| Revision as of 19:57, 11 August 2011 editHullaballoo Wolfowitz (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers96,059 editsm fix case← Previous edit | Revision as of 13:25, 9 September 2011 edit undoDravecky (talk | contribs)104,715 edits rm duplicate word per requestNext edit → | ||
| (15 intermediate revisions by 7 users not shown) | |||
| Line 8: | Line 8: | ||
| }} | }} | ||
| '''''Gilgamesh in the Outback''''' is a ] novella by ], and part of ]'s shared-universe series '']''. It won the ] in 1987 and was also nominated for the ] in 1986.<ref name="Hugo87"/><ref name="locsfa"/> Originally published in '']'', it was |
'''''Gilgamesh in the Outback''''' is a ] novella by ], and part of ]'s shared-universe series '']''. It won the ] in 1987 and was also nominated for the ] in 1986.<ref name="Hugo87"/><ref name="locsfa"/> Originally published in '']''<ref>Brian Thomsen (ed.), ''Novel Ideas -- Fantasy'', ], 2006, </ref><ref> (via webcitation.org because Copyright Office search results are time-dependent)</ref>, it was then printed in ]<ref> (via webcitation.org)</ref> before being incorporated into Silverberg's novel ''To the Land of the Living''. | ||
| Robert Silverberg wrote that he was "drawn into" writing a story for the "]" project. While he remembered that the central concept of the series was "never clearly explained" to him, he noted the similarity of "Heroes in Hell" to ]'s ] works, and decided "to run my own variant on what Farmer had done a couple of decades earlier." After writing "Gilgamesh in the Outback," he decided that, since the story "was all so much fun," to write two sequels, "The Fascination of the Abomination" and "Gilgamesh in Uruk." In writing those stories, as Silverberg recalled, he "never read many of the other 'Heroes in Hell' stories", and had "no idea" of how consistent his work was with that of his "putative collaborators"; instead, he had "gone his own way . . . with only the most tangential links to what others had invented."<ref name=Thomsen>Brian Thomsen (ed.), ''Novel Ideas -- Fantasy'', ], 2006, pp.205-06 (story introduction by Robert Silverberg)</ref> | |||
| ==Plot summary== | |||
| In the ''Heroes in Hell'' series, the afterlife is both better and worse than many expected. Everyone lives indefinitely, but there's not much to do. Out of habit, famous leaders from history try to set up kingdoms for themselves. Gilgamesh passes the time hunting monstrosities, scorning the technology of the new dead, and mourning the loss of his friend. | |||
| Silverberg compiled the three stories as ''To the Land of the Living'', revising the stories to remove any references to other writers' contributions to "Heroes in Hell," and severing the novel's connection to the franchise.<ref name=Thomsen/> ''To the Land of the Living'' was published in the British market in 1989 and reprinted in an American edition in 1990. | |||
| ==References== | ==References== | ||
Revision as of 13:25, 9 September 2011
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Gilgamesh in the Outback" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (June 2011) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Author | Robert Silverberg |
|---|---|
| Genre | Science fiction novella |
| Publisher | Asimov's Science Fiction |
| Publication date | 1986 |
Gilgamesh in the Outback is a science fiction novella by Robert Silverberg, and part of Janet Morris's shared-universe series Heroes in Hell. It won the Hugo Award for Best Novella in 1987 and was also nominated for the Nebula Award for Best Novella in 1986. Originally published in Asimov's Science Fiction, it was then printed in Rebels in Hell before being incorporated into Silverberg's novel To the Land of the Living.
Robert Silverberg wrote that he was "drawn into" writing a story for the "Heroes in Hell" project. While he remembered that the central concept of the series was "never clearly explained" to him, he noted the similarity of "Heroes in Hell" to Philip Jose Farmer's Riverworld works, and decided "to run my own variant on what Farmer had done a couple of decades earlier." After writing "Gilgamesh in the Outback," he decided that, since the story "was all so much fun," to write two sequels, "The Fascination of the Abomination" and "Gilgamesh in Uruk." In writing those stories, as Silverberg recalled, he "never read many of the other 'Heroes in Hell' stories", and had "no idea" of how consistent his work was with that of his "putative collaborators"; instead, he had "gone his own way . . . with only the most tangential links to what others had invented."
Silverberg compiled the three stories as To the Land of the Living, revising the stories to remove any references to other writers' contributions to "Heroes in Hell," and severing the novel's connection to the franchise. To the Land of the Living was published in the British market in 1989 and reprinted in an American edition in 1990.
References
- "1987 Hugo Awards". World Science Fiction Society. Archived from the original on May 7, 2011. Retrieved June 27, 2011.
- "Nebula Nominees List". The Locus Index to SF Awards. Locus. Retrieved June 27, 2011.
- Brian Thomsen (ed.), Novel Ideas -- Fantasy, DAW Books, 2006, copyrights acknowledgments page
- U.S. Copyright Office records (via webcitation.org because Copyright Office search results are time-dependent)
- U.S. Copyright Office records (via webcitation.org)
- ^ Brian Thomsen (ed.), Novel Ideas -- Fantasy, DAW Books, 2006, pp.205-06 (story introduction by Robert Silverberg)
External links
- Gilgamesh in the Outback title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
 | This article about a science fiction short story (or stories) is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it. |