5 h 22 minAudiobook2 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · 132 pagesHardcover · 6 × 9 in · 132 pagesAbout this book
What good is reaching the stars if the journey separates you from the people you love?
Sixteen-year-old Alan Donnell grows up aboard an interstellar trading ship. For him, life among the stars is ordinary. But time passes differently for travellers and people on Earth. When his twin brother, Steve, chooses to stay behind, that difference becomes more than a scientific puzzle: it threatens their shared life.
In Robert Silverberg’s Starman’s Quest, Alan seeks a way beyond this painful divide. His search brings him to Earth, where planetary society and shipboard life have different habits, loyalties, and expectations. The possibility of another form of travel gives him a goal: finding a way to cross space without losing so much to time.
What you’ll discover
- A brother left behind Steve’s choice gives the vast problem of time a close, human face.
- Time with a cost Explore a scientific puzzle through the relationships that unequal ageing puts at risk.
- Two ways of living Follow Alan between Earth and starship communities, each with its own loyalties and expectations.
- A search for connection The quest for different space travel holds out hope for keeping people together.
- Growing beyond the ship Join a young traveller as he questions the only life he knows.
Who will love it
For readers who love classic space adventures with young heroes, scientific puzzles, and family stakes, and anyone drawn to a search for independence among the stars.
What’s inside
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 5 h 22 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 2 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in, 132 pages: USD 7.95 when you start free, USD 13.95 on its own.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in, 132 pages: USD 14.95 when you start free, USD 20.95 on its own.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
eBooks and audiobooks open right away. Download EPUB or PDF, or send the book to your Kindle. Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, for the whole household.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then USD 0.14 a day in your first year on the yearly plan and USD 0.27 a day after, or USD 0.66 a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
25 languages, side by side
Read and hear Starman's Quest in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Starman's Quest
by Robert Silverberg · 1958
Alan seeks an answer to the time differences of space travel as his brother's choice to stay on Earth separates them.
Excellent
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- The whole household
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then USD 0.14 a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1 of 6
Alan Donnell grows up aboard an interstellar trading ship. Space travel is not an occasional adventure for him; it is the life he knows. His father commands the ship, and its journeys carry a close community across enormous distances. But this way of life comes with a cost that no successful voyage can erase.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
Free gifts
USD 580 in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, for the whole household. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
USD 170FREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
USD 120FREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
USD 60FREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
USD 60FREE - The whole householdUp to 5 readers
USD 170FREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about Starman's Quest
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy just the printed book?
Yes. The paperback costs USD 13.95 on its own. Start free and you pay the cost of printing: USD 7.95 for this paperback, and any other book at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print.
Can my family read too?
Yes. The whole household reads and listens: up to 5 readers, each with their own shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is Starman's Quest about?
Starman's Quest follows Alan Donnell, a young man raised aboard an interstellar ship, as he seeks an answer to the time differences caused by space travel. His brother's decision to remain on Earth makes the scientific problem a matter of family and belonging.
Who are Alan and Steve Donnell?
Alan and Steve Donnell are twin brothers whose lives take different paths. Alan belongs to the world of interstellar travel, while Steve stays on Earth. Because time passes differently during high-speed journeys, their separation changes more than the distance between them.
How does time work in Starman's Quest?
The novel uses time dilation: people travelling close to light speed age more slowly than people remaining on Earth. This means a space traveller can come back to find that far more time has passed at home than aboard the ship.
The author
Robert Silverberg
1935–? · American science fiction writer
Robert Silverberg is an American science fiction writer and editor born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1935. He graduated from Columbia University in 1956. His novel Starman’s Quest appeared in 1958. He also wrote Nightwings and Dying Inside. He moved from New York to California in 1972.
More like this
Free
Free
Free
Free
Free
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
Popular in science fiction
See all
Free
Free
Free
Free
Free
Free
