Tom O'Bedlam

A tortured man's visions hold the key to mankind's future in Robert Silverberg's post-apocalyptic masterpiece Life in the blasted wasteland of 2103 California is nasty, brutish, and short. If the savage "scratchers" don't kill you, the poisoned environment will. But one man wanders this desolate landscape and sees beauty: glorious visions of impossible places and majestic beings not of Earth. Scorned and mocked as a madman, Tom doubts his sanity until his visions mysteriously begin to spread to others and a returning star probe offers evidence that they are real. Now, as a new religion is born, with Tom as its reluctant messiah, violent forces are unleashed-forces that have the power to transform humanity . . . or destroy it. "Powerful and evocative . . . Intricately plotted . . . Magnificent." -TheWashington Post Book World "Brilliant . . . Intertwines the classic themes of science fiction . . . Succeeds as both science fiction and social commentary." -The New York Times Book Review "In this well-written and compelling novel, master stylist Robert Silverberg examines insanity, the messianic phenomenon and the nature of godhood-and still manages to tell a great story." -TheBaltimore Sun "Brilliantly imagined . . . One of the finest writers ever to work in science fiction." -ThePhiladelphia Inquirer "Deserves the attention of readers interested in both adventure and philosophy-a rare mix." -Los Angeles Herald Examiner Robert Silverberg is one of science fiction's most beloved writers, and the author of such contemporary classics as Dying Inside, Downward to the Earth, and Lord Valentine's Castle. He is a past president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America and the winner of five Nebula Awards and five Hugo Awards. In 2004 the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America presented him with the Grand Master Award. Silverberg is one of twenty-nine writers to have received that distinction.