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| Clifford D. Simak |
Simak was born in Millville, Wisconsin, a small town in the southwest of the state, near Prairie du Chien. For over three decades, Simak worked as a reporter and editor for the Minneapolis Star and Tribune while building a successful career as a fiction writer on the side. Simak published his first short story in 1931 and his final novel in 1986, with a prolific and steady output in between. He won three Hugo Awards (for the novel Way Station, the novellette “The Big Front Yard,” and the short story “Grotto of the Dancing Deer”) and one Nebula Award (also “Grotto of the Dancing Deer”). In 1977, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association named Simak a Grand Master of the genre, and he has also been honored with a lifetime achievement award from the Horror Writers Association.
Critics have often referred to Simak’s science fiction as “pastoral” because his stories often take place in rural and small-town locales. Rarely is a Simak story set in New York or Washington, DC. The bulk of his fiction is set in Wisconsin and Minnesota. His protagonists, even the nonhuman ones, often take part in outdoor activities like hunting, fishing, camping, and farming. He also wrote quite a few quest novels featuring cross-country treks in which the characters sleep around campfires and live off the land. Also in the write-what-you-know department, Simak often casts newspaper reporters and editors as the heroes in his stories. Despite the frequent small-town Midwestern atmosphere, Simak’s science fiction concepts are as innovative and mind-blowing as any big-city writer. His works run the gamut from laugh-out-loud comical to deadly serious and often engage in philosophical contemplation on mankind’s destiny, our relationship to nature, and our place within the universe.
In recent years, Open Road Media has released just about all of Simak’s novels in inexpensive ebook editions, so it’s no longer necessary to hunt down old paperbacks in used bookstores or on ebay. Below are brief summaries and ratings of Simak’s 27 novels. Click on the titles below to read the complete reviews.
Short Fiction
This overview of Simak’s novels does not cover his short fiction. Simak’s short stories and novellas are even more consistently good than his novels. The Complete Short Fiction of Clifford D. Simak series collects all of Simak’s fiction into 14 volumes. Each book contains about eight or nine science fiction stories plus one Western story or World War II adventure, genres in which Simak published a few pieces early in his career. The stories in these 14 volumes are not arranged in any kind of chronological or thematic order, so each volume is as good as another, and they are all very good collections. The ebooks often show up for three dollars or less on Amazon.
Cosmic Engineers (1939) - 3.5 stars
In the year 6948, mankind has colonized other planets in the solar system but has yet to venture to another star. Scientists working in a base on Pluto receive messages from the far-off edge of the universe. One human holds the key to understanding these cosmic messages and communicating with the beings of profound intelligence who sent them. An ambitious debut, though Simak has not yet reached his mature style.
Time and Again (1950) - 4.5 stars
The year is 7990. Humanity has spread throughout the galaxy and conquered a multitude of planets. Twenty years ago, astronaut Asher Sutton was sent to the 61 Cygni star system as one of many advanced scouts sent to make first contact with other worlds. Now, a government functionary is visited by a being claiming to be from the future, who informs him that Sutton will soon be returning to Earth, and when he arrives, he must be killed, or mankind will suffer grave consequences. A complex and ingenious time-travel mystery thriller.
Empire (1951) - 3.5 stars
Centuries in the future, humans from Earth have established colonies, mines, prisons, and industrial plants on all the planets in the solar system. This is made possible by an advanced technology that harvests great quantities of energy from the Sun. The tycoon who holds the monopoly on this energy source is the de facto dictator of the solar system, until a rival billionaire comes up with an alternate and superior source of power. Not one of Simak’s better works, with too much sketchy science and subpar storytelling.
City (1952) - 4.5 stars
The book that Simak is best-known for, City is actually made up of previously published short stories that have been adapted into a unified novel. Simak explores the philosophical question of what would happen if mankind had the benefit of communicating with another intelligent species? How would this help or hinder our development? The narrative encompasses tens of thousands of years in the future history of life on Earth, a future that humanity shares with Martians, robots, mutants, and talking dogs. A complex, epic saga that makes for a challenging read, but worth the effort.
Ring Around the Sun (1952) - 4 stars
The story takes place on Earth, perhaps a few decades in the future. The Cold War is still raging, inspiring fears of nuclear Armageddon. Recently, the American market has been mysteriously glutted by inexpensive goods of impeccable manufacture and unknown origin. Could this abundance of technological wonders be an attempt by some secret cabal to subvert our capitalist system and destroy our economy? Despite the title, the novel has nothing to do with space travel.
Time is the Simplest Thing (1961) - 4 stars
In a not-so distant future, mankind has abandoned space travel. Instead, certain humans have developed the power to explore other star systems through a form of telepathic projection. But what might such a traveler inadvertently bring home from an interstellar journey? This novel is not so much about space or time travel, but more about the paranormal powers of these special individuals. Simak gets a little farfetched here at times, but it’s an exciting adventure novel.
They Walked Like Men (1962) - 3 stars
A Midwestern newspaper reporter uncovers a sinister plot that threatens the world. The book’s title, as well as an alien encounter in the first chapter, give away that this is a mystery/thriller in which the villains are nonhuman invaders. The aliens are interesting and scary, but their plot to take over the world defies logic. The book contains some thrilling and suspenseful scenes, but overall feels half-baked.
Way Station (1963) - 4.5 stars
One of Simak’s best and best-known works. Enoch Wallace, veteran of the American Civil War, is chosen by an extraterrestrial governing body to serve as a galactic innkeeper for interstellar travelers teleporting through our solar system. His rural Wisconsin home is a layover stop for myriad alien species and cultures. Enoch’s neighbors begin to get suspicious of the fact that he never ages, which leads to the CIA putting him under surveillance. Classic Simak!
All Flesh is Grass (1965) - 3.5 stars
Set in Simak’s hometown of Millville, Wisconsin. A local man is on his way out of town for a fishing trip when his car strikes an invisible, impenetrable barrier. Further investigation reveals that this mysterious barricade completely encircles the town, closing it off from the rest of the world. This plot sounds remarkably similar to Stephen King’s Under the Dome, but Simak beat him to the idea by over 40 years.
The Werewolf Principle (1967) - 5 stars
500 years in the future, a space capsule is found with a John Doe astronaut sealed inside, under suspended animation. When awakened, he has no memory of his past or identity. He is obviously a space traveler from Earth’s past, but how far in the past? The Werewolf Principle is not about werewolves at all but rather about space travelers that are bioengineered to transform and adapt to varying conditions on other worlds. A constantly surprising, entertaining, and though-provoking thriller.
Why Call Them Back from Heaven? (1967) - 4 stars
In the year 2148, scientists are on the verge of cracking the secret to immortality. Billions of people have chosen to have their bodies frozen after death, waiting for a future “revival day” when they will embark on their “second life.” In an already overpopulated world, How will humanity cope when the billions of dead are revived? An innovative and thought-provoking dystopian thriller with interesting philosophical implications.
The Goblin Reservation (1968) - 3.5 stars
At an unspecified time in the future, space travel throughout other star systems has acquainted mankind with various life forms, some of whom have emigrated to Earth. Time travel is also possible, and a Time College has been established in Madison, Wisconsin, devoted to the study of the past. Humans have also discovered that many of the creatures we thought were mythical or supernatural are in fact real, and many of them now reside in the Goblin Reservation outside Madison. The main plot of the novel deals with time travel, not so much goblins. This is a humorous novel in which Simak throws everything but the kitchen sink. It’s sometimes nonsensical, but it is fun.
Out of Their Minds (1970) - 1.5 stars
A minor celebrity returns to his rural hometown to write a book. When he gets there, he is confronted by all kinds of bizarre and dangerous phenomena, such as a charging triceratops. The title Out of Their Minds could refer to persons who are insane, but in this case it primarily pertains to characters and events from people’s imaginations that manifest themselves in physical reality, literally arising out of their minds. This premise leads to an anything-goes plot that defies all logic and just allows Simak to throw in random imagery without any rhyme or reason. His worst novel, in my opinion.
Destiny Doll (1971) - 3.5 stars
a.k.a Reality Doll
A freelance spaceship captain is hired by three individuals to transport them into deep space. One of them has been hearing voices he believes are interstellar transmissions from a long-lost legendary Earth adventurer who is rumored to have found a paradise on a distant unknown planet. The first half of the book is a little too weird-for-weird’s-sake, but it improves over time and offers some interesting philosophical conjectures about the destiny of humankind, multiple realities, and alien intelligences.
A Choice of Gods (1971) - 4 stars
In the year 2135, the vast majority of humanity mysteriously disappears from the Earth, leaving only a few hundred people behind in the vicinity of Minneapolis. These survivors discover that they have stopped aging, and some have developed advanced parapsychic abilities like interstellar telepathy. A band of Native Americans and some sentient, masterless robots round out the cast of this thoughtful post-apocalyptic tale that asks some deep, dark questions about the purpose of mankind.
Cemetery World (1972) - 3 stars
Thousands of years in the future, mankind has colonized many planets throughout the galaxy. Though few humans have set foot on the planet, Old Earth has become an object of fond nostalgia, and billions of people want to be buried there. An artist travels to Earth to create a multimedia piece that encapsulates the essence of Earth. When he uncovers a sinister plot by the Cemetery corporation, who run the funerary tourism industry, the artist is forced to flee for his life. High on imagination but low on logic, this novel is just so-so.
Our Children’s Children (1973) - 4 stars
Five centuries in the future, mankind faces an alien attack. Unable to defeat the invaders, the human race flees their enemies by time traveling to the past, becoming refugees in our present-day world. These unexpected billions place a heavy burden on our already overpopulated and overtaxed world. Though these uninvited visitors are our distant descendants, do we have the means or the wherewithal to help them? Not one of Simak’s best, but it’s a brisk and engaging read.
Enchanted Pilgrimage (1975) - 3.5 stars
The first of three novels that Simak published in the Dungeons & Dragons/Lord of the Rings fantasy genre. In medieval times, Mark Cornwall, a university scholar, discovers a mysterious page of manuscript hidden in the school’s library. When others find out about this discovery, they are willing to kill to get their hands on the parchment. To decipher the text, Cornwall must leave civilization and venture out into the Wastelands. For the journey, he assembles a team of adventurers including a goblin, a gnome, and an intelligent raccoon. I don’t consider this type of thing to be Simak’s forte, but this is the best of his three novels in this genre.
Shakespeare’s Planet (1976) - 4.5 stars
In the 25th century, Carter Horton was sent on a mission to find planets habitable to humans. He awakes from suspended animation to find that a thousand years have passed, and his human crew are dead. The good news is he’s found a habitable planet, but he’s stranded on it. With the help of his robot companion and some local alien inhabitants, can he find a way off of this mysterious world? Rather than settling for mere interspecies conflict, Simak emphasizes friendship and cooperation between intelligent life from different worlds and expresses a kind of interstellar environmental ethic.
A Heritage of Stars (1977) - 3.5 stars
Two thousand years in the future, Earth is now a post-apocalyptic world in which mankind has reverted to barbarism. In a fit of worldwide rage, humans rebelled against their technology and destroyed it. One bastion of intelligent civilization still holds out on the campus of the former University of Minnesota. When a member of this community comes across a millennium-old history mentioning a Place of Going to the Stars, he leaves the safety of the university and heads West on a quest to find this mythical site. This story has its fair share of flaws, resulting in a mediocre work by Simak standards.
Mastodonia (1978) - 5 stars
On a farm in Western Wisconsin, a professor of paleontology discovers a time tunnel through which he can walk 100,000 years in the past. He and his colleague decide that in order to fully explore the scientific research potential of time travel, they must first develop it into a commercially viable business, one centered around prehistoric safaris. First, they declare their prehistoric haven an independent nation, dubbed Mastodonia. The pleasant surprise of this time-travel story is that instead of focusing on adventures with saber-toothed tigers, Simak explores the ethical, legal, and logistical complications of time travel.
The Fellowship of the Talisman (1978) - 2 stars
The second of Simak’s D&D-flavored novels. In this alternate history, it’s the 20th century, but Europe has yet to emerge from the Dark Ages. The progress of civilization has been halted by hordes of evil nonhuman beings known as the Harriers. A manuscript is discovered that purports to be an eyewitness account of the life of Christ. A young nobleman is tasked with delivering this document to a scholar who can translate and authenticate it. Not only is this novel filled with some silly sword-and-sorcery clichés, it also has a very preachy Christian message that’s not even historically accurate.
The Visitors (1979) - 4.5 stars
An immense black box descends upon the small town of Lone Pine, Minnesota, hovering just above the ground. The unexplainable nature of this object leads to speculation that it may be of extraterrestrial origin, but is it a living being or a mechanical probe? The box moves around, “eating” trees and ignoring humans. No one can find a way of communicating with it, until one fly fisherman feels a momentary telepathic bond with the visitor. A riveting close-encounters tale that is really less about the aliens and more about humanity’s reaction to them.
Project Pope (1981) - 3.5 stars
In the distant future, a physician stows away on a spacecraft headed to a planet on the very outskirts of our galaxy. There he finds a society established by robots from Earth, who have created a center of theological research named Vatican 17, complete with a supercomputer as pope. These robot clergy employ humans with telepathic powers to gather information on alien cultures and faiths. When one of the listeners claims to have found Heaven, it causes turmoil within the vatican hierarchy. While investigating the dichotomy between knowledge and faith, Simak both criticizes organized religion and respects spiritual faith.
Special Deliverance (1982) - 3 stars
A half dozen individuals find themselves mysteriously transported to an unknown world. They figure out that they have all been abducted from different universes—Earths with alternate histories. But abducted by whom, and why? Convinced that they have been brought together to undertake some mission by which they might return to their homes, the six characters set out to look for clues to the mysterious purpose behind their involuntary journey. A rather meandering plot in the Twilight Zone fantasy vein.
Where the Evil Dwells (1982) - 2 stars
Simak’s third sword-and-sorcery novel takes place during the Roman Empire. In between the Romans and the Germanic barbarians of the Earth lies a zone called the Empty Land, inhabited by a horde of evil creatures and mystical monsters. A young man embarks on a quest to rescue a holy relic from the Empty Land, accompanied by a motley crew of companions, of course. Typical Dungeons & Dragons fare, and rather boring.
Highway of Eternity (1986) - 3 stars
Two individuals with the inexplicable abilities to see and move through alternate worlds stumble upon an 18th-century English manor house that exists in an isolated bubble outside of time and space. There they meet a group of refugees from the future. The rest of the novel follows them as they hop through time and space fleeing the persecution of a foe that threatens the end of humanity as we know it. This premise is vague enough to allow Simak to throw just about anything into this kitchen sink, and he does, resulting in something that reads more like fantasy than hard sci-fi.
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