Reviews for The Ultimate Office Survival Guide

The average rating for The Ultimate Office Survival Guide based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2015-07-06 00:00:00 Lasse Mogensen Robert Silverberg returned to his magnificent creation Majipoor in his 1982 collection of loosely connected short stories Majipoor Chronicles. Using as a connecting instrument archived research done by Hisune, a minor character in Silverberg's 1980 introduction to Majipoor Lord Valentine's Castle, the author has collected a series of vignettes that further expand and illustrate the great detail and scope of Majipoor. From human-alien relations (and this is a Robert Silverberg novel so there is sex - that's all I'm saying) to sea dragons to a study of Majipoor history, Silverberg takes his time and leads his readers on an informative and entertaining journey through the annals and culture of the enormous planet. One aspect of the world building that he spends some time with is the political aristocracy of the planet. Essentially this is a bifurcated monarchy: a king, called a Coronal, is appointed from a group of qualified prince class. This is the junior executive who is seen by the populace and is the face of the government. The Coronal leads from atop the high Castle Mount. The senior executive, the Pontifex, rules from a bureaucratic underground hive called the Labyrinth. When the Pontifex dies, the Coronal becomes the new Pontifex, moves to the Labyrinth and appoints his successor Coronal. Other global officials are the Lady of the Isle (Sleep) and the King of Dreams. The Lady gives peace and rest to her citizens through their dreams while the King of Dreams punishes crime through nightmares. Active dreams and telepathy are common themes in Silverberg's canon. Silverberg also spends more time with the aborigine race of the planet, the Metamorphs or Shapeshifters (who call themselves the Piurivar). The author describes this lost race in a way reminiscent of Ray Bradbury's Martians, an ancient remnant little understood and without respect. This is not really a sequel to Lord Valentine's Castle (though a reader of the 1980 novel would be somewhat familiar with Hisune and the connecting story) and could be read first. This is an excellent source of further knowledge of Majipoor and is all woven together by Silverberg's mastery of language and art of storytelling.

Review # 2 was written on 2018-12-31 00:00:00 Jose Pujol Majipoor Chronicles is a collection of stories experienced by young Hissune from age 14 to 18. "Experienced" in that they are not really stories being told to him; he lives in these stories via their various protagonists' minds and memories. Science fiction! The book is an excellent encapsulation of Majipoor. From the changes of mind and heart within "Thesme and the Ghayrog" and "The Soul-Painter and the Shapeshifter" to the detailing of dream life in "Crime and Punishment" and "Among the Dream-Speakers" to a journey from river to fabulous city and poverty to riches in "A Thief in Ni-Moya", Majipoor Chronicles lays out everything that is so appealing about this world: its wonderful diversity; its horror at violence (one character witnesses a murder and is astounded - it is something he has only read about in history books); its strangeness and mystery; the author's empathy; the lovely writing style that reminded me of a warmer, more humane Jack Vance. But as this is Silverberg and not Vance, there is also an embrace of sexuality (which I'm sure I was particularly absorbed by when first reading this at age 14); although here it is of a more outré nature - two that are alien/human, a third a menage with two brothers and a witch - it is so like later period Silverberg to make these scenes entirely sweet and friendly. I also appreciated the book's deeper exploration of the planet's aboriginals, their guerilla warfare against colonists and subsequent violent displacement, their understandably remote and vaguely threatening stance towards the people who have placed them within reservations. Silverberg as a young man was a rebel with crazy ideas and a provocative way about him. He pushed boundaries and crossed borders and challenged norms with zeal and élan. Silverberg in his middle-late years has transformed into sensitive, well-traveled Uncle Robert, telling adult stories to younger folk that are full of both wonder and the life lessons needed to transition into adulthood. A kinder, gentler author but a no less enjoyable one. The prose has moved from challenging new wave to elegant old school. The novels remain just as absorbing and resonant. This is one of those books that really impacted me as a kid and helped to shape my own world view. "Fourteen, were you? I think that's what they told me. I've had you watched, you know. It was three or four years ago that they sent word to me that you had bluffed your way into the Register. Fourteen, pretending to be a scholar. I imagine you saw a great many things that boys of fourteen don't ordinarily see."