The Werewolf Principle

by Clifford D. Simak

Andrew Blake is found in a space capsule on a distant planet and is brought back to an unfamiliar Earth, where antigravity devices have replaced the wheel, and houses talk and even fly!
Yet nothing is as strange as Blake's own feelings. Tormented by eerie sensations and loss of memory, he doesn't know who he really is or exactly where he has come from. His destiny only begins to grow frighteningly clear when he meets a weird, tassel-eared creature who darkly hints at the truth about Blake's origins. Slowly Blake becomes aware of the long hushed-up "Werewolf Principle," a scientific theory buried in the past, which holds the key to Blake's own fate-and the future of the human species.--book cover

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery, Science Fiction Fantasy, Aliens, Classics

189 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1967

About the author

"He was honored by fans with three Hugo awards and by colleagues with one Nebula award and was named the third Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) in 1977." (Wikipedia)

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clifford...

Reviews

[Paul Weiss · Rating 5 out of 5]

40 years old and more current than ever!

Upon turning the final page of this powerful novel, 21st century readers of THE WEREWOLF PRINCIPLE will likely set the book down slack-jawed with amazement at Simak's thoughtful, prescient exploration of genetic engineering, a scientific field of endeavour that, unheard of a scant 40 years ago, now reaches front page headlines on a regular basis.

Space travel as technology is now several hundred years old. But, currently debate is raging in the Senate over a proposal for a program of bio-engineering as a basis for the colonization of other solar systems. Is it better to force the planet to fit the man through terra-forming or to bio-engineer the man and mold his abilities to withstand hostile alien environments? There are those that feel the results of such a modification would somehow be less than human or may even be perceived as a monster.

But neither side to this debate is aware of Andrew Blake. Two hundred years earlier, this problem had already been faced and resolved at that time by producing a synthetic human - an android with the imprint of a fully human mind that would be capable of absorbing the form and mind of any alien culture it might encounter. The mission that carried Blake to the stars had been lost and the Space Administration reached the decision to formally bury any reference to the project as a regrettable failure! Luck and happenstance have now returned Blake to earth into the middle of the current debate and the world is shocked to learn of the flaw in their 200 year old experiment - the "data" from the absorption of an alien mind could not be erased. Blake is now an amalgam of three wildly different alien personalities able to interact and communicate with each other but within a single body.

Under the circumstances, Blake, of course, becomes the lightning rod "poster child" for BOTH sides of the debate. Even Blake himself is puzzled and questions both his humanity and his place on earth.

THE WEREWOLF PRINCIPLE is a trademark Simak blend of soft and hard sci-fi, crafted in his low-key softly stated pastoral Midwest style that cannot fail to amaze any thinking reader. The ending of the novel not only contains a blind-side twist worthy of the finest thriller but is also warmly romantic and intelligently optimistic without being trite or gushy. With standards like this to live up to, it is a miracle that contemporary writers of science fiction can actually make a living!

Paul Weiss

[Deb Omnivorous Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was actually a much more enjoyable book on this re-read than it was on the first reading. A lot of that is a mood thing, I know, but The Werewolf Principle is an odd sort of book in a lot of ways.

This classic sci-fi novel has an elegant old-school writing style that is philosophical and in a way insular; it is very much a first person point of view and that person is a synthetic man. The goals of the book seem more philosophical and exploratory than thrilling, so the title ends up feeling a bit misleading if you do not start out knowing what it is about. The narrative meanders through self analysis, self doubt and the boundaries of humanity, what we are, what we could be. There is no screaming and rending under the full moon.

Our main character, Andrew Blake, was discovered in cryogenic sleep in outer space, no one is sure who he was or how he got there, least of all himself. Slowly Blake's fascinating story emerges along with the information that he is not all alone in his mind.

While the story is inclined to waffle on a bit, at times, and the philosophy of Thinker can be a bit dated, on the whole it is a very satisfying story with a surprisingly decent ending.
The werewolf principle of the title relates to a bioengineering term in the book which allows 'open end' changing of androids/synthetic men to allow to incorporate characteristics of alien races they come into contact with to better understand them. One of the aliens that gets incorporated resembles the human myths of wolves (extinct in this future scenario) and people react accordingly.

If you are wondering whether this is a modern Gothic/modern horror type werewolf story, it is not; aside perhaps from the questioning of identity and instinct that often comes in more mainstream werewolf stories. So, anyone reading it for horror purposes is likely to end up very dissatisfied. When reading for classic sci-fi purposes however, it is really quite good.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am beginning to like Clifford D. Simak more and more. His Way Station was magnificent, and The Werewolf Principle, while not so good, has moments of sheer brilliance -- plus a brilliant ending.

Two hundred years before, man created an android for space exploration. It was not according to plan, but this android became three creatures in one: the human, called Changer, who contained a mind transfer of a brilliant earth scientist; a kind of wolf with arms, called Quester; and a somewhat amorphous almost purely intellectual creature, called Thinker. When the android comes back to earth, he is hunted down.

I won't say here what happens, but it is a great ending, perhaps Simak's best:

Earth wanted to get rid of him, perhaps afraid of him, perhaps merely disgusted by him, a loathsome product of its own ambitions and imagination that must be quickly swept underneath the rug. For there was no place for him on the Earth or in humanity, and yet he was a human product and had been made possible by the nimble brains and the weasel understanding of Earth's scientists.

Of particular interest are a group of extraterrestrials that live on earth, but not among humans. They look like fairy tale weasels with pockets and are called Brownies.

The story takes a while to really get started, but when it does, the book quickly goes from a three-star to a four-star read.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second (or third?) read. My previous review still stands. This time I want to add that the poetry of the writing surprised me. Lots of beautiful imagery and stylings... not purple prose, and easy to overlook in one's quest to figure out what's going on in the plot and with the characters, but definitely well-crafted.

[Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been a long-time fan of Simak, and while he really never wrote a problematic book, (by today's standards,) they're usually high on dialogue and situation rather that plot. This one is no different.

Indeed, the titular Werewolf Principle is a SF twist on multiple-mind sharing bodies, but in this case, it's human, alien, and machine -- all leading up to a big of adventure and chase and eventually a pretty high-level philosophical debate featuring the core meaning of humanity. Classic SF style, of course.

Interestingly, though, for a '67 novel, it's ideas of uploaded consciousness and AI and the Theseus Ship Paradox is still as interesting today as it would have been way back then. :)

While I enjoy this novel for its history, I have to admit I've seen this question done better since this time.

[Nate · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Snatched from the ice hard stars that roofed a planet of drifted sand and snow-the ideas and the thoughts and concepts that clung to all the pictures, like bits of dirt to roots.”
This is my fifth book from the great Clifford Simak and runner up to Asimov’s the gods themselves for that years Hugo award.
Simak has a way of writing and incorporating ideas and technological concepts that don’t seem wild now but were not as present in the works of his contemporaries. Smaller things like a house that is run by an ai system, constantly giving him reminders and updates to annoying and humorous effect to uploading human minds to a server where they continue to exist and can be copied. Those copies, given different experiences over time become their own person. Those minds can even be uploaded into cloned bodies that have super human abilities. Is that being still a person? Is it human?

“Could the mind be man? Or was the mind a lonely thing that stood apart from man? How much of man was mind, how much was the body?” Andrew Blake struggles with these questions when he comes to the realization that he has within himself, two other, alien beings who he can mentally converse with and physically change into.

Simak’s writing quality is said to vary quite a bit in his later career but aside from an overly contrived ending I think it stands with some of his best work.

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Back in my university days, I took a Science Fiction novel course. One of the books we read was City, a story of the future where all that remains on Earth are dogs and robots. A beautiful, engaging, touching story. For some reason, I've never read another Simak book, until this past week. The Werewolf Principle, written in 1968, was a lovely surprise. In the future, mankind sent ships into space to search the universe for habitable planets. Along with the ships were two unique humans (maybe telling you their uniqueness might take some of the joy of discovering it for yourselves, so I won't elaborate). Suffice it to say, that one of them returns to Earth, discovered in hibernation in a capsule. Andrew Blake arrives, suffering from amnesia. Slowly he discovers himself and how he has changed over this 200 year journey. He is now more than Andrew Blake. Discovering how he has changed is part of the joy of this book; such an imaginative concept. I found myself saying 'Wow' many times. The book is thoughtfully crafted, intelligently written and the story and characters are all interesting and engaging. It's so nice exploring Science Fiction again, the imagination and the stories. I do like how Simak views the future, some concepts like the living homes are fascinating, and, yet, people still use coins and public phone boxes. I also liked the Brownies, the beings from another world who have settled on Earth and keep an eye on things. Everything about this story was fascinating. I had originally given it 4-stars, but as I write about it and think about it, it deserves more than that. It intrigued me, brought out emotions, both happy and sad, and just totally grabbed me, from beginning to end. It won't take me 40 years to read another Simak story.

[Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite Simak novels. Trying to avoid any spoilers... The book was published by Putnam in 1967 with an unappealing Richard Powers cover and then released in mass market format the following June with a another, less appealing, cover also by Powers. (DAW's 1982 release has a Frank Kelly Freas cover that's a bit better but isn't one of his best.) The novel didn't receive a lot of popularity, perhaps because readers were expecting a horror or fantasy work due to the title and murky illustrations, but it's a very good hard-science rumination on the subjects of A.I. and genetic modification and interstellar exploration. His prose seems more polished than several of his other books from around the same time, and the ending is really good. Simak, like King, occasionally had endings that were a bit of a letdown, but this one is almost transcendent. The viewpoint is from a non-human narration, and this is one of the best examples of development of a sympathetic and likable such character from that time. I think it's one of his best, and, with Simak, that's really something to say.

[Велислав Върбанов · Rating 4 out of 5]

Много приятна фантастика, въпреки че не е от най-сил��ите книги на Клифърд Саймък! Във „Върколак“ представлява историята на Андрю Блейк, който в бъдещето е открит в далечния Космос и върнат на Земята. Той няма никакви спомени какво му се е случило, както и не е известно колко време е отсъствал... На планетата ни вече има известен технологичен напредък и Блейк заживява в някаква модерна смарт къща, които са широко разпространени. Впоследствие, главният герой осъзнава, че всъщност представлява съвкупност от три личности, като освен човек, той е също така изкуствен интелект и загадъчен звяр, наподобяващ вълк. Блейк решава да разкрие тайните на своето минало, заради което се въвлича в опасни приключения...



„Времето нямаше значение, нито пък пространството, освен като обект на Мисълта. Защото Мисълта бе всичко — тя беше основание за съществуванието, тя бе цел и смисъл на живота и нямаше никакъв край, дори не можеше да завърши сама себе си, защото беше безкрайна. Тя продължаваше постоянно, подхранваше сама себе си и никой не вярваше, нито се надяваше, че някога може да свърши.“

[Oleksandr Zholud · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an SF novel from the 1960s, with a title that may suggest fantasy. I read it as a part of the monthly reading for December 2025 at The Evolution of Science Fiction group. In was originally published in 1967, and by that time the author already had one Hugo for the best novel plus a Nebula nomination.

The story follows Andrew Blake, a man without memory, who was found in a cryocapsule in space. Earth is a new, strange place for him; he has glimpses of his past, before flying houses and built-in AI butlers. Moreover, sometimes he misses time, discovering himself in new places, with no idea how he got there. And there are talks that a wolf has been seen nearby, despite the fact that there are no more wolves on Earth.

As the story goes by, readers find out more about Blake’s past, his co-inhabitant(s) as well as the world he has ended up in. There a bits of light comedy and overall, the story is easy-going, with interesting ideas. Alas, to progress the plot, there are a few extremely unlikely coincidences, deus ex machina.

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.4 ⭐
Considering that he's such a major name in science fiction, I haven't read a lot of Clifford D Simak's work ( that I recall - an important caveat).
"Way Station" certainly; "Good Night, Mr. James"- which was turned into a particularly scary episode of The Outer Limits. I suspect I've read more of his short stories in anthologies but don't remember them by title.
So it's past time I paid attention to this author.
"The Werewolf Principle" is an inventive, if mildly dated tale about a man who's not sure who (or how many) he is, exactly.
A man is found floating in a suspended animation capsule around an alien world. He's returned to Earth and revived but can't say who he is and no record can be found. Later he experiences curious blackouts, after which he can't account for his actions.

Some of the themes Simak deals with are the morality of genetic engineering and the individual cost of exploration/expansion. He also gets a bit cosmological, dropping hints of a guiding intelligence in the universe but that idea is not fully developed.

For short novel there's a fair amount to it. My one complaint would be that the ending was pat and predictable. Still a pleasant enough tale and well told.
-30-

[Rose · Rating 1 out of 5]

Simak has written some of the best science fiction out there. Way Station and City were both fantastic. The Werewolf Principle was not.

It takes place in the future. Scientists had created a humanoid being with the ability to morph into something else so we could send it out into space and if it found a planet with life, it could morph to match it. Which is what happened but it ended up coming back to Earth as three beings all living within the same body. Werewolf...get the comparison? Anyhow, a huge amount of the story was introspection and it was duller than watching paint dry. I made it half way before I decided it wasn’t worth the effort.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the more universally appealing Simak, perhaps. Many of the ideas could have been conceived by other writers. But only Simak's House would have offered not-wallpaper that's a collage of thousands of eyes, when requested to change it from a woodland scene featuring a bunny, and only Simak's Kitchen would have pouted because the resident asked for ham'n'eggs instead of lobster thermidor. And only in a Simak novel would our hero go (trout?) fishing and wind up feeding most of his picnic to a not-Brownie. And even the politics were interesting, how the two Senators from the US had to come to agreement or one would be forced to resign....

Lots of ideas here slowed me down from total immersion, but I reveled in them rather than resented them. If you're anything of a Simak fan, don't miss this. If you happen to be in the mood for some older SF that's a little different, do consider it.

[Tom Loock · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was it just to surprise myself when I chose to re-read The Werewolf Principle by Clifford D. Simak?
I have pleasant memories of reading a couple of Simaks at the same time in the 70s and picked this one at random for a revisit.

Though published in the 1960s, it reads more like a 1950s novel when it comes to multiple predictions about the future (yes, the ever-popular flying cars and space travel, though people still have to walk across the room to answer a phone with optional visuals) and the then popular small cast of characters, but - that's just at first glance. As with many of Simak's stories, there is more to it.

In essence Simak is a down-to-earth (sorry, couldn't resist that with a SF-writer) man from rural Wisconsin born 110 years ago who began publishing in the 30s. He was a humanist through and through, and a religious man though the latter has never caused an atheist like myself any problems.

I hate and will always avoid spoilers, so suffice to say, the unfortunately since misleadingly titled 'Werewolf Principle' is about an astronaut returning to Earth and about harmony between multiple species.

I recommend Simak in general, and count this one among his better books; though it is dated, it has a certain charm.

[Alexander Theofanidis · Rating 4 out of 5]

(ελληνική κριτική στο κάτω μέρος)

The Werewolf Principle stands as one of the most intriguing and unconventional works by Clifford D. Simak. First published in 1967, it remains remarkably relevant and timeless in many respects. Blending science fiction with elements of psychological thriller and existential inquiry, Simak crafts a narrative that defies strict genre classification, moving boldly between categories while consistently expressing the author’s enduring faith and hope in humanity (or at least in its various representatives).

Dear old Clifford is so endearingly gentle in his outlook that, by the novel’s end, he treats humanity as a being who may or may not have something to offer the universe—or, at the very least, might try. Rather like a beggar donating his (only) underpants to a charity drive. But let us not get ahead of ourselves.

The plot centres on a man who awakens with no memory, only to discover that he is not merely human, but a consciousness inhabiting the body of a mutated/synthetic being. In essence, the protagonist serves as the host for three distinct “minds”: that of a human, an alien, and a sort of mental “wolf”. This tripartite existence offers Simak the opportunity to delve into profound questions surrounding identity, acceptance, and the nature of being human.

Simak’s prose is marked by his signature simplicity and rhythm—a deceptively unassuming surface that often belies the depth of thought and meaning beneath. In this novel, however, it adopts a darker, more introspective tone. The werewolf metaphor, used here as a representation of inner conflict, is not only wonderfully imaginative, but also operates on multiple levels: it serves both as a symbol of fear of the ‘other’ and as an effort to reconcile with the alien within ourselves. For a less novelistic take on alterity, see https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... its strengths and shortcomings.

Nevertheless, the novel is not without its weaknesses. At times, the narrative structure lacks clarity, and the flow can appear somewhat disjointed. Certain characters function more as instruments of philosophical exploration than as fully fleshed-out individuals, while the romantic twist at the end borders on saccharine. Even so, the atmosphere, originality of concept, and timeless themes afford the novel a distinctive place in the literature of its era.

To spare you the digressions, suffice it to say that this is a novel likely to captivate those who seek more than “just a science fiction story”—those who yearn for an exploration of what it means to be human. It may not be Simak’s most accessible or harmonious work, but it remains a daring and rather unforgettable one.


Το The Werewolf Principle είναι ένα από τα πιο ενδιαφέροντα και ασυνήθιστα έργα του Clifford D. Simak. Εκδόθηκε για πρώτη φορά το 1967 και σε αρκετά σημεία του παραμένει εξαιρετικά επίκαιρο και διαχρονικό. Συνδυάζοντας την επιστημονική φαντασία με στοιχεία ψυχολογικού θρίλερ και υπαρξιακής αναζήτησης, ο Simak δημιουργεί μια ιστορία που δεν περιορίζεται σε ένα μόνο είδος αλλά κινείται τολμηρά μεταξύ τους, ενώ καταφέρνει πάντα να εκφράζει την πίστη και την ελπίδα του Simak στην ανθρωπότητα (ή τους… εκάστοτε εκπροσώπους της).

Είναι τόσο καλούλης ο αγαπημένος γερο-Κλίφροντ, που στο τέλος του βιβλίου αντιμετωπίζει την ανθρωπότητα σαν κάποιον που έχει-δεν έχει, μπορεί να δώσει στο σύμπαν, ή έστω μπορεί να προσπαθήσει. Σαν το ζητιάνο που δίνει το (μοναδικό) σώβρακό του σε έρανο. Αλλά, ας μην προτρέχουμε.

Η πλοκή περιστρέφεται γύρω από έναν άνδρα που ξυπνά χωρίς μνήμη, για να ανακαλύψει συνέχεια ότι δεν είναι απλώς άνθρωπος, αλλά ένα είδος συνείδησης που κατοικεί στο σώμα ενός μεταλλαγμένου/συνθετικού όντος. Στην ουσία, ο πρωταγωνιστής είναι φορέας τριών διαφορετικών «συνειδήσεων» – της ανθρώπινης, ενός εξωγήινου και ενός νοητικού «λύκου». Αυτό το τριπλό επίπεδο ύπαρξης δίνει την ευκαιρία στον Simak να εξερευνήσει βαθιά ερωτήματα για την ταυτότητα, την αποδοχή και τη φύση της ανθρώπινης ιδιότητας.

Η γραφή του Simak χαρακτηρίζεται από τη χαρακτηριστική του απλότητα και ρυθμό που συχνά ξεγελά ως προς το βάθος της σκέψης και των νοημάτων του, αλλά εδώ παρουσιάζει έναν πιο σκοτεινό και εσωστρεφή τόνο. Η χρήση της μ��ταφοράς του λυκανθρώπου ως ένδειξη εσωτερικής σύγκρουσης πέραν του ότι είναι εξαιρετικά ευρηματική, λειτουργεί πολύπλευρα: είναι ταυτόχρονα ένα σύμβολο του φόβου για το "άλλο", αλλά και μια προσπάθεια συμφιλίωσης με το ξένο μέσα μας. Για μια λιγότερο μυθιστορηματική ανάλυση της ετερότητας, βλ. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... με τα καλά του και τα στραβά του.

Όμως το μυθιστόρημα δεν είναι χωρίς αδυναμίες. Η δομή της αφήγησης είναι σε σημεία ασαφής, και η ροή μπορεί να φανεί αποσπασματική. Ορισμένοι χαρακτήρες εμφανίζονται περισσότερο ως εργαλεία για τη φιλοσοφική εξερεύνηση παρά ως ολοκληρωμένα πρόσωπα, ενώ το ρομαντικό twist στο τέλος παραείναι γλυκερό. Παρόλα αυτά, η ��τμόσφαιρα, η πρωτοτυπία της ιδέας και η διαχρονική θεματική του προσδίδουν μια ξεχωριστή θέση στη βιβλιογραφία της εποχής του.

Για να μη σας ταλαιπωρώ, σε γενικές γραμμές μιλάμε για ένα μυθιστόρημα που θα σας τραβήξει αν δεν ψάχνετε «απλώς μια ιστορία επιστημονικής φαντασίας», αλλά μια εξερεύνηση του τι σημαίνει να είσαι άνθρωπος. Αναμφίβολα δεν είναι το πιο προσιτό ή αρμονικό έργο του Simak, παραμένει όμως τολμηρό και μάλλον αξέχαστο.

[Roddy Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

'In the middle-distant future, Andrew Blake, discovered on a distant planet huddled inside a capsule, is brought back to Earth suffering from total amnesia.
Over 200 years old, he thinks and acts like a man but becomes frighteningly aware of two alien beings that lurk within his body – a strange biological computer and a wolf-like animal. With the latter in control he breaks out of hospital to look for his past…'

Blurb from the 1977 Pan paperback edition

Several hundred years hence, Man has colonised the nearer stars. A political debate is in progress in which Senator Chandler Horton is proposing to abandon long-term and expensive plans for terraforming in favour of adapting humans to fit the planets. His rival, Senator Solomon Stone is taking the exact opposite view, suggesting that standard humans would regard such adapted people as abhorrent monsters.
Into this world Andrew Blake awakens, a man with no knowledge of his past, and whose worldview seems to be two hundred years behind everyone else’s.
In this somewhat surreal future, men wear kilts and robes, houses fly about to settle in whatever plot takes their resident’s fancy and (quite annoyingly, one imagines) the various rooms have different personalities and argue with each other over what is best for their occupants.
Blake soon becomes aware of blackouts, after which he finds himself naked in the countryside. He subsequently meets a Brownie (a small rodent-like alien whose species has taken up residence in Earth’s countryside) who asks him how many of him there are.
The question only makes sense to Blake when he is exposed to the realisation that not only does he share his mind with two aliens, but that he is also a shapeshifter and can transform into their alien bodies.
These three distinct personalities are called Changer (Blake himself), Quester (a large wolf-like creature) and Thinker (an amorphic sexless entity which seems no more than an emotionless biological computer).
Unable to control the triggering of his shapeshifting, Blake goes on the run after his Quester form is seen and travels through an unfamiliar America two hundred years ahead of the background knowledge he has in his mind.
It’s interesting that Simak has chosen these archetypal personalities which seem to relate to classic views of the consciousness divided into Id, Ego and Superego, the wolf element being the subconscious, Blake being the conscious and Thinker being the level at which rational logic and calculation process facts. Quester also has the ability to ‘sense’ life on other worlds but lacks the intellect to analyse what he finds.
This is late Simak and for the time it was written, seems somewhat dated, having a flavour and style more suited to the Fifties. It is not short of ideas, however. Simak engages in the debate over terraforming versus humanforming and we are introduced to the Mind Bank, a repository of worthy human minds, which have been uploaded into a storage device and exist as both individuals and a gestalt consciousness.
Indeed, the central theme is one of identity and (in the Dickian sense) what it means to be human.
Blake ultimately discovers himself to be just a copy of a human mind, long dead. Quester and Thinker also deduce that their original bodies were destroyed since Blake is an android de4signed to scan and mimic alien species for Research purposes, one of only two constructed and sent out to alien worlds two hundred years ago.
Later, he finds that another copy of his consciousness exists in the Mind Bank. There is a strange anachronistic scene near the end where his disembodied self rings Blake up on the telephone. The denouement is satisfying although one suspects that Simak is trying to explore an idea which should have been introduced earlier.
The three personalities begin the process of assimilation in order that Blake can exist as one consciousness. Blake returns to space to search for something that Thinker discovered from Quester’s ‘sensing’ of space while they were (tellingly) in a country church; a thing Blake describes as ‘a universal mind’.
One cannot see that Simak is using this final chapter as some kind of Christian metaphor, although it could be read as such. Blake collapses into his Thinker form (behind a natural force field) in a church, and remains as good as dead until Elaine Horton (the senator’s daughter) comes to speak to him, generating a resurrection.
After a few days he ascends (in a ship) in search of God.
Despite its flaws it remains a book full of colour, atmosphere and wonder.

[Tilda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Niisiis. Loo tegevus toimub tulevikus, aastal 2487 ning korraks põigatake ka kakssada aastat varasemasse aega. Inimesed on juba viis sajandit tähtede vahel lennanud. Antarise lähedal avastati kosmosekapsel, milles oli inimene, kes ei mäleta, kes ta on või kust täpselt tuleb. Ka andmebaasidest ei leita tema kohta midagi, esialgu vähemalt. Mees toimetatakse Maale, kus ta võtab endale nimeks Andrew Blake ning hakkab amneesiat ravima. Peagi taipab Blake, et aegajalt näeb ta nägemusi maailmadest, mida ta ei tunne, samuti, et aegajalt ta satub kohtadesse, kuhu ei plaaninud ega oska selgitada kuidas või miks. Kust ta siis tuli? Mis juhtus seal, kus ta käis? Kes ta on praegu, kes ta oli enne kosmosesse lendamist? Kus on tema koht, tema kodu, tema pere? Mis ta edasi peaks tegema? Ühel heal päeval satub Andrew senaator Hortoni majja, kus tutvub viimase tütrega. Ja sealt siis edasi haiglasse, kus hakkavad asjad juhtuma ja algul pisut konarlik lugu saab hoo sisse …
Mu meelest üsna traagiline lugu inimeste poolt loodud, kuid seejärel kogu inimkonnale võõraks jäänud olendist (android, mis on võimeline erinevaid teadvusi, eee – majutama). Eksinud hing, võõras, kelle kannatusi ja üksildust Simak üsnagi veenvalt kirjeldab. Füüsiline keha vs teadvus, kumb on tähtsam, kumb on esmane, kumb neist on rohkem inimene?
Huvitav on siin raamatus see, et Simak annab kõigepealt mõned vastused ja alles seejärel hakkab küsimusi esitama, sündmuste ahelat järk järgult üles ehitama. Huvitav, et raamatus on kõrvuti rääkivad majad, tulnukatest kodukäijad ja arutlused geeniinseneeriast ning teadvuse- või isiksusepankadest nt (st säilitatakse surnud inimeste teadvusi, seejuures, kontaktivõimelistena …). Huvitav on jälgida maise ja ebamaise teadvuse kokkupõrget, mh nende võitlust keha pärast, seda, kust tuleb motivatsioon üheks või teiseks toiminguks. Huvitav on ka see, kuidas Simak selles loos inimesi vaatleb, kirjeldab olukorda läbi tehisliku, mitut erinevat, sh maavälist teadvust endas kandva olendi silmade. Huvitav maailm selles mõttes, et tulevik on siin minevikuga kokku miksitud. Ühelt poolt imetabased tulevikutehnoloogiad, teiselt poolt nukrus harjumuspärase elukorralduse kadumise pärast.
Meeldib toon, milles raamat on kirjutatud. Kuidagi õrn, lüüriline ja delikaatne, sügiseselt nukker ja oranž. Kokkuvõtteks on kuidagi nii, et teadvus on kehast olulisem, a nii suures plaanis on tähtsad asjad kodu, sõprus, pere ja armastus. Pööraselt lääge lõpp aga just praegu see mulle sobib. Võimalik, et see pole Simaki tugevaim raamat, aga hingele kuidagi hea, leebe.

[Becca · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was difficult to get into, there were chapters of vague introspection that were very boring. The main character spends a lot of time pondering philosophically but also has a completely 1 dimensional "romantic" relationship that feels out of place. I skimmed the last 40 pages.The ending was okay and explained some of the issues I had with the book. Ultimately I speed read the last 1/4 to just get it over with, and that has to be a 1 star.

[Frank · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simak pens good sci-fi adventure stories. This one was much more cerebral, and there was a lot to digest and think about. The end could have used more expansion. It feels like he ended it too quickly. Still, I am a Simak fan and this was worth my time.

[Denis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I especially liked the philosophical bits at the end, but, as I expected, overall, not one of Simak's finest efforts.

[Rick Cook, Author · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Confession: I’ve never read any of Clifford Simak’s work before, so my observations below might seem pedantic or too detailed, but they are truly my first impressions of his writing.)

A fish-out-of-water tale, this story about a spaceman with few intact memories returning to Earth took a while to get going. But at approximately one-third through the book, the hook was placed, and I could see the plot developing (finally). Given that this novel was published in 1967, I had to ignore some of the stilted dialogue and the (now tired) tropes of automated houses, robotic helpers, male chauvinism, and nonchalant expectations of great advancements in human health. But the core of this story is solid. I especially liked the multiple POVs taken by the author, though at times they were more telling than showing and had long & winding passages, some beautiful, some unnecessarily meandering. The hooks placed by Simak intrigued me and reminded me of Piers Anthony’s “Orn” novel, a tale well told from a nonhuman perspective (long before Piers ruined his reputation, IMO, with the ongoing Xanth series).

THE GOOD: In this book, Simak is quite prescient in his discussions about bioengineering and what DNA modifications might lead to (but to a very exaggerated effect), and that intrigued me enough to keep reading past page 50, when I thought I might give up on it, then page 75, and finally past page 100, when the seemingly disoriented chapters finally converged. So be patient with the book as it’s far from the quicker set hooks of modern day science-fiction.

THE BAD: At times, the character voices sound too similar, without enough distinction between the different personas as I’d prefer; not bad but not great either. The love interest is not well developed and seems to stand in only as a vehicle for some decisions made later by the main (male) character, typical of sci-fi from the chauvinist 1960s & 1970s. Also, Simak’s writing style is quite wordy and repetitious at times, causing my attention to drift. So, if you’re looking for a thriller sci-fi drama or a hard science fiction tale, this is NOT it.

CONCLUSION: The theme of conscience and what makes an entity human gave me a deeper appreciation for Simak’s writing. The book is balanced well between philosophical arguments and action sequences, but the material and writing style have not aged gracefully, IMO. For all its faults, the tale is an interesting journey into what makes for a “human,” and is a good introspective look at a “classic sci-fi” novel. It does make me want to read his best known work, “City”, and compare the two books.

[Ryan Southworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The creature halted, crouched low against the ground, staring at the tiny points of light that lay ahead, burning softly through the darkness.”

So begins, "The Werewolf Principle" by Clifford D. Simak. Another recommendation from the C. J. Cherryh site, this author and title were new to me as well. The trajectory of my experiences with this method of finding new books to read is a good one: "Forerunner" was terrible, "The Ginger Star," better, and this one better still!

In brief, this is the story of Andrew Blake, a man found floating in stasis in the depths of space and then brought back to an earth aged two hundred years since his disappearance. His adjustments, however, are more than just technological/cultural. It seems that, while absent from his home on earth, something – or someone – has happened to Andrew and that despite appearances, he is no longer an individual human being. More minds than his own now dwell in his body…a body that is changed as well in ways not immediately apparent, even to himself. Those other individuals reveal much about his past, but complicate his place in the future. How does a man blend with humanity whose own humanity is very much in doubt?

I often harass my wife that she enjoys books in which nothing happens. You know, fabulous characters have “experiences” and “inner turmoil” but there’s no real action. No political struggle or battle or danger to really drive the plot. The pushback from my obvious (but partly true) stereotype is that my books are all action and no depth (I protest!). I confess that The Werewolf Principle falls more into Kyna’s category of plots and that, despite this, I enjoyed it. There’s really no action driving this story; it’s an engagingly written exploration of what it means to be human and, though it certainly has a story arc to it, much of the conflict in inward, not outward.

I would certainly look for another book by Simak. My biggest complaint is that his ending – which I won’t give away – was a bit tidy for me. I’m all about happy endings, but….

I've got other reviews - if you're interested - on my blog at www.thisdadathome.com.

[Ruskoley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Generally, I find Simak’s novels to be uneven. Whether it is uneven in plotting, pacing, or execution, it does not really matter because the result is always somewhat of a rolling up and down read. This novel may be slightly more uneven than some of the others I have read, but its something I have learned to expect with Simak.

Simak’s love for pastoral, middle-America farms and woodlands is once again present. It seems no matter the storyline or the characters, Simak will find a way to take the reader fishing. He will also tell you all about the woods nearby, the critters that roam those woods, the farmland across the way, and the hills that overlook it all.

The theme of the overall novel is about the meaning of the Self or what it is to be a mind. In this novel, Simak has BIVs. [Brain In Vat] This fact is a little unnerving because I swear Simak predates a lot of the academic inquiry. It is not just about BIVs, though. There is also a wrangling that the characters do with what it means to be human and what it means to have/be a self.

There is a very negative feeling that comes through the writing toward and about humanity. The main character, though full of knowledge and data, is also extremely emotional. Toward the end of the book, he basically makes a sudden decision that “oh, humans will be mean to me, so bye, I’m leaving.” It feels ridiculously abrupt and nearly childish. I disliked the unevenness and I definitely did not like the sudden negative mood of the main character. This is NOT a bad read, certainly not at all. It just is not the high level of Simak’s work.

[Altivo Overo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read many years ago, but well worth this second trip through. The writing is superb, both in terms of character development and detailed settings. The plot concept is fascinating and complex, fraught with social and ethical issues. If you don't already know the context, it may take you a while to figure out just what is happening. You'll get it in a while, so stick to it.

As is often the case with science fiction, even though Simak was writing this in the 1960s, he successfully predicts elements that would appear in future times. Amusingly, though, he missed the cell phone or something similar in terms of portable communication. Such devices were already being discussed and predicted as early as 1955, but the author has his characters some 200 to 300 years in our future being forced to hunt down and use public telephones. Granted, the telephones include video and are rather advanced, but they are still large and clunky and tied down to physical locations. This is not a criticism, of course, but an interesting sidelight.

Clifford Simak was a SFWA Grand Master and well worthy of that title. All science fiction fans should experience his works.

[Barry Flanders · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alien voices in a man's head, he is inhabited by memories of an earlier earth. But Earth has changed.
The beings in his head are the Thinker, the Changer and the Quester.
Some ideas in the book are human legends shifted into something else. It was ambitious and interesting but I don't think it was up to Simak's best.

[Andi Chorley · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of Simak's best. Highly recommended. Love the flying houses!

[Tautvydas Lionikas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Atradau naują puikų žanrą, jaučiu, kaip plečiasi vaizduotė

[path · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently read an interesting article titled "what is it like to be a bat?" which works from the premise that there is something that it means to be me, which is different from what it means to be you (bats too, in case you're wondering). And that thing is not reducible to something physical and neither is is entirely subjective. A similar question is at the heart of this book, and as usual with questions about the nature of humanity, Simak gives readers something memorable.

Readers get reflections on memory, mind, experience, physiology, and even the teleology of the Human form. None of these fully explain what provides us with a subjective, defining experience. And I think this ultimately leads to the question of whether there is a distinct, inalienable human experience. This course of thought is often at the heart of Simak's explorations of robots, aliens, and dogs.

This one was published in the 60's and I think that the ideas are just as fresh and still as unanswered as they were when we was considering them. And the whole thing is written in Simak's delightful, folksy way.

[Kelly McCubbin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Simak. City and Way Station are absolute gems and I think he doesn't get enough attention. His voice is so strong and unique and is funnier than most of his level peers (with the possible exception of Robert Sheckley). That said, this is a minor piece straining to be a bigger one. Philosophical to a fault in a way that, unless your last name is Bradbury, you ought to leave a little less wrought.
Still, it's intriguing and very funny in parts. There is often an almost Looney Tunes-ish mania about his work, with houses arguing about their own wallpapers and diners using mechanical arms and conveyer belts to cook flapjacks.
An easy, fun read that doesn't quite pay off in the way it seems to be heading towards, but still worth a look.

[Ira (SF Words of Wonder) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Check out a Simak Saturday book discussion with Shawn D. Standfast and Scott Danielson HERE.

A man wakes up disoriented on Earth with a fragmented memory. He befriends a Senator and his daughter as everyone including himself tries to figure out where he came from. There is a lot more to the story, but I’ll leave it at that. Simak gets into a lot of different themes and ideas in this one. There are aliens, AI, uploaded consciousness and some really cool technology like flying houses, fully automated diners and next level television called dimensino. The pacing was good, the ending was great and I really enjoyed this one.