I've been a fan of Silverberg ever since reading some of his classic sci-fi like THE BOOK OF SKULLS and DYING INSIDE back in the 70s. However, I found it really difficult trying to get into this one. I think, as others have mentioned, that Silverberg must have been on an LSD trip when he wrote this in 1971. It tells of a man called Clay from the 20th century who wakes up millennia into the future through some kind of time flux. Man has gone through countless evolutions and the beings at the end are rather mild mannered and can shift their sexes at will. (These people kind of reminded me of the Eloi from Wells' Time Machine.) Clay arrives in the future naked and horny and has sex with most anyone or any being that will have him. His exploration of this future world goes on and on and I admit to skimming most of the last half of the book. Thankfully, it does come to an end.
This one was a disappointment to me. I always considered Silverberg one of the best in his field and hopefully the next book I read by him will be an improvement over this one!
This one was a disappointment to me. I always considered Silverberg one of the best in his field and hopefully the next book I read by him will be an improvement over this one!
