Other Spaces, Other Times: A Life Spent in the Future [Hardcover]

Robert Silverberg was always my favorite author. Often criticized by science fiction fans because his later work was too "literary" or too "mainstream" (the literary qualities were what attracted me to Silverberg--he demonstrated an ability as a writer rare in the genre perhaps only equalled by Harlan Ellison and Dan Simmons at their best). OTHER SPACES, OTHER TIMES: A LIFE SPENT IN THE FUTURE is an autobiography of sorts allowing Silverberg to glance over his shoulder at his past and understand how he became the writer and person that he is today.

As he became less prolific (I wasn't aware that he "retired" because of bitterness, anger and scathing comments from fans about his work because it deviated from the science fiction formula that many of his contemporaries embraced)I found I missed him. Like Ellison, Silverberg had that rare ability to create characters that seemed real. They had ambitions, emotions but more importantly you could imagine their lives outside of the novels and short stories he wrote. That rare ability is shared by only a handful of contemporary writers regardless of genre. When Silverberg became a shadow on the literary scene I found myself less interested and challenged by the genre he chose to work in.

His ambitions as a writer were to expand his abilities as a writer but, more importantly, tell interesting stories. This autobiography of sorts let's Silverberg discuss the forces that shaped him, his career as a writer (unlike a lot of writers he jumped into his career as a writer directly from college avoiding the menial jobs that other writers had to take to support themselves as they strove to become published.

Silverberg discusses quite a bit about his life, his seminal novels and even some that weren't so seminal but that allowed him to grow as a writer. Illustrated with plenty of photos of Silverberg through the years (including informal portraits of Silverberg with other writers such as pal Harlan Ellison, Phil Dick and others), OTHER SPACES, OTHER TIMES: A LIFE SPENT IN THE FUTURE touches with candor on the issues that Silverberg faced in his career as a writer, how novels such as DYING INSIDE, SON OF MAN and DOWNWARD TO THE EARTH came to be and how disappointed he was when his own work went out print with little interest from publishers to revive them. Luckily, that's changing and there's been renewed critical interest in Silverberg's work which is nice to see because Phil Dick had to die before his work was truly embraced by the literary snobs that dominate the book world.

The primary factor that has prevented the world from rediscovering (or discovering him for the first time)Silverberg is the fact that none of his novels have been made into a film. As a practice when I was studying screenwriting at UCLA I tackled an adaptation of Silverberg's brilliant book DOWNWARD TO THE EARTH (DYING INSIDE one of his finest novels defeated my beginners skills as a writer). I of course didn't have the rights to the novel but did it in hopes that I could create something in film that could compare to Silverberg's novel. That's because when I was growing up I wanted to BE a writer of the quality of Silverberg. Silverberg includes a biblography of his work and also there are columns that he wrote for a magazine examining a number of pivotal moments from his past.

The book is published in hardcover with a glossy cover and on nice paper.

Silverberg had the advantage of tackling a number of compelling themes, being able to dig into the emotional core of a character, craft compelling narratives AND being an exceptional writer (as a stylist Silverberg is far superior to Dick and almost all of his contemporaries. In fact, the only author that comes near Silverberg in terms of sheer writing ability is in my opinion Ray Bradbury, Harlan Ellison at his best and Dan Simmons). OTHER SPACE, OTHER TIMES will allow fans of one fo the most important and unsung writers of the 20th century to get a rare glimpse into what moved him to create some of the best writing (not science fiction writing mind you)from the mid-60's (when he found his stride and voice as a writer)onward.


Highly recommended.

Wow, what an interesting book! I found it a wonderfully entertaining read. I'm a sucker for anything "behind the scenes" (yes, I watch all of that crazy stuff on DVDs as well. Can't get enough of it) and as it centers around one of my favorite writers, I found it a quick page turner.

The book follows a beautiful evolution, from young writer trying to pay the bills to a confident author creating new worlds like few others do with such style.

I enjoy the way Silverberg tells about segments of his life through his "history in the business", and didn't just follow a linear autobiographical approach. Plus, I always get a secret thrill deep down inside when I read anything about Harlan Ellison, so the Ellison references alone were the icing on the cake.

The book has also given me a checklist of sorts to use as I go back and read the books of his that I haven't read yet. I'm starting with "Nightwings", which will get cracked open this very night!

Silverberg fans, don't miss this gem!

Wow! I just checked my list and discovered that I have never, in 15 years of record-keeping, have I rated 2-consecutive books at 5-stars. Until today. On the heels of completing Connie Willis' stunning Blackout, I just zipped my way through Robert Silverberg's wonderful collection of autobiographical writings,Other Spaces, Other Times: A Life Spent in the Future. It was an absolutely terrific book, and if it had any flaw, was too short. I wanted more!

The book is broken into several parts. Silverberg discusses his beginnings in science fiction, his writing, provides and autobiography, as well as miscellaneous thoughts on his career. It is absolutely fascinating reading to anyone with an interest in the history of science fiction, but also to anyone (like myself) who is a writer, or aspires to be one. In the numerous essays, Silverberg talks honestly about his career, his approach to writing, the challenges he faced, and from this, one gets the sense of an impressive lifetime spent in science fiction. The sheer volume of writing that Silverberg was doing in the late '50s and early '60s boggles the mind. I thought Asimov was prolific, but even he does not match the quantity produced by Silverberg during this time.

I've read numerous biographies and memoirs of science fiction writers. My favorite has always been Isaac Asimov's massive 3-volumes. While Silverberg's slim book doesn't go into anywhere near as much detail as Asimov did, what is there is equally as interesting and a sheer joy to read.

The book contains an incredible amount of marginalia: photos, magazine covers, notes, all of which provides additional insight into Silverberg and his writing. It is a beautiful book, a bit pricy at $29.95, but well worth it.

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