Immigrant: and Other Stories

by Clifford D. Simak, Francis Lyall (Editor, Introduction)

SEVEN CLASSICS FROM SIMAK COUNTRY. Thrilling and intriguing tales of space travel and alien encounters, from the multiple Hugo Award–winning Grand Master of Science Fiction, Clifford D. Simak. A collection of seven science fiction stories by an author who won a Nebula and three Hugo awards and received the Nebula Grand Master award in 1977. The Science Fiction Writers of America made him its third SFWA Grand Master, and the Horror Writers Association made him one of three inaugural winners of the Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement.

Contents:
* Introduction (Immigrant and Other Stories) • essay by Francis Lyall
* Neighbor (1954) / novelette by Clifford D. Simak: A newcomer to a run-down farm brings peace and prosperity to the community, but powerfully resists inquiries.
* Green Thumb (1954) / novelette by Clifford D. Simak: A surprise encounter with an alien plant enables Simak to extend his respect and affection for individuals far beyond the merely human.
* Small Deer (1965) / short story by Clifford D. Simak: A letter written to a professor discloses a startling new theory about how the dinosaurs disappeared - and why it matters to mankind today.
* The Ghost of a Model T (1975) / short story by Clifford D. Simak: A mysterious vintage car takes an old man back over fifty years, and for the ride of his life.
* Byte Your Tongue! (1981) / novelette by Clifford D. Simak: A bored and underutilised computer assigned to the Senate daydreams his job away when he is swamped by a sea of gossip.
* I Am Crying All Inside (1969) / short story by Clifford D. Simak: A weary and outdated robot shoulders the burden of human sorrow when he learns how the loafers, misfits, poor and crippled were all left behind when the rich and healthy found better worlds.
* Immigrant (1954) / novella by Clifford D. Simak: The planet Kimon is a galactic El Dorado. There are few who do not dream of going there, and fewer still who make the grade, but none who ever return...

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Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories, Collections

192 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published August 1, 1991

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

[The Scribbling Man · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are loose, common themes that seem to dominate many of the Lyall-curated volumes of Simak's short fiction. Marathon Photograph was steeped in geology and ghosts of the past, Off-Planet speaks for itself. Here the stories seem weighted toward agriculture and loneliness. "Ghost of a Model T" veers from the former with its exploration of nostalgia via archaic technology, but is absolutely a tale of solitary souls; it has the feel of one of the more sentimental Twilight Zone episodes. "Immigrant" doesn't fit quite as neatly, but is absolutely one of the better stories here.


Neighbor - 2.9

Idyllic, quaint, classic simak. Narration-driven and a little slow. Not really enough plot or characterisation to justify the pages, even if it is relatively short. Not a bad story, not a great one.

Green Thumb - 3.25

Quaint and pleasant gardening sci-fi. A little drawn out, but the concept and sentiment has its charm.

Small Deer - N/A

I've read this before and didn't care for it, so I chose not to revisit it.

Ghost of a Model T - 3

Loneliness and nostalgia. Some of Simak's favourite themes. Decent, if drawn out and sentimental.

Byte Your Tongue - 3.75

Unexpectedly punchy for Simak, charmingly exploring the wild fantasies of a daydreaming computer. The ending is bittersweet, teetering between loneliness and open-ended hope.

I Am Crying All Inside - 5

I've read this twice now. Simakian in content, but a very different approach with the prose. Probably his best example of characterisation. A very moving character piece, almost Steinbeckian. Explores identity, grief, disability, social hierarchy, the nature of the soul.

Immigrant - 4.25

One of the longer and better stories in the collection, dancing between a possibly sinister edge or something more benevolent. It's a compelling, whimsical tale of humility with a cute conclusion.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This man is a master of whimsical, bittersweet sci fi. The only story I found a bit lacking was Small Deer, which was a bummer because the title had intrigued me so much, and yet I still don’t quite understand what it meant! Gotta love the image of pink caterpillar dogs herding dinosaurs though. Every other story was fantastic, and Green Thumb would have to be my favorite. When I finished Immigrant I realized the cover illustration perfectly depicts the arrival on Kimon scene, and was delighted to notice the artist had put “Bishop” and “IQ-160” on the little envelope. I wish I could find out who the artist is, it’s so frustrating when a book doesn’t credit the cover illustrator! Google search turned up nothing. Maybe somebody here knows?

[Deb Omnivorous Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

A story collection put together by and with an introduction from Francis Lyall (of whom I have not really heard...). Always tricky to review a short story collection as they are variable, some you will like, others less so.

Because all these stories are by Simak it is a more homogenous collection than some. Overall three stars, I like Simak but I honestly think his novels are better than his short stories.

Introduction - 2* : By this Lyall guy it is exceptionally gushing and enthusiastic but I got lost in all the American terms and locations. He does make some interesting points; about how pastoral Simak's stories are, how rural in tone.

Neighbor - 3* : Exactly the sort of rural setting described in the introduction: our protagonist is a small 'dirt farmer' who is telling us all about his new neighbours, nice folks, claim to be from behind the Iron Curtain. Suspicion starts rising that they came from a lot further away than that as he discovers their tractor runs without engine or gas. But as they are good neighbours and everyone gets along why worry?

Green Thumb - 3* : What a first contact scenario might be if sentient plants were the species in question. Especially if they try to snack on commercial fertilisers and poison themselves.

Small Deer - 3* : This is a timy-wimy, machine takes someone back in time scenario. I didn't hate the concept of going back to the dinosaurs to see what really wiped them out (spoiler, not the asteroid). I did not love the tone, of some rural hick who is not very smart and is writing to a university because he thinks 'someone needs to know'. Good concept though.

The Ghost of a Model T - 2 1/2* : This one is a real 'tug at the heartstrings' type of nostalgic story of times gone by. Yes, there is a ghostly element to the story. No, it is probably not the obvious one. I think. The Model T Ford car features very heavily. VERY. Possibly this story would land better with someone who truly loves that model of old car.

Byte Your Tongue! - 3* : Simak uses computers to tell a story of political maneuvering and entertaining coincidence in the far future. The story of how space travel took off again is as likely as any other way it might do so, because it is in a bit of a rut that the moment. Simak's AI computers however seem to me to be indistinguishable from actual people. Our main AI is called Fred.

I Am Crying All Inside - 2* : Again, Simak tells a story from the POV of a 'people' who is actually a robot as opposed to 'folk' who are human. This story I am pretty sure is meant to re-create the atmosphere of some deep south, Americana and I was underwhelmed both by the robots and the language which I found hard to follow and tedious. Good world building concept though.

Immigrant - 4* : Absolutely my pick of this collection a young man works his whole life to be able to immigrate to a utopian style planet which accepts only the best of the best. Neither the planet nor the alien species indigenous to it end up being quite what the protagonist expects.

[Salome Berechikidze · Rating 3 out of 5]

ალბათ ყველაზე უღიმღამო ის ნაწილია, სადაც ყველა გენიოსი დედამიწელი ერთნაირად შეეგუა უცხო პლანეტას. არც პროტესტი ან სხვა პლანეტაზე ჩუმად გადასვლა და ახალი ცხოვრების დაწყება უცდია ვინმეს. ხომ შეიძლება ისეთი პლანეტებიც არსებობდეს სადაც იმიგრაცია მარტივად ხდება. და ა.შ. ისეთი დიდი საკითხის დასმა, რაზეც ბევრი არ უსაუბრიათ ამბიციური იდეაა, მოკლე პასუხების გაცემა კიდევ ფანტაზიის სიმწირე ან ოსტატობის ნაკლებობა.

[Dato Samniashvili · Rating 4 out of 5]

"არცოდნის აღიარებით იწყებ. შემდეგ ამბობ, რომ გინდა იცოდე. შემდეგ ამბობ, რომ ბევრს იმუშავებ, რათა ისწავლო... სანამ კულტურის ათვისებას დაიწყებ, ჯერ უნდა აღიარო რომ არ იცოდი. უნდა აღიარო, რომ ბავშვი ხარ. ვერ შეძლებ, ცრუ სიამაყის შეგრძნება ფარივით გააპრიალო და შენსა და იმ კულტურას შორის ჩააყენო, რომელიც შენგან გააზრებას ელოდება".

[Levan Chkonia · Rating 4 out of 5]

ზესლობა იყო.
მხატვრულად გადმოცემული ფილოსოფიური ნაშრომია.

[Timothy]

7 stories:

(2/7 read)

Neighbor (1954)
Green Thumb (1954)
*** Small Deer (1965)
The Ghost of a Model T (1975)
Byte Your Tongue! (1981)
***** I Am Crying All Inside (1969)
Immigrant (1954)

[Will Sargent · Rating 3 out of 5]

I take pleasure from reading old-fashioned pulp shorts. Wily old newspaper journalist Simak's stories are sweet, naiive, and well, rather cosy.

They aren't particularly well written, with repetition, padding, and often dull, conservative Christian characters watching the weather for crops then randomly greeting aliens in haylofts.
But I definitely take comfort from the slow undemanding pace of the past and the sheer variety of bonkers subjects he attempts to wrap in pseudo science.

I'm fascinated to read how 'modern life' was perceived in the '50s. I'd like to go back and tell them how low quality life will become in 2026, with highly processed harmful food, eco disasters and toxic, deliberately confusing disinfo spread all too easily by the rich to control the poor.

Simak gives us sentient computers daydreaming of a dying earth, 5ft Triffids waving hello with their palm-sized leaves, dinosaurs being hunted by spaceships for off-planet food, ghost cars driving old-timers through the afterlife, and alien farmers who can control the weather - comic book capers and perfect for a damp, rainy sunday in the UK.

Half the book was quite poor if I'm honest, while the best story could have been Immigrant but it was twice as long as it needed to be.

neighbour 4/5
green thumb 3/5
small deer 3/5
model T 2/5
byte your tongue 4/5
I am crying all inside 2/5
immigrant 3/5

I collect these particular book covers, with the diamond as the A in Simak. The red and blue looks stunning here.