Science Fiction

Needle in a Timestack

Needle in a Timestack

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  • Create Date：2021-07-26 07:51:15
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
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  • Author：Robert Silverberg
  • ISBN：1473229200
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Summary

Needle in a Timestack is Robert Silverberg at his very best - intelligent， inventive， and visionary。 This collection showcases his talent for thought-provoking science fiction， ranging in themes from time travel to space travel， the media to mortality。

In the titular story - under development as a feature film by Oscar-winning screenwriter John Ridley - a jealous ex-husband warps time in a vindictive attempt to destroy his former wife's new marriage。 Thirty-one identical sons have a shocking surprise for their mother in "There Was an Old Woman"。 The prophetic "The Pain Peddlers" depicts reality TV in a way that allows viewers to revel in a voyeuristic， adrenaline-fueled rush。 Also included are Silverberg's Hugo Award-winning "Enter a Soldier。 Later: Enter Another"， and the Locus Award winner "The Secret Sharer"， a Joseph Conrad-inspired tale of a ship captain drawn into a strange alliance with a stowaway。

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Reviews

Ron ，

Ordinary intelligence would not work。 Odyssean cleverness was the only salvation。A decent anthology—a rarity in science fiction。 Silverberg serves generous offerings from across his career， with introductory comments for each tale。 Most involve some form of time travel。The poor old shattered moon， souvenir of an era long gone: it seemed a scratchy mirror for the tormented planet that owned it， for the fragmented race of races that was mankind。Though first published in 1966， the current version o Ordinary intelligence would not work。 Odyssean cleverness was the only salvation。A decent anthology—a rarity in science fiction。 Silverberg serves generous offerings from across his career， with introductory comments for each tale。 Most involve some form of time travel。The poor old shattered moon， souvenir of an era long gone: it seemed a scratchy mirror for the tormented planet that owned it， for the fragmented race of races that was mankind。Though first published in 1966， the current version of this collection includes little of the original and much that wasn’t， including the eponymous Needle story。 Some materials were as recent as 2019。"Still， life is all there is， so you want as much of it as you can。 Which means getting gold， and power， and fame。” “Which you had。 And apparently have no longer。 Friend Pizarro， where are we now？” “I wish I knew。” “So do I，” said Socrates soberly。My personal favorite was “Enter a soldier。 Later: Enter another。”Even to an old soldier like me it is all very sad。 He was a man like us， enemy though he was， and he died far from home。 。。。more

Jerry ，

Classic SilverbergGreat time travel love story with a interesting test。 I would recommend to all time travel fans with a pinch of fantasy romance。

Carol Tensen ，

Who can resist a collection with such a great title and a kick-ass cover？ Silverberg has presented ten well written stories。 I particularly liked To See the Invisible Man， The Sixth Palace， and Passport to Sirius。 Fun fact: when the audience for pulp sci-fi ebbed， Silverberg turned to other genre of writing including porn （which were written under the pen name Don Elliott）。 He made no apology and defended his work saying， “I think they were outstanding erotic novels。” I’ll bet they were。

Pat ，

Fun collection of science fiction short stories。 Some are humorous。 Nothing groundbreaking， but certainly entertaining。 Good to take on the train or subway。

Ann ，

I am a big fan of Silverberg but this short story collection missed the mark for me。 I loved the “Needle in a Timestack” story but the others were not up to his normal quality。 They were very creative ideas but I love the character development and world building that he accomplishes in his novellas and novels far more。

Forked Radish ，

Yeesh， what drivel， with plot holes that you could drive supergiant stars through。 But its first being published in Playboy explains a lot i。e。 Who actually reads Playboy？

Tom ，

Needle in a Timestack （Robert Silverberg） - 5 StarsThe Pain Peddlers （1963） - 5 Stars Passport to Sirius （1958） - 3。5 Stars Birds of a Feather （1958） - 5 Stars There Was an Old Woman （1958） - 4 Stars The Shadow of Wings （1963） - 3 Stars Absolutely Inflexible （1966） - 3。5 Stars His Brother's Weeper （1959） - 3 Stars The Sixth Palace （1955） - 5 Stars To See the Invisible Man （1963） - 5 Stars The Iron Chancellor （1958） - 4。5 Stars Needle in a Timestack （Robert Silverberg） - 5 StarsThe Pain Peddlers （1963） - 5 Stars Passport to Sirius （1958） - 3。5 Stars Birds of a Feather （1958） - 5 Stars There Was an Old Woman （1958） - 4 Stars The Shadow of Wings （1963） - 3 Stars Absolutely Inflexible （1966） - 3。5 Stars His Brother's Weeper （1959） - 3 Stars The Sixth Palace （1955） - 5 Stars To See the Invisible Man （1963） - 5 Stars The Iron Chancellor （1958） - 4。5 Stars 。。。more

Jeffrey Powanda ，

Twenty classic science fiction stories from the Fifties through the Eighties， a generous collection of more than 500 pages。 The earlier stories are pulpy fun， but the later stories from the Seventies and Eighties exhibit Silverberg's refined craftsmanship， which is why he's one of my favorite science fiction writers。 The title story is an OK time travel story， which was adapted into a 2018 movie by Oscar-winning screenwriter/director John Ridley。 There are a few other time travel stories include Twenty classic science fiction stories from the Fifties through the Eighties， a generous collection of more than 500 pages。 The earlier stories are pulpy fun， but the later stories from the Seventies and Eighties exhibit Silverberg's refined craftsmanship， which is why he's one of my favorite science fiction writers。 The title story is an OK time travel story， which was adapted into a 2018 movie by Oscar-winning screenwriter/director John Ridley。 There are a few other time travel stories included， but time travel isn't the overriding theme。 The collection is really all over the map。 There's even a crime story。 Silverberg provided an intro to the book （which explains the numerous editions， two of which didn't include the title story）。 He also included a brief intro to each story， explaining when it was written， for which publication， and whether it was anthologized or won awards。 My favorites: "The Pope of the Chimps，" "Chip Runner，" "Ishmael in Love，" "Enter a Soldier。 Later: Enter Another，" and "The Secret Sharer。" 。。。more

Joachim Boaz ，

Full review: https://sciencefictionruminations。com。。。"*Review for the 1966 edition。 The 1979 and 1985 editions were revised。*Needle in a Timestack （1966） is an uneven collection of ten short stories from the late 50s and early 60s by Robert Silverberg。 By the late 60s and early 70s Silverberg was producing his masterpieces。 However， earlier in his career he wrote mostly [。。。]" Full review: https://sciencefictionruminations。com。。。"*Review for the 1966 edition。 The 1979 and 1985 editions were revised。*Needle in a Timestack （1966） is an uneven collection of ten short stories from the late 50s and early 60s by Robert Silverberg。 By the late 60s and early 70s Silverberg was producing his masterpieces。 However， earlier in his career he wrote mostly [。。。]" 。。。more

Andy Hickman ，

“Needle in a Timestack” by Robert SilverbergAlways interesting reading sci-fi when the date （in this case， 2017） is close to my reading date， even though the story was written much earlier （in this case， 1983）。“To enter the past is like poking a baseball bat into a spiderweb: it can't be done subtly or delicately。” “Needle in a Timestack” by Robert SilverbergAlways interesting reading sci-fi when the date （in this case， 2017） is close to my reading date， even though the story was written much earlier （in this case， 1983）。“To enter the past is like poking a baseball bat into a spiderweb: it can't be done subtly or delicately。” 。。。more

Tom LA ，

Excellent and entertaining as always。 Some short stories from the late 50s。 I already knew a couple of them。

Jon ，

I listened to the podcast （see details below） and enjoyed Silverberg's writing and ideas。StarShipSofa 501 Robert Silverberg9/6/17 by Tony C SmithWeb player: http://podplayer。net/#/？id=40612351Episode: https://media。acast。com/starshipsofa/。。。Main Fiction: "Needle in a Timestack" by Robert SilverbergOriginally published in Asimov'sRobert Silverberg has been a professional writer since 1955， and is widely known for his science fiction and fantasy stories。 He is the winner of four Hugo， six Nebula a I listened to the podcast （see details below） and enjoyed Silverberg's writing and ideas。StarShipSofa 501 Robert Silverberg9/6/17 by Tony C SmithWeb player: http://podplayer。net/#/？id=40612351Episode: https://media。acast。com/starshipsofa/。。。Main Fiction: "Needle in a Timestack" by Robert SilverbergOriginally published in Asimov'sRobert Silverberg has been a professional writer since 1955， and is widely known for his science fiction and fantasy stories。 He is the winner of four Hugo， six Nebula awards， and three Locus awards。 He was named to the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 1999， and was designated as a Grand Master by the Science Fiction Writers of America in 2004。 His books and stories have been translated into forty languages。 Among his best-known titles are Nightwings， Dying Inside， The Book of Skulls， and the three volumes of the Majipoor Cycle: Lord Valentine’s Castle， Majipoor Chronicles， and Valentine Pontifex。 He and his wife Karen and an assorted population of cats live in the San Francisco Bay Area， in a sprawling house surrounded by exotic plants。 He can be found online at the Quasi-Official Robert Silverberg Web Site 。。。more

Lucy Cokes ，

My favourite 3:Iron ChancellorTranslation ErrorAbsolutely InflexibleClassic pulp sci-fi stories from the 60s with the occasional 'Hmm， I'm not sure if this story is racist/sexist or not' story。 Read it in a couple hours though， so it filled in my plane journey nicely。 My favourite 3:Iron ChancellorTranslation ErrorAbsolutely InflexibleClassic pulp sci-fi stories from the 60s with the occasional 'Hmm， I'm not sure if this story is racist/sexist or not' story。 Read it in a couple hours though， so it filled in my plane journey nicely。 。。。more

Simon ，

An enjoyable enough collections of short SF。 Some stories are fun if a little inconsequential， whereas a few， like "To See The invisible Man"， have something a little deeper and darker to say。 An enjoyable enough collections of short SF。 Some stories are fun if a little inconsequential， whereas a few， like "To See The invisible Man"， have something a little deeper and darker to say。 。。。more

Donald Fox ，

An acidulous collection of science fiction stories （December 10， 2008）What a great fortune that this volume dropped into my lap。 The very first story looks at issues that are now relevant to most television adherents: "reality TV。" Where is morality in presenting painful situations or even physical pain to a viewing public in the name of entertainment？ From scenarios of manipulating news （à George Orwell） to interplanetary sideshows to illegal temporal jumping， these stories will entertain the m An acidulous collection of science fiction stories （December 10， 2008）What a great fortune that this volume dropped into my lap。 The very first story looks at issues that are now relevant to most television adherents: "reality TV。" Where is morality in presenting painful situations or even physical pain to a viewing public in the name of entertainment？ From scenarios of manipulating news （à George Orwell） to interplanetary sideshows to illegal temporal jumping， these stories will entertain the most serious science fiction buffs and those who are just whetting their appetite for this amazing genre。 The most abstract and haunting is perhaps "The Sixth Palace" in which Silverberg leaves a lot to his readers' imaginations。 My favorite is "To See the Invisible Man。" Take some time to read these great adventures。The individual story titles （and date of copyright） are listed below:"The Pain Peddlers" （1963）"Passport to Sirius" （1958）"Birds of a Feather" （1958）"There Was an Old Woman" （1958）"The Shadow of Wings" （1963）"Absolutely Inflexible" （1966）"His Brother's Weeper" （1959）"The Sixth Palace" （1955）"To See the Invisible Man" （1963）"The Iron Chancellor" （1958） 。。。more

Leif ，

Uhm。。。this guy writes some great stories， but always ends them with a "BAM， TWILIGHT ZONE TWIST ENDING"。 That gets annoying。。。and it seems kind of lazy。All the stories are great until that happens。 Uhm。。。this guy writes some great stories， but always ends them with a "BAM， TWILIGHT ZONE TWIST ENDING"。 That gets annoying。。。and it seems kind of lazy。All the stories are great until that happens。 。。。more

Sandy ，

Having read some two dozen novels by Robert Silverberg over the past couple of years， I recently decided that it was high time for me to see what the Grand Master has accomplished in the area of the shorter form。 As if by serendipity， while shopping the other day at the Brooklyn sci-fi bookstore extraordinaire Singularity， I found a volume of Silverberg short stories that， as it's turned out， has fit the bill for me very nicely。 Released in 1966， "Needle in a Timestack" gathers 10 short tales to Having read some two dozen novels by Robert Silverberg over the past couple of years， I recently decided that it was high time for me to see what the Grand Master has accomplished in the area of the shorter form。 As if by serendipity， while shopping the other day at the Brooklyn sci-fi bookstore extraordinaire Singularity， I found a volume of Silverberg short stories that， as it's turned out， has fit the bill for me very nicely。 Released in 1966， "Needle in a Timestack" gathers 10 short tales together from the period 1956-’65， out of the 581 （！） short stories， novellas and novelettes that Silverberg has thus far given us。 （Readers who are understandably dubious regarding that seemingly superhuman number are urged to go to the author's Quasi-Official Web Site for a complete listing and enumeration。） Oddly enough， the Silverberg story "Needle in a Timestack" does NOT appear in this collection; it first appeared in the June '83 issue of "Playboy" magazine。The collection is subtitled "An acidulous collection of science fiction stories，" and for good reason: Every single one of these stories ends on a downbeat note。 Readers going into this particular bunch of tales should be prepared for a succession of deliciously written bummers。。。not that things grow repetitive or dreary as a result。 Displaying Silverberg's abundant and wide-ranging imagination， wit， intelligence and craftsmanship， each of the stories herein is a gem; no fillers in this assortment， that's for certain！The collection kicks off with "The Pain Peddlers，" which originally appeared in the August '63 issue of "Galaxy。" In a prescient foreshadowing of today's "reality TV，" Silverberg gives us a world in which the masochistic home audience is able to watch live surgical operations， as well as vicariously feel the pain being experienced by the UNanesthetized patients， thanks to EEG amplifiers and at-home， slip-on helmets。 But things wind up getting just a tad out of hand for the executive producer of this truly unpleasant television program。。。In "Passport to Sirius" （which made its first appearance in the 4/58 issue of "Worlds of If"）， David Carman， 27th century wage slave， decides to chuck his droning， dead-end job and， using some adroit forgery， finagles himself a visa to the titular star system， to help fight in the war going on there。 However， the interstellar war in question is not what it seems， and those who have read Philip K。 Dick's "The Penultimate Truth" may perhaps divine where this mordant blast at futuristic economics is heading。 Silverberg DOES make a small boo-boo in this tale when he tells us that the Andromeda Nebula is 900，000 light-years away; that number should be more like 2 million。Up next we have "Birds of a Feather" （from the 11/58 "Galaxy"）， a delightful and hilarious tale that yet manages to conclude on a sour note。 Here， we meet J。F。 Corrigan， proprietor of the Corrigan Institute of Morphological Science; that is， a zoo containing almost 700 specimens from all over the galaxy。 These specimens haven't been captured， but rather hired， and in this amusing romp， we witness the travails that J。F。 encounters on a typical recruiting day while in the Caledonia Cluster。In "There Was an Old Woman" （11/58， "Infinity Science Fiction"）， Donna Mitchell， an experimental biochemist， has manipulated one of her own zygotes， cultivating it in nutrient tanks， and thus causing to develop 31 identical sons， on whom she plans to do some further nature/nurture research。 This is a wonderfully written story that actually allows us to get to know all 31 brothers， and one that ends on a decidedly shocking note。 Mitchell， by the way， can almost be seen as a warm-up for the Lona Kelvin character in Silverberg's 1967 novel "Thorns"; a 17-year-old mother of 100 babies。。。"centuplets"！"The Shadow of Wings" （7/63， "Worlds of If"） is， for my money， the slightest tale in the collection。 Here， a 21st century linguist who has translated the alien Kethlani language， based on some relics found on Mars and Venus， is called in to interpret when an actual Kethlan is captured in a small spaceship。 Our linguist must overcome his initial terror at the alien's appearance and grapple for understanding in this short yet atmospheric story。"Absolutely Inflexible" （7/56， "Fantastic Universe"） is an absolutely first-rate time paradox story。 Here， a corps of men in the 28th century is tasked with capturing "time jumpers" from the past--whose germ-contaminated bodies might pose a threat to 28th century Earth--and shipping them off to the moon for perpetual imprisonment。 As I've written elsewhere， many of these temporal paradox stories give me a borderline migraine， but I found this one to be remarkably clever and satisfying。"His Brother's Weeper" （3/59， "Fantastic Universe"） is another humorous outing， in which Peter Martlett uses a "deserializer" （a time/transportation device that IS somewhat headache inducing， as described） to take the 283-year journey to the planet Marathon， in order to wind up his deceased brother's affairs。。。including the thorny matter of TWO women whom he was engaged to！ Wonderful entertainment， this one！In "The Sixth Palace" （2/65， "Galaxy"）， two desperate men try to get past a killer robot that is guarding a vast treasure horde on an airless world of Valzar。 This tale is plainly an updating of the Oedipus and the Sphinx myth， and can also be seen as a warm-up to Silverberg's 1969 novel "The Man in the Maze。" It is a genuinely suspenseful affair， and quite a grim one。Up next we have "To See the Invisible Man" （4/63， "Worlds of Tomorrow"）， in which our narrator， for the crime of "coldness" in the year 2104， is given a one-year sentence of "invisibility"; that is， although anyone can actually see him， he is absolutely shunned by society。 The telltale emblem on his forehead results in a year of complete isolation for our narrator， though he walks freely amongst his fellow men。 Silverberg here gets to explore the ramifications of such a state， both the pros （the ability to do anything one wishes while being utterly ignored） and the cons （such as the inability to order food in a restaurant or to secure medical assistance）; ultimately， it is a brilliant tale of enforced loneliness， the cactus symbolism of which again acts as a harbinger of "Thorns。"The final tale in this collection， "The Iron Chancellor" （5/58， "Galaxy"）， is one of the very best。 In it， the overweight Carmichael family purchases a new domestic robot to help prepare dietetic and nutritious meals。 But when a mechanical short circuit causes the robot to lock the family indoors and institute a killer diet regimen， the family members get far more （or perhaps I should say "less"！） than they had planned to chew on！ Still another witty and suspenseful tale， culminating in still another depressing Silverberg finale。So there you have it。。。10 wonderful and wonderfully entertaining pieces， told in Silverberg's best manner。 Small surprise that the future Grand Master should have such a winning way with the shorter form， as well as the long。 Please don't let those downbeat endings put you off from seeking this one out， dear reader。 Paradoxically， you'd be hard put to find a more delightful collection。。。。（By the way， this review originally appeared on the FanLit website at http://www。fantasyliterature。com/ 。。。 a perfect destination for all fans of Robert Silverberg。。。。） 。。。more

Fantasy Literature ，

http://www。fantasyliterature。com/revi。。。 http://www。fantasyliterature。com/revi。。。 。。。more

Laurel ，

In a future where one can travel back to the past， and where actions in the past change the reality of the "present"， what would you choose to do？This story， from Nick's perspective - he's married to Janine - tells of how Tommy， Janine's jealous ex， systematically travels into the past to destroy their marriage and get himself back together with Janine。There are a few interesting elements to it。 One is that， when a person's reality is changed， they know it （it's called phasing）， and for a few ho In a future where one can travel back to the past， and where actions in the past change the reality of the "present"， what would you choose to do？This story， from Nick's perspective - he's married to Janine - tells of how Tommy， Janine's jealous ex， systematically travels into the past to destroy their marriage and get himself back together with Janine。There are a few interesting elements to it。 One is that， when a person's reality is changed， they know it （it's called phasing）， and for a few hours （three max） they are able to recall the former reality。 Another is that it is almost impossible to prove that one's been phased - something that presents Nick with complications when it comes to confronting Tommy or working to prevent Tommy's meddling。 Overall， an entertaining story of some complications that can arise from time travel。 。。。more

DJ ，

3/5 Rating Review coming 9/17 and will posted first at MyLifeMyBooksMyEscape as part of the Time Traveler's Almanac group read。 Follow along with #TimeTravelThursday 3/5 Rating Review coming 9/17 and will posted first at MyLifeMyBooksMyEscape as part of the Time Traveler's Almanac group read。 Follow along with #TimeTravelThursday 。。。more

Jessica Meyers ，

meh。。。 This book was decently written， but no real substance。 Nothing that made you really think。

Paul ，

Classic， clever， Time Travel -- a short story of life in the not-too-distant future， when "Time Jaunts" are for everyone。 Go to the distant past to witness great moments， or to a more recent time to tidy up your life。 Trouble is， with so many traveling， things can go wrong。 A sudden twitch in your eye or a taste of cotton in your mouth and you know you've been "Time-phased" again。 But this time it's no accident， and it's worse than you could have imagined。 Great concept and a fun read。 Classic， clever， Time Travel -- a short story of life in the not-too-distant future， when "Time Jaunts" are for everyone。 Go to the distant past to witness great moments， or to a more recent time to tidy up your life。 Trouble is， with so many traveling， things can go wrong。 A sudden twitch in your eye or a taste of cotton in your mouth and you know you've been "Time-phased" again。 But this time it's no accident， and it's worse than you could have imagined。 Great concept and a fun read。 。。。more

Michele ，

Interesting collection， ranging from time loops to rebellious robots。 Entertaining， but nothing terribly thought-provoking， complex or deep。

John ，

I know Robert Silverberg is a Big Name （tm） in the science fiction genre， but these stories just haven't aged well。 Most of them were originally published in the late 50's or mid 60's， and that's exactly what they feel like。 All the machines have dials， people have robutlers in their houses， the spaceports are staffed by neatly-dressed technicians， etc。 On top of that， there's just nothing especially interesting about any of these stories。 They all unfold to a predictable punchline。 Skip this co I know Robert Silverberg is a Big Name （tm） in the science fiction genre， but these stories just haven't aged well。 Most of them were originally published in the late 50's or mid 60's， and that's exactly what they feel like。 All the machines have dials， people have robutlers in their houses， the spaceports are staffed by neatly-dressed technicians， etc。 On top of that， there's just nothing especially interesting about any of these stories。 They all unfold to a predictable punchline。 Skip this collection。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Needle in a Timestack

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Needle in a Timestack&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Needle in a Timestack&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0