Way Station

Clifford D. Simak’s writing style is often described as “pastoral”, a gentle Midwestern American soft science fiction with a splash of fantasy flavoring his pastel impressionist coloring. For me he was the other Ray Bradbury, a very literate writer with an even tempo and a terrific imagination who could go dark when necessary or boyishly imaginative. Though he was an early writer published in Hugo Gernsback’s pulp magazines, his peak came in the 60’s and early 70’s when the revitalized boomer kids like myself were discovering his CITY and WAY STATION novels and The Big Front Yard novelette through The Science Fiction Book Club or Doubleday or Ballantine and Ace reissues.While WAY STATION and CITY are definitive triumphs, after reading them you are going to go spelunking for nuggets like Time And Again, Ring Around The Sun, A Choice Of Gods, or the really bizarre All Flesh Is Grass; and of course some of the collected short stories. Clifford D Simak was the 3rd Grand Master of The Science Fiction Writers of America after Robert Heinlein and the great Jack Williamson.Like his contemporary and other Midwestern Sci-Fi Guru Bradbury, Simak has an almost Mark Twain approach to writing, there is an easy humanity in his style and this is the attraction because Simak gives us characters who breathe and worry, laugh and take time to look at the vistas and panorama of the world. They have flaws and they learn how to rise above them, and they deal with obstacles and challenges with thought and wisdom and not with violence. If you are looking for shoot-em up action, Starship Troopers and Bug Invaders, look elsewhere. Clifford D. Simak is an intelligent writer with the strange willingness to concentrate on people and hopefulness, decency and compassion, curiosity and understanding. Clifford D. Simak was a cosmic consciousness kind of guy and his writing has been a source of inspiration to explore and discover.While CITY began life as a short story series from the World War II years into the 50’s, he managed to magically interconnect them into a storyboard spanning over ten thousand years as a history of mankind generally, but of a certain family specifically, told through the framing device (as collected into a short story series now novelized together as a whole) of a mythology handed down by generations of dogs who have inherited the future of earth. This latest edition of CITY ends with a Coda, written by Simak in 1973 and not included in my original copy of City which I read as a teen and again in college. The Coda is a wonderful ending that truly polishes off the story in the best way possible.WAY STATION on the other hand is one of the best science fiction novels, non-serialized, ever written and to my dismay, too many reviewers give away way too much of the storyline, one which should be approached almost blindly in order to get maximum pleasure from reading it. The novel unfolds with revelations and surprises that are key to the charm and entertainment of the reader. To their credit, when I purchased my copy in 1970 from the Science Fiction Book Club, they lauded the great writer Simak and only teased at the plot of the novel to sell it. Let’s just say that Enoch is a lot older than he appears and over time attracts undue attention to himself from the wrong people. This new trade paperback edition replacing my lost hardback copy, like the replacement for CITY, is handsomely and artistically bound.Both books are well manufactured with quality paper and great typeface, easy to read for “tired eyes”. Open Road Media Sci-Fi & Fantasy gets my two thumbs up just for reissuing these two classics in such nicely made volumes. New readers of Simak will also appreciate the new Introduction in City which gives a brief but informative picture of Clifford D. Simak. Way Station has no introduction, just dive in and drink up!

This is a classic science fiction book, winner of the Hugo Award in 1964. The story ages very well. It’s not hard science fiction, so it doesn’t depend on time-bound visions of technology. Instead it extends itself from a compelling, enduring theme in science fiction — the human picked out for a unique responsibility in the larger cosmos.The main character, Enoch Wallace, is a survivor of the Civil War, in fact a survivor long past the time he should have died a natural death. He’s 124 years old. But he hasn’t aged past 30.Instead he lives agelessly in rural Wisconsin, in a house concealing a “way station” for galactic travelers. Enoch was chosen for the position by “Ulysses”, an alien emissary of Galactic Central. Enoch’s job is to run a transportation hub, allowing galactic travelers to hop from one galactic location to another. Upon arriving, they may visit with Enoch for a short while, often bringing gifts to show their appreciation.Enoch doesn’t really play any strategic role in the galactic society. Actually, he’s kind of a functionary, preparing arrivals and departures and serving as short-term host — a gate attendant, in effect. But he’s built up respect and trust over all the years he’s manned his station.All goes peacefully along, until simultaneous crises develop within Galactic Central and in Enoch’s own neighborhood. Galactic Central has lost its way — its “spiritual” balance is kept healthy through an object called the “Talisman”, under the stewardship of a specially gifted custodian. But the Talisman has fallen out of trusted hands, and the peace and stabiity among alien civilizations is threatened.Closer to home, Enoch is threatened with discovery. He has been watched for years by an agent of the US government, curious about a man who seems not to age and who seems to live an otherwise odd, even impossible life. And Enoch’s neighbor has developed a violent grudge against Enoch, for his attention to and protection of the neighbor’s deaf-mute daughter.Both crises erupt at the same time and connect through the death of a visiting alien, who Enoch was charged with burying appropriately. The remains are discovered by the government agent, and their removal becomes a pretext for a galactic-scale controversy.No spoilers here, but there is a resolution. And to be honest, as a reader, you may see the resolution coming well before it gets there. That didn’t bother me so much, as the story itself carried me along. It’s entertaining, and there are intellectual aspects — how does someone in Enoch’s position (the ultimate loner) relate in any kind of healthy way to his fellow humans? Where does his loyalty go when he has to make a choice whether to abandon or to support his own estranged world?Like I said, it ages well, but the book definitely has a place in time, in the 60s when it was written. You feel the presence of Cold War America, with the overhanging threat of human self-destruction, and the hope for some sort of higher appeal for reason and for peace. This is the time when The Day the Earth Stood Still presented a similar idea of a higher, peace-loving civilization into which we could fold ourselves. Not to stretch too far, but it was also a time when The Lord of the Rings was immensely popular, with its idea of regaining the ring that united peace-loving peoples. We don’t see so much of that sentiment these days.

The media could not be loaded.  This rating here is not about the book's content. Took a lot of time in delivery, may be because it was imported, but not sure. Good quality paperback with great font setting that's easy on your eyes.

This is one of the very few Simak's books left on Amazon. Try to get it before it will be swamped in the mud of modern literature.

This book is filled with ideas and truths about our world and how we live in it. It will make you think as a truly unique story world unfolds inside a purely enjoyable tale.

Clifford D. Simak (1904-1988, reimt sich auf Grzimek) war einer der produktivsten SF-Autoren des 20. Jahrhunderts. Er schrieb bereits im Goldenen Zeitalter der SF, ab den 30ern, unzählige Kurzgeschichten, und veröffentlichte bis zu seinem Tode etwa 30 Romane. 1977 wurde er von der amerikanischen Autorengemeinschaft, nach Robert A. Heinlein und Jack Williamson, zu deren drittem Grand Master ernannt. Trotzdem ist sein Name heute kaum noch ein Begriff, im Gegensatz zu den in den 80ern ernannten Großmeistern. Simak war nicht so wagemutig wie sein Freund Isaac Asimov, nicht so wissenschaftsorientiert wie Arthur C. Clarke, nicht so experimentierfreudig wie Alfred Bester oder so stilsicher wie Ray Bradbury. Vielleicht hat er einfach nicht laut genug geklappert, vielleicht war er zu "Middle of the Road" mit seiner sanften Erzählweise und seinen kleinen Geschichten, die sich auf Ideen und Figuren konzentrierten, aber nicht den üblichen Actionformeln genügten. Auf die Leinwand bzw. den Bildschirm haben es lediglich zwei seiner Romane (in Russland und Ungarn) und eine Handvoll Geschichten als Vorlagen von TV-Folgen einschlägiger Anthologieserien geschafft.Simak schrieb nie den "großen" Roman, der die Fantasie auch der Nachfolgegenerationen hätte beflügeln können (wie etwa Larry Niven mit "Ringwelt", dem er ansonsten durchaus ebenbürtig war). "Way Station", von den Fans 1964 mit dem Hugo für den Besten Roman ausgezeichnet, ist jedoch eine Wiederentdeckung wert (Simak gewann zwei weitere Hugos für Kurzformen). Im Mittelpunkt steht Enoch, ehemaliger Soldat aus dem amerikanischen Bürgerkrieg, der seit fast hundert Jahren unerkannt eine galaktische Station auf der Erde betreut. Nun aber spitzen sich die Ereignisse zu; der Erde droht ein Atomkrieg, der CIA beginnt Enoch zu beobachten, und in den galaktischen Zivilisationen gibt es Unruhe um eine legendäre Maschine, die den Völkern den Zugang zu einer sprituellen Kraft des Universums ermöglichen soll.Simak verbindet geschickt eine ganze Reihe von zunächst unabhängigen Ideen, die er ohne viel äußere Spannung in einem mild-kathartischen Finale zusammenführt. Trotzdem hat es dieser schmale, keine 200 Seiten umfassende Roman in sich. Er enthält ein plausibles futuristisches Szenario mit vielen faszinierenden, oft fast nebenbei erwähnten Details. Die Geschichte beginnt mit der Schilderung eines CIA-Agenten, der sich in die Dorfgemeinschaft eingeschleust hat, die Enoch als verschrobenen Sonderling akzeptiert hat, obwohl er seit vielen Jahrzehnten wie ein 30jähriger aussieht und bis auf den Postboten auch keine Kontakte pflegt. Doch schnell wechselt die Perspektive zum eigentlichen Helden und seiner geheimnisvollen Station. Enoch ist sicher einer der einsamsten Menschen der Welt, hat allerdings auch Zugang zu einem beneidenswerten Schatz von Informationen und Artefakten. Trotz seiner Isolation informiert er sich regelmäßig durch Zeitungen und Magazine über die Entwicklung der Menschheit. Nach der Kuba-Krise rechnet er sich fast mit Sicherheit den Dritten Weltkrieg aus.Der Autor ist allerdings niemand, der diese pessimistische Ausgangslage in einen bedrohlichen Text wandelt (anders als Kurt Vonnegut, dessen tolle apokalyptische Satire "Cat's Cradle" im gleichen Jahr für den Hugo nominert war). Bei Simak sind die meisten Aliens gutmütig, und selbst der CIA-Agent zeigt sich verständnisvoll. Die Ereignisse werden ohne Hast in einem wohltuend-optimistischen Grundton geschildert (Simak hätte bestimmt gute Star-Trek-Folgen erfunden). Dabei ist der Hauptkonflikt eher in Enochs psychologischer Situation als den äußeren Umständen zu finden. Dazu macht die Sehnsucht nach einem friedlichen Zusammenleben und kulturellem Austausch "Way Station" auch heute noch zu einem zeitgemäßen Lesevergnügen.

Enredo original, história à moda antiga (época de ouro da SF). È um dos melhores livros do autor, em minha opinião.Uma ótima leitura, seja apenas como passatempo culturalmente relevante, seja para reflexões mais profundas.