From the Bookshelf of Apocalypse Whenever…

City

Clifford D. Simak

Why we're reading this: Simak's City is a series of connected stories, a series of legends, myths, and campfire stories told by D…more
[close] Simak's City is a series of connected stories, a series of legends, myths, and campfire stories told by Dogs about the end of human civilization, centering on the Webster family, who, among their other accomplishments, designed the ships that took Men to the stars and gave Dogs the gift of speech and robots to be their hands.

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Sep 29, 2007 Christy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 20th-century-american-lit, science-fiction-and-fantasy, favorites, readinglist2-sf, want-to-reread

I'd read one of the stories in this book before, "Desertion," and loved it. I still think I love that story best, but the whole book is definitely worth reading. In fact, this is one book that I would love to teach, for several reasons.

1. It's a fun read, with some interesting conceits (a future Doggish society [made up of a race of intelligent speaking dogs], space travel, a society of ants, etc.)
2. It demands close reading skills, not just in the stories themselves but in the Doggish commentar I'd read one of the stories in this book before, "Desertion," and loved it. I still think I love that story best, but the whole book is definitely worth reading. In fact, this is one book that I would love to teach, for several reasons.

1. It's a fun read, with some interesting conceits (a future Doggish society [made up of a race of intelligent speaking dogs], space travel, a society of ants, etc.)
2. It demands close reading skills, not just in the stories themselves but in the Doggish commentary on those stories, which reveal a great deal about the future Doggish culture as well as providing some incisive critiques of humanity.
3. It raises several really fascinating questions: What counts as intelligence? What is the ultimate value and worth of humanity? How is humanity defined? Is progress worth more than happiness, or is progress necessary for happiness? Is violence inherent within humanity? How intelligent are animals? What would happen if animals had humanly recognizable intelligence and society? What are the possibilities of a "Brotherhood of Beasts," a recognition of connection and commonality across species lines? And is a truly nonviolent world possible? Is it really "better that one should lose a world than go back to killing" (252)?

Simak himself says that this book was "written out of disillusion" (1) after World War II. He says, "City was written not as a protest (for what good would protest do?) but as a seeking after a fantasy world that would serve as a counterbalance to the brutality through which the world was passing" (2). He goes on to recognize that he "peopled the fantasy world with dogs and robots because [he] could see little hope of mankind arriving at such a world" (2). I'm not sure I agree with the cynicism of this statement or with City's insistence that violence is an unavoidable part of human nature, but I do agree that the humankind of the 20th century deserves to be indicted for its behavior. Simak argues in his introduction to the book (from which I have been quoting) that humanity is beyond saving and, further developing this argument, creates in this book a world in which humankind disappears, leaving a more peaceful, kind, and empathic world of Dogs and Robots; I would argue, on the other hand, that Simak's creation of this world shows the possibilities of nonviolence, even for humans, because it shows through this contrast what changes would need to be made to have this kind of world. The Doggish commentator on the stories asks, "If Man had taken a different path, might he not, in time to come, have been as great as Dog?" (146). Despite the violence of the 20th century (and the opening of the 21st) and despite Simak's loss of faith in humanity, I believe there is still a chance for us to take a different path. And the kind of criticism of humanity levied by Simak is an important part of the process involved in finding that path. ...more

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May 28, 2008 Michele rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi_general, reread-regularly

Simak's interconnected series of short stories offers a wildly creative and original picture of humanities' near-to-very-distant future. The collection takes as its anchor the Webster family, but from there launches into a diverse spectrum of tales spanning robot butlers, talking dogs, the transfer of minds into other bodies, ants who achieve an industrial revolution, and multiple universes. At the same time, each tale manages to touch on universal questions: What gives life meaning? What do we ...more

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Apr 14, 2017 Mitchell Friedman rated it really liked it

Shelves: science-fiction, fiction, own, short-stories, liked-reviews, four-star-science-fiction

Pretty good connected set of short stories. Basically tells the story of the fall of man and the rise of robots and dogs. And ants? Classic sf, showing it's age a little bit. And it ends kind of abruptly. But as a pseudo-history set of legends it works pretty well. 3.5 of 5. ...more

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Jan 05, 2008 bsc rated it it was ok

Shelves: fiction, science-fiction, read-2008

I was quite disappointed in this book, after reading such praise for it. Simak produced a very imaginative story, very "Asmovian", but I was never sold on the whole premise. I was thrown off by his science and his view of what the future will look like. This is normally understandable if you are aware that you are reading a 50+ year old science fiction book, but it was very distracting here. ...more

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