Son of Man

Ten years ago I bought it second hand, read it (my first sci-fi book!), and fell in love with it. A few years later, I gave it to my brother, who may still have it, I don't know. I've been looking for another copy for the past 5 or 6 years, and today I just found it! Thank you, thank you, whoever it belonged to (and a first edition)! Without doubt a great book on its own, not just from the sci-fi point of view, worthy of not being obliterated by time.

Being a science-fiction reader for about 25 years there are very few books that touched me the way 'Son of Man' did. Silverberg has always been one of my favourites for his unique ability to address human issues. Together with 'Nightwings' and 'Downward to the Earth', 'Son of Man' is one of his masterpieces. Read this one if your mind is open for alternative perspectives on almost every aspect of being human. There is only one other comparable book I know of - also one of my all time favourites: it's 'A Voyage to Arcturus' from David Lindsay

This is without a doubt my all-time favorite book, science-fiction or otherwise. I have read it about 10 times over the last 15 or so years. It is hard to describe. It's sci-fi, fantasy, allegory, philosopy, religion, all rolled into one. It's about a man named Clay who awakens in a strange Earth in a far, far distant future. In his travels through the land he encounters a wide variety of strange and remarkable versions of mankind throughout the ages. Some of these include fish- and goat-like beings, spheroid creatures enmeshed in wheeled cages, and saurian mud-dwellers - all evolutions of man! The best aspect of the story is Silverberg's incredible imagination, in his depiction of the ages of man, their daily lives and rituals, and the landscape of future Earth. I can't rave enough about this. PLEASE, PLEASE read it yourself and pass it on to someone else. If ever a book deserves to be awarded cult status, this is it!

This is hands down my favorite book. Silverberg takes a man (Clay) from the present and places him in the far, far distant future. While there he meets not only humans as they look at that time, but all forms humans have taken over the millenia (some of them not so pretty). From a psychological standpoint the different human forms and the way they think is extraordinary. Silverberg takes taday's personalities and magnifies them to create the future human forms. From a philosophical perspective the book follows Clay's thoughts as he tries to come to terms with what humanity was, what it has become and his place in it all.

This is not a "time travel" episode. One man ( Clay ) awakens so far into the future there are no similarities between now, and the Earth-time he finds himself in. The book holds the readers mind and feeds it with details of all the senses. Within the story are several mini adventures, each having it's own mind bending concepts. There is some sexual content, so the book is not for young kids. I've read it three times over the last ten years, and will read it again in a few more. This is the one that hooked me on Silverberg.