The Longest Way Home [Hardcover]

Robert Silverberg (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 23, 2002

One of the most renowned and respected literary artists in the field of science fiction, Robert Silverberg transports us once again to a spectacular, deftly conceived world in transition -- and propels us on a remarkable odyssey of survival and self-discovery.

The Longest Way HomeThe Folk were first to arrive on this faraway planet, pushing aside the docile, intelligent aboriginal races they encountered. The 'Masters "followed to subjugate the careless, complacent fellow humans who preceded them here. And so it has remained for ages...

Fifteen-year-old Joseph Master Keilloran has known only privilege, respect, and civility. Born to take over the reins of House Keilloran when he comes of age, he awakens one night in the Great House of distant relatives to the thunder of battle -- a terrifying din that has not been heard on this peaceful world since the original Conquest. All around him are devastation and death, as the local Folk rise up to wreak vengeance on the unsuspecting, unprepared Masters. With the aid of a stillfaithful servant, Joseph barely escapes with his life. But now he is stranded and alone 10,000 miles from his home.

Damned by his birth and class -- surrounded by enemies who would kill him if they found him -- Joseph must now embark on a journey of unimaginable distance toward a home that may also already be in ruins. His odyssey will be more terrible -- and more wondrous -- than he ever imagined, as a world he was kept sheltered from comes alive before him. Venturing deep into the lives and cultures of remarkable Indigene peoples -- driven to hunt, scratch, and scheme for his survival -- a resourceful young Master mill be created anew as he is forced to reassess his homeworld and his place in it. Despite what is waiting for him at the finish, nothing here will ever be the same again. And Joseph will become a man before his long journey ends.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School-A coming-of-age story set on a distant planet. Joseph has been trained all his life to be the next Master of his House (a sort of feudal state). The indigenous species and the humans seem to have worked out a stable, amicable system for sharing the planet, but while Joseph is visiting relatives on a faraway continent, "the Folk," a human worker caste, suddenly rebel, killing all the Masters. Joseph flees to the forest, determined to find his way home. He is aided (and sometimes hindered) by the planet's sentient species, including free Folk who are concerned with neither Masters nor revolution. Most of what Joseph thought he knew is called into question, and he gains a new understanding of his world. From his training, he has the confidence and nobility to deal with a variety of situations. From his friends along the way, he receives metaphysical instruction, sexual initiation, and an introduction to political philosophy. In one memorable episode, a starving Joseph-once a spoiled princeling who thoughtlessly hunted-must club a friendly animal; here, Silverberg masterfully conveys the reality of death, and all of the emotional pain and ethical conflict that such a choice presents to a person of conscience. At the end of Joseph's journey, readers will be left wondering how he will deal with the dilemma of being in charge of a social system that he now understands cannot last. This engaging, entertaining book is a fast read with many thoughtful themes.
Christine C. Menefee, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Caught in a rebel uprising while visiting his relatives in House Getfen, 15-year-old Joseph, heir to House Keilloran, flees a massacre and undertakes a journey across his world to reach his home. In danger from pursuing rebels, Joseph also finds himself exposed to the unfamiliar world of the Indigenes, a race of nonviolent sentient beings who coexist with the dominant human race. The latest novel by sf veteran and master raconteur Silverberg (The Majipoor Chronicles) relates the coming-of-age of a young man raised in luxury who learns resilience and compassion in the face of adversity. A good choice for most sf and YA collections.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Harper Voyager; First Edition edition (July 23, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 038097858X
• ISBN-13: 978-0380978588
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,027,307 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good Read, Though Minor Silverberg, August 13, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Longest Way Home (Mass Market Paperback)

Most of the reviews here pretty much describe this book's impact. It's exceedingly well-written, very well paced, and richly envisioned. It's also a bit underachieved for the Silverberg most of us know and love whose masterpieces of SF in the Sixties and Seventies still resonate in out minds.

On the other hand, as a stand-alone novel (and boy do we need more of these), this book is a very pleasant read and for readers new to Silverberg, THE LONGEST WAY HOME is a good place to start. (I gave this book only three stars because I know that Silverberg can do much better.)

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of Silverberg's best., June 2, 2003

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Longest Way Home (Hardcover)

I'm puzzled by the mixed reaction to this novel. Perhaps some readers were expecting more of the "epic" Silverberg of the new Majipoor trilogy and Alien Years. However, many long-time Silverberg fans feel that his very best novels, published between 1967 and 1976, were-like this one-short, tight, and intense. This book is an enjoyable and entertaining read, yes, but it also feels more personal and philosophical than those vast volumes that the market seems to pressure Silverberg to produce. I for one hope he skips the sequels and epics from now on out, and produces more novels of this length and excellence.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars SIlverberg on Autopilot, August 28, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Longest Way Home (Hardcover)

Amiable but over simple SF novel of an young aristocrats enforced trek back to his ancestral home after a revolt overthrows the status quo on a distant semi-feudal planet, the author appears to become bored with his creation and terminates it very abruptly. Not too much of interest in any of the characters or indigenous fauna, save perhaps the Noctambulo. Way, way below Silverbergs epic best, but an easy, empty read.