(ordered from pbs for Oct 24 Hugo/Nebula group read, giving it a shot because reviewers imply it's somewhat utopian and say it has great world-building)
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Ok done.

It does indeed have both of those elements. Also adventure, humor, a huge theme of friendship, and the political intrigue that I despise but that others enjoy. And lots of ideas. I'm very glad that I finally read it, and do think it worthy of accolades.

As he learns to juggle: "And as his soul journeyed toward the heights of exaltation, Valentine perceived, with the barest flicker of his otherwise transcendent consciousness, that he was no longer standing rooted to the place, but somehow had begun to move forward, drawn magically by the orinting balls...."

"How can any usurper be just? He is a criminal... and he rules already with a criminal's guilty fears eating at his dreams, and as time goes on those fears will poison him and he will be a tyrant."

"On they went through a tamed province of city after city, broken only by modest belts of greenery that barely obeyed the letter of the density laws."

"The Pontifex has an army of petty clerks and officials.... We will find them extremely useful. They, not warriors, control the balance of power in our world."

"May you come to have all the power and prestige you deserve."

"I expect there to be bloodshed, but I intend to minimize it. Those troops down there are the troops of the Coronal; Remember that, and remember who is truly Coronal. They are not the enemy. [The usurper is the enemy.]"

"Why do you think the Divine is fair? In the long run, all wrongs are righted, every minus is balanced with a plus, the columns are totaled and the totals are found correct. But that's in the long run. We must live in the short run, and matters are often unjust there." ( )

An exciting read, a well created world, all the creative genius Silverberg is so well known for. A dangerous journey with a person who has no idea who he is or knowledge of his life prior to where the story begins. As he wanders looking for clues about himself, he picks up a small band of followers who help him in his search for his true identity. The group becomes completely taken by the amnesiac's intelligence and warm manner. The outcome is easily guessed at, but the journey raises question for our protagonists to work through and dangers they face, holds the reader's attention for the length of the book. Loved it ( )

This was a lovely book, a picaresque adventure through an incredibly rich and wonder-filled world, played absolutely straight. It took me a while to read because it is so very linear—the characters are likable but uncomplicated, and there's this storybook certainty to the narrative that everything will come out right in the end, despite momentary setbacks.

I will note that certain details of the plot seem to make no sense, but this is definitely not a book that requires a logical plot. Additionally, Silverberg's female characters, while much better written than I expected, have a couple of WTF moments, and I would have liked to see more gender balance overall.

Nevertheless, a really exceptional adventure tale and not to be missed. ( )

Lord Valentine’s Castle - Silverberg
Audio performance by Stephan Rudniki
5 stars

I read and reread this book several times during the ‘80’s. I loved the diverse human and alien characters, the adventurous quest, and the endlessly exotic settings of massive Majipoor. This is the sort of book that makes me want to start right back at the beginning after I read the final page. It had been at least 20 years since my last reread. This audio performance was a great way to revisit Majipoor. I’d forgotten enough that at least parts of it felt like a new journey. ( )

Another classic that I appear to re-read every decade. Delightful.

11/27/2023 The opening sequence is a favorite of mine and the complete journey an epic of self discovery. This has to be my third or fourth read thru. ( )

I've had this books sitting on my shelf for no less than 20 years. Eventually saw it available on audiobook and decided it was finally time to find out what this classic was all about.

The first quarter of the book was pretty boring. Way too much minutiae about juggling. I almost gave up. Glad I didn't. It got better.

I get the feeling that back in the day (when I was kid and before) authors mixed fantasy and sci-fi a lot more readily than they do nowadays. It was strange because the book read like a regular fantasy book 90% of the time, but then he would talk about aliens, or other planets, and hovercraft. It kind of jolted me out of the story. ( )

I didn't finish this. I read two, three hundred pages, but despite its charms there is a hollowness to the book. Now let's do this, now let's go there. So much description of places that we visit for a moment and then leave. The protagonist has an interesting enough story. If Silverberg had stripped out two thirds of the padding it might have been a more gripping book. On the other hand, a lot of other people liked it very much. Just not my thing.

I remember borrowing this book from the library when I was in high school.

I remember I enjoyed it quiet a bit! ( )

[This review does contain minor spoilers.:]

Somewhat dazed, Valentine wakes up in a field somewhere and is discovered by a passing herd boy. And thus begins Valentine's journey, from a puzzled and confused amnesiac to discovering who he really is.

Can you imagine, a person who was king (or "Coronal" in this case) who was somehow magically switched with another body, and the new Coronal is really wearing a new body.

Scary stuff. The first half of the book deals with not only his self-discovery, but his new loves and new adventures with people he may never have met, had he not been cast from his high and mighty throne.

The crux of the story really has to do with his own self-discovery, his haughtiness replaced with a simple understanding of reality, and then the merging of these two into Valentine the Coronal.

Several parts to this book I like. The author doesn't let on that Valentine is really actually the Coronal but weaves his readers through the self-discovery, laying clues along the way. And he does a bit of planet-building too. New aliens, ancient civilizations and so on. Unfortunately these are not fleshed out all that much.

Silverberg gets into the Metamorphs, the original race that "wasn't really using the planet anyway" and are on reservations. They're called Metamorphs because they can change themselves to look like anyone - shapeshifters.

Valentine meets with a group of jugglers who slowly realize he is not what he seems. It takes some convincing to get him to see that he is in fact the Coronal and that there is an usurper on the throne. And even then, he would prefer the simple life of a juggler to the dubious monarchy. What a conflict!

Despite the fact that there are aliens on this planet and that Earth is all but forgotten, and even the technology laid out in the story is forgotten as well, this story could easily fit in Medieval England or in a Marion Zimmer Bradley story. Calling it "science fiction" is a loose term. It's definitely a fantasy tale.



Bottom Line: Great story, full of imagery, bravery and self-discovery. I would have fleshed out some of the other alien races more and given less to the biology and geography of the planet. Perhaps Silverberg does so in the other books of the series.

Recommended!

Others of Interest:

The Book of Skulls
Valentine of Majipoor : Lord Valentine's Castle/Majipoor Chronicles/Valentine Pontifex
Collected Stories of Robert Silverberg: Volume 1 Secret Sharers
( )

I love this book. Its been a long time since I've read it, but it still stands out in my mind as a science fiction classic. Not only the plot, but the huge expanse of Majipoor is what really sets this book apart. I think Silverberg created a unique setting with strong characters and a compelling plot. ( )

http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/2507671.html

a serious effort to shift Silverberg's output from SF to big commercial fantasy, clearly drawing on older models, particularly Zelazny (amnesiac hero discovers that his crown has been usurped) and Vance (adventures across a world of varying magical creatures). We've had an awful lot more of that kind of thing since, and though some of it has been done better, most of it has been done worse. The setting of the multi-species travelling circus is nicely developed. The general thrust is uplifting - it's not just about divine right of kings, it's also about earning the right to rule through sufficient popular support (and, er, winning the battle at the end of the book). It was as much fun as I hoped it would be, but I don't feel any particular urge to track down and read the sequels. ( )

[This review does contain minor spoilers.:]

Somewhat dazed, Valentine wakes up in a field somewhere and is discovered by a passing herd boy. And thus begins Valentine's journey, from a puzzled and confused amnesiac to discovering who he really is.

Can you imagine, a person who was king (or "Coronal" in this case) who was somehow magically switched with another body, and the new Coronal is really wearing a new body.

Scary stuff. The first half of the book deals with not only his self-discovery, but his new loves and new adventures with people he may never have met, had he not been cast from his high and mighty throne.

The crux of the story really has to do with his own self-discovery, his haughtiness replaced with a simple understanding of reality, and then the merging of these two into Valentine the Coronal.

Several parts to this book I like. The author doesn't let on that Valentine is really actually the Coronal but weaves his readers through the self-discovery, laying clues along the way. And he does a bit of planet-building too. New aliens, ancient civilizations and so on. Unfortunately these are not fleshed out all that much.

Silverberg gets into the Metamorphs, the original race that "wasn't really using the planet anyway" and are on reservations. They're called Metamorphs because they can change themselves to look like anyone - shapeshifters.

Valentine meets with a group of jugglers who slowly realize he is not what he seems. It takes some convincing to get him to see that he is in fact the Coronal and that there is an usurper on the throne. And even then, he would prefer the simple life of a juggler to the dubious monarchy. What a conflict!

Despite the fact that there are aliens on this planet and that Earth is all but forgotten, and even the technology laid out in the story is forgotten as well, this story could easily fit in Medieval England or in a Marion Zimmer Bradley story. Calling it "science fiction" is a loose term. It's definitely a fantasy tale.



Bottom Line: Great story, full of imagery, bravery and self-discovery. I would have fleshed out some of the other alien races more and given less to the biology and geography of the planet. Perhaps Silverberg does so in the other books of the series.

Recommended!

Others of Interest:

The Book of Skulls
Valentine of Majipoor : Lord Valentine's Castle/Majipoor Chronicles/Valentine Pontifex
Collected Stories of Robert Silverberg: Volume 1 Secret Sharers
( )

An interesting fantasy world, Majipoor is revealed. I believe that juggling has a large part of this book's setting. ( )

3.5 stars, audio version

ORIGINALLY POSTED AT Fantasy Literature.

Valentine has been wandering the planet of Majipoor for a couple of years, but has almost no memory of where he’s been or what his life was like before. When he discovers that he has a talent for juggling and joins a troop of entertainers, he becomes more connected to his world and aware that something is wrong with him. After experiencing some “sendings” in dreams and hearing about the dreams of others, he begins to realize that he is Lord Valentine, one of the four rulers of Majipoor, whose soul has been put into some other body. So, with a loyal group of friends, he sets out to get some answers and to try to make things right.

Lord Valentine’s Castle (1980) is considered a classic SFF novel and, therefore, it’s one I’ve been planning to read (and expecting to love) for years. Indeed, there is much to love about Robert Silverberg’s world of Majipoor — it’s a huge hinterlands planet full of jungles, volcanoes, archipelagoes, deserts, long rivers, and sprawling cities populated by alien races and Old Earth humans. Majipoor contains no fossil fuels and few metals and, while there are still some genetically engineered animals and plants, most of Earth’s technology has been lost (though some is still being used by the rulers). Thus, Majipoor reminds me of what I love about Gene Wolfe’s Book of the New Sun — an old-world style with hints of unknown technological wonders that we hope to explore in future books.

As Valentine travels, he explores much of Majipoor and comes to understand and love many of its inhabitants as he experiences their cultures, economic systems, geographies, and ecologies. Of course, once he takes his rightful place as ruler of Majipoor, in the sprawling castle on a remote plateau in the clouds, all of this experience will serve him well.

The premise and the world-building are the strengths of Lord Valentine’s Castle. The plot, though it has so much potential, sometimes seems to crawl under the weight of that huge planet. Valentine plans to go to the castle to confront the imposter, so he goes. It’s a long slow journey which has some obstacles, but they’re all rather easily overcome. Much of the hard work is done in dreams or images as the Lady of Dreams (and, later, Valentine himself) convinces the people around him that Valentine is the true ruler of Majipoor. There’s not much tension and what there is, is quickly relieved. (However, the scene in which Valentine juggles for the shape shifters gave me chills).

There were also some things I didn’t think were adequately explained. For example, why doesn’t the imposter kill Valentine rather than put him into a different body? (There was an explanation for this which only made sense until the real imposter was revealed at the end of the story.) I also wanted to know how the body-switch happened. I hope these things will be explained in later Majipoor books.

I listened to Blackstone Audio’s production of Lord Valentine’s Castle which was read by one of my favorite narrators: Stefan Rudnicki. As usual, this was a very nice production and a great way to read Lord Valentine’s Castle.

If you want to explore a vast imaginative world, and don’t mind the leisurely pace, try Robert Silverberg’s Majipoor Cycle.

ORIGINALLY POSTED AT Fantasy Literature. ( )

An other-world Bildungsroman with a twist--the hero starts his journey as an adult with no past. A compelling read. ( )

http://speculiction.blogspot.com/2013/09/review-of-lord-valentines-castle-by.htm... ( )

Robert Silverberg has, I'm willing to bet, come across meditation or similar Eastern practices. He's also clearly spent some time juggling, or at least learning how juggling works; and he has had not only had sex with but has also had a normal relationship with an actual woman. All of these facts are made manifest in the sometimes sober, sometimes playful, but always adult way in which Silverberg handles Valentine's development. Fantasy isn't usually this realistic. That said, the plot and characters are rather predictable; but if you won't be gasping in amazement, neither will you be chucking the book at the wall and leaving it for the sixteen-year-olds who it was written for. ( )

Really rather enjoyed it - would be 3.5 stars if I could, but not really 4 stars as it's not something I expect to re-read any time soon. Lots of chewy world-building stuff, with a good wrap-up at the end (and something that held at least a bit of surprise too). Might well look out for [b:Valentine Pontifex|252970|Valentine Pontifex (Majipoor, #3)|Robert Silverberg|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173157772s/252970.jpg|1398398] though not sure if I'll bother with [b:Majipoor Chronicles|15717848|Majipoor Chronicles|Silverberg, Robert|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1340505965s/15717848.jpg|21388909]. ( )

I read this an inestimably long time ago. The stars are in memory of my memory. ( )

I've had this book recommended to me a number of times, and I was prepared to love it... but I didn't.

The world-building in this book was phenomenal. I thought it was fantastic, stunning, etc. A giant planet known as Majipoor was settled, well, whenever humans fell from the sky and took the joint over. There's a giant continent called Padruid where the story takes place. There is a mix of left-over-from-long-ago science and magic, different species, a fully fleshed out culture, government, society and religion.

It's brilliant.

And then there are the characters. I found the plot to be tedious. It's a long damned book. Worth it if you are really into world building (I loved it), but the plodding actions of the weak characters felt so tedious. The main character bored me to no end.

I (as anyone with 2 braincells to rub together) figured out immediately that the character, who wakes up with amnesia, wandering around, was the actual leader of the world, who has been replaced by evil villains. He happens to have a strong talent for juggling, so he hooks up with a mixed-race juggling troupe. He travels around, slowly discovering that he's the leader of this planet's government, and then decides he doesn't want to be? but does? And goes to his goddess-like priestess mother for help take the joint over, and then takes the joint over. The end. With plenty of trusty sidekicks, because he's naturally awesome.

I was very, very bored with the action and just wanted it over with. But I really did enjoy the world, so it wasn't a total loss.

(It, btw, feels weird to like a book I didn't like, but I do). ( )

I've had this book recommended to me a number of times, and I was prepared to love it... but I didn't.

The world-building in this book was phenomenal. I thought it was fantastic, stunning, etc. A giant planet known as Majipoor was settled, well, whenever humans fell from the sky and took the joint over. There's a giant continent called Padruid where the story takes place. There is a mix of left-over-from-long-ago science and magic, different species, a fully fleshed out culture, government, society and religion.

It's brilliant.

And then there are the characters. I found the plot to be tedious. It's a long damned book. Worth it if you are really into world building (I loved it), but the plodding actions of the weak characters felt so tedious. The main character bored me to no end.

I (as anyone with 2 braincells to rub together) figured out immediately that the character, who wakes up with amnesia, wandering around, was the actual leader of the world, who has been replaced by evil villains. He happens to have a strong talent for juggling, so he hooks up with a mixed-race juggling troupe. He travels around, slowly discovering that he's the leader of this planet's government, and then decides he doesn't want to be? but does? And goes to his goddess-like priestess mother for help take the joint over, and then takes the joint over. The end. With plenty of trusty sidekicks, because he's naturally awesome.

I was very, very bored with the action and just wanted it over with. But I really did enjoy the world, so it wasn't a total loss.

(It, btw, feels weird to like a book I didn't like, but I do). ( )

This is a long damn book, but once I stopped trying to make everything happen right now and just settled in for the ride it was a great ride, full of strange and beautiful and funny and awesome things and people. ( )

On the giant planet of Majipoor Valentine is a poor amnesiac juggler who has a strange vision... he's none other than the Coronal of this world. He starts to a long and adventurous journey with his friends to reclaim his throne...
Silverberg"s book is a true classic, a must to every fantasy (and SF) fan. ( )

I can't say I'm a huge Silverberg fan. I've read many of his books and short stories, and I've enjoyed them. But I've never made an effort to seek out those of his works I've not read - as I have done with some other writers. To be fair, Silverberg is one of the stalwarts of the genre. He's had - and still has, of course - a fifty-four year writing career, and has mostly produced good books and stories. During that more-than-half-a-century, he has won four Hugo Awards and five Nebula Awards.

Silverberg's most well-known creation is, arguably, the world of Majipoor, on which he has set seven novels, two novellas and a short story. The first of these is Lord Valentine's Castle, published in 1980.

Majipoor is a big planet - in fact, it was inspired by Jack Vance's novel, Big Planet - with four enormous continents. The world has been settled for thousands of years and has a population of some sixty billion; but it is now something of a backwater, and rarely visited by people from other planets. It is home to several races - humans, Skandars, Ghayrogs, Vroons, Su-Suheris, Liimen, and Hjorts. There are also the native Metamorphs, from whom the humans took the world, and they now live in a reservation. Majipoor is ruled by four potentates - the Coronal, who is the executive arm of government and rules from his castle atop the thirty-mile-high Castle Mount; the Pontifex, the legislative arm, who lives in the Labyrinth; the Lady of the Isle of Sleep, who through dreams provides the world's moral framework; and the King of Dreams, who punishes wrongdoers, also through dreams.

For the rest of the review see http://justhastobeplausible.blogspot.com/2009/09/reading-challenge-9-lord-valent... ( )

More good fun. Well-realised world, lots of juggling. Odd that none of the other races (except the aboriginals) seemed to mind that all the rulers - 3 or 4 of them - were always human. But good that Valentine at least recognized that some injustice had been done to the aboriginals and that the shape-shifters had a reason for their act... And planned to negotiate rather than attacking them. *sigh* Everything sounds like terrorism and politics, these days. ( )