Lord Valentine's Castle

By: Robert Silverberg

Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki

Length: 19 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

The planet Majipoor is shared by humans and several alien races, including four-armed Skandars, three-eyed Liiman, and the native, shape-shifting Metamorphs. All are watched over by the King of Dreams, the labyrinth-dwelling Pontifex, and the priestess of the Isle of Sleep, while the Coronal officially rules from atop Castle Mount.

The Majipoor Cycle begins as young Valentine, a man with no memory, is hired as an apprentice juggler by a group of eccentric performers. While the traveling troupe takes to the road, Valentine's sleep is disturbed by nightmare visions of warring brothers and difficulties on faraway Castle Mount. In a quest to discover who Valentine really is, his wise and peculiar companions resolve to help him claim the rewards of his birth. But another trial awaits Valentine that will test his belief, resolve, and strength of character.

©1980 Robert Silverberg (P)2008 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

An old friend revisited

What made the experience of listening to Lord Valentine's Castle the most enjoyable?

I read this book a number of years ago and was happy to find it on Audible. It didn't challenge my intellect or make me want to take up a political cause - it was just a fun futuristic/medieval romp. Sometimes those are the best books.

Would you be willing to try another book from Robert Silverberg? Why or why not?

Sure.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

I liked the narrator - his voice was smooth and he didn't overdo the drama in his voice. It was delightful.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It wanted me to dust off my juggling balls.

"And Can You Juggle as a Skandar Can?"

“And then, after walking all day through a golden haze of humid warmth that gathered about him like fine wet fleece, Valentine came to a great ridge of outcropping white stone overlooking the city of Pidruid. It was the provincial capital, sprawling and splendid, the biggest city he had come upon since--since?--the biggest in a long while of wandering at any rate.”

That's the charming, mysterious start to Robert Silverberg's sf-that-often-feels-like-fantasy novel Lord Valentine's Castle (1980). Valentine is a laid-back man unconcerned that just about all he can remember is his name. A 13-year-old herder called Shanamir takes him under his wing (thinking he might be simple), escorting him into Pidruid, where the boy plans to sell his "synthetic" mounts at market during a big festival to honor the once every 20 years visit of the Coronal, who rules this world of Majipoor. That the Coronal's name is Lord Valentine doesn't impress Valentine, who says that it’s a common name and that he sure wouldn’t want the burden of ruling “over billions upon billions of people, across territories so huge we can’t comprehend them.”

If at this point we match the title of the novel with the name of its protagonist, we might suspect that we're in a Special Protagonist with Amnesia story, if not an Unjustly Deposed Ruler out to Regain His Rightful Place story. We might even recall something like Roger Zelazny's Nine Princes in Amber (1970). Valentine, however, isn't driven to discover his identity and soon joins a troupe of wandering jugglers led by a Skandar (four-armed bear-like giant) because he's intrigued by the art and by Carabella, a young lady juggler. But wait! He learns to juggle suspiciously quickly and capably, and after the troupe performs before the Coronal, he feels soiled and drained and begins dreaming provocative dreams involving violence, the Coronal, the Pontifex (the ruler of the bureaucracy of Majipoor), and himself. And then he has a Dream-Speaker interpret the dreams, and--

Much of the early pleasure of reading Silverberg's novel comes from wondering when and how Valentine will learn his identity and what has happened to him. Indeed, when all that comes out in the first "Book" of the five that comprise the novel and Valentine gets a goal, things become more predictable and less interesting. But there is still much to enjoy because Majipoor is a world "full of wonders," because Silverberg's writing is pleasurable, because he explores duty, destiny, identity, memory, history, performance, love, dreams, the divine, self-control, social interaction, and cross-cultural understanding.

Majipoor is a giant, airy world poor in metals and fossil fuels, but rich in flora and fauna and geographical features. Although it's currently a backwater planet neglected by star-faring civilizations and doing little inter-planetary exploration or trade, 14,000 years ago humans from Old Earth settled there. And in the past non-human species ranging from tentacled Vroon to two-headed Su-Suheris immigrated to Majipoor. The 20 billion citizens of various races and environments live in culturally diverse and historically rich cities, each with its own architectural styles and urban layouts, from tree houses to "frozen poetry." Apart from remnants of ancient advanced technology (e.g., floater cars, vibro blades, and dream sending devices) and "magic" that seems mostly telepathy, the people of Majipoor seem to live in a pseudo-Medieval fantasy civilization.

Millennia ago the human settlers won a war against the indigenous Metamorphs and confined them to a reservation-like prefecture on one continent, since when there have been no armies or wars on Majipoor. The harmony derives from the balanced system by which the Pontifex rules the bureaucracy, the Coronal enforces the laws, the King of Dreams sends admonitory and punitive nightmares, and the Lady of the Isle sends dreams of love and calm. Nevertheless, unfinished business between the Metamorphs and their conquerors still festers.

Silverberg depicts Majipoor with affection, imagination, and fine prose. It's a beautiful place ("Cascades of dark leaves, tapering, drip-tipped, glistened as if polished by the rain") and an exotic one: "the [psychosensitive] plants had folded their intricate compound leaflets in the course of the quarrel and looked shriveled and blackened for ten feet on all sides of him. He touched one. It was crisp and lifeless, as though it had been torched. He felt abashed at being a party to such destruction." And just when I'd become numb to yet more descriptions of new places and plants, Silverberg introduced a great conception, the Labyrinth, a vast, multi-leveled subterranean city of bureaucrats, "Multitudes of toiling clerks in the kingdom of eternal night."

There is much humor in the novel, whether situation-driven (as in a satiric sequence where Valentine plays two feuding bureaucrats off against each other) or character-driven (as with Lisamon Hultin, a Conan-esque giantess bodyguard, or Deliamber, a diminutive Vroon wizard).

Juggling is a key motif in the novel. It is not, Valentine learns, merely an entertainment, but a way of life, a friend, a creed, a species of worship, a poetry, a mathematics, and a balance. When juggling he reaches a quiet place, a meditative, selfless ecstasy. And he can apply the art of juggling to life situations.

With his rich baritone, Stefan Rudneki reads the audiobook well. He does neat non-human characters and boldly sings various songs. Perhaps he should distinguish Valentine's accent, which his friends say differs from theirs.

Lord Valentine's Castle recalls Jack Vance and Gene Wolfe (vast history, various cultures, ancient tech, episodic travelogue plot, etc.), though Silverberg writes more appealing characters than Vance and a lighter story than Wolfe. People who like vintage sf/fantasy set on huge, culturally and environmentally diverse worlds would probably like it.

just a good story

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

yes, because the story is a little different.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

It end about the way I expected.

Have you listened to any of Stefan Rudnicki’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I hear Stefan perform on other book and he is always give a good performance.

Could you see Lord Valentine's Castle being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

No.

Superb!

Would you listen to Lord Valentine's Castle again? Why?

Absolutely! I have loved this story ever since I got my first hardback copy from the Science Fiction Book Club when I was a kid. Mr. Rudnicki really brings everything to life!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Valentine, of course.

Which character – as performed by Stefan Rudnicki – was your favorite?

The Hjort in Valentine's troop. Mr. Rudnicki did a great job giving him a gurgling voice you'd expect from a frog-like race.

Any additional comments?

All I can say is listen to this book! You'll love it!

A great rendition of a classic

This book was a delight when it was first published, and this reading of it is excellent. Good pacing, accurate pronunciation, and not over-acted as so many audiobooks are. Mr Rudnicki’s performance is great. Highly recommended.

Fantastic wonderful story

This is not gritty realistic sci-fi but somewhere between fantasy and sci-fi that is hopeful engaging and bright.

No gore or violence.

Slightly convoluted story.

Silverbergs insistence on details renders this book quite tiresome. The narrator is excellent and professional.

Majipoor

I have read Lord Valentine's Castle in its print form at least seven or eight times, and it is one of my all-time favourite novels, even though I am a hard core sf fan rather than a fantasy fan. Now that my eyesight is deteriorating, I rely heavily on audio books, and the three audio Majipoor books currently available have added a a new dimension to this wonderful series. Superbly done, beautifully read by Stefan Rudnicki, who brings life to the alien voices. Strongly recommended for new Silverberg fans as well as long-time fans.

My favorite book!

I really can't remember how many times that I have read/listened to this book over the last 35 years, but I truly loce it. Mr. Rudnicki does a wonderful job narrating it.

A fine science fantasy adventure

The story of a wandering amnesiac turned supreme ruler of the wonderful planet Majipoor.

The narration is excellent as always.

There's so little truly good science fantasy around, this is a breath of air. The closest I can think of is perhaps the much more serious Book if the New Sun, though anyone who like the pern books will also enjoy it.

One of the best credits I've spent. Well done Blackstone Audio!