A Rediscovery of Clifford D. Simak - A Reading Challenge

[Extollager]

For probably the best, how are you going to top "Nerves"?

Sure. I wasn't objecting to one-word titles, just regretting titles that are so noncommittal as to be (to me) uninviting.

The titles that really put me off are ones that sound cutesy, such as Sturgeon's "Shottle Bop" and "The (Widget), the (Wadget), and Boff," Knight's "Eripmav," or Asimov's "A Loint of Paw." They seem to blazon forth: Whatever you're looking for in sf, Extollager, you won't find it here!!"

 

[hitmouse]

Nope, I always loved titles like that. A story is already in a deep hole with me when I see something like "Macy Minnot's Last Christmas on Dione, Ring Racing, Fiddler's Green, the Potter's Garden", "The Soul Selects Her Own Society: Invasion and Repulsion: A Chronological Reinterpretation of Two of Emily Dickinson's Poems: A Wellsian Perspective", or "Bierhorst, R. G., Seera, B. L., and Jannifer, R. P. "Proof of the Existence of God and an Afterlife." Journal of Experimental Psychology. Volume 95, Spring, 2007, Pages 32-36". And these are mostly just long ones - I can't think of any of the many really long and extremely pretentious ones that I should be citing here.

How about:
Time Considered as a Helix of Semiprecious Stones Samuel R Delaney
or
The Assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy Considered as a Downhill Motor Race JG Ballard

 

[J-Sun]

How about:
Time Considered as a Helix of Semiprecious Stones Samuel R Delaney
or
The Assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy Considered as a Downhill Motor Race JG Ballard

There ya go - that was the sort of thing I was trying to think of. However, I will admit that Delany almost hits a sense of wonder/beauty in his (the 'semiprecious' is semiprecious, though) and the Ballard is (black comedy) funny, so those almost excuse themselves. But there are titles like that that are just vapid Star Dancers of the Dream Tears stuff.

-- Oops, sorry Bick - we seem to have gone off-topic again.

 

[hitmouse]

There ya go - that was the sort of thing I was trying to think of. However, I will admit that Delany almost hits a sense of wonder/beauty in his (the 'semiprecious' is semiprecious, though) and the Ballard is (black comedy) funny, so those almost excuse themselves. But there are titles like that that are just vapid Star Dancers of the Dream Tears stuff.

-- Oops, sorry Bick - we seem to have gone off-topic again.

Didn't Harry Harrison do Star Smashers of the Galaxy Rangers? Not read it, suspect it was a piss-take

 

[J-Sun]

Didn't Harry Harrison do Star Smashers of the Galaxy Rangers? Not read it, suspect it was a piss-take

Yeah, that was a brilliant satire of space opera that works as a pretty good space opera at the same time. I love much space opera and I love that book. So the title there is just part and parcel.

 

[dask]

"Titles should not be too long. Six or seven words are plenty; one word is good if you can find the right word. Titles should not be unpronounceable, like David R. Spark's 'Ape Men Of Xlotli.' If you can put some paradox or incongruity into the title, as in Hubbard's 'The Case Of The Friendly Corpse,' so much the better. Alliterative or rhyming titles, like Patrick Dutton's 'The Beautiful Bacillus,' are good."
L. Sprague de Camp and Catherine Crook de Camp, THE SCIENCE FICTION HANDBOOK, REVISED

Forgot to insert quote again. Just scroll up the page a bit.

 

[Extollager]

Hubbard's 'The Case Of The Friendly Corpse,' so much the better. Alliterative or rhyming titles, like Patrick Dutton's 'The Beautiful Bacillus,' are good."

[shudder] Those would put me off. Archness -- dare I say, "cleverness" -- isn't what I'm looking for in sf (and even less so when I read fantasy, as a rule).

OK, that's all the non-Simak (which is pronounced simmeck) from me on this thread for a while. Got a copy of Time and Again today and expect to start it very soon.

 

[clovis-man]

Okay, back to Simak, but still apropos of succinct titles: We should definitely not overlook Simak's short stories. A couple of collections are mentioned earlier in the thread. One of the best titles was "Drop Dead" from Galaxy Magazine in 1956. It was dramatized in 1957 via the radio program "X Minus One".

http://www.tangentonline.com/old-time-radio/1852-x-minus-one-drop-dead-by-clifford-d-simak

Just hit the little green arrow below the text.

 

[Vince W]

Cheers for this thread Bick. If you hadn't started it I might never gotten around to reading Empire and soon more. Simak writes a terrific story and should be reprinted immediately for all to enjoy.

 

[Bick]

It's good to see others picking up Simak and reading some of his work at the same time, Vince - it kinda brings the collegiality of a book-club idea without the stricture regards exactly what you have to read.

One thing it confirms for me is that it's a bit criminal that he has become one of the "forgotten authors". Very few of his novels are in print these days; you're quite right they deserve to be reprinted.

I'm enjoying Time is the Simplest Thing at the present. It's so far sharing similarities with 'The Fugitive' or 'The Thirty-Nine Steps', being a man on the run sort of thriller, with a SF-based plot. Each book I read by Simak shares certain features - his hobby-horses I guess - but in plot they are fairly distinct. In this regard, Simak novels "are like a box of chocolates..."

 

[J-Sun]

Last OT real quick:

"Titles should not be too long. Six or seven words are plenty; one word is good if you can find the right word. Titles should not be unpronounceable, like David R. Spark's 'Ape Men Of Xlotli.' If you can put some paradox or incongruity into the title, as in Hubbard's 'The Case Of The Friendly Corpse,' so much the better. Alliterative or rhyming titles, like Patrick Dutton's 'The Beautiful Bacillus,' are good."
L. Sprague de Camp and Catherine Crook de Camp, THE SCIENCE FICTION HANDBOOK, REVISED

Cool quote. I wish I could afford the bigger, more historically interesting original version but you reminded me to order that revised version at least. Thanks.

-- Oh, and on-topic, I've broken the triple-digit barrier on the Project Pope re-read. I should be through early next month.

 

[LoZioOscuro]

Hello guys - nice to be here.
Just signed in. My name is Roberto, and I am a 1952 born Italian SF reader, and particulary a Simak fan.
I am member of a Yahoo group focused on Simak, one of my fellow members in that group - Ralph, whom I thank - indicated to me this thread.
Just to render the idea, back in 2011 I was on a leisure trip to the USA, flew purposefully to Wisconsin, rented a car and visited Millville - where I had a picture of myself by the mail post of the House where Simak lived.
I have read all novels written by Simak, either in Italian or in English (some of them in both), and a great deal of his short stories; most novels, if not all, more and more times.
It's all for now, I will take the time to read the complete thread and will come back with my comments.
Thanks for the hospitality.
All the Best
Roberto

 

[Bick]

Many thanks for the post, Roberto, and a warm welcome to SFF Chronicles. I'm delighted if we've snared a Simak fan and expert into the forums! Are you able to post a pic of Simak's house? That would be cool.

 

[Bick]

As most will know, Simak maintained a job as an editor at the Minneapolis Star newspaper throughout his writing career. This is a pic I found online of Simak at the paper - he is seated next to the chap in army uniform. I don't know the date unfortunately. I'd guess late 1940's. He was there from 1939, and was news editor at the Star from 1949.

 

[LoZioOscuro]

Of course, Bick, I'll do much willingly.
However, the house - as to my recollection - is not visible, or it's visible only partially; I think only the mail post (and myself...) are visible.
My original intention was to ring the bell and beg the present owners to show me the house, but I must admit that then I didn't dare to, fearing the reaction of those people in front of an emotioned guy blabbering about a certain Simak in an uncertain English... because of course I don't know whether they know who the house belonged to or not, even if for some reasons I guess they do.
You know, is some areas of the USA like that they first shoot, then ask you what you were looking for... )
I just beg you to be patient for one day or two as I have to search for the picture. It's publicatd in the forum about Simak I mentioned in my former post, though, and I think it's visible also to non-members.
I'll come back on this ASAP.
Roberto

 

[LoZioOscuro]

Bick,
that picture is very interesting indeed, as it renders perfectly the atmosphere of a newspaper in the thirties.
It had been uploaded in Simak's forum a few years ago.
Also a rare picture of a young Simak (25, 30 or something), wearing an hat and with a pipe in his mouth, had been upoloaded. With regular features, blue eyes, no spectacles and a certain " Dasheill Hammett " look, it is really unusual - much, much different to the classic picture of a 65 years old or something Simak's picture appearing in most of this books, where he has a " good old grandpa " look.
If you are Simak's fans, I would warmly suggest to you to sign in that forum, even though it has been very quiet lately - thast's why we would warmly welcome new blood...
Roberto

 

[LoZioOscuro]

Bick,
in the end I've downloaded my picture from Yahoo's group - it was easier than search for it. I hope I uploaded it correctly. As you can see, Simak's house is visible in the background, to the right of the picture. And yes, the very handsome gentleman leaning on the post is me... ;-)
Roberto

 

[Extollager]

My original intention was to ring the bell and beg the present owners to show me the house, but I must admit that then I didn't dare to, fearing the reaction of those people in front of an emotioned guy blabbering about a certain Simak in an uncertain English... because of course I don't know whether they know who the house belonged to or not, even if for some reasons I guess they do.
You know, is some areas of the USA like that they first shoot, then ask you what you were looking for... )

It is possible that the present residents would have been suspicious of a strange showing up on their doorstep. However, I think it's more likely that they would have admitted you to the house and invited you to eat a meal with them, rather than that they'd have started firing! Maybe you should visit again sometime.

 

[LoZioOscuro]

Actually, it's my intention to go to those places again, earlier or later, so I might have a second chance.
You know, Millville is - at least for the European standards - an extremely unusual village. It's very small, some 150 inhabitants, yet the farms are spreaded over a large area, so there isn't anything like a village center. It doesn't even look like a village.
Let's frankly say that those places are of no interest under any points of view, just the fact that Simak was born and spent his youth there make them fascinating for a Simakian like me.
Another " pilgrimage " (not enchanted...) I'd like to do is to visit his grave in Minneapolis cemetery, but that city has always been out of my routes so far.
Roberto

 

[Extollager]

.... visit his grave in Minneapolis cemetery, but that city has always been out of my routes so far.

Here's what you'd see:

http://www.death2ur.com/cliff_simak_gravesite.htm