Downward to the Earth
by Robert Silverberg
Form: Novel
Year: 1969
ID: 253
Publication history:
- 1970: Downward to the Earth, Doubleday Hard cover book, 180 pp.
- 1970: Downward to the Earth, Science Fiction Book Club Hard cover book
- 1971: Downward to the Earth, Signet Mass market paperback, 176 pp.
- 1972: Downward to the Earth, Signet Mass market paperback
- 1977: Downward to the Earth, Gollancz Hard cover book
- 1978: Downward to the Earth, Pan Mass market paperback, ISBN 0330255916, 173 pp.
- 1979: Downward to the Earth, Berkley Mass market paperback, ISBN 0-425-039528, 181 pp.
- 1980: Les Profondeurs de la terre, Livre de Poche Mass market paperback, ISBN 2-253-02577-1, 288 pp., in French as Les Profondeurs de la Terre
- 1981: A Robert Silverberg Omnibus, Harper & Row Hard cover book
- 1981: A Robert Silverberg Omnibus (The Man in the Maze/Nightwings/Downward to the Earth), Science Fiction Book Club Hard cover book, 497 pp.
- 1984: Downward to the Earth, Bantam Mass market paperback, ISBN 0-553-24043-9, 181 pp.
- 1986: Die Mysterien von Belzagor/Schadrach im Feuerofen/Mit den Toten geboren, Heyne Mass market paperback, in German as Die Mysterien von Belzagor
- 1987: Les Profondeurs de la terre, Livre de Poche Mass market paperback, ISBN 2-253-02577-1, 288 pp., in French as Les Profondeurs de la Terre
- 1988: The World Inside/Thorns/Downward to the Earth, Bantam Mass market paperback, 487 pp.
- 1990: Downward to the Earth, Gollancz Mass market paperback, 190 pp.
- 1998: Dolu k Zemi, Polaris Mass market paperback, ISBN 8085911132, 239 pp., in Czech
- 1998: Edge of Light: The Robert Silverberg Omnibus, Voyager Mass market paperback, ISBN 0006480381, 800 pp.
- 1998: Downward to the Earth, Peanut Press Online
- 2000: Fictionwise, Fictionwise Online
- 2002: Les Profondeurs de la terre, Livre de Poche Mass market paperback, ISBN 2-253-02577-1, 288 pp., in French as Les Profondeurs de la Terre
Blurb:
(from Bantam 1984)
Gundersen returned to Holman's World seeking atonement for his harsh years as colonial governor. But now the lush, exotic planet of mystery was called by its ancient name of Belzagor, and it belonged once again to its native alien races, the nildoror and sulidoror. Drawn by its spell, Gundersen began a harrowing pilgrimage to its mist-shrouded north, to witness a strange ritual of rebirth that would alter him forever.
Other resources:
[None on record]
Comments:
An interesting point is that the nildoror look a lot like elephants (distinguished by the presence of three tusks, small horns atop their heads, three gripping points at the end of their trunks, and a variety of non-elephantine colors), so humans have difficulty regarding them as an intelligent species. Furthermore, having no hands, the nildoror possess nothing we would call technology – no buildings or cities or tools. But they undoubtedly have a rich cultural and religious life which commercially-minded human colonists chose to ignore in their exploitation of Belzagor's resources. And then there are the mysterious sulidoror, denizens of the high mist-country and possessors of their own distinct culture. The parallel with historical situations (American expansion into Native American territory as well as the British time in India) is much in evidence, as is the hypocrisy of so-called liberals who, when confronted with the strangeness of alien customs, react with prejudice or insulting paternalism. There are also some jabs at tourists of the ugly-American variety. Gunderson's journey of self-discovery is quite moving and well-portrayed. The story also has many parallels (intentional on Silverberg's part) with Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, and even features a character named Kurtz.
In his Introduction to the 1979 edition, Silverberg admits that when he wrote this book, he did not consider it among his best, but over the years, the praise others have lavished upon it has caused him to re-evaluate it and see it strong points.