainly a worthy read.

Thanks very much for the free ARC for review!!

Among Strangers

[Blurb goes here]

Among Strangers is a small compilation of stories from Robert Silverberg. As most compilations and/or anthologies go, some stories will fall short, and some will not. That's entirely up to you, and the things you enjoy. The Man in the Maze, written in 1968, in my opinion, is by far the best one. That story alone was worth the ticket price. I have read it a couple of times since finishing the book, I probably would do so again in the near future.

Even though I didn't enjoyed all stories, it has to be said: Silverberg is a master writer. His words, like chameleons, changing from one tale to the next, as if written by someone else entirely, giving each of his characters a unique personality. Giving each of the tales a unique 'touch and feel.'

Don't let this book pass you by. It is a wonderful time machine, where anachronism is just part of its charm.

Thank you for the free copy!!