Downward to the Earth by Robert Silverberg
"Downward to the Earth" is a science fiction novel that explores themes of identity, cultural understanding, and redemption through the journey of Edmund Gundersen, who returns to the planet Belzagor, previously a colony of Earth known as Holman's World. Once the administrator of the colony, Gundersen finds himself grappling with his perceptions of the indigenous species, the nildoror, large elephant-like creatures that lack a written language but possess a rich culture and unique beliefs about rebirth. As he navigates the complexities of their society, Gundersen's encounters force him to confront his own prejudices and the ethical implications of his past actions, particularly regarding the nildoror’s rebirth rituals.
During his journey, he seeks to atone for having exploited the nildoror and becomes increasingly involved in their cultural practices, even participating in their food and dance. The plot thickens with the introduction of Cedric Cullen, an earthling who has offended the nildoror and whose fate becomes intertwined with Gundersen's quest for understanding. Through encounters with various characters, including his former lover Seena and his assistant Van Beneker, Gundersen's evolving perspective leads him to profound realizations about life, transformation, and the interconnectedness of all sentient beings. Ultimately, the novel culminates in his own experience of rebirth, where he learns that the nildoror and the lesser-sentient sulidoror are part of the same species, prompting a transformative journey towards empathy and enlightenment.
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Downward to the Earth
First published: 1970 (serial form, Galaxy, 1969)
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Science fiction—alien civilization
Time of work: The distant future
Locale: The planet Belzagor
The Plot
Earthling Edmund Gundersen returns as a tourist to the planet Belzagor. It had been a colony of Earth known as Holman’s World, and Gundersen had been its administrator, but it was relinquished to the dominant indigenous species, elephant-like creatures known as “nildoror” (singular, “nildor”). The nildoror have no written language, but they have a culture. They undergo rebirth and identify themselves by how many births they have had. They coexisted with the earthlings and allowed themselves to be used as beasts of burden. They share the planet with the less-sentient anthropoid species called “sulidoror” (singular, “sulidor”).
In a conversation with his former assistant, Van Beneker, who has remained on Belzagor, Gundersen reveals that he has always thought of the nildoror as animals. He is nevertheless fascinated by their culture.
The next day, he sets out on a journey into the jungle, seeking the mist country where the nildoror undergo rebirth, riding on a nildor named Srin’gahar. He revisits a place where he and fellow earthling Jeff Kurtz had shared a drink of the venom of local serpents with several nildoror, giving him a feeling of becoming a nildor. Afterward, he felt ashamed and never repeated the experiment.
Srin’gahar takes him to a group of nildoror. He overcomes earthling squeamishness to join in their food and dance, and he is granted permission to visit the mist country, on the condition that he bring back an earthling named Cedric Cullen, who has offended the nildoror in some way they will not explain. He agrees.
After a discussion with Srin’gahar in which the nildor raises the possibility that the elephants of Earth have souls, Gundersen re-encounters Van Beneker and the earthlings with whom he traveled to the planet. The earthlings consider the nildoror to be savages or animals, and Gundersen finds himself defending them. In the course of the conversation, he reveals the sin he hopes to expiate: Faced with a threat of property damage from flooding, he forced seven nildoror who were on their way to rebirth to give up their journey and work for him.
Further on, he encounters his former lover, Seena, now married to Kurtz. She reveals that the serpent venom is used by the nildoror in their rebirth ceremony, so Kurtz’s recreational use of it with them constituted blasphemy in their minds. Kurtz eventually underwent the rebirth ceremony and has become a misshapen thing, babbling incoherently.
Finally Gundersen meets Cullen, who is dying of cancer, which is now curable by Earth medicine. He offers to take Cullen back, but Cullen refuses to go lest he fall into the hands of the nildoror. He reveals that the nildoror want him because he had inadvertently witnessed a part of their rebirth ceremony in which they frenziedly trample and eat other animals. Gundersen is ambivalent about bringing Cullen back, but the dilemma is resolved the next morning, when he finds Cullen dead.
Finally Gundersen reaches the place of rebirth and undergoes the ceremony. He learns that rebirth transforms the nildoror into sulidoror, and vice versa: They are one species, telepathically linked. He learns that Srin’gahar was one of the nildoror he had denied rebirth to but that Srin’gahar has forgiven him. He communes with the tortured spirit of Kurtz. He is transformed, and he prepares to return to transform first Kurtz and then any other earthlings willing to listen.