Helpful Score: 2
Silverberg, in my opinion, is one of the best sci-fi authors from the 60's and 70's. I have read several of his novels and am never disappointed in them. This one was no exception. The concept of sending political prisoners back in time a billion years to the Cambrian age before any life had evolved on land was very interesting and evoked a Russian Gulag or a futuristic Guantanamo Bay! The politics got a little tedious and probably read better when this book was first written in the 60s. However, some of Silverberg's insights into the future were quite remarkable including an inconclusive presendential election with regrettable results.
I first read this back in the day and remembered it as an interesting story with a good premise - a future civilization sends its criminals, mostly political, back in time to the Cambrian age when the only life is sealife and a bit of moss and the whole planet is basically rock and water. In this way the government won't have to execute them but they're permanently out of the way. Neat and bloodless. But it seems terribly dated to me now and not interesting on the character level nor credible in its population mix. I wound up skimming it.
The copy I have has a way different cover than the illustration - much more evocative.
The copy I have has a way different cover than the illustration - much more evocative.
