Next to feature on my 1001 list (12) is the collected work of popular sci-fi novelist, Clifford.D.Simak who was born in 1904 and died in 1988. His work was published extensively throughout the late sixties and seventies and had a resurgence in the mid to late eighties. Featuring a wide variety of both classic and original sci-fi ideas, his novels were highly successful and he was regarded amongst some of the greatest sci-fi writers of the time! His work often followed similar themes, usually to do with mankind's first contact with alien species', and, though he was not noted for ever writing one classic single sci-fi epic that stood out above the rest, still his novels were of a consistently high standard!
Not all his books were a roaring success though; a couple of attempts he made at fantasy fiction were not as well written or as enjoyable as his mainstream sci-fi but then even Stephen King writes the occasional duff novel and he is one of my favourite writers of all time! Some of my favourites of Simak's novels include They Walked Like Men, Shakespeares Planet, The Visitors and Catface but it is difficult to pick between his extensive back-catalogue of novels as the majority of them are as ground-breakingly breath-taking as they are inspirational to read!
One of the main characteristics of his novels that makes them so poular is the sense of community that all his books bring. Many of his novels have a relatively small cast, sometimes no more than two or three characters feature throughout the whole of a story, and many of them likewise are set in small American towns in and around Winconsin. Whatever your thoughts on Simak, there is little doubt that he was one of the all-time sci-fi greats comparable to the likes of Asimov and Arthur.C.Clarke and it is only regretful that in later years, his books have become less well known! Here is a link to his Wikipedia page if you want to learn more about him...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clifford_D._Simak
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