A Time of Changes
by Robert Silverberg
List Price:
Our Price: $6.23
You Save: $8.72 (58%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $1.57 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Robert SilverbergEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2009-04-27
ISBN: 0765322315
Number of pages: 304
Publisher: Orb Books
Book Reviews of A Time of Changes
Book Review: A Great Story
Summary: 4 Stars
I wasn't around for the 60s and I don't remember anything from the 70s--being only an infant during the glorious years of the Carter Administration. So I can't claim to have "been there" when the country was turned on its head and flower-child values became a part of America's social fabric. However, I have suffered through college lectures from people who don't seem to realize that they are walking stereotypes and I have had a taste of that period's philosophy and art. Generally speaking, it's a taste I don't care for--like a pungent cheese with little seeds of unknown origin embedded in it. The two exceptions to my general disdain for the cultural and intellectual products of the 60s and 70s are music and science fiction literature. The 1960s and 1970s were a golden age for science fiction and Robert Silverberg's 1971 Nebula Award-winning novel A Time of Changes is one of those novels that distinguishes itself as both a product of its troubled times and a timeless work of art that can be enjoyed by anyone--even people like me who probably would have voted for Nixon.
A Time of Changes takes place millennia in the future during a time in which humans have colonized extra-solar planets. One of those colonies is established on a planet called Borthan by members of a religious sect that follow a set of theological guidelines called the Covenant. The Covenant requires one to wall off both heart and mind from others. This denial of self is intended to prevent individuals from placing their personal burdens on others and it is such a fundamental element of life on the planet's northern continent, Velada Borthan, that the inhabitants have banished first-person pronouns (I, me, myself, mine, etc.) from their vocabulary. Use of a first-person pronoun is considered a terrible breach of manners and can even lead to a charge of "self-bearing," which is the ultimate sin among the people of Velada Borthan--a sin that can have both social and legal consequences.
Not everyone on Velada Borthan cherishes the Covenant. However, few have the courage to resist and still fewer have the resources to make their resistance anything more than a personal act of defiance. Then along comes a flawed hero named, Kinnall Darival. Kinnall is a prince from a province called Salla. As the younger son of Salla's prime septarch (i.e. king), Kinnall has little chance of becoming septarch himself and chooses to depart his home province upon his father's death. He wanders Velada Borthan for years before making a home in the continent's southern province. It is there that he makes contact with a man from Earth who challenges Kinnall's assumptions about his world and encourages him to try a drug that breaks down the barriers between human minds. The intimacy that Kinnall experiences during his telepathic experience changes him and leads him to become a prophet of self-bearing, or rather self-sharing as he calls it.
A Time of Changes is a wonderfully simple story that deals artfully with a variety of complex issues. Although the book focuses on the question of what is the source of love and how to create a happy society, it also forces the reader to consider the question of what responsibilities we have to those who care for us and what motivates a person to become a revolutionary. One of Siverberg's great accomplishments is that the narrative is constructed in a such a way that reasonable people can disagree with the implications of Kinnall's transformation from restless bureacrat to self-bearing messiah. The Kinnall character is presented in a sympathetic light, but is hardly air-brushed. We see Kinnall as strong, courageous, inquisitive, and introspective. However, we also see him as arrogant, destructively selfish at times, as well as oscillating between total self-confidence and paralyzing indecision. In other words, Kinnall is portrayed as a human being, albeit a remarkable one, and is totally convincing as a social revolutionary. One of the greatest weaknesses of the book is that there is no effective counter to the protagonist. The opponents of self-bearing are protrayed as brain-washed victims. Silverberg comes close to creating a worthy counterpoint to Kinnall with Noim, Kinnall's "bond-brother" who rejects Kinnall's teachings and clings to the Covenant. Unfortunately, Silverberg discredits Noim by suggesting that his opposition to Kennall is rooted in a self-loathing that is a product of Velada Borthan's twisted society.
It is impossible not to think of A Time of Changes as part of a larger body of science fiction works that deal with the conflict between individualism and communitarianism. However, Silverberg's book sets itself apart from novels like Ayn Rand's classic Anthem, because it offers a much more complex analysis of what it means to promote the interests of the individual. As in Anthem, the residents of Velada Borthan do not speak in the first-person. However, unlike in Anthem, the cure for denial of self is not to assert one's independence from one's community, but rather to forge a more intimate connection with others to the point of mentally merging with them. For Rand, collectivism and individualism are two very distinct things and their moral value is easily discerned. The former is bad the latter is good. For Silverberg, the lines that separate the two are blurry, with moral truth being somewhere between the two archetypal ends of the spectrum.
For this reason, the message of the book is refreshing, if not entirely convincing. The notion that human intimacy is necessary to have trust and love seems like a no-brainer, but the argument that total intimacy is the best means of creating a peaceful, happy society seems like a naive product hippie idealism. Indeed, the whole notion of using mind-altering drugs to expand one's ability to understand and perceive the surrounding world seems a little quaint, while the contention that totally dropping our defenses and allowing others into our minds to study our innermost thoughts is more than a little disturbing. Because there is no serious effort by the author to make the opponents of self-bearing into anything other than pitiable figures who will never know true happiness the book only affords one-side of the story. However, it does not harm the narrative as much as one might expect, because Kinnall's behavior is described in such brutally honest detail that it is possible to see him as either a martyr or a drug-crazed fool despite the lack of an effective philosophical rival.
The pacing of the book is rather good, although a few sections could have benefited from some trimming. There is enough adventure and intrigue in the story to keep the reader engaged and entertained, but the book's deeper mission is always apparent. The prose is generally excellent, although at first it can be difficult to determine when the author is being serious and when he is being facetious. For example... "Bulging muscles and a hairy hide do not a skilled lover make, nor is a massive genital member such as mine any guarantee of ecstasy..." Later on you can laugh with the author, rather than at him, but at first you'll wonder if you're reading a great work of science fiction or simply a juvenile pulp novel. Indeed, there were points early in the book where I could not help but picture Kinnall as Will Ferrell offering me "tickets to the gun show" and bragging about his "pubic mane."
Good stories should always entertain and the best stories will teach you something about yourself and the world around you. By that criteria, Robert Silverberg's A Time of Changes is a great story. I can't say I agree with the message of the book, which struck me as a troubling tale of how self-repression can be replaced with self-annihilation, but it did challenge me and force me to engage in a little introspection. If you're looking for epic space battles, a large cast of complex characters, or a story that deals with hard science fiction themes then A Time of Changes is not for you. However, if you are looking for a science fiction novel that provides an in-depth character study, a fascinating and very personal exploration of an alien world, as well as a story that delves into perennial questions, such as what does it mean to love one's self and to love others, then A Time for Changes will not disappoint.
This review came from the website Drink Your Kanar!
Literature & Fiction Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Literature & Fiction Books
Little Womenby Louisa May Alcott
Scribner; Published: 1986-06-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.49
Price in other shops:
The Killing Groundby JACK HIGGINS
HARPERCOLLINS PUBLISHERS LTD; Published: 2007; Hardcover; Book
Saving Fish from Drowningby Amy Tan
4th Estate; Published: 2005; Paperback; Book
Life Expectancyby Dean Koontz
Harpercollins Pb; Published: 2005-08-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.00
Constant Princessby Philippa Gregory
Touchstone/Simon & Schuster; Published: 2005; Hardcover; Book
Wolf of the Plains (Conqueror, Book 1)by Conn Iggulden
Harper; Published: 2007; Paperback; Book
Saharaby Clive Cussler
Harper Collins Pb; Published: 2005-03-21; Paperback; Book
Perelandra (Cosmic Trilogy)by C. S. Lewis
Voyager; Published: 2005-11; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.73
Price in other shops:
The Lord Of The Rings: Part 2 The Two Towersby J. R. R. Tolkien
Harper Collins Publishers; Published: 2001; Paperback; Book
Red Marsby Kim Stanley Robinson
Trafalgar Square; Published: 2001-06; Paperback; Book
Similar books summaries and other product reviews
The Einstein Intersectionby Samuel R. Delany
Wesleyan; Published: 1998-07-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.89
Price in other shops:
Gateway (Heechee Saga)by Frederik Pohl
Del Rey; Published: 2004-10-12; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.50
Price in other shops:
Rite of Passageby Alexei Panshin
Fairwood Press, Inc; Published: 2007-02-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.87
Price in other shops:
Ringworldby Larry Niven
Del Rey; Published: 1985-09-12; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.25
Price in other shops:
Nightwingsby Robert Silverberg
IDW Publishing; Published: 2008-09-23; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.27
Price in other shops:
Babel-17/ Empire Starby Samuel R. Delany
Vintage; Published: 2002-01-08; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.54
Price in other shops:
Son of Manby Robert Silverberg
Pyr; Published: 2008-06-03; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.07
Price in other shops:
The Book of Skullsby Robert Silverberg
Del Rey; Published: 2006-01-31; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.39
Price in other shops:
The World Insideby Robert Silverberg
Orb Books; Published: 2010-03-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.99
Price in other shops:
Dying Insideby Robert Silverberg
Orb Books; Published: 2009-03-03; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.99
Price in other shops: