Star of Gypsies

Star Of Gypsies Robert Silverberg   —   $10.20   —   Book product page Rating:

Fiction, Science Fiction

This is a story of those classic wanderers, the Rom, also known as Gypsies and a thousand other names. Thousands of years before, they lost their homeland, the Romany Star, when a flare scoured the planet clean. They know that after three such flares, it will be safe to return— and now, millenia in the future, they are awaiting the third, the final flare that will call them home.

Yakoub is the King of the Rom, a flamboyant man whose hope is to lead the Rom home. This book is both the story of his life and his hope for his people, and why events led to his abdication. Silverberg tells this story with a flair that makes for a vivid tale, a story that doesn't need a point (though it does, in fact, have one.) It tells of the distinction between Rom and Gaje, and why it is important. Yakoub goes from poverty to riches to slavery and all with a characteristic drive, the Star that is the center of his life. Good book.