Alien Archives: Eighteen Stories of Extraterrestrial Encounters

by Robert Silverberg

Overview

Aliens in all shapes and sizes—some fearsome, some outlandish, and some just plain fun—fill the pages of these hand-picked classic stories by sci-fi grand master Robert Silverberg, each featuring a new introduction by the acclaimed author.

Every day we are discovering new worlds in far-reaching galaxies which may or may not sustain life as we know it. In Alien Archives: Eighteen Stories of Extraterrestrial Encounters, sci-fi Grand Master Robert Silverberg collects his finest short stories and novellas about one of the genre’s most enduring themes.

Spanning fifty years of writing from the Science Fiction Grand Master, this collection of alien encounters features new introductions to all fifteen stories, including the Hugo Award-nominated “Schwartz Between the Galaxies” and HBO adapted “Amanda and the Alien.” In these pages lie tales of a young man venturing into the occupied territory of an alien conquered United States to rescue his brother, three visitors from a very strange alien world arriving on Earth and meeting a tragic fate, and a dangerous life-form from a far-off world finding that suburban California holds some beings that are even more dangerous than it is.

With Alien Archives, Silverberg puts us in contact with extraterrestrial beings of all shapes, sizes, and personalities—some fearsome, some outlandish, and some just plain fun. The Associated Press says, "Done Silverberg's way, science fiction is a fine art." With sheer force of imagination and incredible storytelling skills, Alien Archives confirms that Silverberg's classic work continues to resonate for readers today.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781941110812
Publisher:	Three Rooms Press
Publication date:	10/29/2019
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Sales rank:	699,236
File size:	825 KB

About the Author

ROBERT SILVERBERG is a giant in the sci-fi genre, with four Hugo Awards and six Nebula Awards to his name. He was inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame in 1999 and named a Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Guild in 2005. At present, there is a resurgence of interest in Silverberg’s short fiction. His short story “Needle in a Timestack” (included in Time and Time Again) is being adapted for the screen by Oscar-winning writer John Ridley (12 Years a Slave).
Robert Silverberg, author, is one of science fiction’s most beloved writers, and the author of such contemporary classics as Dying Inside, Downward to the Earth and Lord Valentine’s Castle, as well as At Winter’s End. He is a past president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America and the winner of five Nebula Awards and five Hugo Awards. In 2004 the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America presented him with the Grand Master Award. Silverberg is one of twenty-nine writers to have received that distinction.

Table of Contents

Introduction: A Plurality of Worlds

The Silent Colony

En Route to Earth

The Way to Spook City

Amanda and the Alien

One-Way Journey

Gorgon Planet

The Shadow of Wings

Flies

Sundance

Bride 91

Something Wild Is Loose

Schwartz Between the Galaxies

Diana of the Hundred Breasts

Sunrise on Mercury

Alaree

The Soul-Painter and the Shapeshifter

To the Dark Star

Beauty in the Night

Editorial Reviews

08/05/2019

Reaching back to the beginning of his career, SFWA Grand Master Silverberg collects 18 stories featuring alien encounters, some fond and some fearful. From the light humor of a flight attendant dealing with a group of aliens and their complaints (“En Route to Earth”) to the psychodrama of an abused child using his anger with his father to strike a blow against the entities who rule a conquered Earth (“Beauty in the Night”), Silverberg delves into the human heart as revealed by alien eyes. The discoveries are sometimes left to the reader, as when a biologist of Native American ancestry struggles to decide whether his mission is to study or to exterminate a herd of alien grazers (“Sundance”). Perhaps most revealing for longtime fans are the forewords that detail Silverberg’s dealings (courteous and/or contentious) with other famous SF writers and editors such as Harlan Ellison and Frederik Pohl, along with glimpses of the era when stories were commissioned for previously purchased magazine cover illustrations. Silverberg fans and readers interested in the history of SF will find this worthwhile. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

"Robert Silverberg is an enduring voice in science fiction, and eighteen of his extraterrestrial-themed short stories and novellas are included in Alien Archives, collected for a new generation looking for life beyond our stars. . . .Proving that human beings are sometimes the most alien creatures of all, Alien Archives is a delight for anyone who still wants to believe." —Foreword Reviews

“The latest in a series of Silverberg's collections from Three Rooms Press focuses on stories about alien–human encounters, ranging from the deadly to the benign….Alien Archives still shows that Silverberg's reputation as a skilled storyteller is well-deserved; it is still worth a look for those interested in a sampling of the SF Grandmaster's prolific short story work.” —Booklist

"Reaching back to the beginning of his career, SFWA Grand Master Silverberg collects 18 stories featuring alien encounters, some fond and some fearful. . . Silverberg fans and readers interested in the history of SF will find this worthwhile.” —Publishers Weekly

“So ideationally and emotionally rich that there is no reason that discerning non-genre readers shouldn’t warmly embrace them.” —Los Angeles Review of Books

“Robert Silverberg is our best . . . Time and time again he has expanded the parameters of science fiction.” ―The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction

“One of science fiction's modern masters . . . His words and his work have shaped the whole direction of the field.” ―Chicago Sun-Times

“Done Silverberg's way, science fiction is a fine art.” ―Associated Press

“The John Updike of science fiction.” ―The New York Times Book Review

“A master of his craft and imagination.” ―Los Angeles Times

"With dazzling prose and original plotlines, Silverberg proves himself to be a master of the genre." —Foreword Reviews

"Engaging and exciting speculative fiction." —Booklist

"The leaps of imagination are fresh as ever." —Publishers Weekly

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