The Books of Skulls - Nightwings - Dying inside

Alien conquests, bizarre religious sects, extrasensory abilities, and the manifold complexities of the human condition — welcome to the amazing worlds of Robert Silverberg.

"Hear this, O Nobly-Born: life eternal we offer thee." So opens a strange and forgotten manuscript, The Book of Skulls, which sends four college students from their ivy-covered dorms to an eerie monastery in the forbidding Arizona desert on a quest for immortality. It is here that Eli, Ned, Timothy, and Oliver will face the Trial, the ancient ritual of the Keepers of the Skull. But the Trial exacts a terrible price. Once the ritual begins, there is no turning back...and only two students can emerge immortal.

Nightwings transports us into the future and the rigidly structured third cycle of mankind in which everyone has a clearly defined role in society. Old Tomis is a Watcher. It is his job to scan the skies for alien invaders. In a moment of despair, however, Tomis ignores his appointed task, and, in his lapse, invaders conquer the earth. Now Tomis and his companions — the lithe and delicate Avuela, the Flier, and Gorman, the Changeling — must travel to the holy city of Jorslem for a final battle with the invaders, a battle in which their only weapon is love.

David Selig is a zero, a downtrodden nobody. But appearances can be deceiving, for within David lies the power of a god. He can project his consciousness into other minds, other bodies, other souls. His essence, as David sees it, is this remarkable talent — and his talent is dying. Dying Inside is a remarkable character study, a peek into the psyche of a telepath who is struggling to regain his humanity, while losing the only weapon that protects him from a dangerous, predatory world.

No matter where you have traveled or what you have seen, Robert Silverberg will take you places that you never could have imagined. This is a one-of-a-kind collection of what may be the Hugo and Nebula award-winning author's finest works.