I do love the way Simak writes – so simply, so subtly, giving the reader a hug, or a wink, as the case may be. Also, his works (with some exceptions) do not feel as dated to me as so much of the older sci-fi does. I should really dig through our bookshelves more often – “wow, look, I found a collection of Simak stories I hadn’t read!”

“Founding Father” – coziness at a colony on a new planet gets turned around by a surprise ending and a panicky, suffocating feeling in the last sentences. It reminded me of Bradbury.

“Immigrant” – there is an El Dorado kind of planet that everyone dreams of going to. Then there is a twist, and then another, and then another. Quite lovely.

“New Folk’s Home” – the basic idea is interesting, but the story itself is nothing special. It is only the writing that makes it stand out.

“Crying Jag” – a hilarious and nonsensical story about aliens and sadness.

“All the Traps of Earth” – a robot on the run almost becomes a robot messiah. This was a really heartwarming story.

“Lulu” – OR “How to Write About a Rogue AI in a Sexist Way”. Do read more Simak by all means, but skip this one.

“Neighbor” – There are aliens among us! Here is a story that manages to be pastoral, cozy and spooky at the same time.
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The stories are old, but hold up well. Simak captures just the right voice for each narrator, even though they are all different kinds of people telling different kinds of stories.
Founding Fathers; Immigrant; New Folks' Home; Crying Jag; All the Traps of Earth; Lulu; Neighbor. ( )

These seven short stories probably are the "best" this lifelong newspaperman has written. They surely did entertain me, from the opening "Founding Father" (which has seen more reprints than any of his other stories), where a man has travelled 100 years to reach an easth-like planet with his six crew members. Unfortunately, we find the other crew members are part of a process fed to him to keep him sane while in cryo. Now that he is settled in, he can not easily live withouit the luxury and companionship of those ethereal peersonages. The thing about Simak is he goes where no one else seems to be able to go. ( )