- Hardcover
- Publisher: Panther Science Fiction; paperback / softback edition (1977)
- ISBN-10: 0586043012
- ISBN-13: 978-0586043011
- ASIN: B002C15U78
- Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
Tower Of Glass (Gollancz SF collector's edition)
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
One of the tests of great SF is, can it be read over and over again, and still be enjoyed? In the case of Tower of Glass, the answer is yes! Bob Silverberg's powers of invention are at a peak in this book, set about 300 years in the future. Simeon Krug, a mega-tycoon of that time, has an obsession to prove that humankind is not alone in the universe. When he discovers signals from deep space, he sets about building a mighty tower of glass, containing the technology to reply to the signals. His workers are synthetic humans (androids) who he drives on furiously, like a ruthless slavemaster. What he does not realise is that the androids believe he is God! Tension builds and builds as the androids, with some human allies, plot to force Krug to grant them equality with flesh-and-blood humanity. The story moves towards a pivotal moment of truth and a breathtaking ending! Glorious entertainment.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Simeon Krug, wealthy magnate of the future, is so obsessed with a sequence of numbers being transmitted from a planetary nebula three hundred light years away that he develops a race of androids in order to build a tower fifteen hundred metres high in order to send a response to the alien signal.
The androids, unbeknown to Krug, have developed their own society which is attempting to achieve Android Equality rights in two fundamentally different ways. The Android Equality Party is a visible politically active movement which campaigns for a change in legislation from the current situation in which androids are considered ‘property’ while others see their salvation in a religion centred around the figure of Krug ‘The Creator’.
This short but complex novel is – to a certain extent – exploring areas Philip K Dick had already explored in the preceding decade to better effect. Indeed, the novel seems influenced by Dick stylistically, particularly in Silverberg’s choice of names for his characters.
There is also something tragically Shakespearean about Tower of Glass. The unfolding of the drama is measured by the increasing height of the tower, which is in direct relation to the increase in Krug’s maniacal obsession with the project. Krug himself, although not a wicked man, becomes increasingly irrational and blind to the social developments within the race of androids which he created.
Well worth checking out.
The androids, unbeknown to Krug, have developed their own society which is attempting to achieve Android Equality rights in two fundamentally different ways. The Android Equality Party is a visible politically active movement which campaigns for a change in legislation from the current situation in which androids are considered ‘property’ while others see their salvation in a religion centred around the figure of Krug ‘The Creator’.
This short but complex novel is – to a certain extent – exploring areas Philip K Dick had already explored in the preceding decade to better effect. Indeed, the novel seems influenced by Dick stylistically, particularly in Silverberg’s choice of names for his characters.
There is also something tragically Shakespearean about Tower of Glass. The unfolding of the drama is measured by the increasing height of the tower, which is in direct relation to the increase in Krug’s maniacal obsession with the project. Krug himself, although not a wicked man, becomes increasingly irrational and blind to the social developments within the race of androids which he created.
Well worth checking out.
Format:Paperback
This is the book that lost out when Larry Niven won a Hugo and a Nebula for Ringworld (S.F. Masterworks), possibly the worst Hugo-winning novel I've read (while I'm griping, A Case Of Conscience (S.F. Masterworks) isn't all it's cracked up to be, either). The worst part about being beaten by the most over-rated Hugo winner of all time? Well, both books open with a character hopping through a teleporter across the earth, but Silverberg GOT THE TIME ZONE CHANGES RIGHT and didn't have to do a second edition with the high school math corrected.
So while Ringworld is full of leery nudity, Thundercats and dopey tripods and no plot of any real worth, Tower of Glass opts instead for story and characterisation. It's an operatic tragedy with timeless themes about the relationship of master and slave and the siren call of destiny; it's probably the defining Silverberg book. Although plainly inspired by the civil rights struggles in 20th century America, the book still feels fresh, because it's about division of society and the disconnection of the super-rich from everyday reality. The writing is bold and leaps out of the page with unbridled enthusiasm. Silverberg reportedly complains that the book was butchered by its editor, and while, with retrospect, this is perhaps detectable in the pacing, I wouldn't say my enjoyment was harmed.
Ignore my whining about how grievously this was pipped for an award and just buy the book. If you like classic sci-fi, this is a great mix of the Golden Age and the New Wave, it's the quintessential Silverberg novel (as you'll see from my reviews, I should know: I've read a whole lot of them) and it's just a brilliant piece of escapist fun. Enjoy. ...And if you see Larry Niven, punch him in the chest.
OK, don't do that.
So while Ringworld is full of leery nudity, Thundercats and dopey tripods and no plot of any real worth, Tower of Glass opts instead for story and characterisation. It's an operatic tragedy with timeless themes about the relationship of master and slave and the siren call of destiny; it's probably the defining Silverberg book. Although plainly inspired by the civil rights struggles in 20th century America, the book still feels fresh, because it's about division of society and the disconnection of the super-rich from everyday reality. The writing is bold and leaps out of the page with unbridled enthusiasm. Silverberg reportedly complains that the book was butchered by its editor, and while, with retrospect, this is perhaps detectable in the pacing, I wouldn't say my enjoyment was harmed.
Ignore my whining about how grievously this was pipped for an award and just buy the book. If you like classic sci-fi, this is a great mix of the Golden Age and the New Wave, it's the quintessential Silverberg novel (as you'll see from my reviews, I should know: I've read a whole lot of them) and it's just a brilliant piece of escapist fun. Enjoy. ...And if you see Larry Niven, punch him in the chest.
OK, don't do that.
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