Hunt the Space-Witch!: Seven Adventures in Time and Space [Anglais] [Broché]

First of all, this book is 250+ pages, not 400, so we have 7 30-odd page short stories here dating from the 1950's, some of Silverberg's first published stuff, written as blood n guts space opera with giant scientists, evil alien toad-men, chilling murderous cults, and more. Largely they are adventure tales in a sci-fi setting, with a more or less heroic protagonist.

A lot of the worlds depicted here seem to hint at those later developed in Silverberg's magnum opus Majipoor cycle - kind of providing a lot of the backdrop of the alien universe which only just touches the backward little world of Majipoor. Certainly there are echoes of this early stuff in Lord Valentine's Castle, and that's a good thing.

There is also a little depth to the stories you don't always see at first. "The Silent Invaders" is about warring aliens putting aside their differences to help a new "super" generation of humanity evolve - there is only a line or two, like "normal humans are the real enemy" or some such, to hint that perhaps all is not as it seems, and at the end of the story you wonder to what extent the protagonists actions are really his own, and to what extent he has been mentally influenced - controlled, even - by his new charges.

Add in a little introduction by the author about the writing of these stories, and all up there is a fun little book here just waiting to be read.

A collection of novellas from the 1950s. Silverberg details discovering Planet Stories magazine and not being quite old enough to write for it before it folded, and then the other magazines he became involved with publishing that type of story. Even as a one man magazine. These are all pretty good with the last three the best. There's a novel version of The Silent Invaders and Silverberg says he likes the shorter version better - so do I.

A well put together collection.

Hunt the Space Witch : Slaves of the Star Giants - Robert Silverberg
Hunt the Space Witch : Spawn of the Deadly Sea - Robert Silverberg
Hunt the Space Witch : The Flame and the Hammer - Robert Silverberg
Hunt the Space Witch : Valley Beyond Time - Robert Silverberg
Hunt the Space Witch : Hunt the Space-Witch! - Robert Silverberg
Hunt the Space Witch : The Silent Invaders - Robert Silverberg
Hunt the Space Witch : Spacerogue - Robert Silverberg

A man is teleported through time to be the pawn for an artificial intelligence on a future Earth, stymied by damage and on a planet now run by huge aliens.

3.5 out of 5

A wet Earth thanks to a prior alien invasion has the local Sea Lords running a protection racket on the City States, although there is actually a pirate problem. Also a race of genetically engineered people under the sea are a source of conflict.

When the previous alien invaders return the land and sea dwellers must team up to defeat the amphibious and hence flexible aliens from getting a beachhead and underbeachhead.

3.5 out of 5

A Galactic Empire with a doddering Emperor faces simmering discontent. When a High Priest on a rebellious world is tortured to death over the location of an Empire breaking mythic weapon, things spill over via his son. Except at this point, no-one knows what this Hammer is and even if it exists.

3.5 out of 5

An alien experiments with a zoo - full of sentients snatched from spacetime. He does throw in some rejuvenation into the bargain, but eventually the group decides they don't like their prison and work out how to leave.

3.5 out of 5

Two blood brother spacers get separated - and one has fallen into the Cult of the Witch as a result of living too long on an extremely unpleasant planet. When his friend does the same, he ends up in their clutches too - but with the idea of obtaining freedom.

3.5 out of 5

An alien agent has undergone surgery to pass as a human and fight an espionage war with their galactic enemies on Earth - to try and sway the humans to their side.

However, evolution has gotten in the way, and a super race of mutants with advanced mental abilities co-opt him to work with them for a better cause.

3.5 out of 5

A nobleman whose family has been casually destroyed gathers what is left of his resources and sets out to infiltrate the organisation of the ruler who ordered it. This first involves smuggling and seduction before he can trigger his final weapon.

3.5 out of 5

4.5 out of 5

This is the real deal, PLANET STORIES-type, with more plot and action packed into a 30 page novella than you find in a modern-day 8 volume "octology".

For me it was a reminder of why I started reading this junk in the first place.