The Fellowship of the Talisman

by Clifford D. Simak

The main character is the son of a noble house pursuing a quest vital to the future of civilization. His quest takes place in England in the 1970s but in this alternate world the Dark Ages never ended. He is accompanied by a strange fellowship which is opposed by forces of supernatural malignancy, the Evil, which five centuries previously laid waste to most of Europe.

Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Speculative Fiction, Ebooks, Sci Fi Fantasy

346 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1978

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

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite some minor sf-trappings, this is an epic-quest fantasy novel that lives up to its aggressively genre title. It's set in 1970's medieval England, in what could be called an alternate timeline, due to the interference of some nasty evil aliens from outer space. (As opposed to good-tempered evil aliens from Pellucidar? Never mind...) Our Hero walks across England with a large, diverse, and very unusual cast of unlikely sidekicks whilst bearing a talisman. Their sometimes-amusing antics and adventures on the road and sometimes overly lengthy discussions of philosophy and religion and religious philosophy fill a lot of pages and then it all winds up a little too abruptly. It's a very fun read, but with a bit less depth than one has come to expect from a Simak novel. The swell Michael Whelan cover will make you want to dig in your closet for your D&D gear and get rolling.

[Mike · Rating 2 out of 5]

The standard son of nobility who is a generally decent guy, a large sidekick who likes to bash in bad guy heads leave on a quest in medieval 1970's England? Some interesting characters join the quest, including a fearful ghost, a banshee, a demon kicked out of hell.... The quest was somewhat pointless in the end, and the reason why the medieval period extends to the 1970's was pretty lame. Read it if you got it but don't go out searching for this one. It could have been so much better but it looked liked the author just wanted to finish the book off quickly.

[Joanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a happy surprise since turned out to be one of Simak's best. It does make use one of his favorite conventions: an oddly matched group of travelers which grows as a journey continues. The journey itself and the relation between the characters is perhaps the most important part of the story. While the book contains a bit more violence than is usual with Simak, the depth of the thoughtfulness and gentleness regarding relationships and the tolerance of difference, eccentricity and lack of moral fiber is all there and perhaps deeper the usual. In addition, the book deals with evil come to earth but also things that are generally considered evil but perhaps are far less evil than we usually think them to be. Definitely an interesting book.
The plot: European development has been stymied through the end of the 20th century as a result of an evil that has come from stars. The scion of an aristocratic British family is given the task by his bishop to take a manuscript in Aramaic written by a previously unknown eyewitness to Jesus' life to the only Bishop in Britain who can verify its authenticity. As it turns out, this bishop died 10 years earlier but the evil Harriers turn out to be terrified of the document which stops them in their tracks and/or destroys their power. But as in so many Simak books, it is the journey with Duncan, the scion, Conrad, his friend since childhood, Daniel the horse trained as a warrior, Beauty the dear burro, Tiny the warrior dog and then, the eccentric and exasperating would-be holy man Andrew, and Meg the worn out witch, which make the story. Other participants in part of the journey include Ghost (who does not have a building to haunt), Snoopy the highly literate and intelligent gnome, Dianne, the woman who could not make it as a wizard, and Scratch, the demon who could not make it in hell and ran away - he wants to be called Walter.

[Велислав Върбанов · Rating 4 out of 5]

„Братството на талисмана“ е много готино и поучително фентъзи, написано от големия Клифърд Саймък. Действието в тази приказка се развива в алтернативна времева линия, в която през 20-ти век Англия още се намира в Средновековието. Дънкан и Конрад са тръгнали на изключително важна мисия, която е може би последната надежда за човечеството в този мрачен свят, където властват тайнствените и зловещи Опустошители... По своя път, двамата няма как да избегнат сблъсъка с древното зло, но за сметка на това срещат и различни и странни хора и други същества, с които си помагат в тези тежки времена и се превръщат в един вид братство. Основното послание на книгата е, че въпреки своите различния всички, които се борят срещу злото, трябва да действат заедно и да се подкрепят, за да оцелеят...

[Anna-Maria Popova (Bookfan.tasy) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5/5*
.
Клифърд Саймък пише с лекотата на обикновения човек, който търси себе си и мястото си под слънцето. Всеки от романите му нашепва призив за по-хуманно отношение, за вяра в доброто и в хората.
Макар и да твори основно научна фантастика, Саймък има и няколко фентъзи опита. “Братството на талисмана” е един от тях. Книгата ме погълна ударно с първата си половина като едно от най-добрите фентъзита, които съм чела. Иска ми се да кажа, че и завърши така добре, но, уви, краят не беше внушителен.
Романът е класическо фентъзи - както го описват на корицата, “увлекателна смес от фантастика, легенда и магия … “ Дружина от нестандартни герои се сформира, за да пренесе старинен ръкопис през Опустошените земи. Виждаме типичния герой в лицето на Дънкан, верния приятел Конрад, смелата жена-войн Даян, както и един възрастен монах, вещица, дух, таласъм и демон за цвят.
Историята има всички предпоставки да се превърне в запомнящо се фентъзи. Героите са интересни и симпатични, романът е написан добре, в лекия и четивен стил на автора. Но липсва силната развръзка, всичко е разказано отлично, но в края усещането ми беше за незавършеност. (SPOIL) А талисманът изобщо не е важен. Очевидно книгата е кръстена така за заблуда на читателя.
“Братството на талисмана” обаче има един огромен плюс. Днес темата за расизма е повече от актуална. Близо 50 години по-рано Саймък се справя майсторски със задачата да покаже, че в една задруга има място за всеки, независимо от различията. Дънкан всячески се стреми да ги обедини нестандартната си дружина. И вярва, че уважение трябва да се засвидетелства на всяко живо същество. А в даден момент, доброто отношение се възнаграждава.
Ако досега не сте се докоснали до паралелните светове на Саймък, ще намерите няколко предложения на сайта на Под моста, както и на личния ми профил.

[Carol Tensen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Note to self: Avoid books with dragons and/or griffins on the cover - even if they're shelved in the sci-fi section. The Fellowship of the Talisman is inexplicably on a couple of must-read sci-fi lists. A couple of years ago I read City, also by Simak, and really liked it. Thought I would give this one a try. Not my flavor. There must be some faulty microchip in my brain that soaks up 1950s sci-fi but filters out fantasy.

[Gereg Jones · Rating 1 out of 5]

A sad disappointment

Simak is an old favourite author of mine, but I'd never read this one before, and I won't again. It's a sad mix of bad Christian theology and a bad D&D game. Go read a couple of his masterpieces like Way Station or Goblin Reservation instead of wasting your time on this. I hope he made some good money on this, because that's all I can find potentially in favour of this dog.

[João Sousa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simak's atmosphere never changes much from one book to the other. And there are some books where things are so similar that they start to sound exactly the same. Manuscripts, gnomes, travels, parallel worlds... and somewhere in between there is a plot. Anyway, I am not particularly fond of the topic, but I would say that the result here is positive and enjoyable.

[Erik Graff · Rating 2 out of 5]

A combination of fantasy and alternative history which is not particularly good--but then I don't usually like any reliance on magic.

[Booknerd Fraser · Rating 2 out of 5]

At least this was the last time Simak wrote this tale....

[Thomas · Rating 1 out of 5]

Started to read it. Couldn't finish it.

I think this one was just a paycheck.

[Alexander Theofanidis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Το The Fellowship of the Talisman είναι ένα ιδιαίτερο μυθιστόρημα φαντασίας που ξεφεύγει από τις συμβατικές αφηγήσεις του είδους. Και όταν λέμε ξεφεύγει, όσο και εκείνος ο θείος που δεν έβγαινε από τη ντουλάπα όταν έρχονταν επίσκεψη τα ανήψια του. Ο Simak καταφέρνει να δημιουργήσει έναν κόσμο γεμάτο θαυματοποιό μαγεία, αλλά ταυτόχρονα το στοιχείο της δικής του φιλοσοφικής, ήρεμης «pastoral» οπτικής να κυριαρχεί. Προφανώς και η ένταση λ��μπει διά της απουσίας της, ενώ η κλιμάκωση και η αφήγηση είναι σε ρυθμούς replay ή στοπ καρέ (χωρίς αυτό να είναι απαραίτητα αποτρεπτικό, για Simak μιλάμε).

Οι χαρακτήρες του μυθιστορήματος είναι ενδιαφέροντες, αν π.χ. βρίσκετε ενδιαφέροντα ένα υδραυλικό γρύλο, ή ένα ποτιστήρι (κάνουν τη δουλειά τους, δηλαδή) και δεν διεκδικούν δάφνες πολυπλοκότητας. Ο κεντρικός ήρωας, ο ιππότης Ντάνκαν (όχι Μακλάουντ, για όνομα) για παράδειγμα δεν είναι αυτός που θα πέσει με το κεφάλι στο στόμα του δράκου (και μετά θα ρωτήσει «ποιον είπαμε ότι πολεμάμε;»), αλλά έχει μια έντονη αίσθηση καθήκοντος. Κάποιοι άλλοι χαρακτήρες έχουν το ενδιαφέρον τους αλλά δυστυχώς δεν τους έγινε η χάρη να αναπτυχθούν σε βαθμό που να γίνουν αριστουργηματικοί (και είναι κρίμα, αλλά είναι μια βασική α πριόρι αποδοχή στα έργα του Simak ότι κανένας χαρακτήρας δε θα επισκιάσει την υπόθεση και το φιλοσοφικό στοχασμό, deal with it).

Είπαμε ότι πρόκειται για fantasy, ναι, έξω λίγο από τα κλασικά νερά του Clifford, και φυσικά, παρά τη χρήση των κλασικών κλισέ του είδους, το αποτέλεσμα χάρη στην ιδιοσυγκρασία του συγγραφέα δεν έχει καμία σχέση με το μέσο «hack’n’slash, burn’em with a fireball» fantasy μυθιστόρημα

Θεωρητικά η ιστορία είναι απλή. Σε ένα μεσαίωνα λίγο διαφορετικό από το δικό μας, ο Ντάνκαν που λέγαμε πρέπει να μεταφέρει ένα πολύτιμο έγγραφο που θα αλλάξει τον κόσμο. Ή έστω ένα μέρος του. Ή την ιστορία. Δεν έχει σημασία, πρέπει να το μεταφέρει. Όπως είπαμε, δε γλιτώνουμε τα κλισέ και συγκροτεί μια ομάδα που έχει μέσα τα πάντα εκτός από Hobbits (ίσως λόγω δικαιωμάτων), ασώματους ιππότες (βλ. και Italo Calvino Il cavaliere inesistente, 1959), υπερφυσικές γυναίκες (δεν εννοώ σε όγκο ή bra cup, με δυνάμεις), άγιοι, ερημίτες, όλοι με skills, holy avenger, +10 power +5 manna, μόνο ο Πόντιος λείπει. Φυσικά, σε ρόλο Σιμάκειων Νάζγκουλ, διάφορα σκοτεινά πλάσματα θέλουν να εμποδίσουν την αποστολή και να μετατρέψουν την ομάδα σε γόμωση πυροσβεστήρα κόνεως.

Σαν άλλη καβαφική Ιθάκη, φυσικά, το Λονδίνο (το εκεί αντίστοιχο του Λονδίνου) δεν έχει να σε δώκει πλούτη, αλλά σου δίνει το ωραίο ταξίδι. Δεν πετάμε δηλαδή δαχτυλίδια σε ηφαίστεια (ή στην άσφαλτο της Πανεπιστημίου τον Ιούλιο), ούτε μπλέκουμε σε μάχες, επελάσεις, βάρβαρους με τσεκούρια και βυζώδεις χυμώδεις παρθένες με μπικίνι, αλλά μαθαίνουμε περισσότερα για τον εαυτό μας, τον κόσμο που μας περιβάλλει και δεν εννοώ δέντρα και ζώα, αλλά "φιλοσοφικότερα" πράγματα, όπως τη γνώση (η οποία αντιπροσωπεύεται εμβληματικά από το χειρόγραφο που μεταφέρει η ομάδα και στο σύμπαν του Simak είναι υπέρτατη αρετή), τη θρησκεία και τις αντιθέσεις ορθολογισμού και ανορθολογικών δεισιδαιμονιών και παραλογισμών, πίστη vs λογική, και τις ανθρώπινες ιδιότητες, δυνατότητες και αδυναμίες (και δεν εννοώ σωματικές). Και, φυσικά, μεγαλώνουμε σε αυτό το ταξίδι καθώς είναι από μόνο του ένα rite of passage, ένα ταξίδι ενηλικίωσης, ωρίμανσης, γνώσης και προσωπικής ανάπτυξης (η οποία, όπως είπαμε, δυστυχώς δεν οδηγεί σε μια εξέλιξη χαρακτήρων που θα μπορούσε να αφήσει εποχή).

Ναι, δεν είναι το The Fellowship of The Ring, αλλά δεν ήταν και πρόθεση του συγγραφέα του να είναι.

[Derek Wilmott · Rating 3 out of 5]

The plot is a bit thin, but there were many books written at that time that lacked depth. Duncan, the stereotypical hero, provides the moral compass is a natural born leader. Conrad, is the Large stalwart, childhood companion of Duncan turns out to be one of the few characters with a subtle earthy intellect, that sends the group on their unexpected journey. Diane, a warrior in her own right, reflects the feminist movement of the time of the story's publication. The other characters are motley alliance; witch, hermit, demon, ghost are oddly enough failures in their own chosen professions who willingly join the quest along the way. The villains are also a strange mix of human evil in a post apocalyptic earth and fantasy (in line with Moorcock's Elric series). Sadly, the story is found wanting in many aspects and does not keep the reader's attention. It can fill in for a quick reading "fix" as long as the reader has no other pressing obligations.

[BRT · Rating 2 out of 5]

Simak is the Master of science fiction, so to start reading one of his books and find it is a fantasy was a bit jarring. The story as a fantasy was ok. The young son of an estate volunteers to travel through a region ravaged by mysterious evil creatures to bring a parchment that may contain a factual, historical account of Jesus from a contemporary to an expert for authentication. He gathers a diverse group as he travels and they fight off bandits and the evil creatures. As with many of Simak's stories religion is an undercurrent, although it comes front and center at the climax. Not sure if this just wasn't that well written because it's not his forte or if the oddness of reading fantasy from Simak was just too jarring to appreciate the writing.

[Niche · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nostalgic

I reminisced over classic quest fantasy while reading this. It had a lot of Christian overtones, but mostly turned magical Macguffin relic into Jesus Macguffin relic. A cross between C.S. Lewis and Lloyd Alexander? The monk was a bit irritating and it felt like the writing changed in the last quarter of the book with an abrupt (and potentially anticlimactic) ending. Ultimately, I liked it though.

[Michael Burris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very few SF/F authors really *get* religion or religious belief. This story is almost boiler-plate fantasy quest tropes ... except that religion is is done WELL. Simak, as usual, shows how to treat faith respectfully without being condescending (except, perhaps, to atheists.)

[Paul · Rating 2 out of 5]

An ill-assorted group undertakes a quest on which the fate of the world depends. Sound familiar? For all that, Simak spins an engaging tale which highlights the triumph of friendship and loyalty over demagoguery and bigotry.

[Jeffrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good fantasy for teenagers. Nice little quest story. Nothing too complicated, just a nice story

[Little Timmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice quick easy read. Good fantasy story. Recommended

[Jorgon · Rating 3 out of 5]

A surprisingly solid medieval fantasy from Simak, better known for his science fiction, with quite pronounced Christian overtones.

[Charlie · Rating 2 out of 5]

"it was okay" sums this book up well enough.

[Jim Abbiati · Rating 3 out of 5]

Back in '78, many a young fantasy fan--this one included--was scrambling to find anything remotely akin to The Lord of the Rings, The Sword of Shannara, or the trope-challenging Lord Foul's Bane. Pickings were slim at bookstores, as the fantasy boom was only beginning to take off. Del Rey, despite Ballentine's jewel in the crown, was leading the charge with a lineup of possibilities. Among them was Clifford D. Simak's The Fellowship of the Talisman.

I read it when it first came out, and as is often the case, I could only recall a few vague impressions. First, I remember I liked it. Second, I remember the ending left me feeling a bit off. Third, I knew someday I would revisit it. And now I have.

Simak's novel is an alternate history where civilization has stagnated during the Middle Ages after a horde of evil creatures magically showed up on the scene, bringing with them death and progress-halting destruction. The horde would appear and disappear over time, usually in locations where mankind was threatening to break out of its pre-industrial slump. The story opens at Standish Castle in northern England. Young Duncan Standish is offered a quest by his father and the local archbishop. An ancient parchment must be delivered to the Church in Oxenford, many miles to the south. The parchment, allegedly a first-hand account of the life of Christ, if authentic, could bring about a resurgence in the Church, which is desperately needed to fight back the horde. And as one might guess, time is critical, for the horde has returned. And it's right between Standish Castle and Oxenford.

Young Duncan accepts the dangerous challenge. After some off-screen gear gathering, he heads out with a handful of companions: Conrad the hulking workman, Daniel the war-horse, Beauty the burro, and Tiny, the massive, stud-collared mastiff. Duncan's "fellowship" grows almost as soon as the adventure starts. He eventually gathers ghosts, goblins, witches, wizards, and hermits as he strives to fulfill his quest. Along the lengthy, arduous journey through peril, the fellowship faces bandits, monsters, evil magic, daunting terrain, and more, until they come to a final moment (as all quest stories require) where the fate of the world hangs on Duncan and the fellowship's collective strengths and weaknesses.

Now that I've reread it, my impressions haven't changed much. As before, I enjoyed The Fellowship of the Talisman. And as before, I thought the ending could have been better. Technically it works fine, but Simak's execution of it is rushed, and thus the impact is diluted. Simak's prose is competent, though he is somewhat careless when it comes to repeating key words in close proximity, which can be annoying if you're prone to spotting that kind of annoying thing. His characters are round enough for a simple fantasy yarn. And the themes and mores he tackles are handled deftly, as would be expected of a multi-award-winning novelist.

All told, The Fellowship of the Talisman is certainly good enough for those reading gaps when you can't get your hands on something better. And with the number of exemplary fantasy novels published since, those gaps are bound to be few and far between. Though if you were baptized into the genre back in the late 70s, it is most definitely worth a nostalgic read . . . or reread, if that be the case.

[Emmanuel · Rating 1 out of 5]

A soulless journey with rather unispiring characters.

Before picking up this book, I tried to read another one, a modern fantasy by a young author. I couldn't get past the first chapter. With Simak is always different: his writing is simple and elegant and it's easy to read a chapter or two without effort. That is the only good thing I have to say about this book: I read it until the end, the prose is fine and the pacing is consistent.

On the other side, what remains of the book is abysmal. All the characters are shallow and act exactly the way you would expect: the protagonist tries to be Frodo, his companion tries to act like Sam if he could fight with a club, there's a girl eager to throw herself into the protagonist's arms and so on. It tries to mimic "The Lord of the Rings", but in an almost satirical way, that is, by subverting expectations. The result is as generic as you could expect: the themes are half-baked and numb, the characters lack any emotional depth, the plot relies on cliffhangers and seemingly inescapable situations to hide its pointlessness and the ending sinks the whole ship. Also, the title is a fraud: in "Lord of the Rings" the "fellowship" was a true society of men with the finality of destroying the ring; their fellowship, in a sense, was built around the ring. But here, there was no "Fellowship of the Talisman": they happened to find it in a tomb and didn't really care about it. Their journey wasn't about the talisman. There's also the fact that the characters had no personal reasons to put their life in danger: Duncan wanted to cross the evil lands because he was chosen to carry the manuscript, and that's it. It's the opposite of Charlie's quest in "Where the Evil Dwells" — at least, he was trying to find his lost love.

But it's not all. The way this book treats Christianity is baffling. The author emphasizes all the way through that the monks at the abbey are fat and lazy and useless; and he doubles down, obsessing about the fat fingers and the bloated belly of the monk who sent Duncan in his mission. It would make a Lutheran of the 16th century or a French revolutionary giggle. All the talking about the manuscript being the salvation of the Church is how an atheist would see the situation. In reality, Christians always saw the Gospels as the only first-hand historical sources they ever needed. Of course, there is a subsidiary source that is oral and written tradition. Interestingly, other accounts of Christ that relied on being "first-hand" were ruled out as apocryphal. There's also a tendency of treating characters as the hermit as annoying, self-deprecating and insecure, while characters like the witch or the demon show more redemptive traits to preach to the reader that not all evil things are truly evil. I almost cringed. I rolled my eyes when the hermit had a crisis of scruples after saving the life of the demon. It was aimless and unnecessary, as this book as a whole.

This is not fantasy for me, but a kind of bad Tolkien-fanfiction.

[Aimi Tedresalu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kunagist populaarset teatrietendust tsiteerides "Kui hea raamat!" Raamatu napp tutvustus ajas küll muigama. Kaanepilti vaadates ja reisile mineva seltskonnaga tutvudes ei saanud üle ega ümber Cervantese tuuleveskitega võitlusse asunud rüütliromaani paroodia peakangelasest (Don Quijotet soovitan täitsa lugeda). Pealkiri ja teekonna alguslugu tahtsid kangesti meenutada ühe teise tuntud fantaasiakirjaniku vennaskonna teekonda. Ja kui mängu tuli tähtedelt siia saabunud Kurjus, ei saanud midagi parata, et kohe meenusid Lovecrafti Muistsed. Aga rohkem ma ei spekuleeri, sest tegelikult on see ikka üks täiesti omaette lugu.

Kusagil alternatiivajaloos on Euroopa endiselt mahajäänud agraarühiskond, kus talurahvas atradega kõva mulda künnab ja viletsates osmikutes elab. Kreeka ei jõudnud kuhugi ja Rooma lõppes tolmus. Mööda maailma rändab tsükliliselt ringi Mahajäetud Maa, mis iga viie sajandi järel erinevates kohtades materialiseerub. Mahajäetud Maal valitsev Kurjus hävitab kõik enda teele jääva. Valgus Euroopas on kustumas ja maa on tagasi langemas iidsesse pimedusse. Ühest härrasmajast leitud pärgamendil ürik lubab oletada, et selle arameakeelne tekst võib muuta kogu maailma ajaloo kulgu. Selles aga tuleb see viia viimasele selle keele oskajale, kes vaagub hinge kuskil teiselpool Mahajäetud Maad. Ja Mahajäetud Maa on lordi pojale, tema truule kaaslasemürakale, sõjaratsule ja -koerale ja graatsiliselt tippivale eeslile muidugi katsumus. Seal luuravad Hordi saadetud Rüüstajad, seisab üksildane Mägede Jeesuse kirik ja nõitud loss, soos halavad maailma Kurbusest toitujad ja ringi kooserdavad erinevad müütilised pisiolendid.

Kuigi loo süžee on fantaasiaromaanile iseloomulikult üsna lihtsakoeline, leiab selle tagant ka sügavamaid kihte religioonifilosoofiliste mõtiskluste näol. Ma ei ole Simakilt siiani oma teada midagi lugenud, aga see raamat pakkus küll meeldiva üllatuse. Samas olen aru saanud, et enamik tema teoseid on hoopis teist laadi. Tabasin end ka kogu aeg mõtlemast, et kas sellest ikka film on tehtud.

[Mateo Tomas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Simack tries his hand at Fantasy.

Heroes with the most mundane of names sounded like a dumb idea but it’s perfect with Simacks style. But this story is addicted to ending any momentum it builds. Pages of dialogue going over and over something that is can be painted with 3 lines.


It’s England, It’s Dungeons and Dragons, but it’s also the 20th Century, and the main plot is a ragtag group of travelers accompanying Duncan and his 7 foot childhood friend Conrad to deliver the scrolls that then need to be translated and validated from someone who was around Jesus but not a disciple , which would finally put to rest the question did Christ historically exist or not. Got it? It’s a journey across a hopeless landscape, filled with of Reavers and Hordes of hairless white man things who legend has came from space.


Is this satire ? It is humerous at parts. The introduction of Andrew and his long voicing of his problems and experiences, starring at candles for hours and eating handfuls of greens.

Ghost is dead from hanging but has nothing to haunt, is scared of travel, looks like a sheet,

Simack puts out some interesting ideas about death and an afterlife and the character has humor and philosophy . Dead dont make you smart! Why do some people become ghosts and not others?

But any momentum the plot builds is usually stopped for a chapter or two on characters bickering or thinking out loud or going over something that was established a hundred pages ago.

And the ending is anti climactic. Oh well.

[Pete · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quest fantasy with the Simak touch. Simak is known for his human characters even if these humans are robot or aliens. This book is no exception in that the protagonists include humans, a ghost, goblins, a witch, a horse, a dog and a demon. Each is unmistakeably not human but they often have human character traits. The most touching scene in the book is the death scene of a non-human character. The plot is a typical quest fantasy , but the setting is our world with a twist. Mankind is stagnant, and magic and magical beings are still prevalent. Christianity exists, but it seems that the New Testament is unknown. The heroes must take a copy of a newly found gospel to Oxenford to be studied. The problem is that most of England is over-run by evil beings that periodically devastate parts of human civilization. Simak touches on many of his common themes including friendship and religion in this engaging fantasy.

[Frank · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simak is one of my favorite authors, and a criminally unknown one most of the time. I was excited to read this one because he doesn't write a lot of fantasy. As fantasy goes this one is bonkers, in a very unexpected and Simak-y way. The titled Fellowship is by no means one you will find in any other fantasy novel. There's a strange christian bend to it that only comes up as a plot point every once in a while, i found it a little annoying, but otherwise the characters and adventure are enjoyable and play with a lot of tropes, although this book is written as a legit, fantasy adventure and not a comedy at all. With all seriousness, it's like reading about the D Squad of heroes go on a quest in the background of a much greater fantasy book. Like a lot of Simak's works it is hastily ended, but if you're a fan of his, you should definitely read this one. If not, he has a lot of other works I would recommend before picking this one up.

[Glenn Bresciani · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Fellowship of the Talisman by Clifford Simak
This has to be the most lazy storytelling I have ever read in a fantasy novel. A motley crew is required to do a lot of walking to carry a Talisman from one location to another. It must have required little effort for the author to create a group of adventurers consisting of a ghost in a bed sheet, a devil carrying a pitchfork, a witch who is an old hag, and a goblin named snoopy. The author even reduced his workload by setting his story in 1970's mediaeval England. ( That's right. Mediaeval Europe has failed to progress beyond the mediaeval period due to the interference of evil from outer space) This allows the author to name his characters with typical English names such as Duncan, Diane, and Andrew.
Despite the half-assed effort, I still enjoyed this book.

[Andres "Ande" Jakovlev · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ma kardan, et mu lootused olid selle raamatu puhul liiga kõrged. Simaki ulme on mulle väga meeldinud, aga seiklusfantaasia "Talismani vennaskond" ei suutnud kuidagi kaasa haarata.

Tegelikult ootasin kogu aeg midagi - et lugu läheks käima või tegelased muutuks elavaks või... Aga siis sai raamat läbi ja ootused jäidki täitmata.

Mingil hetkel hakkas tunduma, et see on selline seiklusromaan, kus oluline ei olegi mitte eesmärk, vaid teekond ise. Aga ei, lugu ei jooksnud ka nendesse rööbastesse.

Kuidagi tühi tunne jäi. Ühest küljest jah - oli seiklusi, oli põnevaid tegelasi, oli sügavustki. Aga kõik see jättis kuidagi visandliku mulje. Liiga vähe halltoone vist...

[J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recently a friend on GR recommended anything by Clifford D. Simak and when I found this book in a used bookstore, I decided to give it a try. Published in 1978 it was kind of throwback novel, stand alone and complete in one volume. The author certainly has a way with words and paints pictures that make me wish I could write that way. All in all a fun read with a few nuances that set it apart for so much of fantasy.