Apocryphal Chris's Reviews > Son of Man
Son of Man
by
by

Son of Man is the most bizarre novel by Silverberg I've so far read. It takes us into very fluid far future where anything seems possible and almost nothing is grounded to our current reality. The story begins when a man named Clay wakes up in a future so distant even the moon no longer exists. He's met by Hanmer, a 'skimmer', one of six gender fluid beings that represent a far future evolutionary path of humans. He soon joins their posse as a kind of pet and participates in some of their rituals which will eventually bring about new Age of Aquarius (or something like that). Luckily for Clay (and one supposes, for Silverberg) the skimmers really like having sex, regardless of their current gender, and Clay turns out to be malleable, so he gets it six ways to Sunday. Though he does get a bit bored after a while and wanders off to meet (and see what it's like being) other very bizarro future incarnations of 'humanity', none of which resemble Homo sapiens. These include Eaters, Destroyers, spheroids, goats, Interceders, and so on. It all ends with an epiphany, some time on the porcelain rim, and finally, surrounded by his friends, a deep and satisfying sleep.
The book is dedicated to "Bill Rostler and Paul Turner - fellow voyagers." Rostler was a fellow SF writer and a pornographer. Paul Turner's name is too common to easily look up, but a Paul Turner did interview Silverberg for a magazine, once. I'm willing to bet their voyages together were largely of the astral kind, and in various states of dress.
The book is dedicated to "Bill Rostler and Paul Turner - fellow voyagers." Rostler was a fellow SF writer and a pornographer. Paul Turner's name is too common to easily look up, but a Paul Turner did interview Silverberg for a magazine, once. I'm willing to bet their voyages together were largely of the astral kind, and in various states of dress.
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Reading Progress
September 5, 2023
–
Started Reading
September 5, 2023
– Shelved
September 5, 2023
– Shelved as:
science-fiction
September 16, 2023
–
Finished Reading