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The Ghost of a Model T and Other Stories
Tales of nostalgia and loss in a world overrun by technology
Hank is walking home from the bar when the Model T pulls alongside him. It’s been decades since he saw a car this old, and the sound of it takes him right back to his twenties. The door is open, and when he climbs in, the car takes off—without a driver. Before he knows what’s happened, Hank is right back at Big Spring Pavilion, where he spent his youth drinking bootleg whiskey and chasing pretty girls. He will find the past is not quite as he remembered it, but still a lovely place to go for a drive.
This collection includes some of the finest short fiction Clifford Simak ever wrote, including “City,” the story that became the basis for his beloved novel of the same name. In the history of science fiction, no author has ever better understood that the Great Plains and the cosmos are closer together than we think.
Each story includes an introduction by David W. Wixon, literary executor of the Clifford D. Simak estate and editor of this ebook.
Hank is walking home from the bar when the Model T pulls alongside him. It’s been decades since he saw a car this old, and the sound of it takes him right back to his twenties. The door is open, and when he climbs in, the car takes off—without a driver. Before he knows what’s happened, Hank is right back at Big Spring Pavilion, where he spent his youth drinking bootleg whiskey and chasing pretty girls. He will find the past is not quite as he remembered it, but still a lovely place to go for a drive.
This collection includes some of the finest short fiction Clifford Simak ever wrote, including “City,” the story that became the basis for his beloved novel of the same name. In the history of science fiction, no author has ever better understood that the Great Plains and the cosmos are closer together than we think.
Each story includes an introduction by David W. Wixon, literary executor of the Clifford D. Simak estate and editor of this ebook.
332 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 20, 2015
136 people are currently reading
250 people want to read
About the author
Clifford D. Simak
969 books1,059 followers"He was honored by fans with three Hugo awards and by colleagues with one Nebula award and was named the third Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) in 1977." (Wikipedia)
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clifford...
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clifford...
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
July 16, 2020
Short stories by Grand Master Clifford D. Simak. This is one of many collections of his short stories. He had an incredible imagination. I believe his having grown up in the Driftless Region and staying there for his whole life, if you can include the Twin Cities in that geographical area, had a lot to do with it. It is a unique part of the country, and the people are special, too, if you take the time to know them. The artists and writers I have met there see the world through a different prism.
Sinai saw the future through his own prism. Take a look through it. Sometimes there are people in it. Sometimes we don't make the cut.
Sinai saw the future through his own prism. Take a look through it. Sometimes there are people in it. Sometimes we don't make the cut.
August 20, 2016
4 stars - Metaphorosis Reviews
A collection of mostly science fiction stories by Clifford Simak.
Clifford Simak was the master of the contemplative story - the story in which the narrator does little but sit around and think about life. Little action, not much dialogue, and yet the result is a moving story that works beautifully. This volume in his collected works includes some of his finest contemplative work, along with City and other celebrated stories. While this is volume 3 in the series, it's an excellent place to start your voyage with Simak.
The best stories in the book include:
Leg. Forst. - How many great stories are there about aged stamp collectors? In this one, the overall emotional arc is largely unoriginal, but the components that make it up are innovative and fun.
Physician to the Universe - While nominally about escape from a prison swamp, the story is really about purpose and satisfaction.
Condition of Employment - How to motivate workers in an unpleasant profession. One of the rare twist stories that rewards re-reading.
The Autumn Land - A perfect story, again about purpose. I first read this a long time ago, and it has stuck with me.
Founding Father - Problems in spaceflight and remote coloniziation. Relatively thin on premise, the story succeeds on the issue of loneliness and human frailty.
That's almost half the stories in the book, and that should tell you something. Not one of the stories in this volume is bad, and it includes some of Simak's best work. Even the western, while formulaic, is a pleasant read. Whether you're new to Simak or a confirmed fan, you'll enjoy this volume.
A collection of mostly science fiction stories by Clifford Simak.
Clifford Simak was the master of the contemplative story - the story in which the narrator does little but sit around and think about life. Little action, not much dialogue, and yet the result is a moving story that works beautifully. This volume in his collected works includes some of his finest contemplative work, along with City and other celebrated stories. While this is volume 3 in the series, it's an excellent place to start your voyage with Simak.
The best stories in the book include:
Leg. Forst. - How many great stories are there about aged stamp collectors? In this one, the overall emotional arc is largely unoriginal, but the components that make it up are innovative and fun.
Physician to the Universe - While nominally about escape from a prison swamp, the story is really about purpose and satisfaction.
Condition of Employment - How to motivate workers in an unpleasant profession. One of the rare twist stories that rewards re-reading.
The Autumn Land - A perfect story, again about purpose. I first read this a long time ago, and it has stuck with me.
Founding Father - Problems in spaceflight and remote coloniziation. Relatively thin on premise, the story succeeds on the issue of loneliness and human frailty.
That's almost half the stories in the book, and that should tell you something. Not one of the stories in this volume is bad, and it includes some of Simak's best work. Even the western, while formulaic, is a pleasant read. Whether you're new to Simak or a confirmed fan, you'll enjoy this volume.
March 22, 2022
Eleven wonderful vintage stories from Clifford D. Simak. They are:
1) Leg. Forst. A stamp collector in the future receives a very special collection, one that begins to exert a drastic change on the collector and his world.
2) Physician to the Universe. In a society devoted to perfection, one man rebels and in punishment is sent to a swampy limbo. But he had begun work on a project with far-reaching consequences, and must escape in order to see the project through to its incredible conclusion.
3) No More Hides and Tallow. A western. A man returns from the American Civil War to find his town corrupt, his girl married to another man, thinking him dead. He decides to clean up the town, whatever it takes.
4) Condition of Employment. A spaceship engineer marooned on earth, hungers for his home on Mars.
5) City. Many years after WW2, the cities are dying as people abandon them for the countryside. Some people however refuse to leave, and dig in.
6) Mirage. A gang of men seek an old Martian city. They split up, but one meets an alien with a fantastic ability.
7) The Autumn Land. A man lives in a shadowy town where everything is provided for.
8) Founding Father. An immortal human on a frontier planet realises his perfect environment is a fantasy, but he still wants it.
9) Byte Your Tongue. A computer, fully conscious, yearns to leave the earth and travel to the stars.
10) The Street That Wasn't There. A retired lecturer notices that the world is slowly vanishing.
11) The Ghost of a Model T. A lonely old man meets an old car with an uncanny ability to return him to places and people from his youth.
1) Leg. Forst. A stamp collector in the future receives a very special collection, one that begins to exert a drastic change on the collector and his world.
2) Physician to the Universe. In a society devoted to perfection, one man rebels and in punishment is sent to a swampy limbo. But he had begun work on a project with far-reaching consequences, and must escape in order to see the project through to its incredible conclusion.
3) No More Hides and Tallow. A western. A man returns from the American Civil War to find his town corrupt, his girl married to another man, thinking him dead. He decides to clean up the town, whatever it takes.
4) Condition of Employment. A spaceship engineer marooned on earth, hungers for his home on Mars.
5) City. Many years after WW2, the cities are dying as people abandon them for the countryside. Some people however refuse to leave, and dig in.
6) Mirage. A gang of men seek an old Martian city. They split up, but one meets an alien with a fantastic ability.
7) The Autumn Land. A man lives in a shadowy town where everything is provided for.
8) Founding Father. An immortal human on a frontier planet realises his perfect environment is a fantasy, but he still wants it.
9) Byte Your Tongue. A computer, fully conscious, yearns to leave the earth and travel to the stars.
10) The Street That Wasn't There. A retired lecturer notices that the world is slowly vanishing.
11) The Ghost of a Model T. A lonely old man meets an old car with an uncanny ability to return him to places and people from his youth.
August 3, 2024
Clifford D. Simak was one of the absolute masters of 20th Century science fiction, his work consistently exploring strange, quirky and dark frontiers of the genre, with engrossing and sometimes quietly unsettling plots, relatable characters, and a true 'sense of wonder' that recalls the best of the Golden Age of SF. This set of fourteen collections of his short fiction is a wonderful showcase of the authors popularity and skill, and I highly recommend them to fans of both Simak specifically and of science fiction in general.
May 31, 2020
Another collection of Clifford D Simak short stories, most I haven't read before. As with the other collections in this series, the western story does nothing for me, but I have never been a fan of that genre. As for C D Simak, his later work, from the 60s onwards, is the man at his best. Having said that, there are still gems to be found in his early output.
Ray Smillie
Ray Smillie
September 30, 2021
I'm enjoying the multi-volume collection of Simak's short works. A number of them remind me of Ray Bradbury's nostalgia for rural and small town midwestern life in the first half of the 20th century.
A few of the stories in this collection left me with a "so what" feeling, but most were somewhere between solid tales and absolute gems.
Looking forward to the next one.
A few of the stories in this collection left me with a "so what" feeling, but most were somewhere between solid tales and absolute gems.
Looking forward to the next one.
February 27, 2022
Timeless Brilliance
There are some excellent stories in this book,not a weak one among them, nicely showcasing the writing skills and imagination of on of the great twentieth century science fiction masters. They are barely dated despite the changes that have occurred in the years since they were written.
There are some excellent stories in this book,not a weak one among them, nicely showcasing the writing skills and imagination of on of the great twentieth century science fiction masters. They are barely dated despite the changes that have occurred in the years since they were written.
June 15, 2019
3/5 - Leg. Forst.
2/5 - Physician to the Universe
2/5 - No More Hides And Tallow
3/5 - Condition of Employment
4/5 - City
5/5 - Mirage
4/5 - The Autumn Land
4/5 - Founding Father
7/5 - Byte Your Tongue!
4/5 - The Street That Wasn't There
4/5 - The Ghost of a Model T
2/5 - Physician to the Universe
2/5 - No More Hides And Tallow
3/5 - Condition of Employment
4/5 - City
5/5 - Mirage
4/5 - The Autumn Land
4/5 - Founding Father
7/5 - Byte Your Tongue!
4/5 - The Street That Wasn't There
4/5 - The Ghost of a Model T
January 1, 2025
Leg. Forst. - 3
Physician to the Universe - 4
No More Hides and Tallow - 2
Condition of Employment - 3
City - 4
Mirage - 3
The Autumn Land - 3
Founding Father - 4
Byte Your Tongue! - 3
The Street That Wasn't There - 3
The Ghost of a Model T - 3
Physician to the Universe - 4
No More Hides and Tallow - 2
Condition of Employment - 3
City - 4
Mirage - 3
The Autumn Land - 3
Founding Father - 4
Byte Your Tongue! - 3
The Street That Wasn't There - 3
The Ghost of a Model T - 3
December 31, 2020
I loved the first story with stamp collecting. Awesome.
February 19, 2022
DNF @ 30%. It was fine, but not my thing.
June 29, 2023
The stories were just too uneven for me.
April 22, 2016
This is actually 3.5 stars. Simak was very big in his time, but unfortunately, he's been all but forgotten. And what a shame is that! Very rarely do you find a collection of short stories this evenly good. Not a bad one in the bunch.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews