Majipoor Chronicles: Majipoor Chronicles (Majipoor Cycle) ePub download

I decided to read this book on a whim--I remembered Mr. Silverberg from about 40-years ago, and wanted to revisit. I was not disappointed! The characters were so rich, and the action moved forward unceasingly. I also liked the way the author wove together many stories. Thank you, Mr. Silverberg!

Silverberg is amazing. To create an entire planet in the detail he does is mind-boggling. He does it and still keeps the story-telling at the highest level. I will read the remaining Majipoor books.

While I had not read the first of this series, Lord Valentine's Castle, I found the Majipoor Chronices to be highly imaginative, provocative, clever, entertaining, richly visual, with engaging and instructive life stories from the soul records of former denizens of the planet Majipoor; which, in itself, is seemingly dominated by the long time ago settlers from old Earth. However, there are several other beings which, over the millenia, have also come to Majipoor and are part of the planet's makeup, so to speak. Overall governance of the planet seems to be divided into four parts: the Coronal, charged with planetary administration; the Pontifex, responsible for overall guidance and policy; the King of Dreams, charged with enforcement of good behavior; and, the Lady of the Isle, responsible for spiritual growth and development. While these divisions are not terribly precise, they give a feel for their different functions within the overall scheme.

Of all the different races or species created by Silverberg, I found the metamorphs or shape shifters, who were apparently the first inhabitants of Majipoor, to be the most original and intriguing of the different species found on this enormous planet. As a "people," the metamorphs' experience at the hands of the incoming explorers and settlers seemed rather reminiscent of the native americans' experience in North America. Overall, it seems clear enough that the author replicated, if not addressed, much of the existential angst, religious themes and other stuff found right here on good old Earth, which issues and concerns have been around for a long, long time. Economic, racial, and so called class disparities abound throughout the Majipoor Chronicles; however, it was just a great book experience, which worked on different levels. Thanks Mr. Silverberg!

3.5 stars

In the first novel of the Majipoor series, Lord Valentine's Castle, Valentine was aided in the labyrinth by Hissune, a clever and hard-working young street urchin. When Valentine was restored to his position as coronal, he elevated Hissune to a government job in the labyrinth. This was certainly a big step up for Hissune, but he soon discovers that government work is pretty dull. To alleviate the boredom, he talks his way into the Registry of Souls, the place where Majipoor's residents have been placing some of their memories for thousands of years. Pretending that he's doing some research for his archiving job, Hissune is able to call up and re-live the memories of ten Majipooreans. At first he starts off small, living as a young woman in a remote but developing area of the planet. When he doesn't get caught, he gets bolder and bolder and eventually spends time living in the memory of Lord Valentine himself.

Thus, Majipoor Chronicles is a collection of short stories set in the world of Majipoor. The book is meant to be read after Lord Valentine's Castle (which introduces Hissune), but it could also be read as a prequel or at any other place in the series. Each of these ten stories fills in some gaps in the story of Lord Valentine's Castle, or gives us more details and insights about the imaginative world of Majipoor and its citizens and culture. But most importantly, they each have a life lesson for Hissune who, though he doesn't know it yet, will succeed Valentine as coronal:

1. "Thesme and the Ghayrog" -- a young woman who feels ostracized because of her eccentric behaviors moves into the jungle and befriends an alien. A story about the Freudian defense mechanism of projection.
2. "The Time of the Burning" -- an army officer meets the legendary Lord Stiamot at a time when humans are taking the planet away from the native metamorphs. Explains how humans got control of the planet.
3. "In the Fifth Year of the Voyage" -- a chilling tale of adventure and failure. Gives us an appreciation for the immensity of the planet and the problems with its exploration.
4. "Calintane Explains" -- Calintane, a future coronal, explains to his girlfriend why he's been too busy to see her lately. The amusing story (alluded to in Lord Valentine's Castle) about the coronal who declared himself a woman and became the Lady of the Isle.
5. "The Desert of Stolen Dreams" -- as a way of punishing himself for a crime, Lord Dekkeret takes on an unpleasant job which involves crossing a desert and dealing with horrible dreams. Emphasizes the importance of dreams and gives us some background on a future coronal.
6. "The Soul-Painter and the Shapeshifter" -- an artist who's tired of structured and sculpted beauty moves to the forest and meets a metamorph woman. Shows the interracial conflict between humans and metamorphs.
7. "Crime and Punishment" -- a businessman who has committed murder tries to evade the King of Dreams. Explains how secret crimes are punished through dreams and why murder rates are low on Majipoor.
8. "Among the Dream Speakers" -- Tisana (who helped Lord Valentine) faces her final test to become a dreamspeaker. Shows the training and practices of the dreamspeakers.
9. "A Thief in Ni-moya" -- a shopkeeper is told that she has inherited a mansion in Ni-moya. Explores the exciting city of Ni-moya, illustrates some of the practices of its nobility, and deals with the concepts of justice and balance.
10. "Voriax and Valentine" -- brothers Voriax and Valentine meet a witch who gives them the disturbing prophecy that they will both be coronal. Fills in details of this event, which was alluded to in Lord Valentine's Castle, and gives us a glimpse of Valentine's early manhood.

I listened to Blackstone Audio's production of Majipoor Chronicles, which was read by an excellent cast of narrators (several who were new to me): J. Paul Boehmer, Cassandra Campbell, Emily Janice Card, Gabrielle de Cuir, Arte Johnson, Don Leslie, Scott Peterson, Stefan Rudnicki, and Mirron Willis. I can highly recommend this version. As with any collection, the stories vary in quality. My favorite stories were "In the Fifth Year of the Voyage" (intense), "Calintane Explains" (funny), and "A Thief in Ni-Moya" (satisfying). The only story that I didn't like was "Among the Dream Speakers" -- I thought it was dull.

Majipoor Chronicles gives even more texture to the beautiful and fascinating world of Majipoor while filling in a lot of details about characters and events alluded to in other Majipoor novels. For Majipoor fans, Majipoor Chronicles is a must-read. If you haven't read Lord Valentine's Castle, this is a good way to get your feet wet and to see if you want to explore more of Majipoor.

Robert Silverberg has created in Majipoor one of the most interesting and fantastic worlds of science-fiction/fantasy literature. Those who have read "Lord Valentine's castle" can't help but become amazed by Majipoor's imense size, its huge cities with billions of people of many alien races, and, most of all, the enigmatic and divided system of planetary administration, where dreams and the subconscient play a great part.
Silverberg knows that, with Majipoor, he has a science-fiction mine gold in his hands. "Majipoor chronicles" is the second book in the Majipoor series, but can be read before "Lord Valentine's castle". Through eleven stories, some short, some a little longer, Silverberg explores many aspects of Majipoor: the relationship between the humans and the alien races, the huge geography of the planet, the influence of the King of Dreams, and other sociological elements. Sex, power, greed, nature, everything plays a part in Silverberg's simple but compelling tales, and in the end the reader is rewarded with a collection of fable-like stories concerning Silverberg's greatest creation.
I think the Majipoor series is one of the greatest in this genre of literature, and certainly one of my favorites. Silverberg has created a world with the right amount of science and fantasy blended together, and that's not an easy task.
Grade 9.0/10