Dying Inside
Robert Silverberg
Science fiction is often seen as the domain of the space opera, the home of works that may not be, strictly speaking, literary, but which excite and entertain nonetheless. That may be true of many books, but Robert Silverberg's Dying Inside, though definitely a work of science fiction with its central conceit, straddles genres in its exploration of aging. Centered on David Selig, a telepath who finds his powers dwindling as he enters middle age, the story examines the impact of telepathy his life, told expertly through well-chosen anecdotes thoughtfully interspersed with the main narrative. The science fictional element surely isn't missing, and Silverberg has clearly thought out many implications of being a telepath, including a reaction entirely opposite to David's, in the persona of self-serving, yet strangely enticing, Tom Nyquist. We also see some unexpected, yet brutally probable, side effects of telepathy when mixed with mind-altering substances and, though the book is more a meditation on loss and the effects of one's choices, there are some thoughtful and, to my mind, original insights into telepathy along the way. Most importantly, the book doesn’t automatically construct Selig as a hero, and his isolating special power is just that- isolating. Though he encounters the occasional new-agey pseudoscientist and, indeed, a fellow telepath who has a refreshingly different perspective on their power, David must face his fate largely alone, and he does not choose to change the world with his keen powers of infallible insight. Nor is he prone to use his powers for his own personal gain; rather, he is content to feel sorry for himself, burdened by the sheer exhaustion of dealing with the duplicity of humanity.
Not that we can blame him, and indeed his pathos, while occasionally exhausting, adds to the depth and reality of Silverberg's character. Is this not a realistic reaction? David is, despite his whininess, strangely compelling as a failure, as someone coming to terms with a wasted life and discovering how his power has affected him and how he might approach a life without it. This is not enough, mind you, to completely carry the book, and there are times when David becomes almost unbearable, particularly when wallowing in passages that don't add much to the narrative. Overall, however, his emotions are deftly handled and come across in prose that is alternately sarcastic, poetic, and simply descriptive. While Silverberg's choice to include lengthy selections from his own college term papers is questionable, they bear some relevance to the plot and to David's characterizations, and similar stumbling blocks are generally overcome as David looks to his past in an effort to make sense of the present. The novel is not perfect, and for those a bit younger it may resonate less than with those approaching their own mid-life crises, but Dying Inside is a prime example of how science fiction can illuminate aspects of humanity in a fresh way, with potentially new insights.
Grade: B+
Robert Silverberg
Science fiction is often seen as the domain of the space opera, the home of works that may not be, strictly speaking, literary, but which excite and entertain nonetheless. That may be true of many books, but Robert Silverberg's Dying Inside, though definitely a work of science fiction with its central conceit, straddles genres in its exploration of aging. Centered on David Selig, a telepath who finds his powers dwindling as he enters middle age, the story examines the impact of telepathy his life, told expertly through well-chosen anecdotes thoughtfully interspersed with the main narrative. The science fictional element surely isn't missing, and Silverberg has clearly thought out many implications of being a telepath, including a reaction entirely opposite to David's, in the persona of self-serving, yet strangely enticing, Tom Nyquist. We also see some unexpected, yet brutally probable, side effects of telepathy when mixed with mind-altering substances and, though the book is more a meditation on loss and the effects of one's choices, there are some thoughtful and, to my mind, original insights into telepathy along the way. Most importantly, the book doesn’t automatically construct Selig as a hero, and his isolating special power is just that- isolating. Though he encounters the occasional new-agey pseudoscientist and, indeed, a fellow telepath who has a refreshingly different perspective on their power, David must face his fate largely alone, and he does not choose to change the world with his keen powers of infallible insight. Nor is he prone to use his powers for his own personal gain; rather, he is content to feel sorry for himself, burdened by the sheer exhaustion of dealing with the duplicity of humanity.
Not that we can blame him, and indeed his pathos, while occasionally exhausting, adds to the depth and reality of Silverberg's character. Is this not a realistic reaction? David is, despite his whininess, strangely compelling as a failure, as someone coming to terms with a wasted life and discovering how his power has affected him and how he might approach a life without it. This is not enough, mind you, to completely carry the book, and there are times when David becomes almost unbearable, particularly when wallowing in passages that don't add much to the narrative. Overall, however, his emotions are deftly handled and come across in prose that is alternately sarcastic, poetic, and simply descriptive. While Silverberg's choice to include lengthy selections from his own college term papers is questionable, they bear some relevance to the plot and to David's characterizations, and similar stumbling blocks are generally overcome as David looks to his past in an effort to make sense of the present. The novel is not perfect, and for those a bit younger it may resonate less than with those approaching their own mid-life crises, but Dying Inside is a prime example of how science fiction can illuminate aspects of humanity in a fresh way, with potentially new insights.
Grade: B+
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