The Goblin Reservation

by Clifford D. Simak

"First-class entertainment" (The Sunday Times) from a classic SF author. En route to an interplanetary research mission, a scientist is abducted by a strange, shadowy race of aliens and taken to a previously uncharted planet, a storehouse of information that would be invaluable--even to an Earth so advanced that time travel allows goblins, dinosaurs, even Shakespeare to coexist.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction, Time Travel, Speculative Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Humor

192 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1968

About the author

"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...

Reviews

[carol. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some days, I need silly and yesterday, The Goblin Reservation fit the bill perfectly.

Familiar with Simak through the beautifully pastoral Way Station, when I saw this for a mere dollar, I snapped it up. A madcap adventure set in a vibrant university setting, it echoed the feel of Doorways in the Sand. While it is set on a future Earth with alien races, aircars, moving sidewalks, and the like, it is also an Earth that is home to small populations of The Fae.

Peter Maxwell, a professor in the College of Supernatural Phenomena, has just returned from an interplanetary journey where he was unexpectedly diverted to a mysterious planet. Charged with brokering their knowledge banks, he returns to the Earth checkpoint only to discover he had already returned and died in an unfortunate accident. When he finally reaches his apartment, he discovers his belongings destroyed and his apartment rented by an unknown attractive woman and her pet sabertooth tiger. They head to the local watering hole for a drink and meet up with Maxwell's friends, Alley Oop (only slightly dated by his inclusion) and Ghost. It gets progressively odder from there as Bill attempts to discover why he was doubled, to find a job and to convince the University that they should buy the alien knowledge. Oh, and help out his friend Goblin O'Toole with his troll problem and some excess October ale. However, the campus is in an uproar over the upcoming time-traveling visit by William Shakespeare, so Maxwell has a challenge trying to get official attention.

Nominated for a Hugo in 1969, it is a quick, fun read that remains close to timeless. Highly recommended for fans of Pratchett, or fans of Zelazny's Doorways in the Sand. I will be re-reading this one.

[mark monday · Rating 3 out of 5]

Goofiness reigns supreme in this amusing, charming lark by Simak at his most relaxed and spontaneous. This book has it all: a fairly pleasant far-future that looks a lot like our own, where instantaneous space travel, poorly-funded time travel, visitors from the past, alien enigmas, a ghost, a rowdy Neanderthal, a robo-Sabretooth, a secret dragon, scifi explanations for faerie & goblins & trolls & banshees, lots of whiskey drinking (I approve), villainous wheeled buckets of insects, and more goofy shenanigans than I can even recount all cram a loose narrative that is about the stresses and appeal of life working on a busy college campus. Oh and the protagonist's duplicate has been mysteriously murdered, and he's not even sure why there was a duplicate running around in the first place. Got all that? If you did, then you have a stronger mind than me, because I often lost track of all the different things the author was throwing at the reader. Soft throws though, with soft objects; nothing about this book is hard or painful.

Best part of the book: the strange, mournful, and decidedly petty banshee. The banshee is basically a combo of a black cloud and black bag, floating around being mean-spirited and then dying with very little fuss. It is also much, much more and the key to what exactly is happening with all of these goofy mysteries.

Was the author a college professor himself? There is amused critique and a very clear love for this milieu that is the most appealing part of this book. The college: overly busy and fraught with rivalry, but within the confines of a lovely pastoral setting that makes it all rather worth it. Nature and friends to banter and drink with: those are the key ingredients that Simak puts forward as the recipe for a good life. I can't help but agree! But let's throw books in there too.

[Metodi Markov · Rating 5 out of 5]

От много години събирам личната си библиотека, но едва тази година съумях да я разположа поне частично в дома си.

И реших да препрочета поне част от книгите, които съм чел през годините и са ми харесали дотолкова, че да останат с мен.



"Резерватът на таласъмите" е любима приказка, развиваща се в едно бъдеще, в което човечеството е покорило огромна част от Космоса, пътува между звездите и из времето, общува и живее заедно с различни чудати разумни видове и изглежда, че няма какво да спре мирната му експанзия. Но то може би се е натъкнало и на своя първи съперник, неизмеримо могъщ, загадъчен и зловещ!

Саймък обича в романите му да има група различни индивиди, които да се преборят с изникналата пред тях задача или трудност. В тази книга това не е по-различно, имаме универстетски специалист по Малкия народ и по-специално по гоблините, неразделните негови приятели - неандерталецът Уп и Духът, както и Карол от института "Време", с нейния биомеханичен домашен саблезъб тигър Силвестър.

Съдбата на човечеството лежи изцяло в техните ръце!

Свежо написан, с голямо чувство за хумор и ирония, текстът засяга вечни общочовешки проблеми. Авторът твърдо вярва в доброто и е абсолютен оптимист.

Илюстрациите на художничката Красимира Димчевска са доста причудливи, на моменти почти гротескни, но на мен ми допаднаха доста, намирам ги интересни и оригинални.



P.S. В края на седемдесетте години на XX век, на българския книжен пазар се появяват първите книжки джобен формат, с шарени и причудливи корици и съдържание почти непознато до тогава на българските читатели, предимно фентъзи и фантастични разкази, повести и романи, на някои от най-добрите творци в жанра. Своя разцвет тези компактни чудесии достигат към края на 90-те години на отминалия век и загиват безславно, в зората на вече набралото скорост книгоиздаване с права.

Но те оставят трайна следа и са помогнали във формирането на хиляди ентусиасти и мечтатели като мен и искам да кажа, че те много ми липсват. За късмет, притежавам внушителна колекция от тях и мога да се насладя на избрани шедьоври, когато си пожелая.

Има си забележки по предаването на текста на български - гоблините определено не са таласъми, качеството на хартията е доста лошо, но какво да се прави, такива бяха реалностите навремето.

Наскоро издателство "Бард" пуснаха ново издание, но с първия и единствен превод на Живка Рудинска, а старите издания могат да се открият за по няколко лева почти във всяка антикварна книжарница - друг плюс на соц книгоиздаването са внушителните тиражи, не само на пропагандната литература. Съмнявам се, че от "Бард" са си направили труда да коригират или да осъвременят нещо от превода.

[Lyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Friends have asked, “Lyn, why only three stars?”

It’s a good and fair question.

First of all, I take the definition directly from Goodreads:

One star – did not like it

Two stars – it was ok

Three stars – liked it

Four stars – really liked it

Five stars – it was amazing

So, three stars means I liked it. Simple, direct and succinct.

Now let me praise the three stars. These are the great populace of the library; a book was conjured up from an imagination, sweated and worried over, time was spent making it just right, effort was made editing and amending, fixing and repairing, decisions were made, words and sentences replaced, paragraphs cut and dropped to the floor. A publisher bound the loose pages up, a cover artist was employed and more thought and work was invested before the finished product was boxed and sent out to the waiting world. Champagne was drank, toasts made, thanks given, praise received and expectations of sales and reviews were inhaled and apprehensions were lassoed and wrested down.

In the parlance of baseball, over the course of a winning season, only a few games are five stars, the great bulk of the wins are in the three-star category; 5 to 3 pitcher’s duels, 12 to 7 relievers struggles, and 2-10 blowouts for the home teams. All good solid, three-star wins that contributed and were enjoyable.

So I come to Clifford Simak’s entertaining, enjoyable and noteworthy novel from 1968, The Goblin Reservation.

This is SOLID, very readable and likeable SF. Imaginative, well written, thoughtful, colorful, and flows along nicely with Simak’s inimitable pastoral style. It was good enough to garner a Hugo nomination and has been read by generations since its initial publication and has contributed to the great career that Simak enjoyed in the speculative fiction community.

Peter Maxwell arrives at his destination and discovers that he had died recently. HE may not have died, but Peter Maxwell did, at least A Peter Maxwell. It seems that a transportation wavelength copied him and either the original or the copy then died, leaving Peter Maxwell, either the original or the copy to carry on and to figure out what comes next.

Along the way Simak entertains with time and dimension travel, aliens, fantastic elements, supernatural and paranormal components and a laundry list of fun SF items to make the discerning fan smile and turn pages.

And humor! This was not laugh out loud hilarity, but it was amusing, and charming (as Simak frequently is) and this wink and nod inclusion only made it better.

Finally, the world building is fun. Simak populates his narrative with goblins, trolls, Neanderthals, saber toothed cats, ghosts, aliens, and a host of collegial and business types. Made me think of Fritz Lieber, Poul Anderson, Kurt Vonnegut, Arthur C. Clarke or (strangely) the Regular Show cartoon.

Recommended.

[Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

1969 Hugo nominee for best novel.

Maybe I'm a chump. I mean, I look at a title like this and I smack my lips and a slight thought drifts across my subconscious, "Satire". I remember loving Way Station, but not quite making the connection between that classic SF title and this. What was I expecting? A haunting exploration of old alien tech and a breath of injustice that makes me think of indigenous Americans and their troubles spiffed up in the mask of an alien? Well... yeah. Aren't assumptions fun and idiotic? Yeah!

Instead, we've got a light romp with fae, banshees, and goblins. What's the first important thing I've learned in the novel? That Goblins are inherently Irish and they love October Ale. I had to laugh.

I was expecting a social commentary, not a murder mystery for oneself after having been duplicated after matter transmission and showing up later only do discover that another he had kicked it. Oh yeah, and this is wide galactic society with lots of strange and familiar species, and yeah, those goblins and fae have been around a long time on earth, don't you know? Of course, they're all just people and some have extra tech and long, long lifespans, but you know how that all is. Once the cat is out of the bag and superstition gets kicked in the head, we can generally all get along, can't we?

Oops, we've got rampaging Shakespearian scholars in the pub again, still upset about learning that the good bard was actually the Earl of Oxford. And don't forget immortal ghosts who've forgotten their original life. And bug carriages. And crystal planets. And ancient genetic feuds, spanning injustice throughout multiple universes and over vast stretches of the timescape... and yeah, there is a time college. What did you expect?

This was a fun and light and wild ride of a novel, full of humor and joy and even when the topic is dark, our faithful narrator is always pretty damn level-headed and reasonable. Even when the bug cages with wheels are soooooo creepy. And pew pew. :)

I had a very good time and this is the third Simak novel that I've read. City was a deep and disturbing novel about robots and telepathic dogs discussing the eventual and complete demise of humanity. Way Station was a gorgeous exploration of ancient alien tech that allows us to explore the universe... at a price. This book also had it's dark elements, but it was easily the lightest and most adventuresome of the three, full of good friends, righteous action, and crazy cool settings, aliens, and consequence. :)

What a classic SF author! So far, he's a real rocket. :)

[Велислав Върбанов · Rating 4 out of 5]

В „Резерватът на таласъмите“ Клифърд Саймък описва един свят от бъдещето, в който на Земята съжителстват различни извънземни раси, технологиите са напреднали и позволяват пътешествие до други планети, а също така е възможно и пътуването във времето. Въпреки че е кратка, книгата на Саймък съдържа доста ценни идеи, както и е написана със страхотно чувство за хумор!

Главен герой в тази фантастична и същевременно приказна история е професор Питър Максуел. След завръщането си от далечна и тайнствена планета той открива, че на Земята преди него се е появил негов двойник, който вече е загинал при неизяснени обстоятелства... Хората смятат Максуел за мъртъв, Университета отказва да го приеме отново, а в жилището му вече се е настанила жена, която отглежда тигър като домашен любимец. Професорът се запознава с нея и започват да търсят отговори на все по-мистериозните събития, като на помощ също идват старите приятели на Максуел - Духът и неандерталеца Уп. Персонажите се впускат във опасни и вълнуващи приключения, за да октрият древен и тайнствен Артефакт, а и да предпазят човечеството от враждебно настроената раса на колесатите. В историята по много готин начин е замесен и Уилям Шекспир...

[Caro the Helmet Lady · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some smartass said that the golden age of sci-fi is twelve. And personally I agree with such opinion. I've read this book for the first time when I was twelve years old and I simply loved it, and it made me read it again and again in years after, and look for other sf or fantasy books. I was seriously hooked on genre, obviously.

Now that I was rereading it after so many years - it still worked for me! Yes, I admit there was a lot of plain silliness and some really cardboard characters there. But such ideas as unlimited time traveling, authentic yet civilized Neanderthal, bio-mechanical saber-toothed tiger kitten, friendly ghost, goblins, banshees, Shakespeare and weird alien things, plus idyllic picture of future Earth as one global sanctuary of wisdom - how could I not love it again?? So I did. Don't judge me, join me! :D

[Michael Jandrok · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ll state right up front and for the record that Clifford D. Simak is one of my personal favorite science-fiction writers. He is often associated with the idea of “pastoral” sci-fi, and it is true that he typically brings an understated and relaxed tone to a good majority of his works. Simak often focused on the personal and psychological tribulations of his characters instead of relying strictly on the science to propel his tales along. Which is not to say that he was weak on the scientific aspects in his writing. Indeed, Simak had a vivid imagination and was always careful to keep his stories well-grounded in valid technological and theoretical concepts. Mostly, though, I love Simak because the man could flat out WRITE. He had a dedication to the ideas that plot and story and characterization were of the utmost importance to the craft of the written word, something that was a bit of a rarity among his contemporaries back in the day. I could easily go on with my fanboy rant here, but I’ll just link you to Simak’s Wiki page and you can read more on your own if you are so inclined to do so.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cliffor...


“The Goblin Reservation” was first published in 1968 and was nominated for a Hugo Award in 1969, but was beaten out for the statue by John Brunner’s acknowledged classic, “Stand on Zanzibar.” Less pastoral and more comedic in nature, the book is a bit of an anomaly for Simak, with the focus square on breakneck pacing and adventure as opposed to one of Simak’s more subdued character studies.

The book follows the story of one Peter Maxwell, a Professor of Supernatural Studies at an unnamed Wisconsin university set several hundred years in the future, when mankind has spread to the stars and the Earth has been largely transformed into a planetary network of schools and museums dedicated to universal learning and research. Time University has mastered the art of time travel, and has used its ability to bring people and artifacts forward to display and interact with. A Neanderthal man named Alley Oop has been rescued from cannibalism in the past and transplanted to the current time and educated in the proper fashion. Oop plays a comic foil for Maxwell and has an integral part in the book. Maxwell also has a friend named Ghost, who just happens to be an actual ghost, and a love interest named Carol who has a biomechanical saber tooth tiger named Sylvester who takes an immediate liking to Maxwell.

Future Earth has also discovered that beings of mythology actually exist, such as trolls, banshees, goblins, and faeries. These creatures have shared the planet with humans since time immemorial, and they have been placed safely on reservations where they may be studied and live comfortably and free in environs that match their traditional origin territories. The Goblin Reservation is ruled by a good-natured lummox named O’Toole, who certainly does enjoy hefting a mug or three of sweet October Ale.

Peter’s adventures begin when he is transported back to Earth after a visit to another planet to look for a reported dragon. We first encounter him while he is being interrogated by a security officer. It seems that Pete Maxwell is truly himself a man out of time, as he apparently reappeared back on Earth several weeks ago and was then killed in an unfortunate “accident.” The second Maxwell thusly gets embroiled in a whirlwind caper that combines elements of mystery and comedy and intrigue, all wrapped up in a satisfying science-fiction and fantasy story that constantly threatens to careen out of control in the most enjoyable ways. Along the way there is betrayal, romance, aliens on wheels, an unfortunate bowl of gravy in the face, and a visit to the present-day future by William Shakespeare himself, even if it turns out that he DIDN’T write all those bloody plays after all. Simak manages to set an awful lot of plot devices to work in “The Goblin Reservation,” and it is a testament to his skill as a writer that he is able to wrap everything up in a tight conclusion after only 192 pages.

Simak’s big strength as a writer is his strong characterizations, and his cast here is universally believable and likeable. I particularly enjoyed Simak’s take on Alley Oop, as he manages to make his caveman foil charming and modern even as he struggles to fit into a society that is truly alien to him. I also liked how Simak handled the budding romance between Maxwell and Carol Hampton, a young and pretty new faculty member who moved into Maxwell’s old apartment after his doppelganger died prior to his second coming. Ms. Hampton is anything but a frail femme fatale, and she takes a full bodied part in the main action as it unfolds. Ghost certainly makes a perfectly good ghost, and of course there are many other characters who add spice and diversity to the proceedings as a whole. I also enjoyed Simak’s usage of popular ‘60s comic names vis a vis the aforementioned Alley Oop and the mischievous saber tooth puddy tat Sylvester. “The Goblin Reservation” literally revels in 1960s cultural references, and so much the better for it.

As with all of Simak’s work, there is a vaguely British feel to the whole thing. I know that Simak is a Wisconsin-bred American, but I have always felt as if he is frequently stylistically English in the way that he presents his stories. I found myself slipping into a faux mental British accent on more than one occasion as I was reading. This feeling was compounded by the fact that all of Simak’s creatures of myth have a Eurocentric origin…..banshees…..gnomes…..trolls….dragons…..the fey…..none of them are native to the Americas, and the one time that Amerindian spirits are mentioned is only in passing.

There is also a feeling that “The Goblin Reservation” is a spiritual sequel of sorts to “Way Station,” Simak’s 1963 science-fiction novel that won the 1964 Hugo Award. Now “Way Station” was a VERY different sort of novel, heavy on the pastoral elements that Simak specialized in, and it was just a more serious work all the way around. But it is not a stretch to think that “The Goblin Reservation” might at least be a product of the same world building that made “Way Station” so successful. The idea of using “transporter nodes” for faster than light interplanetary travel rather than spaceships is one of the central plot points of “Way Station,” as is the concept of Earth as a nascent member of the greater galactic community. It is almost as if this is indeed the world of “Way Station” taken 500 or so years into a glorious future for mankind.

I can certainly understand why “The Goblin Reservation” didn’t win the Hugo in 1969, especially in light of the heavy competition for the award. There is absolutely no shame in losing out to John Brunner and his all-time classic. The sheep were definitely looking up for Brunner at that moment in time. That said, this is still a stellar work that I would highly recommend. The humorous elements were a welcome addition to the Simak arsenal, and the good-natured rapport between the characters makes for an enjoyable and light-hearted novel that seems to go by way to fast. I’m pretty sure that “The Goblin Reservation” will hold up well on subsequent rereadings, though I have an awful lot of unread Simak that I still need to work my way through. The guy IS a Grand Master, after all, and you really can’t go wrong with picking up any of Simak’s work.

[Христо Блажев · Rating 5 out of 5]

Резерватът на таласъмите приютява предците на човека: http://knigolandia.info/book-review/r...

Бедният професор Питър Максуел – не стига че по пътя му към далечна планета, където уж имало дракони, го отвличат мъглявеещи същества, които го отвеждат на своята странна планета, идваща от друга Вселена, а и след като благополучно се завръща на Земята, установява, че негов двойник не само е успял да го изпревари, но е намерил и време да загине мърцина в странен инцидент. Всичките му приятели са били на погребението… и изненадата им от неговата поява е разбираема. Юридически проблеми на хоризонта, разбира се, защото мястото му в университета е вече заето от друг, в жилището му живее симпатична дама в компанията на съблезъбо тигърче, абе… не е добре работата.

Издателска къща БАРД
http://knigolandia.info/book-review/r...

[Irena Pasvinter · Rating 4 out of 5]

In my childhood I heard Clifford Simak's name invoked enthusiastically by my father and brother, insatiable devourers of science fiction. Back then I read some Isaac Asimov, Stanislaw Lem, Kurt Vonnegut, Robert Sheckley, Ray Bradbury and John Wyndham but never got to reading Clifford Simak. I might never have gotten to him, if not for a strange accident.

A few days ago a friend forwarded me a short story written in Russian that had been making rounds on the Israeli Whatsapp. The story features a half-elf and a princess in search of a quest (very much in the stylistics of Dungeons and Dragons). A burgomaster wants them to deal with the goblin who occupies the mountain above his town, constantly terrorizing the populace with his grenade launcher. However, the blood-thirsty goblin cannot be killed, arrested, starved, driven away etc. , because in the eyes of the world this would make the citizen of the town aggressors, expropriators, killers, inhuman etc. So they just deliver him food, and while he is busy eating it, he pauses the shooting, then resumes it. And so it goes...

The story is well-written and is an excellent satire on the situation between Israel and Hamas. But somehow this didn't seem enough -- the text is presented as an extract from Clifford Simak's "The Goblin Reservation", 1968, which is "miraculously" relevant for 2023. This seemed too good to be true, and a quick examination of the novel's synopsis strongly suggested the claim was a fake. The book looked interesting though and happened to be on a huge discount on audible, so I grabbed it.

It turned out to be a delightful read set in the future where time travel and teleportation to the far away planets has become a well-organized routine. I loved the boisterous assortment of odd characters: not only a bunch of college professors and a police inspector but also a ghost, a Neanderthal, and even Bill Shakespeare, on a visit from his own times, as well as goblins, trolls and various kinds of aliens. The plot holds together well, and I willingly suspended my disbelieve. Most importantly, even though the stakes rapidly rose to the survival of the humankind, there was a lot of humor in the dialogue and in the interaction between the characters.

I think that "The Goblin Reservation" withstood the test of time quite well and is not less entertaining today than it might have been in 1968. On the other hand, analyzing those of its aspects that might seem idealized or outdated to us today is rather thought-provoking.

According to Clifford. D. Simak's fruitful fantasy, the earth has become an inter-galactic hub of knowledge. Aliens from distant planets flock to Earth's universities (by the way, the one where the story is set is located somewhere in Iowa) to partake in learning. For the most part, there is a harmony between humans, little folk (fairies, goblins, trolls and such) and all kinds of alien forms of intelligent life. As much as the aliens vary (from spiders to reptiles), the homo sapiens characters are all good old Anglo-Saxon Americans. The old Europe gets mentioned quite a lot, by a troll reminiscing about the distant past, and there is one mention of a science center in China.

Apparently, the forthcoming problems and challenges awaiting mankind in the 21st century didn't seem so insurmountable or bleak to Clifford D. Simak as they might seem to us today. Or maybe he just chose to jump over to the distant and happier future, where there is not trace of disharmony between humans and even humans and aliens get along pretty well.

So, the claim about "The Goblin Reservation" containing a "miraculous" 1968th "prophecy" super-relevant in 2023 turned out to be a fake, but there was one weird coincidence which made me to press on "back" button and verify that my ears were not playing a joke on me: one of the characters is a time traveler who complains that although he wanders from one epoch to another, he cannot get back home to his dear 2023. Well, it looks like he might be better off somewhere else... Although who knows what 2024 might bring. Aliens perhaps? I won't be too surprised.


Simak as pictured in Wonder Stories in 1931.

Image credit: Stellar Publishing / unidentified staff artist(s), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

[Denis · Rating 4 out of 5]

After having read a half dozen, mostly early Simak scifi novels and a handful of his short stories, I had the impression of an enjoyable 'laid back Bradburyesque country' style to his work. However, what I have not delved into, was his fantasy works - For unclear reasons, I tend to avoid this sub-genre... The very title of this novel, repelled me somewhat. However, I had the book and am determined to read as much of his work as I can get a hold of.

I have to admit that I found this Hugo nominated novel, a surprisingly entertaining read. The one dimensional stereotypical characters: a Neanderthal, a bio-engineered sabretooth tiger handled by a bright young woman, aliens that move about on wheels, a time-traveller, trolls, a dragon, a Celtic Goblin, some Trolls, the ghost of one who is clueless of who he once was... and even Shakespeare himself, all part of this tale, were exactly what they were meant to be: Not to be taken seriously, but simply to be fun characters in a light whimsical little story set on Earth in the far future which has become a sort of intergalactic learning institution. The whole was a sort of comedic stage play.

I really didn't think Simak had this sort of thing in him.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Goblin Reservation is a light-hearted science fiction/fantasy novel, a far-future space opera crowded with many traditional tropes from both genres. The protagonist is Prof. Peter Maxwell, a specialist in Supernatural Phenomena, who finds himself in the position of having to solve his own murder, after he returns from a long interstellar journey. Matter transmission and time travel have made it possible for the (mostly) peaceful coexistence of dinosaurs and goblins and Shakespeare and a robotic saber-toothed tiger named Sylvester and banshees and trolls and ghosts and a Neanderthal named Ally Oop and quite a few more other unlikely and imaginative denizens. Oh, and gassy, hive-minded aliens on wheels. It's a whimsical, fun, funny, feel-good, silly romp of a novel, guaranteed to raise a smile and a few chuckles. The Goblin Reservation was serialized in Galaxy magazine in the April and June issues in 1968, after which Putnam and Berkley released it in book form. (Digression: That June issue was one of the most famous digest issues in the history of the genre, because it printed lists of science fiction authors who supported the Vietnam War on one page and those who opposed it on the following one. It also included one of Harlan Ellison's most famous award-winning stories (with his title truncated), The Beast That Shouted Love.) The Goblin Reservation was nominated for a Hugo Award for best novel of the year, but John Brunner's Stand on Zanzibar won. (What do I know? I would've voted for Samuel R. Delany's Nova, had I been of age to vote.) The awards ceremony was held at the St. Louis Worldon, where the master of ceremonies, Harlan Ellison, was widely accused of inciting the audience to riot. End of digression.)

[Knigoqdec · Rating 4 out of 5]

Срещите ми със Саймък всъщност са сравнително малко, но наистина не се колебая особено силно вече, когато името ми попадне пред погледа. Той за мен си е същински вълшебник.

http://knigoqdec.blogspot.bg/2017/08/...

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a weird, wild ride and a whole other side to SFF grand master Clifford Simak than seen in his more widely known"pastoral", languid SF stories.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Okay, how to describe this roller-coaster of a book.
Well, to start with, take an Earth where: (i) humans live side by side with elves, fairies, trolls, goblins, banshees and other mythological creatures; (ii) time travel is not only possible, but commonplace (to the extent that the planetary university has a Time Travel Department), permitting Neanderthals, William Shakespeare (and at least one emotionally sensitive ghost) to live in modern times with the aforementioned mythological creatures; and (iii) space travel (via matter transportation) is also commonplace, meaning that aliens live and work on Earth alongside all of the "people" identified in (i) and (ii) above.

Add to the above cast of characters a plot involving: (a) the discovery by the main character (while off in searach of a dragon) of an amazing "crystal planet" that contains a secret library of information gathered over "billions" of years; (b) an offer by the aliens that own the "library" to sell for the right price; and (c) a race between the main character and his best friends (the neanderthal, the ghost and a goblin) to acquire the library for Earth before an evil alien race beats them to it.

Oh yeah, and I didn't even mention the bio-engineered sabretooth tiger that likes to "play" a little too rough, a history of the Earth you've never heard before, the "duplication" of the main character, the "death" of the main character's duplicate (causing him a whole series of legal problems) and a mysterious "Artifact" that everyone is trying to figure out what it is.

ALL OF THIS IN ONLY 192 PAGES!!!

Needless to say, I thought this book was a ton of FUN. It is a different king of Clifford Simak book, best known for his "pastoral" science fiction novels like Way Station and City, but the characters in it still had the "feel" of classic Simak characters. Recommended!!

Nominee: Hugo Award for Best Novel

[Иван Величков · Rating 5 out of 5]

Тази книга я четох за първи път в четвърти клас и не съм сигурен дали не е първата фантастика, която съм чел изобщо. Не си спомнях почти нищо, освен октоврийската бира, което иде да покаже, че от малък съм предразположен към наливане. Сега, благодарение на услугите на БДЖ успях да я метна за три часа в пътническия влак между София и Пазарджик (имаше и бира).
„Резерватът на таласъмите” е един от най-хомогенните романи на Саймък. По същество е криминална история в която главният герой разследва убийството си. Единствената пародийност, която аз откривам вътре е сарказмът към чиновническите душици на университетските преподаватели.
Питър Максуел е учен към Факултета за свръхестествени изследвания на университета в който се е превърнала цялата планета. След объркана командировка, включваща пътуваща древна планета и странно предложение, установява, че вече се е прибрал вкъщи и дори е бил убит. На всичкото отгоре има реална заплаха човечеството да изгуби огромно количество знания, заради бюрокращина, таласъмите нещо се драчат с троловете, катедра Време е изгубила някъде Шекспир и най-страннната раса в галактиката шумка около Артефакта. Почти без да иска Питър е замесен във всичко, заеднос приятелите си Дух (който е дух) и Ап (който е неандерталец), както и с един симпатичен саблезъб тигър. Докато разбере какво става и как да докаже правно, че не е умрял, ще успее да изгълта тонове бира и уиски, да потроши кръчма, музей и луксозно имение, да се скара с декана на университета, колежката си, тумба журналисти и едно банши, да се запознае с живи и умрели драматурзи, пътуващи във времето художници, кошерни разуми и един дракон.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply a classic, and probably the best book that Clifford Simak ever wrote. It's short (particularly compared to modern novels), but fun, funny, and deeply enjoyable. The blending of fantasy and advanced science was not invented by Simak, but he handled it wonderfully well here. Not only is this a classic of fantasy and science fiction, but I consider it to be one of the funnier books in both genres as well!

I can imagine that some might find the relatively second-class status of the heroine offensive, although I would argue that Simak is not being sexist.

Charm, and ordinary human emotion; unlike many other genre writers of his day, Simak handled both well. His characters are amusing and sympathetic, but they are rarely cruel or unmotivated. I've often regretted that The Goblin Reservation wasn't longer (and that Simak never wrote a sequel - what a fascinating setting he created here! A modern publisher would have FORCED him to write sequels until he'd burned out completely). But at least we have this light but deeply enjoyable novel to read and re-read.

[Книжни Криле · Rating 5 out of 5]

Зората на 90-те, лятна ваканция на село, при баба и дядо, които упорито настояваха, че от 2 до 4 часа е време за почивка и човек трябва да се крие от горещините. И макар, че днес давам мило и драго за една следобедна дрямка, тогава това съвсем не беше така. И какво да направя, когато колелото е паркирано под асмата, а аз съм осъден да прекарам цели два протяжни часа на сянка? Ровех в библиотечката и си търсех нещо интересно за четене. Така попаднах на „Резерватът на таласъмите” на някой си Клифърд Саймък. Прочетете ревюто на "Книжни Криле": https://knijnikrile.wordpress.com/201...

[Марин Трошанов · Rating 5 out of 5]

Фантастика от други времена – неочаквана, дръзновена, създадена със спонтанно отприщен размах на въображението, изпълнена с чаровна наивност, непретенциозно простодушие и много, много топлина. Остаряла е красиво – книга, хем описваща наглед значими и грандиозни събития, хем изпълнена с кроткото спокойствие на мързеливия и почти камерен домашно-академичен уют, царящ в Уисконсинското университетско градче – също като автора си – любител на безметежния риболов, играта на шах, колекционирането на марки и отглеждането на рози.

В тези малко повече от 200 страници има всичко и главният герой – симпатичният учен Максуел от Факултета по свръхестествени явления – сякаш едва успява да му насмогне: пътувания във времето, предаватели и приематели на материя, движещи се шосейни пояси, автолети, загадъчна кристална планета с покрив от кварц и метал, извънземни от всякакви видове и породи, сред които търчащи на рогови колела организми-кошери, двойници, похищения, окарикатурени военни и бюрократична до истерия университетска администрация, неразгадаем артефакт, изгубен между епохите авангарден художник, таласъми пивовари, троли магьосници, коварни банши и танцуващи феи, изпаднал в екзистенциална криза страхлив призрак, биомеханизъм на любвеобвилна съблезъба котка, интелигентен неандерталец, който складира домашна ракия в буркани и отгоре на всичко – самия Шекспир… а може би и дракон…

„Резерватът на таласъмите“ не е нищо по-различно от едно малко бягство – към друго време, към мечтите и светоусещането на детството…

[Biblioworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Саймак настоящий мастер scifi. Безудержная фантазия, не ограниченная каким-то рамками. Мягкий юмор, без характерного для американских авторов ухода "ниже пояса".
И при этом, хотя ситуации совершенно фантастичны, не возникает отторжения "так не может быть". Возможно, за счет того, что нет явных глупостей с физикой происходящего, и за счет органично вписанных в ситуацию персонажей.

[Volpe Nera · Rating 4 out of 5]

Така прикольна фантасмагорія ні про що)

Чисто збіговисько різношерстних персонажів, які щось там бігають, суєтяться, а потім досуєтилися до несподіваної розвʼязки.

Бухали самогон півкниги

[Metaphorosis · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, Metaphorosis Reviews

Summary
Peter Maxwell, professor at the College of Supernatural Phenomena, arrives home to find he has just been killed - or a copy of him has. It's all very confusing, but before sorting it out, he has to find a buyer for a planetful of information offered by the creatures that abducted him. But there's Shakespeare to deal with, and Sylvester the saber-toothed tiger, and the goblins...

Review
I’m fairly confident I’ve read this before, not because I recall the plot, but because Alley-Oop the sardonic Neanderthal stuck in my mind. The plot itself, involving aliens, time travel, Little People, and university administration, is convoluted, but it’s held up admirably by strong, fun characters. And the ending of the book, while it’s given shorter shrift than it might be, is sweet.

It’s characters that are Simak’s strength, and the heart of the book is undoubtedly the fun in following along with his odd mix of characters. The plot is interesting, and another writer might have done more with it, but for Simak, it’s the characters that make it all work. There are some shortcuts – in mid-century fashion, the love story is more assumed than spelled out – and a couple of characters (Ghost and Shakespeare) fall by the wayside, their threads unresolved. Shakespeare probably isn’t needed at all, and Ghost’s arc is somewhat random. But overall, it’s good, lighthearted fun.

The title, by the way, is something of a misnomer. There is a goblin reservation, and it is important to the story, but the story’s not really about goblins, per se.

In my e-copy - and I don't recall where I got it - the OCR and proofreading were pretty haphazard. Very readable, but some wrong paragraph breaks, etc.

[Matt Sears · Rating 1 out of 5]

'Himself again- Having just returned to Earth from an inter-galactic research mission, Professor Peter Maxwell, specialist in Supernatural Phenomena, finds himself in dire straits.

Earth, as he is aware, is well-advanced in many areas; perfected time travel, for instance, enables all creatures (goblins, dinosaurs and Shakespeare!) to coexist. But Maxwell has accidentally discovered a mysterious crystal planet containing a storehouse of secret information not yet known on Earth.

Knowing the value of the planet for the future of Earth, he attempts to convince those in power that they must, at any cost, get control of it. But his efforts are thwarted by a startling fact: Maxwell was ingeniously duplicated on his return trip. The "other" him came back before he did, and was soon after "accidentally" killed. Now no one will believe the original Maxwell really exists...' The back cover of the 1969 edition

'Professor Peter Maxwell is in desperate straits. En route to an interplanetary research mission, he was snatched by a strange, shadowy race to a previously uncharted planet. Ancient beyond comprehension, this planet is a storehouse of information that would be invaluable to the people of Earth- even an Earth so far advanced that perfected time travel allows goblins, dinosaurs, ghosts, even Shakespeare to coexist. His attempts to interest the rulers of Earth are thwarted, however, by a startling discovery- Maxwell was ingeniously duplicated. The "other" him came back before he did, and soon after was "accidentally" killed. Now no one will believe the original Maxwell really exists...' -The back cover of the 1993 edition

First copyright 1968, cover price of the 1969 version 75c and the 1993 version $3.95. Both are 192 pages.

They tweaked the cover description a bit in the 24 years in between these editions, and they still managed to make it deceptively sound like an action packed story of intrigue, which it is not. Not much happens in The Goblin Reservation other than dialogue, which is often on the whimsical side and rarely as clever as Simak is going for. First off- the 'rulers of Earth' Maxwell is attempting to speak to are the head faculty of Oxford college, where this story takes place. Last time I checked academia wasn't exactly the United Nations, but this is 'the far future', so who knows? Oh yeah, Oxford moved to Wisconsin, which is a stab at humor and an example of how earnest and unfunny The Goblin Reservation ended up. The jokes and slapstick involved in this short little novel will make you cringe over and over again.


By now you have figured out that I didn't care for this novel much, but the poor comedic delivery is only one of my gripes. The Goblin Reservation makes an attempt at bridging the often mutually exclusive worlds of fantasy and sci-fi, and fails miserably by trying too much. In 192 pages this novel has aliens, goblins, teleportation, warlocks, trolls, time travel, fairies, space ghosts, a dragon, an educated neanderthal and a 'bio-mech' saber tooth tiger named Sylvester (ha?). I can imagine Simak sitting in front of a dry erase board, writing out the formula for 'coolest shit ever', and trying to jam it into the plot line of The Goblin Reservation. All this book needed was a passive aggressive unicorn that communicates solely through rainbows and it would have run through the gauntlet of stupid sci-fi and fantasy tropes. Fuck this fucking book.

Watch out! Sylvester the bio-mech is stealing the steak off your plate! Oh no, Oop the educated neanderthal is drinking moonshine again!

I wish there was more of a plot to save this novel, but it was completely secondary to the existence of gnomes and witty banter in restaurants. I know that someone is going to tell me that fantasy and sci-fi is about making the reader 'marvel at possibilities' or some shit, but they probably haven't read this terrible book. The Goblin Reservation is honestly one of the worst novels I have read, but sadly not the worst since I started this little project. That illustrious award is still owned by Golem 100 by Alfred Bester, who was at least in his decline and not the middle of his career when he wrote that piece of garbage.

pulpaweek.blogspot.com

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

30 Books in 30 Days, Vol. 4
Book 26/30

A goofy little book. I had a good time.

[Петър Панчев · Rating 5 out of 5]

Загадки, извънземни и таласъми за разкош
(Цялото ревю е тук: https://knijenpetar.wordpress.com/201...)

С удоволствие се върнах към една книга, която съм чел като хлапе. Новото издание на „Резерватът на таласъмите“ („Бард“, 2017, с превод на Живка Рудинска) ми дойде като истински подарък от прекрасните времена, когато тършувах из читалищните библиотеки за фантастични истории и ги поглъщах с нетърпението на малък изследовател на необикновеното. Така се зарадвах и на „Всичко живо е трева“ (https://knijenpetar.wordpress.com/201...), друга емблематична творба на Саймък. Хубаво е човек да си припомня от време на време фантастичните класики. Преиздаването им е просто задължително, макар и рисково, ако се вземат предвид условията на книжния пазар в момента. Не си представям читатели с амбициите да познават добре един жанр, ако не са изчели поне един рафт от съответната класика. При мен този период мина доста отдавна, но наскоро реших да си припомня някои от любимите си книги и да пиша за тях в блога, още повече че напоследък взеха да се появяват доста нови техни издания, а и такива, които не са били превеждани, а си заслужават. По онова време, когато познатите ни технологии са съществували само във фантазиите на писателите и изобретателите, единственият вариант да „видиш“ някакво вероятно бъдеще, е било чрез книгите.

Макар „Резерватът на таласъмите“ да не е чиста фантастика, и в нея се вижда всичко онова, което продължава да вдъхновява човечеството по пътя към неизвестното бъдеще. Странни извънземни, времеви портали, необикновени изобретения…
(Продължава в блога: https://knijenpetar.wordpress.com/201...)

[Anita Radeva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Много приятно развихряне на идеята за бъдещо съжителство с различни раси, Саймък е измислил и необходимото проблемче за голямо знание, до което всеки би искал да се добере. Обаче не мога да кажа, че очакванията ми се оправдаха. От всякъде дочувах много силни мнения за книгата, а на мен нещо не ми достигна...Може би историята е прекалено кратка, за да успее да ми подейства повече. Също не усетих кой знае колко смешни случки, макар че си се смеех на някои моменти.
Главният герой получава правото да спазари голяма информация от развита цивилизация, обаче без допълнителни детайли на кого и срещу какво. От там се срещаме с неговите приятели - Неандерталец и Дух, както и случайно вмъкване на женски образ, и се започва разгадаването стъпка по стъпка на цялата взаимовръзка. Колесатите ми допаднаха като идея, но разбира се най-сладко впечатление ми остави Малкия народ. И така бавно и безнадеждно историята стигна своя край, разбира се с хепи енд.

[Nate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brimming with imagination but where’s the pastoral tone I loved in city and way station?
This was quick and amusing, had som memorable characters and some ahead of their time concepts like aliens that are a hive of insects inside a mobile framework but all in all it seemed a bit rushed.
Not terrible but not in keeping with his most famous works.

[prcardi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Storyline: 2/5
Characters: 2/5
Writing Style: 3/5
World: 2/5

Light-hearted, silly, unassuming, easy-going. Some will value that. I didn't.

I had enjoyed Simak's Time is the Simplest Thing, enough so that I had been eager to read something else by him. I was later wowed by his Way Station and wanted to re-experience the pleasures I had found therein. In both those works Simak offered a penetrating ambience. He captured something of rural America and deftly inserted science fiction elements with the goal of teasing out the results of the mix. Though the Goblin Reservation features Simak's beloved Wisconsin, there is little else this shares in common with those other two. This was a book of jaunty camaraderie. It differs from the pulp science fiction of Edgar Rice Burroughs, E.E. Doc Smith, and their literary descendants. Their fun was based on the action hero galloping across the realm slaying fiends and rescuing damsels. The Goblin Reservation is of a different lineage where a coterie go out boisterously enjoying themselves and one another and fall into a bit of adventure along the way. Others in this lineage that come to mind include Fritz Leiber's The Big Time, Robert Silverberg's Up the Line, Poul Anderson's There Will Be Time, and Alfred Bester's The Computer Connection. I also did not enjoy most of those.

P.S. I have no idea what is going on in that cover. There are no walking skeletons, giant grasshoppers, or donut-shaped spacecraft in the book.

[PostMortem · Rating 4 out of 5]

Признавам, че подходих скептично към "Резерватът на таласъмите" и в началото на книгата ми се струваше, че скептицизмът ми е бил оправдан.

Грешка.

От един момент нататък историята те грабва и с изтънчена лекота те пренася във фино изградения свят на таласъми, троли, духове, баншита и т.н.

Саймък с размах изгражда и заплита историята, която става все по-интересна до самия финал. Майсторско изпълнение.

[Beck Siegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would you believe me if I told you right up until the last two pages this book is elaborately constructing an ultra left anti colonial critique about what happens when you sell out history for progress and then it resolves it all with a miscommunication and a dragon sticking out his tongue at the protagonist