Sorcerers of Majipoor

The Long-Awaited Prequel! A thousand years before Lord Valentine, the Majipoor Cycle explores another grand epic in a world conceived on a truly epic scale.
On the planet Majipoor, it is a time of great change. The aged Pontifex Prankipin, who brought sorcery (and prosperity) to the Fifty Cities of Castle Mount, is dying. The Coronal Lord Confalume, who will become Pontifex, begins the Funeral Games before his own replacement is chosen. It is no secret that the next Coronal will be Prince Prestimion. By law and custom, the blood son of the present Coronal, Korsibar, an avid hunter'cannot rule. But Korsibar has a secret quarry'the Starburst Crown. Visited by an oracle, Korsibar has heard a prophecy that will plunge the planet into a fearsome conflagration and alter destiny itself: "You will shake the world!"
Outstanding Praise for The Majipoor Cycle
"Plotted like a Shakespearian play.... With a brand new cast of characters and engaging conflicts of heart and soul, Silverberg'one of the world's finest stylists and storytellers'breathes fresh life (and quality) into sci-fi's sister genre."
-- "San Antonio Express News"
"Boasting Machiavellian plot twists, underhanded and power-hungry backstabbers, and plenty of literary allusions, Sorcerers of Majipoor serves as a fine historical foundation for a wondrous world. Readers, both old and new, will want to accompany him in exploring this treasure trove of imagination."
--Des Moines (IA) Sunday Register
"Silverberg has created a big planet, chock-a-block with life and potential stories."
-- "The Washington Post"
"There are two things that abide: absolute awe at Silverberg's capacity for creating images ... he makes yousee, believe, be there witnessing ... and [the] overarching compassion that colors every word and all the souls in his enormous planet."
-- "Los Angeles Times"
"I was happy to visit Majipoor again, and to know there's room on that great and grand world for even more events to be chronicled."
-- "Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine" "A grand picaresque tale by one of the great storytellers of the century."
--Roger Zelazny