phunkypbj's review against another edition
4.0
I thought the "Registry of Souls" concept was a very clever and successful device for exploring the variety of cultures and histories in Majipoor and saw the Labyrinth as a nod to [b:Gormenghast|258392|Gormenghast (Gormenghast, #2)|Mervyn Peake|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328001220s/258392.jpg|3599885] (which I appreciated). I also found that it provided a needed depth to the series (being inside the heads of so many different characters).
goranlowie's review against another edition
5.0
Loved the structure of this.
It's a collection of short stories set in the world of Majipoor that we came to love in the first book. Throughout the stories of various people, we explore the world and their people a bit more, in ways that we never could have by seeing the story just through Valentine's eyes. It was the right decision: most people's favorite part of these books is the world of Majipoor, and this goes hard on giving us more of that.
The stories are connected in that they are basically memories being "re-played"/"re-experienced" by a character from the first book. Some of these were re-contextualisations of stories or deeply rooted myths from the world, seen through the eyes of people who were actually there, which I really liked as a plot device, to showcase how what's written is often very different from what happened, missing a lot of the real nuance of the situation.
But besides those, there's also some lovely slice-of-life stories which serve to enrich this world. Some of these would've worked perfectly fine as a stand-alone, others heavily relied on prior knowledge from the first book.
So far, two bangers. Can't wait to continue this series. Why have I been sleeping on Silverberg for so long?
It's a collection of short stories set in the world of Majipoor that we came to love in the first book. Throughout the stories of various people, we explore the world and their people a bit more, in ways that we never could have by seeing the story just through Valentine's eyes. It was the right decision: most people's favorite part of these books is the world of Majipoor, and this goes hard on giving us more of that.
The stories are connected in that they are basically memories being "re-played"/"re-experienced" by a character from the first book. Some of these were re-contextualisations of stories or deeply rooted myths from the world, seen through the eyes of people who were actually there, which I really liked as a plot device, to showcase how what's written is often very different from what happened, missing a lot of the real nuance of the situation.
But besides those, there's also some lovely slice-of-life stories which serve to enrich this world. Some of these would've worked perfectly fine as a stand-alone, others heavily relied on prior knowledge from the first book.
So far, two bangers. Can't wait to continue this series. Why have I been sleeping on Silverberg for so long?
riduidel's review against another edition
4.0
Le titre peut le laisser présager, les chroniques sont assez loin de la trame très linéaire du [book:chateau de lord Valentin], et c'est tant mieux. En effet, les différentes expériences qui sont proposées permettent de mieux saisir la réalité de l'existence sur cette immense planète, où les continents ont la taille de mondes. Et dans ce roman, foisonnant et complexe, on se perd comme les habitants de Majipoor peuvent se perdre des années durant.
Et surtout, on rêve : que ce soit aux côtés du peintre d'âmes amoureux d'un métamorphe, de la voleuse de Ni-Moya ou des autres, un monde fascinant, et nettement plus intéressant que le décor du premier tome, nous est proposé. Il n'est pas une facette de Majipoor qui ne puisse se cacher de nos yeux : des pouvoirs du roi des rêves à la formidable diversité des environnements, nous survolons tout, et nous plongeons à chaque fois avec délice dans des vies plus diverses que tout ce qu'on pourrait supposer d'un premier abord.
En bref, et bien que le style soit facile, j'ai été tout à fait séduit par ce roman-mosaïque (il fallait bien le claquer quelque part, celui-là, d'autant plus que c'est très exactement l'effet produit).
Un seul reproche, cependant : l'absence marquante des non-humains. J'aurais adoré me plonger dans la tête d'un vroon, d'un skandar ou de quelque autre créature extraterrestre.
Et surtout, on rêve : que ce soit aux côtés du peintre d'âmes amoureux d'un métamorphe, de la voleuse de Ni-Moya ou des autres, un monde fascinant, et nettement plus intéressant que le décor du premier tome, nous est proposé. Il n'est pas une facette de Majipoor qui ne puisse se cacher de nos yeux : des pouvoirs du roi des rêves à la formidable diversité des environnements, nous survolons tout, et nous plongeons à chaque fois avec délice dans des vies plus diverses que tout ce qu'on pourrait supposer d'un premier abord.
En bref, et bien que le style soit facile, j'ai été tout à fait séduit par ce roman-mosaïque (il fallait bien le claquer quelque part, celui-là, d'autant plus que c'est très exactement l'effet produit).
Un seul reproche, cependant : l'absence marquante des non-humains. J'aurais adoré me plonger dans la tête d'un vroon, d'un skandar ou de quelque autre créature extraterrestre.
fredsphere's review against another edition
3.0
I've never particularly cared for Silverberg's fiction but I was told that Majipoor would change my mind. It was reasonably entertaining, but like the rest of his books it was slight and overly attentive to, um, creative couplings. Silverberg is not for me, and this will be the last of his books I read.
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