
Metaphorosis Reviews
Written on Aug 20, 2016
A collection of mostly science fiction stories by Clifford Simak.
The logic behind the arrangement of most anthologies is a mystery to anyone but their editors, and that's true here. While the last volume (#3) in this series I reviewed had some of Simak's strongest work, this (#8) has a fair amount of filler - decent, but uninspiring, and not mostly at the level I look for from Simak. Happily, there are some standouts. The best stories are:
- Kindergarten - A mysterious alien box that gives perfectly targeted gifts. Highly reminiscent of "Operation Stinky" in volume 7, or vice versa, since that was written later.
- Death Scene - Foreknowledge of the coming day ends war, but it has its costs. A nicely understated story that illustrates its point without hitting us over the head with it.
- Census - When we've moved away from cities, and the census does more than just count people. The end leans toward the bathetic, but the bulk of the story is good.
A nice selection of stories, but not Simak's best
Received free copy of book in exchange for honest review.
Merged review:
3.5 stars - Metaphorosis Reviews
A collection of mostly science fiction stories by Clifford Simak.
The logic behind the arrangement of most anthologies is a mystery to anyone but their editors, and that's true here. While the last volume (#3) in this series I reviewed had some of Simak's strongest work, this (#8) has a fair amount of filler - decent, but uninspiring, and not mostly at the level I look for from Simak. Happily, there are some standouts. The best stories are:
- Kindergarten - A mysterious alien box that gives perfectly targeted gifts. Highly reminiscent of "Operation Stinky" in volume 7, or vice versa, since that was written later.
- Death Scene - Foreknowledge of the coming day ends war, but it has its costs. A nicely understated story that illustrates its point without hitting us over the head with it.
- Census - When we've moved away from cities, and the census does more than just count people. The end leans toward the bathetic, but the bulk of the story is good.
A nice selection of stories, but not Simak's best
Received free copy of book in exchange for honest review.