Call number
Series
Genres
Publication
Ace Books, Paperback
Pages
xvii; 516
Description
Join an unlikely hero as he watches Moby-Dick sink the Pequod, dodges cannibals on Robinson Crusoe's island, raises a glass with Beowulf, and literally goes to Hell and back. This rollicking adventure begins with a shipwreck on an island where notable characters of literature, history, and folklore coexist -- Hamlet and Oedipus, Don Quixote and Doctor Faustus, Becky Sharp and Daniel Boone. From carousing with Robin Hood to crossing swords with the Green Knight and stealing a ride on Huck Finn's raft, our traveler, A. Clarence Shandon, undertakes a whirlwind tour of the classics. And just as the truths of great stories ennoble those who take them to heart, a selfish and cynical drifter is transformed into the gallant knight known as Silverlock. "Here in your hand is the stuff of wonder," declared science-fiction author Poul Anderson, adding, "There are few such glorious romps in all the world's literature, and surely none that surpass this one." Unjustly overlooked for decades, this book lover's book has developed a devoted cult following and richly deserves a wider audience. Whether or not you recognize its scores of literary allusions, you'll savor its wealth of battles, quests, romances, songs, and laughter.… (more)
Awards
Locus All-Time Best (Fantasy Novel — 21 — 1987)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1949
Physical description
xvii, 516 p.; 6.8 inches
ISBN
0441766749 / 9780441766741
Similar in this library
User reviews
LibraryThing member M.G.Harmon
Silverlock is not so much a lost book as one that is constantly being rediscovered. John Meyers Meyers wrote it back in 1949, so this is a fantasy untouched by JRR Tolkien’s genre-redefining work. But it’s been touched by everything else. Like Robinson Crusoe, Silverlock opens with a shipwreck.
Instead of dying (which would have made for a short book), Shandon finds himself cast ashore Gulliver-style in an unknown land, the Commonwealth. It soon becomes apparent the “Commonwealth” is the Commonwealth of Letters–the realm of all of western literature. Here Shandon–dubbed Silverlock by his traveling companion–meets such characters as Circe, Robin Hood, Don Quixote, and many, many more, finds himself swept along on many an adventure, and in the process, becomes a much better man. Being a modern rationalist, Silverlock had no patience for fancy and fable growing up, so he recognizes none of the characters he meets.
Of course the reader does, and that is half the fun. The other half is the story itself–John Meyers Meyers knew how to write–and you’ll find yourself grinning till it hurts, chuckling over page after page, and reveling in Meyer’s prose and poetry. Did I mention he was a poet? My favorite Silverlock poem is Taliesin’s rendition of The Death of Bowie Gizzardsbane (an epic poem of the last stand at the Alamo, in the style of Beowulf).
Each generation rediscovers Silverlock; in my childhood it was found and lauded by Poul Anderson, Larry Niven, and Jerry Pournelle–three of science-fiction’s Great Masters. Today it is available on Amazon.com, in hardback, paperback, and finally on ebook. Now it’s our turn, so if you love stories and want to revisit the wellsprings of our common literary inheritance, come journey with Silverlock. You will be richer for it.
Show More
The wrecked ship is the Naglafar–named for the ship Loki has made of dead men’s nails in Norse mythology. Certainly an ill-omened ship, and A. Clarence Shandon is an ill-omened man. A cynical opportunist and fatalist (his opening line is: “If I had cared to live, I would have died.”), he is thoroughly “modern,” “rational,” and unlikable.Instead of dying (which would have made for a short book), Shandon finds himself cast ashore Gulliver-style in an unknown land, the Commonwealth. It soon becomes apparent the “Commonwealth” is the Commonwealth of Letters–the realm of all of western literature. Here Shandon–dubbed Silverlock by his traveling companion–meets such characters as Circe, Robin Hood, Don Quixote, and many, many more, finds himself swept along on many an adventure, and in the process, becomes a much better man. Being a modern rationalist, Silverlock had no patience for fancy and fable growing up, so he recognizes none of the characters he meets.
Of course the reader does, and that is half the fun. The other half is the story itself–John Meyers Meyers knew how to write–and you’ll find yourself grinning till it hurts, chuckling over page after page, and reveling in Meyer’s prose and poetry. Did I mention he was a poet? My favorite Silverlock poem is Taliesin’s rendition of The Death of Bowie Gizzardsbane (an epic poem of the last stand at the Alamo, in the style of Beowulf).
Each generation rediscovers Silverlock; in my childhood it was found and lauded by Poul Anderson, Larry Niven, and Jerry Pournelle–three of science-fiction’s Great Masters. Today it is available on Amazon.com, in hardback, paperback, and finally on ebook. Now it’s our turn, so if you love stories and want to revisit the wellsprings of our common literary inheritance, come journey with Silverlock. You will be richer for it.
Show Less
LibraryThing member TadAD
The story is not bad. However, the real fun of this book is trying to identify the source of every character (other than A. Clarence Shandon) and every location. If you're not familiar with the book...Myers took every one of them from another story.
LibraryThing member KatharineDB
a fun jaunt through the anals of great literary characters and a bit of magic thrown in. Wonderful escape reading
LibraryThing member noneofthis
I liked the concept of this book in theory, but I really disliked the book itself. I couldn't have cared less about the protagonist, the Silverlock of the title, and I didn't appreciate reading a book where the protagonist could be comfortably dropped out of the entire novel without significantly
Plus? I hate variants of the stupid "And then he woke up" ending. It’s worse than a deus ex machina
Show More
changing the point of the story. I think the idea of mashing together characters and themes from famous works of literature has been handled better and in more enjoyable ways in other stories. Plus? I hate variants of the stupid "And then he woke up" ending. It’s worse than a deus ex machina
Show Less
LibraryThing member Dcs45
My favorite fantasy novel of all time
LibraryThing member wenestvedt
I've never seen this book elsewhere, but I got it used as a kid and loved it: a great adventure, it's also a book dense with references and lessons. The customer reviews at Amazon.com go into great depth and detail, but I'll say it's just a fun yarn that rewards close attention.
LibraryThing member rakerman
Supposed to be funny, filled with references to other books. meh.
LibraryThing member saltmanz
If I were a bit more (okay, a lot more) well-read in the classics, I suppose I might have enjoyed playing "spot the literary allusion" in this otherwise-pointless, plotless book.
LibraryThing member turtlesleap
The point of this book isn't the story, which is a "Pilgrim's Progress" narrative, tracing Silverlock's spiritual and emotional development as he moves through the fantasy Commonwealth. That's an approach that has been done before and will be done many times again I'm sure, although I have to
Show More
confess that Myers' approach appeals to me. Still, the delight in this book is in the numerous references to myth and literature. Some are obvious, as when Silverlock finds himself captured as a "yahoo." Many more are very obscure and I won't spoil the fun for the interested reader. If you are well and widely read, you will enjoy it. If not, the story is not likely to engage you. Show Less
LibraryThing member inasrullah64
For me this book is like the literary version of the song "American Pie" by Don Maclean.
It is a fantastic book, I read this the first time in high school and it has stuck with me ever since. I just bought the re-release of the book and look forward to re-reading it. My recollection was that it was
It is a fantastic book, I read this the first time in high school and it has stuck with me ever since. I just bought the re-release of the book and look forward to re-reading it. My recollection was that it was
Show More
a modern version of something Mark Twain would have writte. Show Less
LibraryThing member dbsovereign
A charming fantasy novel where every character is weirdly familiar and yet when they get mixed up together they become more human - and the story more strange.
LibraryThing member electrascaife
A man who survives a shipwreck is saved by someone who becomes his guide through the Commonwealth of Letters, where they wash ashore and where they encounter all sorts of characters from mythology and literature.
Meh. Interesting idea, but not carried out very well. The main character is in no way
Meh. Interesting idea, but not carried out very well. The main character is in no way
Show More
likable, nor are many of the others. And I think the interpretation of the literary and mythological nods could have been more clever/inventive, too. Show Less