What begins, well, after a bit of exposition, as a classic survivalist tale ends up as a puzzle concerning alien intervention (perhaps, a deus ex machina and time-travel. At times, Cemetery World seems to be a cautionary morality tale about corporate greed and the futility of warfare (indeed, a peace message reverberates through the entire plot) and thuggery. It is no surprise that Simak introduces time-travel and bucolic landscapes; he’s done that on several occasions(most notably Way Station and Time and Time Again--both published under different titles, as well). The warp and woof of his work weaves together both the sense of destiny and futility with which humankind struggles.Cemetery World begins with an artist’s dream, pulls together the desire for meaning inherent in archaeology’s quest, and ties in the Babylonian Captivity precedent of removing the creatives, intellectuals, and innovators from a civilization while leaving the backward, primitive, and unimaginative behind. Long before there were movies about the singularity involved in combining human and machine, Simak redefines what it means to be human in this story’s attempt to confront a soulless megacorporation. The megacorporation, as one might guess from the title, is “The Cemetery.” After earth’s best and brightest had colonized the stars, after an apocalyptic conflict had reduced human civilization to tiny pockets of backwoods survivalists and frightened urban scavengers, living in the wild and the ruins respectively, a huge corporation decided that earth would make an ideal cemetery for those who wished for their loved ones (and could, of course, afford it) to be grounded in Mother Earth. Since only a portion of the world has actually been civilized into “The Cemetery,” this seems the ideal world for Fletcher Carson to visit with his navigating compositor/computer/navigator/pack animal (robot) and gather the necessary data to create the ultimate artistic expression of a planet thwarted by war and corporate greed from reaching its potential—with all the tragedy and pathos that would include along with the standard aesthetic.In attempting his task, Fletch (or Carson) finds the obligatory comely ally in one Cynthia Lansing. She is on a personal quest, a family quest that dovetails with the dream of a former professor of Carson’s. The quest involves both archaeology and xeno-archaeology. As with the Indiana Jones films, one hardly expects to find a conspiracy of powerful opponents aligned against them. As it turns out, the apparent monolithic conspiracy actually has seams to exploit. It becomes very interesting when the duo is forced to determine which machines are for them and which against them. Fletch and Cynthia have just the right amount of paranoia to make this plot work. I don’t think this is Simak’s finest work, but I do think it’s worth reading. The ideas and sentiments work to make a thoughtful, yet pleasant, diversion.
Clifford D. Simak is a name that any hardcore science fiction fan will be familiar with, but for some reason his works haven't become as popular in the present day as some other authors. Which is a shame, really, because he has some of the best conceptual work that I've come across. The books that I've read of his have all been phenomenal (City, A Heritage of Stars, and now Cemetery World).Cemetery World is one of those great, almost unknown works. On the surface the book appears very simple, but there are a myriad of concepts that push it over the edge. Imagine a cemetery that covers a good part of a world -- so much so that it becomes known for it. Who controls the cemetery? What is going on, and why does our hero and heroine come to this world? Simak's treatment of machines is one of the most interesting that I've come across. Given enough time, what boundaries would remain for robots? Could they become human? Other concepts that Simak explores include mutation, the aftermath of nuclear war, and time distortion. He also introduces a new art form -- a machine that captures all of the senses of a new place and can readily replay them for its users. I recall reading about something like this in one of Niven's short stories, but the two authors approach the matter in different ways. One last thing. I don't want to give too much away, but let's say that fans of Bradbury's Hound and Simak's dogs will also find something to like in this book.All in all, I would recommend Cemetery World as a quick but challenging read. Happy reading!Courtesy of http://blasterboltsgalaxylore.blogspo...
What do You think about Cemetery World (1993)?
I have fond memories of reading Simak way back in high school, when I read a number of his books for the once a year sci-fi book report assignment. I always wondered if the teachers really wanted us to read sci-fi or if it was some kind of obligatory bow to some kind of pressure from one particular teacher in the department who did enjoy sci-fi. The Simak books I chose most likely made my teachers wonder if I had made the whole thing up considering how surreal and odd so many of them are, at least when only the plot is described. I'm not sure if I just read his best work in high school or if if my taste has changed, but this is just not one of his better books. He presents some interesting ideas here, and some exciting scenes, but like a lot of his later works it starts out just fine and trails off into more of a sketch of a novel rather than a fully realized story. Plenty of unanswered questions, unrealistic dialog, and the ending is an afterthought. He's well known as the pastoral sci-fi writer, more of a luddite than a hard sci-fi writer. There's plenty of good descriptions here, but none of the memorable almost poetic prose that I remember from All Flesh is Grass, Way Station, or even from some of his short stories such as Grotto of the Dancing Deer.
—Peter
Корпоративно гробище Земя – гид Клифърд Саймъкhttp://www.knigolandia.info/2011/02/b... Корпорациите могат ли да купят смъртта? Или пък родната планета на човечеството? Оказва се, че и двете неща са напълно възможни в “Гробищен свят” на Клифърд Саймък. Изминали са прилично количество хилядолетия от последната война, унищожила родния дом на човечеството. То все пак е имало достатъчно разум да се разсели и сега цялата галактика е осеяна с обитаеми планети. Родната Земя малко по малко се е възстановила от нанесените поражения, но една предприемчива корпорация с търгашеско име “Майка Земя” я е превзела. Планетата е превърната в гигантско гробище, където може да бъде погребан всеки срещу солидно заплащане. А възможността за това е насърчавана от всички нароили се религии и прилежащите им хрантутници.
—Христо Блажев
Quando il genere umano si sarà diffuso su tutti i mondi della Via Lattea, che ne sarà della Terra? Il pianeta verrà abbandonato, dopo le spaventose guerre che per poco non distrussero completamente l'umanità. Nelle sue distese agresti vivono ancora dei superstiti, ritornati alla civiltà patriarcale degli antenati; e forse, nelle valli sperdute, vagano ancora le antiche e terribili Macchine da Guerra, per metà meccaniche, per metà umane. Ma un poco di Terra rimane sempre nel cuore di tutti i terrestri, anche se le loro case sono ai quattro angoli della galassia; e così è un punto d'onore e d'orgoglio poter essere sepolti nella polvere del pianeta madre. E' un privilegio riservato solo ai più ricchi: ogni anno, da tutti gli angoli dell'Universo, si lenziose astronavi conducono le spoglie dei ricchi defunti nel grande sepolcro bianco della Terra. Ma un giorno, sul pianeta antico, giungono un uomo, un vecchio robot, e una macchina prodigiosa. L'uomo è un artista, che viene a ispirarsi sul mondo ancestrale per comporre un'opera d'arte immortale, attraverso i sensi e la sintesi della sua macchina; il robot è anch'esso un figlio della Terra, un robot libero che ricorda il tempo in cui quel mondo era ancora vivo e vitale, un robot che ha vagabondato per millenni per tutto l'universo, nella speranza di ritornare a quella che egli considera la sua casa. Ma la Terra è troppo antica. Su di essa, ormai, le Macchine vogliono acquistare un'anima, e le anime libere dei morti vogliono diventare macchine. Un visitatore di altri mondi, un Viaggiatore giunto sulla Terra all'alba della civiltà, si aggira ancora per le silenti pianure e tra le foreste lussureggianti... e l'unico rifugio per sfuggire al passato è il Tempo, la cui chiave è una danza d'ombre...(source: Anobii.com)
—Matteo Pellegrini
