Silverlock: Including the Silverlock Companion (Nesfa's Choice, 26) [Hardcover]

John Myers Myers (Author), David G. Grubbs (Author), Pam Fremon (Author), Fred Lerner (Author, Editor)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

NESFA's latest publication should be greeted with cheers, toasts, and songs by quite a company of readers, for it celebrates a beloved classic of historical fantasy by putting it in hardcover for the first time, accompanied by some 160 pages of appreciation and annotation. Myers' best-known novel is the story of the shipwreck of A. Clarence Shandon, called Silverlock for the white streak in his hair, in the Commonwealth of Letters, where he meets Orpheus, visits Hell, fails to ride Pegasus, hears the tale of the Alamo recited in Norse verse forms, and encounters much else. The companionate material begins with four dedicated fans' introductions and includes biographical and bibliographical material on Myers, who was also a notable historian of the American West; a sampler of his verse; and the melodies, with tablature, of song-settings of five more poems. Vastly enriching appreciation of the novel is a generous reader's guide to its characters, places, special vocabulary, and allusions. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Hardcover: 512 pages
• Publisher: NESFA Press; First Edition edition (February 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1886778523
• ISBN-13: 978-1886778528
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.9 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #343,535 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Fred Lerner is a librarian, bibliographer, and historian, who has also written extensively on modern American science fiction.

He has also consulted and lectured on thesauri for bibliographical databases, indexing of science fiction literature, and the history of libraries.

He holds degrees in History and Library Science from Columbia University, where he received his doctorate. At the National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder he produces the PILOTS Database, an online index to the worldwide psychotrauma literature.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I invoke the Commonwealth!,, December 9, 2005

By 

OAKSHAMAN "oakshaman" (Algoma, WI United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Silverlock: Including the Silverlock Companion (Nesfa's Choice, 26) (Hardcover)

_This is truly a book for book lovers. It starts with a middle-aged Chicagoan with a degree in Business Administration and a life that that has ceased to hold any meaning or charm for him. He boards a freighter as a passenger in order to try to put a little interest and excitement in his life. Well, he finds it. The freighter is shipwrecked after several days of running before a storm and the main character, Silverlock, finds himself cast adrift without a life boat. As he says- if he had cared to live, he would have died. As it is however, he doesn't struggle and exhaust himself- he merely surrenders himself to his fate and the currents. Fate soon finds him....

_What Silverlock finds is the Commonwealth. This is a place where all the great stories from myth, legend, and literature actually exist, somehow, side by side. This requires a suspension of belief, but given the excellent story telling that isn't too difficult. That seems to be what the Commonwealth is all about- it is the Commonwealth of story telling, or imagination.

_It is more than just a survey of great characters and stories, however. Silverlock comes across as pretty unsympathetic at the beginning, but through experience and suffering in his travels from east to west he grows immeasurably in character. Perhaps the Commonwealth is a mask for purgatory, where lost souls are given a second chance at growth and redemption. In any case it is more heaven than purgatory for the reader.

Personally, I have mixed feelings about the "companion" aspect of this book. I remember when I first read it, a big part of the charm was recognising the characters and situations from my own reading (if you recognise a majority of them, then you are "well-read") Then when I reread it, time and again, I would recognise a reference or two that I had not gotten previously. Having it right there in the book where you can simply look it up seems rather common- almost like cheating.

_Save this book for special quiet times when your spirit needs a recharge. I know that I do.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The definitive version of Silverlock, May 4, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Silverlock: Including the Silverlock Companion (Nesfa's Choice, 26) (Hardcover)

Having first been recommended this book by a close friend in the early '80s, and after borrowing her copy and finding a copy for myself, I have since run through 3 entire copies of this book in paperback. In addition, I have loaned out two other copies to friends over the years, and never had those returned. However, like Ben Franklin, I never begrudge the loaning of a book to a friend and never getting it back.

Now, I have it in hardback, and hope that this one will last much longer. The addition of the Silverlock Companion just makes the overall intristic value of the novel go up by several notches. Now, after running across a litterary reference that I like, I can actually track it to the source to find yet another diamond in the rough.

Good for all ages from high school on up, I recommend this to anybody interested in literature and/or a ronp of an adventure story. Whether you recognize all, some or none of the persons, places and things in the Commonwealth, it's one of the best reads in the last century. Enjoy.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful, mindbending romp, March 25, 2004

By 

"kiila" (Madison, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Silverlock: Including the Silverlock Companion (Nesfa's Choice, 26) (Hardcover)

A family member introduced to me to this book several years back, and I've since snatched up every copy I've been able to get my hands on! This is a marvelous lagniappe of allusions and illusions, with nods to everyone from Homer and Beowulf to Robin Hood and Tom Jones. How many characters and places can you recognize? I stopped after thirty-five. . . perfect for the literature buff, the trivia maven, the avid reader, or anyone looking for a fun read.