Master of Life and Death (Together with The Secret Visitors by James White)

163/155 pages. Robert Silverberg (born January 15, 1935) is a prolific American science fiction author and editor. He is a multiple winner of both Hugo and Nebula Awards, a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame, and a Grand Master of SF since 2004. . Frederik Pohl, then editing three science fiction magazines, offered Silverberg creative freedom in writing for them. Thus inspired, Silverberg returned to the field that gave him his start, paying far more attention to depth of character development and social background than he had in the past and mixing in elements of the modernist literature he had studied at Columbia. Especially noted Silverberg works include the novella Nightwings (1969) and the novels Downward to the Earth (1970), The World Inside (1971), Dying Inside (1972), and Lord Valentine's Castle (1980). Silverberg has attended every Hugo Award ceremony since the inaugural event in 1953. James White (7 April 1928 – 23 August 1999) was a Northern Irish author of science fiction novellas, short stories and novels. White began publishing short stories in 1953, and his first novel was published in 1957. His best-known novels were the twelve of the Sector General series, the first published in 1962 and the last after his death. Medical and other emergencies were the sources of dramatic tension in his stories. The "Sector General" series is regarded as defining the genre of medical science fiction. In 1957, Ace Books published his first novel, The Secret Visitors, which has locations in Northern Ireland. The book had previously been serialized in New Worlds with the title Tourist Planet. Master of Life and Death: The story is set in the 23rd century and follows Roy Walton, an assistant administrator for the Bureau of Population Equalization—a dystopian organization responsible for managing Earth's overpopulation crisis through cruel measures like euthanasia and forced relocation. As Roy grapples with the moral implications of his job, he faces mounting public backlash and personal dilemmas that force him to confront the darker side of humanity’s struggle for survival. The opening of the novel establishes a society on the brink due to extreme overpopulation, with Walton tasked to enforce population control measures that involve determining who is fit to live and who isn't. As he navigates his responsibilities, he encounters a grieving father, Lyle Prior, whose newborn son is marked for euthanasia due to a perceived genetic flaw. Walton's inner turmoil is intensified as he contemplates sparing Prior's child, an act of rebellion that compromises his career and pits him against the rigid bureaucratic system. The narrative sets the stage for Walton’s moral conflict and the far-reaching consequences of his choices, suggesting a broader commentary on humanity's capacity for compassion amid dire circumstances. The Secret Visitors: When the World Security Organization asked Doctor Lockhart to treat their mysterious prisoner, they hadn't known that the dying old man would reply to their questions in a totally unknown language. They had expected the stranger to reveal something about the world war which seemed imminent. But they had been thinking in terms of foreign spies - not alien beings! Now suddenly they found themselves confronted with a Gargantuan task. They had to find a way to another world, a means of communicating with creatures they could barely imagine. They had to stop a war which was originating in the farthest stars - or else surrender the Earth unconditionally to THE SECRET VISITORS. Presumed First Edition, First printing thus.…