Needle in a Timestack is Robert Silverberg at his very best-intelligent, inventive, and visionary. This collection showcases his talent for thought-provoking science fiction, ranging in themes from time travel to space travel, the media to mortality.
In the titular story-under development as a feature film by Oscar-winning screenwriter John Ridley-a jealous ex-husband warps time in a vindictive attempt to destroy his former wife's new marriage. Thirty-one identical sons have a shocking surprise for their mother in "There Was an Old Woman. " The prophetic "The Pain Peddlers" depicts reality TV in a way that allows viewers to revel in a voyeuristic, adrenaline-fueled rush. Also included are Silverberg's Hugo Award-winning "Enter a Soldier. Later: Enter Another, " and the Locus Award winner "The Secret Sharer, " a Joseph Conrad-inspired tale of a ship captain drawn into a strange alliance with a stowaway.