Epilog

Book excerpt: A volume of eleven stories from the Hugo Award–winning science fiction author that explore inner space, future worlds, and the peculiar lives of robots. One of the twentieth century’s most pioneering science fiction authors, Clifford D. Simak had a special fondness for robots. Not only did these thinking machines represent the boundless possibilities of technology, they also had the potential to bring—in his words—“the kindness and the courage that I thought were needed in the world.” The stories in this volume offer a variety of Simak’s unique robot visions. In “Lulu,” a robot built for planetary exploration takes on a female identity, causing unforeseen challenges for her three-man crew. An examination of an unknown planet reveals the celestial body to be a single, gigantic computer whose origins and purpose are a mystery, in “Limiting Factor.” And in the title story, Simak returns to his longest-running robot character, Jenkins, who reflects on all that has come and gone one last time. Each story includes an introduction by David W. Wixon, literary executor of the Clifford D. Simak estate and editor of this ebook.