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A man hunts for lost knowledge in a future society that's reverted to a primitive tribal state in this novel by the author of Way Station. More than a thousand years have passed since humankind intentionally destroyed its treacherous technology, choosing to revert back to a primitive tribal state. In this society the rusting brain cases of long-inert robots are considered trophies, and the scant knowledge that has survived is doled out to an inquisitive few in monastery-like "universities." It is at one such center of learning that young Tom Cushing first reads of the legendary "Place of Going to the Stars," rumored to exist on a high butte somewhere in the western part of the land. Driven by enthusiasm and an insatiable need to track the myth to its source, Tom sets out on an amazing trek across what was once called "America," teaming up with a witch, the world's last remaining robot, and other odd companions. But all the astonishing discoveries and dangers they encounter along the way will pale before the revelations that await them at journey's end. Clifford D. Simak, award-winning science fiction Grand Master, offers a breathtaking vision of the future that is both dystopian and hopeful in equal measure. In A Heritage of Stars, he boldly displays the heart, intelligence, and awesome imaginative powers that have established him as one of the all-time greatest authors of speculative fiction. … (more)
User reviews
traditional sci if themes plus borders on fantasy, with intellgent trees and rocks and ESP.The story starts far in the future. all technology is gone. Man Lives in the stone age. One place the sie of an old university they have preserved knowledge of reading and
A young dreamer starts a journey to find the place. Along the way he finds a witch, the last robot in the world (who happens to hunt bears) and an old man who talks to plants and his granddaughter who sees other worlds.
Altough the story is dated by todays standards, it is never the less a good period piece of the type of sci fi that was writen then. This is the type of story that developes into the fantasy stories of today.
The writing and story are pleasant enough, in a low-key sort of way typical of Simak, and there are some nice touches of good old SF sense of wonder stuff at the end. I did have some suspension-of-disbelief problems with it, though, especially at the beginning. It's not the way it buys into the reality of psychic powers; that was so common in 70s SF, and it so often made for entertaining story elements, that even a hardcore skeptic like me can just shrug and accept it. It's also not that the protagonist just happens to randomly encounter exactly the people and information he needs to complete his quest, as there's a certain kind of fairy-tale logic to that that actually mostly works.
No, it's the world-building I have some issues with. The way the collapse of civilization happened isn't quite convincing to me, at least not the way Simak presents it, and the details of what survives from the former civilization and what doesn't are odd, too, in ways that are entirely too plot-convenient. Come on, is a 1500-year-old paper map still going to be readable after being carried around in someone's backpack? And the main character feels far too much like someone with a 20th-century perspective rather than a plausible product of his own time and culture, even accounting for the fact that he's read a lot of old books.
Still, the further I read on, the less most of that bothered me. And I'd say that if you're in the mood for a bit of vintage SF -- and, unlike a lot of the more experimental stuff of the 70s, this undoubtedly had a bit of a vintage feel even then -- you could do a lot worse. If what you're looking for, though, is a first introduction to Simak, I would recommend Way Station instead.