A Heritage of Stars by Clifford D Simak
A man hunts for lost knowledge in a future society that's reverted to a primitive tribal state in this novel by the author of Way Station.
More than a thousand years have passed since humankind intentionally destroyed its treacherous technology, choosing to revert back to a primitive tribal state. In this society the rusting brain cases of long-inert robots are considered trophies, and the scant knowledge that has survived is doled out to an inquisitive few in monastery-like "universities." It is at one such center of learning that young Tom Cushing first reads of the legendary "Place of Going to the Stars," rumored to exist on a high butte somewhere in the western part of the land. Driven by enthusiasm and an insatiable need to track the myth to its source, Tom sets out on an amazing trek across what was once called "America," teaming up with a witch, the world's last remaining robot, and other odd companions. But all the astonishing discoveries and dangers they encounter along the way will pale before the revelations that await them at journey's end.
Clifford D. Simak, award-winning science fiction Grand Master, offers a breathtaking vision of the future that is both dystopian and hopeful in equal measure. In A Heritage of Stars, he boldly displays the heart, intelligence, and awesome imaginative powers that have established him as one of the all-time greatest authors of speculative fiction.
More than a thousand years have passed since humankind intentionally destroyed its treacherous technology, choosing to revert back to a primitive tribal state. In this society the rusting brain cases of long-inert robots are considered trophies, and the scant knowledge that has survived is doled out to an inquisitive few in monastery-like "universities." It is at one such center of learning that young Tom Cushing first reads of the legendary "Place of Going to the Stars," rumored to exist on a high butte somewhere in the western part of the land. Driven by enthusiasm and an insatiable need to track the myth to its source, Tom sets out on an amazing trek across what was once called "America," teaming up with a witch, the world's last remaining robot, and other odd companions. But all the astonishing discoveries and dangers they encounter along the way will pale before the revelations that await them at journey's end.
Clifford D. Simak, award-winning science fiction Grand Master, offers a breathtaking vision of the future that is both dystopian and hopeful in equal measure. In A Heritage of Stars, he boldly displays the heart, intelligence, and awesome imaginative powers that have established him as one of the all-time greatest authors of speculative fiction.
“To read science-fiction is to read SimakThe reader who does not like Simak stories does not like science-fiction at all.” —Robert A. Heinlein
“Just about any work by Simak deserves to be considered a classic.” —SFBook.com
“One of the great makers of science fiction . . . The man shines through.” —Jack Williamson
“Just about any work by Simak deserves to be considered a classic.” —SFBook.com
“One of the great makers of science fiction . . . The man shines through.” —Jack Williamson
Simak, Clifford D.: - Clifford Donald Simak (1904 - 1988) was an American science fiction writer. He was honored by fans with three Hugo Awards and by colleagues with one Nebula Award. The Science Fiction Writers of America made him its third SFWA Grand Master and the Horror Writers Association made him one of three inaugural winners of the Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement. Simak became interested in science fiction after reading the works of H. G. Wells as a child. His first contribution to the literature was The World of the Red Sun, published by Hugo Gernsback in the December 1931 issue of Wonder Stories. Within a year he placed three more stories in Gernsback's pulp magazines and one in Astounding Stories, then edited by Harry Bates. But his only science fiction publication between 1932 and 1938 was The Creator (Marvel Tales #4, March-April 1935), a story with religious implications, which was then rare in the genre. Once John W. Campbell, at the helm of Astounding from October 1937, began redefining the field, Simak returned and was a regular contributor to Astounding Science Fiction (as it was renamed in 1938) throughout the Golden Age of Science Fiction (1938-1950). At first, as in the 1939 serial novel Cosmic Engineers, he wrote in the tradition of the earlier super science subgenre that E. E. Doc Smith perfected, but he soon developed his own style, which is usually described as gentle and pastoral. During this period, Simak also published a number of war and western stories in pulp magazines. His best-known book may be City, a fix-up novel based on short stories with a common theme of mankind's eventual exodus from Earth. Simak continued to produce award-nominated novels throughout the 1950s and 1960s. Aided by a friend, he continued writing and publishing science fiction and later, fantasy into his 80s. He believed that science fiction was not rooted in scientific fact, but was responsible for the failure of the genre to be taken seriously and stated his aim was to make the genre a part of what he called realistic fiction.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781504045711 |
| ISBN 10 | 1504045718 |
| Title | A Heritage of Stars |
| Author | Clifford D Simak |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Open Road Media |
| Year published | 2017-08-17 |
| Number of pages | 210 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |