Starman's Quest
A novel of interstellar travel and the search for a hyperdrive.
Starman's Quest is a science fiction novel by American author Robert Silverberg. Gnome Press released it in 1958, printing 5,000 copies, though only 3,000 were actually bound. A second hardcover edition came out from Meredith Press in 1969.
The story follows Alan Donnell, who has just turned 17 and has spent his entire life aboard a starship. Humanity has achieved interstellar travel using Lexman drives, but these are limited to the speed of light. Because of this, spacefarers experience the FitzGerald contraction, aging only a few weeks during flights while decades or centuries pass on Earth. Alan is biologically 17 but 300 years old in Earth years.
According to rumor, the Cavour hyperdrive—a faster-than-light drive—was invented around 2570, some 1,300 years before the story’s present, by the reclusive scientist James Hudson Cavour. He vanished after announcing his success. As a result, spacefarers have become isolated from Earth and its colonies. They typically stop only for loading, unloading, and maintenance, living in ghetto-like enclaves on planets and in the closed communities of their ships.
Alan finds this life increasingly confining. Like his brother eight years earlier (who experienced only six weeks of ship time during that period), Alan leaves the starmen’s enclave to explore Earth during a stop. He is luckier than his brother: he meets a wealthy gambler named Max Hawkes, who helps Alan locate his brother and return him to the ship.
This time, Alan stays on Earth and begins searching for the Cavour hyperdrive. He succeeds in retrieving crucial information and, with the wealth inherited from Max, builds the drive. On his maiden voyage, he travels to his father’s spaceship. There, he reunites with his brother, now nearly eight years older in Earth time but, due to the FitzGerald contraction, once again the same age as Alan.
Galaxy reviewer Floyd C. Gale gave the novel a mixed review, rating it three out of five stars. He noted that while “exciting story elements abound,” too many coincidences and writing that takes the path of least resistance steal much of its effectiveness.
- author
- Robert Silverberg
- published
- 1958
- publisher
- Gnome Press
- edition_size
- 5,000 copies (3,000 bound)
- genre
- Science fiction novel
Lore & Background
The story follows protagonist Alan Donnell, who has lived his entire 17 years aboard a starship. Due to the FitzGerald contraction experienced during near-light-speed travel, he is biologically 17 but 300 years old in Earth years. Spacefarers are segregated from Earth society, living in enclaves during brief port stops. Alan, feeling constricted, leaves his ship to explore Earth, aided by a wealthy gambler named Max Hawkes. He eventually searches for the legendary Cavour hyperdrive, invented 1,300 years prior by James Hudson Cavour, who vanished after announcing success. Alan succeeds in building the drive and reunites with his brother, who had left the ship years earlier.
Reader's Guide
Starman's Quest represents an early work by Robert Silverberg, a prolific American science fiction writer. The novel's premise—time dilation separating spacefarers from Earth—was a common theme in mid-20th-century SF, but Silverberg's focus on the social isolation of starmen adds depth. The book's publication history reflects the small-scale nature of specialty SF publishing in the 1950s: only 3,000 of the 5,000 printed copies were bound. A second hardcover edition appeared in 1969. Contemporary reception was mixed; Galaxy reviewer Floyd C. Gale rated it three stars out of five, noting exciting story elements but criticizing reliance on coincidences. The novel is now in the public domain and available via Project Gutenberg and LibriVox.
Did You Know?
- The novel was published in an edition of 5,000 copies, of which only 3,000 were bound.
- The protagonist Alan Donnell is biologically 17 but 300 years old in Earth years due to time dilation.
- The Cavour hyperdrive was invented 1,300 years before the story's time by James Hudson Cavour, who vanished.
- Galaxy reviewer Floyd C. Gale gave the novel three stars out of five.
More in Novels by Robert Silverberg 1-24
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