science fiction

The Longest Way Home - Robert Silverberg Book Review

Enter a review
of your own!
Other books by
author Robert Silverberg

"The Longest Way Home"
Message Board
Robert Silverberg Resident Scholar Profiles
TOP SCHOLAR: Angelo Ventura

SCHOLARS:
Jake Borcher  Santi Lara  
Would you like to be a scholar and make five dollars per review? Click here to submit a review!

Click here for free online dating advice!

Review Summary


Eos, Jul 2002, 25.95, 294 pp.
ISBN: 038097858X

Fifteen years old Joseph Keilloran has lived a life of privilege with his destiny of one-day becoming the Master of House Keilloran. Currently Joseph is ten thousand miles from home visiting relatives at Getfen House when a massive civil uprising occurs against the local Masters. Bewildered by the uprising of the Folk, Joseph feels foolishly safe since he belongs to another House far distant from the revolution led by estate Foreman Jakirrod. Chambermaid Thustin persuades Joseph to flee if he wants to live because Jakirrod's followers are killing all the Masters and anyone loyal to them.

Joseph treks through a wilderness that is as alien to him as anything he has encountered, but he knows that if Jakirrod's troops find him he is dead. The youth struggles to find food and shelter in the wilds after spending his life always being pampered and served. He meets strange beings, traveling THE LONGEST WAY HOME in order to survive.

Though he offers nothing radically new, Robert Silverberg provides science fiction fans with an exciting coming of age adventure with a teen hero who must adapt 180 degrees if he is to survive his quest home. The story line is action-packed and provides just enough description and references to support the alien life forms that Joseph will encounter on his journey. This epic trek will please the myriad of Mr. Silverberg's fans while sending new readers on a trek to find other novels by one of the genre's Masters.

Harriet Klausner

Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar


Detailed literary breakdown of The Longest Way Home
Our unique search engine breaks down books and movies into
dozens of literary elements, all of which are searchable.

New movie search (click here) New book search (click here)
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot

Composition of Book
Descript. of chases or violence - 10%
planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 50%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30%
Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 10%




Tone of book - suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - fantasy world/fantasy past
Coming of age Yes
Youngster becomes - an adult (general)
Explore/1st contact/ enviro story Yes
Plotlets: - surviving natural elements on planet - roaming fantasy world, battling hostile monsters
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book

Main Character
Identity: - Male
Profession/status: - champion of justice
Age: - a teen
How sensitive is this character? - middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - society

Setting
A substantial portion of this book takes place on a non-Earth planetary body: - humans in a futuristic society - very controlled society
Planet outside solar system? Yes

Style
Person? - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
scientific jargon? (SF only) - a fair amount of scientific explanation
How much dialogue? - significantly more dialog than descript
Most similar books to The Longest Way Home
The Lute and the Liar by Rie Sheridan
Transcendence by R.A. Salvatore
The Neverending Story by Michael Ende
Never After by Rebecca Lickiss
The Black Cauldron - Prydain Chronicles 2 by Lloyd Alexander




Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).
Try our new Star Wars & Star Trek puzzle pictures! Click here

Advertise with us
Feedback
Star Wars Revenge of the Sith plot spoilers
Hobbits
The politics game
The lawyer game

3 Movie search options!
1) Simple lookup
(title or author)

or
2) Detailed movie search
(click here)
or

3) One-click plot searches! Simply click on a plot below!

Animal Story

Clones

Coming of age

Cultural problems, alien culture

Explore/1st contact/ enviro story

Family relations

GIANT monster(s)

Horror story?

Inner Struggle

Lifeform altered?

Mental/magical powers focus

Parody

Political power play

Religious overtones?

Repressive society story

Robots, Computers, VR

Romance

Spying & Investigations

Tech./$$$/Info hunt

Time Travel story?

Training/Apprent.

War or Invasion


Games:
Trivia Masters!

Rescue your favorite
scifi characters from
slavery!


Talk to your favorite
scifi characters!


Eating New Yorkers
Computer Game


Pomeranians

Most recent TV & Movie discussions:

The Borrowers: The Borrowers 5/11/2008 10:53:57 PM

Xena: 37 reasons why Xena and Gabrielle are... you know.... 5/11/2008 7:02:04 PM

Star Trek Voyager: Did B'nana find her labor pains to be erotic? 5/11/2008 6:55:09 PM

A Boy and His Dog: A Boy and His Dog 5/8/2008 8:17:30 PM

Blade Runner: Blade Runner 5/6/2008 12:23:07 PM

The Space Explorers: The Space Explorers 5/6/2008 10:16:13 AM

2010: Exactly why was 2010 a lame movie? 5/4/2008 10:19:38 PM

Star Trek Classic: "Mark of Gideon"--A pitch for family planning 5/4/2008 10:15:47 PM

Star Trek Classic: Star Trek's dim view of earth-hugging hippies 5/4/2008 10:10:06 PM

Star Trek Classic: Nancy Crater a bisexual monster? 5/4/2008 10:02:29 PM


Newest slaves:
Phoebe Halliwell (Alyssa Milano) 3:22:52 AM
Princess Leia 3:22:47 AM
Piper Halliwell (Holly Marie Combs) 3:22:16 AM
Luke Skywalker 3:22:12 AM
Queen Amidala/Padme (Natalie Portman) 3:21:24 AM
Kate Jackson (Charlies Angels) 3:18:41 AM
Cameron Diaz 3:18:04 AM
Eva Longoria 3:17:53 AM
Lucy Liu 3:17:23 AM
Ashley Judd 3:17:08 AM
All slaves
(click here)


Celebrity interviews:
President George W. Bush 6:32:00 PM
Jan-Michael Vincent 2:16:51 PM
Captain Kathryn Janeway 3:47:46 PM
Jack ONeill (Richard Dean Anderson) 1:39:22 PM
Jennifer Aniston (Friends) 5:01:07 PM
All celebrities
(click here)