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Dusty Zebra
Tales of science fiction and adventure from the Hugo Award-winning author of Way Station and City.
The long and prolific career of Clifford D. Simak cemented him as one of the formative voices of the science fiction and fantasy genre. The third writer to be named a Grand Master by the Science Fiction Writers of America, his literary legacy stands alongside those of Robert A. Heinlein and Ray Bradbury. This striking collection of nine tales showcases Simak's ability to take the everyday and turn it into something truly compelling, taking readers on a long journey in a very short time.
In "Dusty Zebra," Joe discovers a portal that allows him to exchange everyday objects with an entity he can neither see nor hear, and soon learns that one man's treasure may be another dimension's trash. In "Retrograde Evolution," an interplanetary trading vessel tries to figure out how to deal with a remote society that has suddenly decided to become far less civilized. And in "Project Mastodon," an unusual ambassador from an unheard-of country offers amazing opportunities in a place the modern world can never compete with: the past. Simak's mastery of the short form is on display in these and six other stories.
Each story includes an introduction by David W. Wixon, literary executor of the Clifford D. Simak estate and editor of this ebook.
The long and prolific career of Clifford D. Simak cemented him as one of the formative voices of the science fiction and fantasy genre. The third writer to be named a Grand Master by the Science Fiction Writers of America, his literary legacy stands alongside those of Robert A. Heinlein and Ray Bradbury. This striking collection of nine tales showcases Simak's ability to take the everyday and turn it into something truly compelling, taking readers on a long journey in a very short time.
In "Dusty Zebra," Joe discovers a portal that allows him to exchange everyday objects with an entity he can neither see nor hear, and soon learns that one man's treasure may be another dimension's trash. In "Retrograde Evolution," an interplanetary trading vessel tries to figure out how to deal with a remote society that has suddenly decided to become far less civilized. And in "Project Mastodon," an unusual ambassador from an unheard-of country offers amazing opportunities in a place the modern world can never compete with: the past. Simak's mastery of the short form is on display in these and six other stories.
Each story includes an introduction by David W. Wixon, literary executor of the Clifford D. Simak estate and editor of this ebook.
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First published July 7, 2017
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About the author
Clifford D. Simak
966 books1,055 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 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 20, 2018
Clifford Simak was a prolific writer of short stories, mostly science fiction starting in the 1930s when the genre was new, and initially the stories were sold individually to magazines. They have been curated and released digitally by his friend, David W. Wixon, who provides a forward and brief, interesting notes before each one. My thanks go to Open Road Media and Net Galley for the DRC, which I received in 2016 in exchange for this very tardy but honest review.
Open Road offers the entire Simak collection in a series, and as a fan of old school science fiction--the sort that doesn't make inside jokes for programmers and code writers--I have been snapping them up. I read #1, #4, and #7-10 and loved them all, and so I settled happily down to read this one. The introduction by Wixon is perhaps the best of the notes I have seen so far, and the first story, Dusty Zebra, is uproarious. I loved it. After that, not so much.
In addition to having written a ton of science fiction and a few westerns, which were hugely popular in the 1950s and early 1960s, Simak also wrote a few World War II stories, primarily during and shortly after the war. These are not stories that have aged well. There are a whole raft of ugly racist terms used in them that were horrifyingly common among Caucasian Americans during that time period. We are better people now, most of us, and so reading this sort of thing puts my teeth on edge. I skipped around in the collection some, but even those that contained none of this crap somehow failed to hold my attention. I moved to the last story, since short stories are often bookended with the strongest selections, and I didn't care for it either; it wasn't offensive, but it also wasn't interesting. Simak sometimes struggled with dialogue, and so dialogue-heavy selections are usually not his best work.
Open Road doesn't post on Net Galley anymore, but I still have one more of their Simak collections, #12, and I intend to read it and review it. With 6 excellent collections and 1 mostly lousy one, I like my odds. But for fans of wonderful science fiction, I recommend turning to one of the others noted above, all of which I have reviewed. Simak's work is great more often than not, and I still encourage you to read it; in fact, since it's selling cheaply, you could even buy this one for the title story if you have a mind to. But you'll get more bang for your buck by turning to the others first.
Open Road offers the entire Simak collection in a series, and as a fan of old school science fiction--the sort that doesn't make inside jokes for programmers and code writers--I have been snapping them up. I read #1, #4, and #7-10 and loved them all, and so I settled happily down to read this one. The introduction by Wixon is perhaps the best of the notes I have seen so far, and the first story, Dusty Zebra, is uproarious. I loved it. After that, not so much.
In addition to having written a ton of science fiction and a few westerns, which were hugely popular in the 1950s and early 1960s, Simak also wrote a few World War II stories, primarily during and shortly after the war. These are not stories that have aged well. There are a whole raft of ugly racist terms used in them that were horrifyingly common among Caucasian Americans during that time period. We are better people now, most of us, and so reading this sort of thing puts my teeth on edge. I skipped around in the collection some, but even those that contained none of this crap somehow failed to hold my attention. I moved to the last story, since short stories are often bookended with the strongest selections, and I didn't care for it either; it wasn't offensive, but it also wasn't interesting. Simak sometimes struggled with dialogue, and so dialogue-heavy selections are usually not his best work.
Open Road doesn't post on Net Galley anymore, but I still have one more of their Simak collections, #12, and I intend to read it and review it. With 6 excellent collections and 1 mostly lousy one, I like my odds. But for fans of wonderful science fiction, I recommend turning to one of the others noted above, all of which I have reviewed. Simak's work is great more often than not, and I still encourage you to read it; in fact, since it's selling cheaply, you could even buy this one for the title story if you have a mind to. But you'll get more bang for your buck by turning to the others first.
July 29, 2022
The most disappointing of the Simak complete short story collections. Great start in Dusty Zebra and great ending with Project Mastodon, the latter being much improved for his later novel Mastodonia (or Catface as it was originally published in the UK). The rest of the short stories are very hit and miss.
April 12, 2018
Metaphorosis Reviews
3.5 stars
This as a very uneven collection. Some of the stories are among Simak's very best, and others are no more than adequate. To those who dropped in for Simak's trademark good-hearted, pleasant heroes, the included WW II action story is shocking in its attitudes and language. Even allowing for its circumstances and time frame, it's unpleasant to read. But some stories are terrific, so just skip that one. And one of them has an early use of the the word Google (as the name of an alien race). The best stories are:
Dusty Zebra - a familiar 'trade with aliens' story, but with a wry sense of humor.
Hobbies - part of the City sequence, this is a slow-moving, slow-building story with a strong ending.
Retrograde Evolution - as with "Hobbies", a story with a strong message about responsibility.
3.5 stars
This as a very uneven collection. Some of the stories are among Simak's very best, and others are no more than adequate. To those who dropped in for Simak's trademark good-hearted, pleasant heroes, the included WW II action story is shocking in its attitudes and language. Even allowing for its circumstances and time frame, it's unpleasant to read. But some stories are terrific, so just skip that one. And one of them has an early use of the the word Google (as the name of an alien race). The best stories are:
Dusty Zebra - a familiar 'trade with aliens' story, but with a wry sense of humor.
Hobbies - part of the City sequence, this is a slow-moving, slow-building story with a strong ending. Retrograde Evolution - as with "Hobbies", a story with a strong message about responsibility. 
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 19, 2018
I just love his writing. His stories are filled with unexpected trails that sometimes end suddenly which somehow works. I have never read Mr. Simak's works before, now he's foremost in my list. I can honestly say this collection of works has made me a fan. Try it, you won't regret it.
November 29, 2021
They can’t all be gems but there are some worthwhile stories in this collection. I think Final Gentleman is my favorite. Its ending has multiple interpretations.
May 24, 2025
Nog bad writing, Just too dated... Even the Science Fiction stories don't sound like SF
March 8, 2020
This is the second time I've read this story and it is still good. All about unintended consequences of communication with another dimension.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews