Simeon Krug's obession was to build a tower of glass pointing towards a star in Aquarius, reaching out to answer the voice from space. The androids were Krug's tools, and he was their God. He had created them. And they would inherit the earth. So they labored to build his tower, and Krug, full of passion, waited for his great moment- when the tower would soar toward the heavens, and he would speak to the stars.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Silverberg Delivers Again,
By "cmb312" (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Tower of Glass (Paperback)
A very good story of ambition and perceptions. None of the themes are particularly unique, but their particular incarnation and use are powerful. I disagree heartily with one of the previous reviewers who stated that no significant commentary was made on the themes of the book. I think this is only true if you are expecting Lazarus Long to pop out whack you on the head with the author's views. The commentary is very present through the character's views and actions, particularly as defined by social class and generation. It is, to put a finer point on it, implicit not explicit. And it requires, I think, an understanding of the minutia of (fairly) modern class distinction. Manuel's love of the thin, high breasted woman compared to his father's love of full figured, rapacious peasant women is a great point of contrast, one of many that together illuminates a lot about the Manuel-Simeon relationship. Not just that, but all father-son and self-made vs. money-born relationships. Maybe I enjoy Manuel and Simeon simply because they remind me of so many real, relatively affluent families I have known. The android/creator/god story had a bit more of a conventional SF approach, but was rendered poignantly and painfully. There was a certain lack-of-conclusion, but in this case I find that a positive. To have extended the story much beyond the conclusion would have risked tacking on indeterminate chapters of boring resolution, the sort of stuff that makes you want to throw an otherwise fine book across the room in frustration. However, I don't think this is nearly Silverberg's best books. Though better than the meandering Nightwings, it is not nearly as good as _Dying Inside_ (Highly recommended. One of the best books ever written) and I don't think quite as good as _Up The Line_, though I'm torn on that.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Impressive allegory,
By
This review is from: Tower of Glass (Paperback)
Simeon Krug, a fantastically wealthy entrepreneur, endeavors to communicate with the stars in this fascinating tale of a man's incredible hubris and the destruction it wreaks on all within his sphere of influence, which includes the entire world. Every one of Krug's actions appears to be motivated by the need for self-aggrandizement, although he would probably be shocked to hear it; this blindness is a fascinating aspect of the character. Krug wants to stretch his presence across this universe, so he is building a mile-high glass tower on the northern tundra that will house a tachyon projector. He needs workers for his project, so he creates androids that are capable of the full range of human emotion and presses them into service. Some reviewers have complained that the story ends on an inconclusive note but, if you read this story, just think about the havoc that Krug has caused through his single-minded attachment to his own grand schemes without adequate thought to their consequences. Robert Silverberg has penned a worthy cautionary tale about the danger of pairing too much power with too much ambition and too little ability or desire to imagine any result but what the great man intends.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Dreams, dreams, shattered,
By
This review is from: Tower of Glass (Mass Market Paperback)
Simeon Krug is the king of the universe. A self-made man, he is the Bill Gates of the era, having built a mega-commercial empire on the backs of his products: "androids", genetically-engineered human slaves. Having amassed incredible wealth, his next major goal is to communicate with aliens living in an uninhabitable world, sending a mysterious signal. This requires building a mile-high tower in the arctic tundra.The androids want civil equality with humans, but are divided on the best means to the goal, political agitation or religious devotion to Krug, their creator. And Krug's son, Manuel, is reluctant to step into his role as heir to his father's empire. Silverberg has created an interesting universe with many fascinating, but uncompelling, characters. Activity builds up to a crescendo, but collapses into an appalling mess. In some ways, he daringly leaves many questions open. (was there any significance to the shift in the aliens' signal?) In many other ways, it just plods along until its conclusion.
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