Rating: 
Summary: SIlverberg on Autopilot
Review: Amiable but over simple SF novel of an young aristocrats enforced trek back to his ancestral home after a revolt overthrows the status quo on a distant semi-feudal planet, the author appears to become bored with his creation and terminates it very abruptly. Not too much of interest in any of the characters or indigenous fauna, save perhaps the Noctambulo. Way, way below Silverbergs epic best, but an easy, empty read.
Rating: 
Summary: exciting coming of age SF adventure
Review: 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
Rating: 
Summary: Big Yawn
Review: I am a Silvewrberg fan, automatically buying everything of his I see. This was a waste of my money, and a bigger demonstration of time wasted as a foolish fan. I can't believe I actually read the whole thing. The central character (and only character with any development) is a teenage boy. I thought this was perhaps aimed at the teenage market, like Heinlein's Space Cadet series.
But the teens of today would find it just too boring. There is some interesting discussion of honor and philosophy at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a going nowhere travelogue. The planet has at least five sentient races, with hints of perhaps even more. But they are nearly all indifferent to the protagonist and the reader is left with an indifference to them as well. The final scene has been built up as having heavy political and social import for the entire planet, but it is played out as a ho-hum, "well kid it is about time you got home; here is a list of your chores now get with it." As another reviewer said, Silverberg sleepwalked through this one.
Rating:
Summary: Big Yawn
Review: I am a Silvewrberg fan, automatically buying everything of his I see. This was a waste of my money, and a bigger demonstration of time wasted as a foolish fan. I can't believe I actually read the whole thing. The central character (and only character with any development) is a teenage boy. I thought this was perhaps aimed at the teenage market, like Heinlein's Space Cadet series.
But the teens of today would find it just too boring. There is some interesting discussion of honor and philosophy at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a going nowhere travelogue. The planet has at least five sentient races, with hints of perhaps even more. But they are nearly all indifferent to the protagonist and the reader is left with an indifference to them as well. The final scene has been built up as having heavy political and social import for the entire planet, but it is played out as a ho-hum, "well kid it is about time you got home; here is a list of your chores now get with it." As another reviewer said, Silverberg sleepwalked through this one.
Rating:
Summary: SIlverberg on Autopilot
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this book and learning about the world Silverberg has created along with the protagonist Joseph. Now that Joseph's childish assumptions have been challenged, how will he change within himself and how will the world around him change? What happens between the Folk and Masters next? How will the events in the northern continent effect the south? I'm hoping this isn't a lone book, for there is so much more to expand. Silverberg has made his world live and makes the reader want to see it go on living.
Rating:
Summary: The Longest Way Home -- a new series??
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this book and learning about the world Silverberg has created along with the protagonist Joseph. Now that Joseph's childish assumptions have been challenged, how will he change within himself and how will the world around him change? What happens between the Folk and Masters next? How will the events in the northern continent effect the south? I'm hoping this isn't a lone book, for there is so much more to expand. Silverberg has made his world live and makes the reader want to see it go on living.
Rating: 
Summary: One of Silverberg's best.
Review: I'm puzzled by the mixed reaction to this novel. Perhaps some readers were expecting more of the "epic" Silverberg of the new Majipoor trilogy and Alien Years. However, many long-time Silverberg fans feel that his very best novels, published between 1967 and 1976, were-like this one-short, tight, and intense. This book is an enjoyable and entertaining read, yes, but it also feels more personal and philosophical than those vast volumes that the market seems to pressure Silverberg to produce. I for one hope he skips the sequels and epics from now on out, and produces more novels of this length and excellence.
Rating:
Summary: Coming of age, not much plot.
Review: In this well-crafted coming of age novel, Silverberg exquisitely describes a far-future world, several alien species, and the internal and external journeys of one young man. Although the opening hints at a great action tale, the action is mostly confined to the discoveries the main character makes about himself. An excellent read if you're seeking fiction about seeking. Otherwise merely an ok way to pass the time.
Rating:
Summary: Coming of age, not much plot.
Review: In this well-crafted coming of age novel, Silverberg exquisitely describes a far-future world, several alien species, and the internal and external journeys of one young man. Although the opening hints at a great action tale, the action is mostly confined to the discoveries the main character makes about himself. An excellent read if you're seeking fiction about seeking. Otherwise merely an ok way to pass the time.
Rating:
Summary: Good Read, Though Minor Silverberg
Review: Most of the reviews here pretty much describe this book's impact. It's exceedingly well-written, very well paced, and richly envisioned. It's also a bit underachieved for the Silverberg most of us know and love whose masterpieces of SF in the Sixties and Seventies still resonate in out minds. On the other hand, as a stand-alone novel (and boy do we need more of these), this book is a very pleasant read and for readers new to Silverberg, THE LONGEST WAY HOME is a good place to start. (I gave this book only three stars because I know that Silverberg can do much better.)
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