Threads of Time: Three Original Novellas of Science Fiction

by Robert Silverberg (Editor), Gregory Benford, Clifford D. Simak

Threads of Three Original Novellas of Science Fiction by Gregory Benford in Hardcover.

Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories, Anthologies, Fiction

220 pages, Hardcover

First published February 2, 1974

About the author

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Robert Silverberg is a highly celebrated American science fiction author and editor known for his prolific output and literary range. Over a career spanning decades, he has won multiple Hugo and Nebula Awards and was named a Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America in 2004. Inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame in 1999, Silverberg is recognized for both his immense productivity and his contributions to the genre's evolution.
Born in Brooklyn, he began writing in his teens and won his first Hugo Award in 1956 as the best new writer. Throughout the 1950s, he produced vast amounts of fiction, often under pseudonyms, and was known for writing up to a million words a year. When the market declined, he diversified into other genres, including historical nonfiction and erotica.
Silverberg’s return to science fiction in the 1960s marked a shift toward deeper psychological and literary themes, contributing significantly to the New Wave movement. Acclaimed works from this period include Downward to the Earth, Dying Inside, Nightwings, and The World Inside. In the 1980s, he launched the Majipoor series with Lord Valentine’s Castle, creating one of the most imaginative planetary settings in science fiction.
Though he announced his retirement from writing in the mid-1970s, Silverberg returned with renewed vigor and continued to publish acclaimed fiction into the 1990s. He received further recognition with the Nebula-winning Sailing to Byzantium and the Hugo-winning Gilgamesh in the Outback.
Silverberg has also played a significant role as an editor and anthologist, shaping science fiction literature through both his own work and his influence on others. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife, author Karen Haber.

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my favorite of the several anthologies that Silverberg edited which collected three original science fiction novellas in one volume. These three have weathered the intervening years better than most. Riding the Torch by Norman Spinrad is one of his best, a real deep-space page-turner, Gregory Benford's titular story is a hard-sf riff on 2001, and my favorite of the trio, Clifford D. Simak's The Marathon Photograph is a pastoral time-travel tale with great characters and an imaginative twist. Good stuff!

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

A trio of sci-fi novellas tied together by the themes of time and humanity's place in the universe. Well done and thought provoking.

[Chris Gager · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the same book as a couple of other entries but it's a different edition so I created it. I have subsequently switched to a more recent hardbound(mine is also hardbound) so I can get the image instead of the generic blank space. I don't take the time or trouble to upload cover photos. I suppose I could, but ... My edition is the original hardbound(I think from 1974). Probably rescued from the our local transfer station trailer a while ago. My favorite bookstore! So. far so good ...

1 - "Threads of Time" by Gregory Benford - a solid sci-fi story from a guy I whose name rings only the faintest bell, probably from a story or two read long ago in anthologies. The story was written 1974 and takes oplace in 2007/8 so there are some chrono-cultural "mistakes," a common problem in short-range sci-fi.

2 - "The Marathon Photograph" by Clifford D. Simak - an excellent story from the redoubtable Mr. S., whom I clearly recall from the late 1950's. "City" might well have been the first sci-fi novel I ever read. Loved it! "The Big Back Yard"(short story is another classic). Has a typical sci-fi mystery ending.

- another "you see' sighting

- Andy "wants to back down to work" after what's just happened????? Mr. Clueless ...

3 - "Riding the Torch: by Norman Spinrad - an excellent story by the youngest of the three writers. Another one of whom I have no conscious memory. This story is suggestive of that famous short story about the long line of space ships leaving Earth in advance of a solar super-nova. Can't remember the title. The author raises some interesting questions about our place in the uni - and provides one possible answer.

- "pale fire" pops up

- I anticipated the final twist - sort of - I was about 50-50 on it.

- A Rolling Stones shout out("Sympathy for the Devil")!

- a nod to Ozymandias ...

- Overall a 3.5* rating must be rounded down to 3" - that's G'reads for ya!

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Threads of time by Gregory Benford - the name is famous, but afaik this is probably the first I've read by him. Three stories in one, with socio-political commentary on fundamentalism, Bigfeet, and alien artifact on the moon. Not sure if they come together or not. I might look for more by the author. The female characters are people in their own right, so it's not painful to read on that account.

"Cynic is a word invented by optimists to put down realists."
"[M]an's prehuman ancestors didn't look or act like the present great primates. Just because Fred is your cousin doesn't mean you can learn much about your grandfather by studying Fred's habits."
"Man would rather kill himself than die of boredom."

The marathon photograph by Clifford D. Simak - One of my favorite authors; this story not a bad sample of the bulk of his work. (But not as outstanding as his best.)

Riding the torch by Norman Spinrad - Spinrad's been on my radar for too long. I tried a couple of his works but they were just too outre for me. This is comprehensible, and meaningful, despite the challenging beginning. Would be great for a discussion group. I might try more by him, given that I've unlocked 'how' to read him (to simplify, the answer to the how is 'with patience').

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a trio of science fiction novellas bound in a collection called Threads of Time, which is also the title of the first novella - written by Gregory Benford - which introduces the reader to a crisis at a moon station, where a mysterious domelike structure has been discovered and threatens all who go near it. The story was fairly good, but the writing was a bit pedestrian. There are some intriguing discussions of how religion can reside with science, or not. It was a fine read, but not anything I need to read again. Novella #2 is entitled The Marathon Photograph and is written by Clifford D. Simak. This is the story (Spoiler Alert) of two scientists who stumble on time travelers from four million years in the past. This story was a bit more interesting to me than the previous one. I find stories about time travel fascinating and yet generally speaking, at least somewhat problematic. This is mainly due to the Butterly Effect being either misused or, worse yet, ignored, though that wasn't as much of a problem here. Novella #3 is called Riding the Torch, written by Norman Spinrad. Riding the Torch deals with the refugees from a dying planet looking for a new world to call home. I can't really say much of anything else more about the plot without spoiling something. Suffice it to say, this story annoyed me ALOT at first, mainly because of some " future slang" that was irritating and, at times, almost impossible to understand. I was actually just about to give up on this one, which is something I rarely do. But I hung on, and I'm glad I did. This ended up being the most interesting of all three of the novellas. I guess at least sometimes, patience really is a virtue! If you are a hard-core science fiction fan and are looking for something new to you, then you should check it out. If you are new to science fiction, then maybe check out Robert Heinlein, Ursula LeGuin, or Arthur C. Clarke first. Well, this makes 4 science fiction outings in a row, so I think now It's Time for Something Completely Different! Historical Fiction feels pretty far off from Science Fiction, so that's where I'm heading. As always, Happy Reading!

[Mortimer Roxbrough · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately, these are not three novellas as advertised, but three stretched-out short stories. Each meanders from an original interesting premise that feels too long because in each case it is. not recommended as in all three cases the reader is threatened by boredom.

[Georgia]

I’m gonna stop underestimating 70s sci-fi

[Kate]

Third novella in collection, Riding the Torch by Norman Spinrad, unexpectedly very good