Good Night, Mr. James: And Other Stories (Complete Short Fiction of Clifford D. Simak, #8)

by Clifford D. Simak

David W Wixon (Introduction)

Strange, poignant tales of life in outer space and on tomorrow’s Earth from the multiple Hugo Award–winning Grand Master of Science Fiction.

Virtually every major author from science fiction’s fabled golden age—including Poul Anderson, Isaac Asimov, and Robert A. Heinlein—agreed that Clifford D. Simak was one of the greatest among them. Named Grand Master by the Science Fiction Writers of America, the award-winning author created enduring visions of future worlds, perilous space explorations, and weird alien encounters as rich in emotion and humanity as they are in ingenious invention. This is an essential collection of short fiction from the remarkable mind and heart of a true giant of twentieth-century speculative fiction, featuring powerful examples of literary science fiction at its very best.
 
Beginning with the unforgettable title story—a wry and chilling horror tale about cloning and alien invasion that inspired the classic teleplay “The Duplicate Man” from the television series The Outer Limits—Simak propels the reader on a breathtaking journey across the galaxies and into the future. He then enthralls us with the strange chronicle of twin siblings, one tied to the Earth, the other drawn to the stars; imaginings of a volatile reunion of two former enemies who must join forces on Jupiter’s moon or face extinction; and the story of a house in the middle of nowhere that serves as a gateway back to prehistoric times.
 
With his wondrous tales of a journalist’s miraculous discovery of fairies and sprites in the world, a census three centuries in the making that uncovers an unknown leap forward in human evolution, and the nightmare realities of future elder care, Simak demonstrates once again that he is not only one of the greatest science fiction writers of the twentieth century, but also one of the greatest of all time.

• ISBN10: 1504060318
• ISBN13: 9781504060318
• Publish Date: 14 January 2020 (first published 5 July 2016)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Open Road Media
• Imprint: Open Road Media Sci-Fi & Fantasy
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 340
• Language: English

Reviews

[Metaphorosis Reviews]

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.

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.