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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Long Twilight of Man,
By OAKSHAMAN "oakshaman" (Algoma, WI United States) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE) (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)
This review is from: A Heritage of Stars
I've always been drawn to post-apocalypse stories, and this is one of the best. It takes place more than a thousand years after technological civilization has collapsed, not from global war, but from it's own internal contradictions and injustices. In several of Simak's novels he mentions this theme of mankind having taken the "wrong turn" long ago in it's development, and thereby containing the unrecognised seeds of its own destruction. Here, the mass of the people themselves apparently tore down their own civilization because it's "over-civilised", "over-organsed", and "over-technological" nature had become a hell to them. The creation of pyramids of robot brain cases (like the pyramids of skulls left by the Mongols as they sacked more ancient civilizations) was a nice touch.This story takes place long after this collapse. The tiny remnant of mankind that survives has settled in to a more traditional tribal pattern. The hero of the tale lives in a monastic-like walled university, where the last books, and readers, preserve the tales of mankind's lost heritage. While browsing the in the ancient university library a young scholar finds a lost manuscript that tells of a "Place of Going to the Stars" far to the West. He then takes up his bow and his pack and leaves the safety of the universitiy walls to confirm the truth of the old myths and legends for himself. His travels are through a forgotten, wild, and savage America and read more like a tale of the frontier than of the far future. This is classic Simak and contains many of the classic elements and settings found in his other works, such as _A Choice of Gods_ and _Enchanted Pilgrimage_. A very enjoyable read.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Another philosophical adventure from Clifford Simak,
By frumiousb "frumiousb" (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE) (TOP 500 REVIEWER)
This review is from: A Heritage of Stars
I am a huge fan of Clifford Simak and this book contains all the elements that make his books what they are: wandering robots, witches, strange tag-a-long creatures, and legends about distant places.A Heritage of Stars is an apocolyptic scenario where humans are forced to confront their past before being allowed to move forward into the future. If this particular book has a flaw, it is only that perhaps it contains a few too many of the familiar Simak elements. The plot is also possibly a little lopsided-- a little too much here, and not quite enough there. It does not really detract from the reading experience, but is not quite up to his own high standard. Simak is an interesting writer. He is often pastoral, but not really romantic. He never mistakes folksy for virtuous. His view on human nature is often unflinchingly bad, but he holds to the hope that it can be better. But still, there can be a bitter taste in his writing and A Heritage of Stars has quite a bit of that flavor. As always with Simak, highly recommended. If this is your first Simak, I might recommend beginning with Way Station or Enchanted Pilgrimage.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Classic Journey,
By themarsman (Georgetown, TX) - See all my reviews
This review is from: A Heritage of Stars
Thomas Cushing has lived within the confines of the University of Minnesota for the last five years. But this is not the University of Minnesota of the present day, this is the walled-in University of Minnesota some 1,500 years after the Collapse. The Collapse was a time when society as we know it crumbled due to their fear and consequent destruction of modern technology and all information that related to it.Cushing, while at the University, finds the notes of a historian who lived some 500 years after the Collapse. These notes hint at what the author calls a Place of Going to the Stars. This place is somewhere far to the west and managed to survive the upheaval that occurred during the Collapse. Cushing takes it upon himself to find this place in a classic journey of discovery. During Cushing's travels, he encounters several kindred spirits, and they wind up joining him on his journey as he seeks out the Place of Going to the Stars. A Heritage of Stars is the first work of Simak I have read. His style of writing is interesting. In some ways, he reminds me of other contemporary authors, with a tale that is direct and to the point, keeping the length of the book to a minimum. And other ways... When he is writing character dialogue, there is a certain repetitiveness that frequently pops up. Being unfamiliar with Simak's other works (and therefore his style of character development), I do not know if it was a quirk of the character or something else entirely. A Heritage of Stars is pretty easy going most of the way. There were points when it, without giving away too much, got a bit mystical for my tastes. Also, the reasons for the Collapse were only hinted at and discussed in broad strokes. And while the tale takes place centuries after the Collapse, it would have been nice if Simak had gone into a bit more depth about what actually happened. None of this detracts from a story that is, fundamentally (despite stretches here and there), believable and entertaining. Given the correct mood, I would enjoy picking up a Simak story again in the future.
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