In Which We Discuss Downward to the Earth

This is a review I wrote several years ago, when I was first getting the hang of it. I've edited it slightly here, but I haven't bothered to rewrite it completely since I haven't read the book in several years. I've also cut the ending off because it was embarassingly fangirl-y and not very helpful.

Downward to the Earth is a sci-fi novel set in the distant future. The main character, Gunderson used to work as an administrator, on a planet called Belzagor. The main species on the planet are a race known as Nildoror, closely followed by Sulidoror. The Nildoror resemble elephants while the Sulidoror closely resemble apes, leading the first humans to encounter them to believe them to be an unintelligent species. It was during that time that Gunderson lived on Belzagor, when the Nildoror were used as beasts of burden. However, as they discovered soon enough, the Nildoror and Sulidoror are at least as intelligent as humanity, if not more so.

Feeling guilty now, over his part in that, and in various other things that took place at the time, such as his having inadvertently trespassed upon a ritual both Nildoror and Sulidoror view as sacred, Gunderson has returned, to discover what happened to his old friends, and what exactly the relationship between Nildoror and Sulidoror is, as well as to make amends, in the most dramatic, self-sacrificing way possible.

I found that this book drew me in immediately, and I literally could not put it down. Silverberg's writing is easy to follow and understand, and he is very good at describing the odd things that take place throughout the story.

It's a little too short and fast moving for my liking (but then, due to the speed at which I read, everything seems to move too fast), but the characters are believable, and realistic. The plot is absolutely amazing, and the philosophical overtones are fascinating. For instance, as I mentioned, the Nuldoror and Sulidoror were originally thought to be unintelligent, due to their appearance. Gunderson later discusses this with a Nildoror, describing elephants to him, and why, due to the physical similarities, they treated the Nildoror the way they did. The Nildoror raises the point that maybe it's not that the elephants are too unintelligent to communicate with humanity - perhaps it's humanity who lack the skills to communicate with elephants. A similar theme continues throughout the book.

To be honest, my descriptions can't do this book justice. It's not overly long, so there aren't as many twists and turns as in other books, yet the amount of depth achieved in that short space is incredible. Gunderson's choice is an incredible one. It's impossible to know if he's doing the right thing, or if he's doing it for the right reasons. Yes, he wants to make amends, but is this choice really the best way? He knows it's dangerous, and he's seen what happened to Kurtz, a former friend of his. Silverburg's writing allows the reader to feel as confused and unsure as Gunderson is.

The ending, and the results of the various decisions made is amazing. Like many sci-fi books, the ending was always in plain sight if you knew what you were looking for. Rather than being sprung on you, it grows logically, yet still manages to be a surprise.