A Rediscovery of Clifford D. Simak - A Reading Challenge

Thank you Extollager, even though a picture like that had already been posted on Simak forum, as a member had visited the cemetery and shot it... you know, over the years we missed very few things about CDS.
If, in the future, should I happen to be in that area, surely I'd visit his grave. I think it'd be touching.
BTW, during my trip to Millville area back in 2011 I stumbled in a country cemetery, where probably Simak's parents are buried (probably, as I did not enter it - but the description from other members who had visited it matches my recollection).
It's a small country cemetery among the trees, in a desert place at a road intersection; IMHO, and not only in mine, it would be a much more proper burial place for CDS, in his beloved place, rather than in a big anonimous city cemetery like the one where he rests.
Roberto
 
That's a great picture you posted, LoZio! Good posts you've put up, too! Nice to see you at the site.

That's an amazing picture too that you posted Bick, of the newsroom with Simak. Assuming this was at least, say, the late 30s...I wonder how many of the folks in the picture knew (or cared) about Simak's life in science fiction; the genre was really looked down at during this time period (it's possible that it would be seen as demeaning for a newspaper editor to be known to also submit stories to the pulps). But love the photo! CC
 
Both photos are great!

The photo Bick posted is very interesting. Everyone seems very eager to hear what this officer has to say. Perhaps a British or Canadian colonel reporting on the state of the war so far?
 
Thank you Cat's Cradle and Vince W.
BTW, my Nickname " LoZioOscuro " translates " The Dark Uncle ", from Shannara saga - yes, I like fantasy as well, even though much less than SF.
My real name is Roberto, and I myself don't know why I chosed LoZioOscuro - I guess I panicked when the site told me that my e-mail address couldn't be used as nickname, and that once chosen it couldn't be changed anymore.
As to Bick's photo, indeed all the guys in the room follow most carefully what the officer is saying... BTW, I suppose that Simak is the one to the right of the officer, in white shirt and tie, wearing glasses.
Many years ago I posted on the website of The Minneapolis Star and Tribune (this's the current name, if I remember correctly) emphasizing how fantastic it was that such a major writer had been working there, but I never got an answer.
Probably what one of my fellow members wrote, i.e. that their site is run by youngsters who even never heard about Simak, is correct... what sad, memory of past is continuosly thrown into the garbage.
If I find the photograph of a young Simak I mentioned in one of my earlier posts I'll upload it - I think it might be of interest.
All the best
Roberto
 
The promised picture is uploaded. Doesn't he look like a private investigator of the thirties?
Roberto
 

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In 2012 we purchased a dog.
The one amongst you who'll guess his name will be entitled Simakian Grand Master (even though it's so easy to guess, if you know Simak books...).
Roberto
 
Sorry, even though Towser is a recurring name in his works you didn't win... try again!
 
TheDustyZebra said:
I think I have almost all of those books -- I'll have to check at home. I know I have City, All the Traps of Earth, Way Station, All Flesh is Grass, The Werewolf Principle, Goblin Reservation, Cemetery World, Shakespeare's Planet, and Special Deliverance -- or at least I'm nearly certain of all of those.

My mother collected Simak, as one of her favorite authors, and of course my own partiality is evident in my name. :D

I'm still on my Harrington re-read binge, but I'll see if I can start on the Simak after that. I'd been meaning to, anyway.
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Noteworth your nickname, The Dusty Zebra. For sure not one of the most known Simak's short stories. Not a masterpiece, in my opinion, but a amusing, very enjoiable story. I like it - but, I like almost everything Simak wrote, so I'm not an impartial judge.
 
Ray McCarthy said:
Way Station is one of my all time favourites, not read it since 1970s maybe. I'd love to read it again. One of my favourite authors.
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Ray, Way Station is, according to many Simak's fans, his best novel.
Years ago we carried out a contest amongst us members of Yahoo group about Simak, the ranking was:
1) Way Station - 26 votes
2) City - 24 votes
3) Time and Again - 8 votes
4) The Goblin reservation - 6 votes
5) Ring Around the Sun - 5 votes
AS you can see, the contest was between Way Station and City. I myself voted City as no. 1, and Way Station as no. 2, but it has to be said that many members didn't vote City as they rate it as a short stories collection rather than a novel in itself. Otherwise, City would have won.
Roberto
 
Bick said:
Book 1: Cemetery World - Novel, 1973

This was perhaps a strange choice* for first book in my Simak reading challenge, as it is neither one of his well known novels, nor from his most acclaimed period, which is arguably the 1950's and 1960's. That said, it is written with Simak's particular style and it was a pleasant way of reintroducing me to the author. It typically shows off Simak's clear prose and rather spare dialogue. It's certainly a refreshing style and overall I very much enjoyed reading the book. Although this novels has its flaws (which I'll go into in a bit), it does provide a sense of wonder by not revealing or explaining everything. It leaves a lot to the imagination, and a sense of strangeness pervades the book. In plot, the book concerns an artist going back to Earth with robot companions 10,000 years after nuclear holocaust. Earth in this time is predominantly run by The Cemetery, the organisation that runs the cemetery, which is now the primary purpose of the planet. However, The Cemetery are up to no good, and exploit various 'back-to-basics' human tribes to cause problems for our heroes. It's a nice idea, although the introduction of a time travel device in the second half of the book didn't quite work for me. I felt this was slightly clunky and didn't sit especially well with the preceding plot. That said, I think Simak did a pretty good job layering ideas and concepts. I certainly wouldn't criticise it for lack of depth or consideration. I found the ideas that Simak plays with, concerning the wisdom of seeking the past and the meaning or importance of memory, to be interesting. So, for style and interest it scores well, for the overall satisfaction of the plot, a little less well. I'll reserve judgement on whether to recommend it to others until I've read more.

Now on to Book 2 in the challenge for me: City.

* I chose it first as it was immediately to hand and I wanted to get cracking.
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Bick, my judgment on Cemetery World matches very much yours. Great book, but the tricks with time by the end of the book seem to me forced and non in-line with the rest of the book.
Overall I like it, as well as An Heritage of Stars (VERY much), Shakespeare's Planet (less), and Destiny Doll (VERY much again), even though usually they don't rate Simak's best.
 
BigBadBob141 said:
"Way Station" was the first SF novel I read, I was about 8 or 9 at the time, Nuneaton Library had a good SF section.
Always been a big fan of Simak, read lots of his short stories & novels, think my all time favourite is his Hugo winning s/s "The Big Front Yard".
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BigBadBob, " The Big Front Yard " is without any doubt one of very best Simak's short stories.
We organized a contest also amongst his short stories, and the ranking was:
1) All the Traps of Earth
2) The Big Front Yard
3) The Grotto of the Dancing Deer
4) Desertion (voted as a separate short story, though part of City)
5) Eternity Lost.
I myself voted it as my 3rd choice, after " The Autumn Land (sad, but great) " and " A Death in the House (extremely touching)".
Roberto

PS: don't worry - it's it for today. I don't want to be thrown away of the site for excess of posts...
 
LoZioOscuro said:
Ray, Way Station is, according to many Simak's fans, his best novel.
Years ago we carried out a contest amongst us members of Yahoo group about Simak, the ranking was:
1) Way Station - 26 votes
2) City - 24 votes
3) Time and Again - 8 votes
4) The Goblin reservation - 6 votes
5) Ring Around the Sun - 5 votes
AS you can see, the contest was between Way Station and City. I myself voted City as no. 1, and Way Station as no. 2, but it has to be said that many members didn't vote City as they rate it as a short stories collection rather than a novel in itself. Otherwise, City would have won.
Roberto
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LoZioOscuro said:
BigBadBob, " The Big Front Yard " is without any doubt one of very best Simak's short stories.
We organized a contest also amongst his short stories, and the ranking was:
1) All the Traps of Earth
2) The Big Front Yard
3) The Grotto of the Dancing Deer
4) Desertion (voted as a separate short story, though part of City)
5) Eternity Lost.
I myself voted it as my 3rd choice, after " The Autumn Land (sad, but great) " and " A Death in the House (extremely touching)".
Roberto

PS: don't worry - it's it for today. I don't want to be thrown away of the site for excess of posts...
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My personal rating today is this:

Novels
1 Way Station
2 All Flesh is Grass
3 City
4 They Walked Like Men
5 Ring Around the Sun

Stories
1 The Big Front Yard
2 A Death in the House
3 Honorable Opponent
4 Lulu
5 Drop Dead

But there are so many good stories that I'm not sure if my rating would be different again tomorrow. :)
 
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