Customer Reviews

NIGHTWINGS.

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In this exquisite gem of a novel, Silverberg introduces us to the world of the far future. In this mysterious and only vaguely familiar land, the social order is dominated by the Guilds, who exercise enormous control over the lives of their members, each of whom plays some small part in a grand scheme whose totality is shrouded in the mists of antiquity. Thus one of the main threads of the story is always "How did things get this way?" Silverberg uses the story of a simple Watcher to reveal a long and complex history of Earth's rise, foolish pride, and subsequent fall. The Watcher's job is to search the skies, but why and for what is not immediately clear. Against a backdrop of magic, sunken continents, alien creatures, ancient wrongs and endless wandering around what we would call the Old World (Roum, Perris, and Jorslem), we come to appreciate the Watcher as a human being. In his love for the Flier Avluela and his loyalty to the Prince of Roum, amidst his failures, betrayals, renewal, and redemption, we see a microcosm of the human race's own journey from arrogance to fear to humility and finally beyond. A quiet melancholy pervades this book, as our protagonist wanders among the remnants of Earth's glory years, now decrepit relics. Yet Silverberg finds a way to conclude with the promise of salvation. Despite the unfamiliarity of the social order and the slightly modified place names, the book is easy reading, even for younger readers. There is no over-abundance of action, or of science, either, really, so perhaps this book won't be a favorite of everyone. There is violent conflict aplenty, but much of it takes place "off-stage" so it won't overpower the fainthearted. The mild sexual content is handled pretty much the same way, making it acceptable reading for all but the most sheltered young teens. In short, Silverberg weaves a spell of quiet mystery, timeless beauty, and eternal human values that is sure to entrance.

This set of three novellas grouped into a book is a strange and haunting work whose effect lingers long. The stage is Earth far in the future, but an Earth whose pride and will have been shattered by terrible reverses. Silverberg paints a picture of the aftermath of human hubris, whereby pride and technological prowess carried to an extreme have led to the destruction of the continents of North and South America and ultimately to a "bankrupt" earth being placed in celestial "receivership". Beaten down and dispirited, humanity has been splintered in to a number of profession-specific guilds in a reversion to feudal times, with loyalty to guild superceding all other loyalties. The story is told through the experiences of a "Watcher" who has devoted his life to scanning the heavens for the approach of a long anticipated punitive invasion from a planet mortally wronged by human hubris. The book tells of the aftermath of the fateful invasion, resistance to which is rendered impossible by humanity's own divisions, let alone its reversion to a technological stone age. We follow the Watcher as, post-invasion, he seeks a new life and ultimately redemption. The topography is familiar and yet different as Silverberg plays on the names of well known cities (the holy cities of Roum and Jorslem, the romance of Perris in the nighttime). In majestic metaphor, the Watcher, after having his life's vocation rendered meaningless, delves deep into the past for lessons and finally seeks a new redemption, literally and figuratively, in a new united vision of love, tolerance and humanity. A book that is strange, troubling and yet inspiring.

Long before Silverberg's Marjipoor Chronicles, there was "Nightwings."

This slim volume consists of three linked novellas that tell the story of a man who loses the woman he loves, and through one mistake, fails at his life's work and allows his world to be conquered. But ultimately, this is not a story about failure, but one about growth, renewal, love and redemption.

The story takes place on an Earth far in the future, one that has been brought to its knees by its own former arrogance. It is now a technological backwater in a large galaxy and has reverted to a medievalesque guild system. While some Watch the skies using intricate and decaying machinery, others Remember the world's history, and still others Dominate, using their position abusively where they will. The Fliers, descendants of genetically engineered humans fill the skies with beauty as they soar.

A Watcher loves the Flier with whom he has been travellling, but she loves another. He loses her in an invasion whose early signs he neglected to report. In the ensuing chaos, the Watcher becomes the unlikely custodian to a fallen Dominator and wanders the world trying to rebuild his life. He works as a Rememberer, learns the forgotten history at the heart of his world's downfall, and is ultimately purified, renewed, and given hope in the ancient city of Jorselm.

The story of "Nightwings" is simple and simply told, but it has a lyricism and beauty that make it memorable. Many of its themes resonate profoundly with contemporary concerns about cultural hubris, greed, and the growth of technology without the wisdom to regulate it properly. In the face of political devastation, personal redemption becomes intertwined with societal redemption.

"Nightwings" is a haunting and perceptive book. It made quite a splash when originally it was originally published, and the first part won a Hugo for Best Novella in 1969. It is good to have it available in paperback again.

The ability to fly like a bird is one of man's oldest dreams. In the far future, when man has risen to giddy heights of technological accomplishments and due to insufferable pride has fallen back again, where Guilds segment man into carefully disparate work and life styles, the Guild of the Flyers is the only one devoted to pure esthetic enjoyment. A product of gene tinkering during man's great Second Cycle, the flyers can fly only at night, with wings so delicate even the pressure of sunlight is too much for them.

But the story is not about Flyers, or the Watchers who scan the universe with mentally enhancing machines looking for signs of the promised Invaders, nor even about the Dominator's rights to command material wealth and people for their own desires, but rather is almost a paean to what is best about the inner soul of man. Told from the viewpoint of one Watcher as he wanders a recognizable but very changed world from our own, from Roum to Perris to Jorslem, it is a voyage of self-discovery, of a delving into man's long past, while lust, greed, and acts of betrayal form signposts along his path towards redemption. A redemption for not just himself, but for all mankind, when it can recognize that all types of humans, including the most grossly misshapen Changelings as well as the most gorgeous Flyers, are part of man, and are all worthy.

Silverberg populates his world with some very real people. The character of the Watcher, later given the name Tomis by the Rememberers, is finely drawn, that of a man somewhat distanced from the world, an observer, who none the less has to come to grips with the realities of living, and who can find true love if he looks hard enough. The Prince of Roum is immediately recognizable if not very likable. Avluela the Flyer embodies all the traditional traits of the fragile, mysterious, inconstant female until she is revealed to have more depth and strength than is readily apparent.

There is something of a baroque and romantic feel to the style, ornate yet conveying its meaning quite directly. Silverberg went from being something of a wordsmith-for-hire in his early years as a writer to a consummate tale spinner with a near poetic drive to his language, and this work shows that talent. In this work, he reminds me somewhat of Arthur C. Clarke's The City and the Stars, as both works deal with a very far future where mankind that has fallen from great heights, and they both have an aura of the immense pressure of millennia of history pressing on their stories.

Dominating the book is Silverberg's theme, against which his characters play and help illuminate. Normally this theme is gradually, almost imperceptibly developed, but perhaps the very last section of the book develops too much of a missionary fervor, about the only real miscue in this entire work.

With the first section of this book the winner of 1969 Hugo Award, this is a rich read, one to savor for its strangeness and yet its link to the commonplace, finely crafted to make believable the incredible, with emotional power and indelible images.

--- Reviewed by Patrick Shepherd (hyperpat)

The opening story of this collection, "Nightwings," is a classic: dealing with a decayed Earth, sexaul jealousy, a fascinating "guild" system, and alien invasion, it is one of the high points of the post-Golden Age era. The other two stories in the collection, while not terrible, do little more than flesh out the world. The major problem here is that "Nightwings" is avaiable in Silverberg's excellent collection _Phases of the Moon_; if you like science fiction at all, that book should be on your shelf. As such, it renders this collection somewaht unnecessary.

This was one of my earliest favorites that left a lasting impression when I was young. I decided to read it again, to find out if the wonder I recalled was real or a product of youth. It was very real. I enjoyed it all over again. It was still magical, but with more than a few years behind me I now understand the source of the wonder. I recognize the grand questions and topics that Silverberg so expertly explores, and I willingly walked the brighter path that he took in the story. It is not one the reader is forced to choose or accept, but choosing it simply felt natural. And satisfying.

The story takes place on a far future earth, at least 40,000 years hence. Mankind is in its "third cycle". Our own present time was in the first, a more advanced future technological age occurred in the second, and earth has suffered greatly and has been taken over by alien invaders in the third. The story details events leading up to the takeover, and is told from the viewpoint of a pivotal man entangled in the event. He later struggles with the choices he makes afterward. Mankind, who lived and belonged to various guilds before the takeover, now struggle with a sense of lost purpose as a conquered people. The narrator, who was a Watcher, undertakes a journey to the ancient land of "Jorslem", where he hopes to find redemption for his failings and renewal for his aging body. Other characters are encountered along the way, each one seeking their own answers to their own agendas. Human misery and suffering is chronicled, as well as subtle and effective reflections on guilt, responsibility, weakness, strength, darkness and despair, and against all odds... hope and faith. Silverberg tackles them all in a short book, and maximizes efficiency through a wondrous working of words. Words seem to form flawlessly on each page. Mood and atmosphere are almost tangible qualities as they are painted on every scene. Pictures seem to form from the lanquage. The book is to be experienced, rather than read. Time was suspended for me for a while, as I went on the journey with the Watcher.

Silverberg never preaches, or strikes forced notes or makes false arguments. The nature of humanity is the story here. Are we unwilling to confront our failings, to seek improvement and redemption? Can we truly reach out to others in need, or are we hopelessly trapped in our own individual needs? Are we destined to fulfill some religious script, or can humans overcome daunting shortcomings by embracing their potentially superior strengths? In short, what is our true potential and our absolute limits? If this all sounds too grand for science fiction, then you probably haven't read Robert Silverberg. I have, and it was comforting in the end. That's the best I can hope for from a book.

NIghtwings is a book that I first read more than 30 years ago and have never forgotten. Something about it has haunted me, and recently I decided to read it again.

It is a beautiful book, but not the easiest to read. It is slow-paced and contains a lot of description. If you stick with it, though, it is rewarding. For one thing, it is short. And if you really pay attention to all those descriptions, they are beautiful and/or interesting. Silverberg's imagination is amazing! NIghtwings is a thoughtful, intelligent, spiritual and philosophical kind of book. It is dreamy and surreal, not an action-packed adventure. But there are elements of both.

When I read it as a young person, the first part was my favorite. After that, the rest of the book was hard to get through, it seemed depressing and boring. But in reading it as an older adult now, I enjoyed the whole book. Perhaps my attention is more focused. It is true that much of the book is rather dark, but there is always beauty and creativity in even the darkest sections. And the ending is very uplifting.

The love of the old Watcher for the young, fragile Flier is very moving. I think that is what has haunted me all these years, along with the breathtakingly beautiful scenes of the Watcher doing his watching and the Flier doing her flying. It really is a very special book. No wonder I have remembered it all these years.

An ancient race of people called watchers are among the inhabitants of an alternate, ancient earth. The watchers dedicate their entire lives to the practice of watching the skies for an alien invasion they have always believed will come. The watchers are generally held in contempt by a complacent society until the prediction comes to pass. Humans quickly come under the control of the invaders and seem helpless to respond. One watcher struggles to find a new purpose and identity after his lifelong task is over. Aided by a lifelong friend of the Flier race, the watcher begins a trek to the mysterious city of Jorslem. He hopes to gain understanding there, and discovers hope and joy for the future. The story seems strange and foreign at first, but quickly becomes a beautiful, moving and memorable experience. Strong messages are hidden in this seemingly simple tale. The book becomes etched in memory without effort by the reader.

Robert Silverberg is possibly the most underrated sf writers of all time considering how long he has been at it and the numerous awards he has won and been nominated for. For some reason he just does not seem to be "in vogue" these days. It is a pity that most of the younger generation of sf readers today have never read anything by him.

What Silverberg does better than almost any sf authors writing today is to write short stand alone novels with very strange plots and excellent characterization. His special talent us to drop the reader right in the middle of a strange place and time of his imagining and gradually acclimatize you through his story telling skills rather than just making an infodump.

Nightwings is set on Earth but in a future so far flung and strange that it may as well be an alien planet. There are many guilds and mutants and genetically modified humans populating the earth which is about to be invaded by rather reasonable aliens! This novel is both post-apocalyptic and dystopian. It all ends rather optimistically with redemption for the flawed but lovable protagonist. It is astonishing how much plot, grandeur, ideas, subtext and characterization Silverberg managed to squeeze into one short novel. This book easily goes to my all time best list!

In this excellent novel by Robert Silverberg the inhabitants of the planet Earth have brought upon themselves two cataclysmic events: the animosity of a vindictive alien race and global chaos through misuse of attempted weather modification.

The aborted climate control project resulted in then eventual melting of the polar ice caps and led to mass starvation, loss of technological expertise and mendicant status in the universe.
The animosity resulted from the supreme vanity of humans in maintaining "zoos" of aliens beings considered inferior because of low apparent cultural, industrial or scientific achievements. One of the more embittered alien races obtains substantial financial rights to Earth's resources in return for help rendered after the weather system ran amok.

The proceeding is only the back story for a tale of a society set adrift in a ruined environment, technologically impoverished and haunted by the remains of genetic experimentations.

Silverberg, a master story weaver adds each plot embellishment so an to not overwhelm the reader or detract from the human drama unfolding. In my opinion one of his best novels - highly recommended.