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gossamerwingedgazelle's review against another edition
2.0
This book was okay. The use of dialect combined with sometimes cardboard characters was really a challenge in the first section. Other uninspired elements, like dogs named "Rover", were dated. Still, I thought the story was interesting enough to finish reading it.
jlmcclean's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
captlychee's review against another edition
5.0
This is the story, or stories, of the eventual extinction of Mankind, told in the downhome folksy American style Simak was best at. The gradual erosion of human sociability gregariousness is accompanied by the gradual erosion of its cities, then its towns and finally even its families. Meanwhile, a race of human mutants, who completely lack human sociability conviviality, rises and falls. Humams that go to live on Jupiter are so well converted to a lifeform that is suited to Jupiter's climate that they decide not to remain human. The race of intelligent talking dogs gives an academic background to each story as they attempt to discover whether Man was realor just part of canine folklore.
As [a:Gwyneth Jones|7272|Gwyneth Jones|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1277604289p2/7272.jpg] points out in her introduction, City is a fix-up, a collection of short stories cobbled together and put in some order to rsemble a novel. As it is, it's a better fix-up than [b:Pavane|599588|Pavane|Keith Roberts|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1391317039l/599588._SX50_.jpg|743079] in its internal consistency, but worse than [b:Valentina: Soul in Sapphire|1045440|Valentina Soul in Sapphire|Joseph H. Delaney|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1612477842l/1045440._SY75_.jpg|1031864]. Still, internal consistency isn't everything, and quality of writing is another thing to assess when you're reviewing a novel or someting like it.
And this is what I noticed about the individual stories this tiem. In order to maintain a folksy style, which is one of his hallmarks, [a:Simak|23012|Clifford D. Simak|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1193507980p2/23012.jpg] writs a sentnece, then reeats the sentence in different words, like he's explaining someting to a dopey child or—aptly, given the novel's subject—a dog. He takes a different tack with the following sentence, replacing certain words and altering the syntax, to make the point very clear to a reader who might not understand it. Different sentence structures recur successively throuighout the novel, so that the reader is left in no doubt what the author means.
I am surprised I never notcied this in my first reading, but I was much younger then and hadn't had the education I have now. I was probably more immersed in the ideas, too, which I didn't examine critically, because back then questioning the author's ideas does them a disservice they don't deserve. comparisons to [a:Ray Bradbury|1630|Ray Bradbury|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1445955959p2/1630.jpg] and [a:Cordwainer Smith|11390|Cordwainer Smith|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1244379873p2/11390.jpg] aren't totally inappropriate here.
Well, I criticise it now, but I'll keep my five-star rating of it, out of faith in the author and because I like [b:So Bright The Vision|776423|So Bright The Vision (collection of stories)|Clifford D. Simak|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1339260991l/776423._SY75_.jpg|601754] so much.
As [a:Gwyneth Jones|7272|Gwyneth Jones|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1277604289p2/7272.jpg] points out in her introduction, City is a fix-up, a collection of short stories cobbled together and put in some order to rsemble a novel. As it is, it's a better fix-up than [b:Pavane|599588|Pavane|Keith Roberts|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1391317039l/599588._SX50_.jpg|743079] in its internal consistency, but worse than [b:Valentina: Soul in Sapphire|1045440|Valentina Soul in Sapphire|Joseph H. Delaney|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1612477842l/1045440._SY75_.jpg|1031864]. Still, internal consistency isn't everything, and quality of writing is another thing to assess when you're reviewing a novel or someting like it.
And this is what I noticed about the individual stories this tiem. In order to maintain a folksy style, which is one of his hallmarks, [a:Simak|23012|Clifford D. Simak|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1193507980p2/23012.jpg] writs a sentnece, then reeats the sentence in different words, like he's explaining someting to a dopey child or—aptly, given the novel's subject—a dog. He takes a different tack with the following sentence, replacing certain words and altering the syntax, to make the point very clear to a reader who might not understand it. Different sentence structures recur successively throuighout the novel, so that the reader is left in no doubt what the author means.
I am surprised I never notcied this in my first reading, but I was much younger then and hadn't had the education I have now. I was probably more immersed in the ideas, too, which I didn't examine critically, because back then questioning the author's ideas does them a disservice they don't deserve. comparisons to [a:Ray Bradbury|1630|Ray Bradbury|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1445955959p2/1630.jpg] and [a:Cordwainer Smith|11390|Cordwainer Smith|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1244379873p2/11390.jpg] aren't totally inappropriate here.
Well, I criticise it now, but I'll keep my five-star rating of it, out of faith in the author and because I like [b:So Bright The Vision|776423|So Bright The Vision (collection of stories)|Clifford D. Simak|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1339260991l/776423._SY75_.jpg|601754] so much.
adammuly's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
end720's review against another edition
hopeful
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
mbenzz's review against another edition
5.0
If I had read this book during my impressionable years (sometime in middle or high school), then this would absolutely be an all-time favorite of mine. My favorite book ever is 'The Giver', and while this story is about something entirely different, it made me FEEL the same way I felt when I read 'The Giver' for the first time back in 1995, and that's only happened a few times in the last 25 years.
This is the story of man's downfall and the rise of the dogs and the robots. It's not flashy and chaotic...there are no battles being fought and no one species is declaring dominance over another.
In fact, it's the polar opposite.
It's quiet and subtle and sad and scary and beautiful and I just loved it.
I won't get into an in-depth synopsis of this book as it's already been done here many times over, but this has become a very important book for me. I can't believe it took me so long to find it, but I'm just grateful that I did.
I'm telling you, there's nothing like a robot butler who lives for over twelve thousand years to make you feel so incredibly small and fragile. That in the full span of Earth's history and future, we are just a minuscule little blip on the radar.
This is the story of man's downfall and the rise of the dogs and the robots. It's not flashy and chaotic...there are no battles being fought and no one species is declaring dominance over another.
In fact, it's the polar opposite.
It's quiet and subtle and sad and scary and beautiful and I just loved it.
I won't get into an in-depth synopsis of this book as it's already been done here many times over, but this has become a very important book for me. I can't believe it took me so long to find it, but I'm just grateful that I did.
I'm telling you, there's nothing like a robot butler who lives for over twelve thousand years to make you feel so incredibly small and fragile. That in the full span of Earth's history and future, we are just a minuscule little blip on the radar.
bookook's review against another edition
It was fine? Some interesting ideas, but there are other things I want to read more
misanthrope's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
A moving story. Well written. The episodic nature of the text was not a weakness to me. The shifting perspective kept it interesting. I will read more from this author.
wildweasel105's review against another edition
3.0
A highly innovative view of mankind's future, complete with the familiar dealings with robots, etc. However, what makes this futuristic history of civilization so highly interesting is the addition of certain alterations of man's mental capabilities, the evolutionary enhancement of dogs, and man's attempted conquest of Jupiter, to name a few.
Unfortunately, I gave this novel a 3 1/2 stars out of 5 simply based on the difficulty I had in following the flow of the story line (which is HIGHLY unusual for a Simak novel!)
Nonetheless, this had some of the greatest of Simak's characteristic imagination!
Unfortunately, I gave this novel a 3 1/2 stars out of 5 simply based on the difficulty I had in following the flow of the story line (which is HIGHLY unusual for a Simak novel!)
Nonetheless, this had some of the greatest of Simak's characteristic imagination!