Fantasy and Science Fiction are often kept in two separate sections of the bookstore. Silverberg marries the two masterfully in Downward to the Earth.

This book is essentially the sequel to Avatar. No, it’s not set in the same world, but the themes remain. In fact, I’d be surprised to find out that the script writers of Avatar had not drawn inspiration from this book.

In Downward to the Earth, the humans recognized the error of mining a world with sentient creatures on it so they gave back ownership of the planet. Now, a few years later, a former player during the mining days returns for some unfinished business. The contrast between the science fiction of space travel and the fantastic elements of native creature’s religion make a compelling story.

This is more than just another museum-piece science fiction novel. It’s a story about spiritual discovery with a few unseen twists along the way.

Silverberg, Robert. Downward to the Earth. Signet, 1969.