Shadrach in the Furnace
by Robert Silverberg
Form: Novel
Year: 1976
ID: 1006
Publication history:
- 1976: Shadrach in the Furnace, Bobbs-Merrill Hard cover book, ISBN 0-672-51993-3, 245 pp.
- 1977: Shadrach in the Furnace, Gollancz Hard cover book
- 1977: Shadrach in the Furnace, Science Fiction Book Club Hard cover book
- 1978: Shadrach in the Furnace, Pocket Mass market paperback, ISBN 0-671-81273-4, 252 pp.
- 1979: Shadrach in the Furnace, Coronet Mass market paperback, 245 pp.
- 1979: Schadrach im Feuerofen, Heyne Mass market paperback, in German
- 1981: Shadrak dans la fournaise, Laffont Hard cover book, ISBN 222100714X, 283 pp., in French
- 1985: Shadrach in the Furnace, Baen Mass market paperback, ISBN 0-671-55956-7, 286 pp.
- 1986: Die Mysterien von Belzagor/Schadrach im Feuerofen/Mit den Toten geboren, Heyne Mass market paperback, in German as Schadrach im Feuerofen
- 1987: Shadrak dans la fournaise, J'ai lu Mass market paperback, ISBN 2-277-22119, in French as Shadrak dans la Fournaise
- 1993: Shadrak dans la fournaise, Livre de Poche Mass market paperback, ISBN 2253065102, 380 pp., in French
- 1995: Sadrac en el Horno, Ultramar Mass market paperback, ISBN 8473863844, in Spanish
- 2004: Shadrach in the Furnace, , ISBN 0743458478, 256 pp.
Blurb:
(from Bobbs-Merrill 1976)
It is the twenty-first century, and a battered world is ruled by an old tyrant, Genghis II Mao IV Khan. The Khan is ninety-three years old, his life systems sustained by the skill of Mordecai Shadrach, a brilliant young black surgeon whose chief function is to replace Khan's worn-out organs. Within the vast tower-complex, the most advanced equipment is being used for three top-priority projects, each designed to keep the Khan immortal. Most sinister of these is Project Avatar, by which the Khan's mind and persona will be transferred to a younger body.
Shadrach makes the unsettling discovery that it is his body that is to be used. His friends beg him to flee, but he refuses to panic. Instead, with almost incredible composure, he evolves a dangerous plan that could change the face of the earth; if it backfires, it could mean the end of his life.
Shadrach in the Furnace is a big, sweeping novel; a harsh, abrasive, irreverent book about a life-and-death battle between two titans—one, the epitome of evil; the other, a paragon of idealism—in a society pushed to extremes.
Other resources:
[None on record]
Comments:
Nominated for Nebula Award for best novel, 1976. I remember liking it a lot when I read it in high school, but that's so long ago I can't say anything more specific. I'll reread it someday and post more details.