Nightwings is another great Robert Silverberg science fiction novel. This edition contains an introduction written by Silverberg in 2002, which provides a very interesting discussion of how he came to write the three novellas that make up Nightwings and what his life was like when he was writing them. His friend, Frederick Pohl, was editor of Galaxy, the leading science fiction magazine at the time, paid Silverberg $500 each to publish them. The first novella, Nightwings, was published in the September 1968 issue of Galaxy and won the Hugo award for best novella in 1969. The second installment and third installments were published in Galaxy in November 1968 and February 1969 respectively. Silverberg later combined the three and first published them as a novel in September 1969. The novel takes place thousands of years in the future on Earth. In it, Silverberg creates a fascinating history of Earth’s civilization. The First Cycle includes the years before earthlings had contact with intelligent beings from other worlds. The Second Cycle began when hamans first encountered intelligent beings from distant worlds. Much technological advancement and trade with other worlds made the Second Cycle very prosperous for Earthlings. However, greed and other human emotions caused much exploitation of the planet and of out-world civilizations. Thus, during the Third Cycle Earthlings came to be viewed by inhabitants from other worlds with contempt. “In many parts of the universe humans were denounced as marauders, kidnapers, and pirates…” The population of at least one planet, who lacked the capability of space travel at the time, vowed to someday invade and conquer Earth as revenge for the cruel treatment of their species by humans. Earth became “a neglected world in a backwater of the universe.” Its economy went bankrupt and resulted in a society or paupers with class and occupational guilds, including Dominators, Masters, Merchants, and many more, to give order to the crumbling society. Silverberg’s engrossing story takes place mostly during the Third Cycle and chronicles the journey and experiences of an aging Watcher, whose purpose is to scan deep space for any signs of impending alien invasion. Carrying his watching equipment on his back, he travels by foot, like most others, stopping several times each day to conduct his watching. He travels with many different companions during his journeys, including beautiful Avluela, a Flier, a member of a re-egineered human species that was created by man for beauty and enjoyment. Her nightwings enable her to fly only at night because they cannot tolerate the sun. His travels take him from Agupt to Roum where he fulfills his responsibilities as a watcher by issuing a warning about an alien invasion. After Earth is conquered he leaves Roum disguised as a Pilgrim with the exiled Prince of Roum and goes to Perris where he becomes an apprentice Rememberer, the guild that researches the past and enables him to learn about Earth’s history. He is later forced from the Remeberer guild and escapes Perris as a member of the Pilgrim guild. He then travels to Jorslem as a pilgrimage and to undergo the renewal procedure. While in Jorslem he reunites with Avluela and plays an important part in the freedom and redemption of earth. Throughout this book Silverberg’s provides a very interesting, enjoyable, satisfying story that is rich in detail. I wish I had read it long ago and I’m certain I will read it again down the road. BTW: As a long-time academic librarian, I was interested that Silverberg included an Indexers guild, and states that they “… record and classify that which they often do not understand…” and that “Without them one scarcely is able to cope with the problems of research.” I wonder why he didn’t call them Librarians.
4,5/5Stanbool'u(İstanbul) nasıl sevmez ya çok yadırgadım buçuk puanı ordan kırdım :).Her defasında yineliyorum ama Silverbeg'un aşmış bir romanı, Dying Inside ile başlamam Silverberg'u kendi gözümde kadim seviyelere yükseltti. Daha sonradan çok da kadim seviyelerde yazılmamış olan Uzaylı İstilacılar romanını okusam da hala benim için yeri apayrıydı. Gece Kanatları ile yine o bendeki seviyesinin sınırlarını zorladı.Roman bende Zelazny'nin herşeyiyle müthiş 5 üzerinden 6'lık Lord of Light ve Planescape: Torment havası uyandırdı. Neden diyecek olursanız, Silverberg'un yarattığı setting, en az onlar kadar bilim kurgu ve fanteziyi iyi harmanlamış olup, içindeki gizem duygusunu son anına kadar koruması birçok kez bu eserleri aklıma getirtti.Romanın tek eksikliği belki de olay örgüsünün çok etkileyici olmaması denebilir. Ha bu akıcılığından bir şey kaybettirmiyor. Yazarın asıl amacı zaten kendisini işkillendiren, kendi içinde yer etmiş bazı olayları bu yarattığı dünyada gerçek hallerinin sadece görünümü değiştirilmiş birer kopyası haline dönüştürüp bunlar üstünden eleştirmiş. Öyle ki yer isimlerini bile az da olsa değişime uğratmış;Jorslem; JerusalemMedit; Mediterranean -artık bir göl-Perris;ParisHind; HindistanStanbool; İstanbulEfrik; Afrikavs vs.Eleştirdiği konuları da okuyun da görün artık :D ama en başlıcaları; Değişkenler ve Uçucular üzerinden giden bariz bir ırkçılık eleştirisi ve Kadercilik,Yobazlık üstüne eleştiriler vs var . Şayet yazar bunları eleştirmek için bu "setting"'i yaratmış ama ben daha yarattığı "setting"'de kaldım zaten :D.Sevdim mi? Çok. Kime önerirsin? Klas ve özgün bir bilimkurgu/fantastik harmanı sevenlere...(Zelazny/Delany)Hatta böyle kitaplar varsa öneriniz bir an önce öne almaya çalışayım onları da:D . Şu an ilaç gibi geldi bu.
What do You think about Nightwings (2003)?
An old watcher, a female flier, and a changeling travel to Roam. Set on earth thousands of years in the future. The planet and its people are exhausted. The watcher searches the skies for an alien invasion he believes will never come. In exchange for shelter in Roam, the flier agrees to sleep with the prince. One day he sees the invasion fleet. He sounds the alarm and watches helplessly as the alien fleet conquers the earth. During the brief battle, he is separated from the flier. The changeling turns out to be a spy. No longer a watcher, he joins the guild of rememberers and learns the awful secret behind earth’s fall from grace (weather manipulation machines that destroyed the climate’s natural harmony) and how it angered the aliens by capturing their primitive ancestors and displaying them in a zoo. In exchange for the safety of the blinded prince of Roam, he gives the aliens the location of a video that reveals the fate of their ancestors in the zoo. Having betrayed his people and the guild, he is expelled and begins a pilgrimage to Jorslem. There he is renewed (restored to his youth and absolved of his sins) and reunited with the flier who confesses her love for him. She helps him join a new guild, the reformers, which is charged with rebuilding civilization and subverting the alien occupation. His is given new watching equipment that allows him to project his mind. Ends on a hopeful note. Humans will attain a higher level of consciousness and undermine the alien occupation with love and advancement. The old watcher is a beautiful character, warm and sympathetic.
—Marc Goldstein
One of the very best short novels from one of the very best SF writers of the 20th century. Nightwings is a lyrical exposition of how pride leads to a fall and how falling can lead to redemption. This is not an especially unusual theme, but the setting - far in humanity's future - is beautifully constructed from the point of view of one of the fallen. The characterizations of the people of the Third Age are equally beautiful, and remarkably deep for such a short book. Over the years I have read more than one copy of this book into complete destruction.
—William Korn
At first I found that I wasn't particularly engaged by the story but I was expecting science fiction when in fact this is more science fantasy in the Dying Earth tradition. Indeed, it works much more as a fantasy novel than SF and once I had made the mental adjustment to the right mode, I began to enjoy it much more.The human race has gone well past its peak and is now in the third age in which much of the technological marvels that it attained in the previous age have been forgotten and what is left is a rigidly stratified society that is technologically backward. We follow through the eyes of the wandering protagonist as he passes through a period of intense personal and social upheaval. He moves from one guild to the next as his old perceptions and beliefs are altered by the events in the world around him, the old social structure is torn down and from the ruins a new enlightened culture can emerge.Robert Silverberg writes well here and that helped sustain my interest in the early part of the book before I had engaged with the story. It's not among my favourite of his novels I've read from this period but still well worth reading, particularly for fans of future fantasy.
—Simon
