A key novel in its author’s development is set in a world where a new religion could pave the way for humanity’s expansion to the stars.
Many science fiction authors have crafted one or more “future histories”, which trace humanity’s imagined development in the years to come. The product of a somewhat unusual writing and editing process, To Open the Sky was the first true future history written by the prolific American author Robert Silverberg. In this distinctive take on the idea, the journey beyond Earth’s solar system rests less on technology, and much more on religious belief. In the 1950s, Silverberg was working at “assembly-line speed”, producing many competent SF stories for several magazines. Later, he entered a new phase in which he remained prolific but became more thoughtful and strategic in his approach. To Open the Sky is one of the novels which commenced the most praised part of his career, from the late 1960s to the mid-1970s. It is a brisk projection of humanity’s future, steeped in the theme of religion and cleverly bringing together five carefully planned, previously published stories.
After Frederik Pohl officially became editor of Galaxy magazine in December 1961, he came to a unique arrangement with Silverberg. The editor committed to publishing in Galaxy any story which Silverberg submitted, almost without exception. During Pohl’s tenure, Silverberg published many stories in Galaxy, including the Hugo Award-winning novella Nightwings (1968).
Back in the 1950s, Pohl had published a number of novels through Ballantine, including his notable collaborations with Cyril M. Kornbluth. Silverberg also wanted to sign a deal with the well-regarded publisher, and decided upon a series of linked stories in Galaxy as a means to do this. The story “Blue Fire” was published in the June 1965 issue, and would be the first of five tales that would make up To Open the Sky when Ballatine issued it in book form in May of 1967.
“Blue Fire” is set in 2077. Reynolds Kirby, a functionary for the United Nations, emerges from a “Nothing Chamber” which has purged him of fatigue. He soon finds his energy is in demand, as he is tasked with meeting the ambassador from Mars, where terraforming is at an advanced stage. The ambassador, Nathaniel Weiner, soon gets Kirby into an awkward scrape in New York City. This incident brings both men into contact with the Vorsters, an increasingly powerful and well-connected cult which venerates and sanctifies the scientific method.
The Vorsters prove to be the thread that ties together all five parts of To Open the Sky. In Silverberg’s imagined future, humanity has conquered Mars and is slowly bringing Venus under its control. The stars, by contrast, are out of reach. Each part of the book follows two linked Vorster projects. One is the quest for human longevity, even immortality. This effort is centred on a massive research facility in the desert outside Santa Fe, New Mexico. The second project is the bid for the stars. Unusually, To Open the Sky is based on the premise that it would not be practicable to leave the solar system using a human-made spacecraft. Instead, a consensus develops that it could be possible using sufficiently powerful telekinetic abilities - fortunately, the use of psi powers is more incidental and less obnoxious than it tends to be in vintage SF. As the story develops, it increasingly appears that it is a branch of heretics, the Harmonists, who hold the key to success. As it happens, this faction may not be as heretical as they appear…
On one level, To Open the Sky could be called a fix-up novel. However, while something like Asimov’s I, Robot (1950) was haphazardly assembled after the fact, Silverberg’s sequence of stories is the product of careful planning. Each of the five stories advances time significantly; for example the second entry “The Warriors of Light” is set in 2095, and the final part takes place in 2164. Each part explores more of Silverberg’s setting, expanding the focus from Earth, to Venus, and briefly to Mars.
The use of recurring characters is another one of the novel’s intelligent ploys. Each segment introduces at least one character who recurs in the later parts. The gradual advancement of longevity treatments allows figures who were important in 2077 to remain so nearly a century later. These include Kirby, who advances from being sceptical of the Vorsters to becoming their second in command. In another example, a lowly Vorster missionary surgically adapted for life on hostile Venus becomes an acolyte, and then a leader, of the dissident Harmonists. While the book’s structure is satisfying, Silverberg’s ideas are also impressive. To Open the Sky quite elegantly combines religion, psychic powers, terraforming, immortality, and political conflict into an engaging whole. This is a particularly interesting treatment of the theme of religion in SF. The plot hinges on the emergence of powerful new religious movements, albeit ones nominally rooted in scientific thought. It is a religion, not a conventional scientific or civil authority, which pioneers technological development in this novel, up to and including functional immortality and interstellar travel. When To Open the Sky was published in book form, Silverberg was in the process of embarking on his personal golden age. This would include other works with a religious bent, including Nightwings (1968) and Downward to the Earth (1970). This particular book is liable to become lost in the context of Silverberg’s intimidating productivity. But for its ingenious structure and intriguing themes, it is more than worthy of attention.
2 Comments
5/30/2024 11:48:19 am
I reviewed this one in the earlier years of my site. I described it in the following manner: "To Open the Sky is perhaps his best “pulp” novel and the last breath of his earlier period, remember “New Wave” Ballantine novels such as Thorns (1967) appeared in print immediately afterward."
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5/31/2024 12:43:16 pm
Hello - yes I read your review with interest and linked to it above. I'm definitely keen to read more of Silverberg.
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Exploring classic science fiction, with a focus on the 1950s to the 1990s. Also contributing to Entertainium, where I regularly review new games. Categories
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