Across a Billion Years

Robert Silverberg
Completed 3/21/2021, Reviewed 3/21/2021
3 stars

This book was a shame.  Published in 1969, it had an interesting story, but really dropped the ball on sexism and racism, so much so that it was cringeworthy at times.  I think Silverberg’s intent was to show growth of the main character, but it was never fully realized.  Granted I’m writing this over fifty years after it’s original release, and I always try to put myself in the mind frame of the time in which it was written, but we knew better in ’69.  And it’s too bad, because the basic premise of the book, archeologists finding an ancient civilization that colonized a huge slew of the galaxy, was entertaining.

Tom Rice is a member of an archeological expedition to a distant planet containing the remains of a colony of an alien race called The High Ones.  The High Ones colonized part of the galaxy about a billion years ago.  This seemed to me a normal dig, finding the same artifacts as on other planets, until Tom discovers a globe which projects scenes of The High Ones’ culture.  One in particular is a video of them planting a robot on a distant asteroid.  The team decides to try to find the asteroid and dig up this robot to try to locate The High Ones themselves.

The form of the novel is epistolary, that is, it’s written as a series of letters to Tom’s twin sister Lorie.  She’s a telepath, bedridden due to a paralysis from birth, but part of the TP network that allows for faster than light communications through the galaxy.  Being fraternal twins, they don’t look exactly alike, and Tom doesn’t have the gift of telepathy.  So he documents his voyage on communications cubes, like a diary, to give to Lorie when he returns home.  I don’t think it was as successful as other epistolary novels I’ve read.  It could have been narrated in first person, although it sort of comes into play at the end.  But it wasn’t a distracting form.

The characterization was best with Tom.  He’s bigoted against androids and other aliens and sexist, very much a white male of the sixties, even though this book takes place in the 24^th century.  He tries to grow, but doesn’t until the surprising ending, which of course, I can’t give away.  The most deplorable part is when Jan, his love interest, is sexually assaulted by another member of the team.  Tom’s response is, well, women can take care of themselves.  Jan fights off the attack which confirms Tom’s belief system.  Later Jan gives him the business for not coming to her rescue.  Of course, Tom doesn’t get it.  This scene left a bad taste in my mouth and I think it would for most readers.  Most of the other characters are rather one-dimensional, not quite stock characters, but pretty close. 

I felt the writing wasn’t up to par for Silverberg either.  I think the problem lays in the epistolary form.  He’s writing as a 22-year-old white male.  Usually, Silverberg’s prose is much better and tends to be much more philosophical.  One review by a person I know actually called this juvenile fiction, as in YA.  That’s how uncharacteristic this was of Silverberg.  I’ve read several books by him know, and even when I don’t care for the book, I still find the writing and the philosophy quite powerful. 

All these negative comments are what brings the rating of this book down to three stars out of five.  I would have given it four based on the general plot because it has a really good second half and ending.  If you can get through the offensiveness of Tom’s character, there’s a strong story here with surprising and redemptive finish.