{"product_id":"the-thing-in-the-stone-and-other-stories-9781504073943","title":"The Thing in the Stone: And Other Stories","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA mind-opening collection of short science fiction from one of the genre’s most revered Grand Masters.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Legendary author Robert A. Heinlein proclaimed, “To read science fiction is to read Simak. A reader who does not like Simak stories does not like science fiction at all.” The remarkably talented Clifford D. Simak was able to ground his vast imagination in reality, and then introduce readers to fantastical worlds and concepts they could instantly and completely dig into, comprehend, and enjoy.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e In the title story, a man’s newfound ability to walk in the past allows him to dwell among dinosaurs, saber-toothed tigers . . . and something even more timeless. In “Construction Shack,” the first manned expedition to Pluto reveals that no matter how advanced aliens may be, even they don’t always get everything right. And in “Univac 2200,” the thin line between humans creating technology and humans becoming technology is about to be crossed—and there may be no going back.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eEach story includes an introduction by David W. Wixon, literary executor of the Clifford D. Simak estate and editor of this ebook.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePraise for Clifford D. Simak\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Like Olaf Stapledon and SF’s later mystics, Simak could dream on a grand scale. . . . Thoreau or Wordsworth would feel at home in his isolated houses rooted in natural landscapes.” —\u003ci\u003eLocus\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “Simak is the most underrated great science fiction writer alive, and has never written a bad book.” —Theodore Sturgeon\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “I read [Simak’s] stories with particular attention, and I couldn’t help but notice the simplicity and directness of the writing—the utter clarity of it. I made up my mind to imitate it, and I labored over the years to make my writing simpler, clearer, more uncluttered, to present my scenes on a bare stage.” —Isaac Asimov\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “Without Simak, science fiction would have been without its most humane element, its most humane spokesman for the wisdom of the ordinary person and the value of life lived close to the land.” —James Gunn\u003cbr\u003e  ","brand":"Open Road Media","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51040905855319,"sku":"9781504073943","price":21.56,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781504073943.jpg?v=1750948235","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/the-thing-in-the-stone-and-other-stories-9781504073943","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}