Set in the distant future, when human beings populate a variety of planets, A Time of Changes examines the society of Borthan. For thousands of years, Borthan has been ruled by a covenant that teaches that the individual self is to be despised. The sharing of personal thoughts and feelings with another represents the most heinous crime. Kinnall Darival, an exiled prince of the country of Salla, has always outwardly observed this covenant. But inwardly, he commits a grave offense when he falls in love with his bondsister, Halum. By law, he cannot reveal his affections, nor act on them. But when an Earthman reveals to him a miraculous drug that enables two persons to completely bare their souls to each other, Kinnall begins a covert revolution.

Robert Silverberg (1935- ) began to write while studying for his BA at Columbia University. His first published story was “Gorgon Planet” (1954). He began to publish prolifically in 1956, winning a Hugo Award that year as “Most Promising New Author.” He continued to contribute to such magazines as Science Fiction Adventures and Super-Science Fiction, using many different names. Over the years he maintained his astonishing creativity, writing psychologically intense novellas, notably, A Time of Changes and later, Sailing to Byzantium, both Nebula Award winners. He remains one of the most imaginative and versatile writers in science fiction, metamorphosing from a writer of standardized pulp fiction into a prose artist, a transformation unparalleled in his field.