Status Updates From La croisade de l'idiot

Lulu - A little long but a ton of fun. I guarantee if you found the right four actors for this, you could make a fucking amazing SF comedy with a sneaky profound message about love.

If nobody writes this screenplay, I will.

Green Thumb - Simak probably could have used a better editor. That, or some of these stories just have so much fat on them whereas modern SFF short stories tend to be more focused and it's just incompatible with the majority of what I read.

That said, his charm is undeniable. It really is. The moralism is extremely heavy-handed but it's hard for me to pan him.

Death Scene - "Giving them all a chance to prove that they were civilized" wow who in this dust jacket is cutting onions

Jackpot - My rapid reaction is this is one of my favorite stories I think I’ve ever read. The tone, the subtle world building, it’s ultimate conclusions. He also indirectly writes what I have to imagine is one of the first instances of VR technology in SF.

The Big Front Yard - This is apparently one of Simak’s most popular short stories/novellas.

I’m a little dismayed because I at once feel like it’s the perfect combination of Simak’s whole thing (Portals to other worlds, optimism, Aww-shucks approach to science) and yet I didn’t really like it that much. Too many elements, too many paths that go nowhere. Kind of a big disappointment.

Founding Father - The inherent loneliness of a generation ship, and facing difficult truths over comfortable lies.

I really enjoy Simak's approach to feeling over facts in regards to sci fi premises (same school as Ray Bradbury and PKD), but this is one where I think a little more context would leave me with fewer questions.

Carbon Copy - Huh?!? What??? What was the point of any of that? The last half-page of this story is like an I Think You Should Leave sketch that didn't make the cut.

Honorable Opponent - This is quirky story about the future of war-- but because it's Simak he finds a way to write about a war with no death. Made me say "this fucking guy" with a smile on my face out loud when I realized what he'd done.

Big thank you to Dave from Storyphoria for sending me this.

Dusty Zebra - Simak is so incredibly readable. I can't tell if I'm forcing this comparison because I'm in the middle of my Vonnegut project but he reminds me of Kurt in many ways.

Captivating jaunt about transactional relationships and the nature of business. A very inventive first-contact story.