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Clifford D. Simak
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A Heritage of Stars Hardcover – January 1, 1977

by Clifford D. SIMAK (Author)
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 778 ratings
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Thousands of years in the future, when the nearly indestructible skulls of destroyed robots litter the forest floors of the American continent, which barely remembers the greatness of the old technological civilization. Tom Cushing sets out on a quest. He treks across the midwest to find the fabled Place of Going to the Stars, from which ancient technological man left earth to travel among the alien civilizations of the galaxy. There reside the strange artifacts of other worlds that humanity brought back and, it is rumored, some of the strange alien beings themselves. His mission is to recover lost knowledge and to regain humanity's lost heritage.
Previous page
  1. Print length
    219 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Berkley
  4. Publication date
    January 1, 1977
  5. ISBN-10
    0399119469
  6. ISBN-13
    978-0399119460
  7. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Berkley (January 1, 1977)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 219 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0399119469
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0399119460
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 10.6 ounces
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 778 ratings

About the author

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Clifford D. Simak

Clifford D. Simak

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During his fifty-five-year career, Clifford D. Simak produced some of the most iconic science fiction stories ever written. Born in 1904 on a farm in southwestern Wisconsin, Simak got a job at a small-town newspaper in 1929 and eventually became news editor of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, writing fiction in his spare time. Simak was best known for the book City, a reaction to the horrors of World War II, and for his novel Way Station. In 1953 City was awarded the International Fantasy Award, and in following years, Simak won three Hugo Awards and a Nebula Award. In 1977 he became the third Grand Master of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, and before his death in 1988, he was named one of three inaugural winners of the Horror Writers Association's Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
778 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Russ M.
5.0 out of 5 stars A great intro to Simak's works.
Reviewed in the United States on September 17, 2015
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A well crafted book with a great story told only as Simak can.A great introduction to Simak's work---I hope it encourages people to find more of his books such as:City,Way Station,All Flesh is Grass,and his marvelous short story collections.
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Karl Janssen
4.0 out of 5 stars Searching for hope in a post-technological future
Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2016
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Celebrated science fiction writer Clifford D. Simak’s novel A Heritage of Stars was originally published in 1977. In 2015 it became available in e-book format from Open Road Media, along with many other Simak works. Simak is a master sci-fi visionary whose career spanned over half a century. A Heritage of Stars displays the high level of speculative creativity and quality storytelling indicative of Simak’s body of work, but still it’s not one of his most successful efforts.

The story takes place about two thousand years in the future. Earth is now a post-apocalyptic world in which mankind has reverted to barbarism. About 1500 years prior to the events of the story, humanity began to feel an intense hatred toward the technology they had created and the problems it had fostered—massive unemployment, depleted natural resources, environmental pollution, and oppressive, ungainly social, economic, and political systems. In a fit of worldwide rage, humans rebelled against their technology and destroyed it, along with most of the recorded knowledge of their machines and how they functioned. Thus, mankind reverted back to a primitive existence of nomadic hunting, subsistence farming, and tribal warfare. One bastion of civilization still holds out—the former University of Minnesota, where a band of peaceful citizens mostly practices potato farming but still maintains a respect for literacy. Thomas Cushing, one of the university’s inhabitants, comes across a millennium-old history that mentions a Place of Going to the Stars, suspected to be a launching pad for interstellar travel. Restless and curious, Cushing decides to leave the safety of the university, head west, and seek out this mythical site.

The novel starts out as a pretty good post-apocalyptic wilderness adventure, reminiscent of Jack London’s The Scarlet Plague. The saga of a lone explorer striking out into an unknown and dangerous world is always a compelling one. As the novel proceeds, however, it begins to veer further and further into the realm of fantasy. Though Simak tackles hard science concepts, the plot begins to follow the familiar fantasy formula that’s been used in everything from The Wizard of Oz to The Lord of the Rings. Cushing picks up a band of misfits, each of which has a special power, and together they make a pilgrimage to a lost city, encountering scary monsters along the way. A Heritage of Stars deals with a number of recurring Simak themes, including intelligent plants, robots struggling to find their place in the world, and mankind’s relationship to those robots. The way in which Simak treats these topics in this novel, however, feels less scientifically sound and more poetically imaginative. Even the very premise upon which the plot is built, the revolt against technology, seems too unrealistic the way he’s handled it here.

I recently read I Am Crying All Inside and Other Stories: The Complete Short Fiction of Clifford D. Simak, Volume 1 and found it to be an excellent collection of short stories and novellas. Simak is truly a master of the short form narrative. This longer work, however, feels like a short story that’s been drawn out far too long. Even though it overstays its welcome, the ending feels half-baked, as if left open for a sequel that would never come. Despite my complaints, this is not a bad book. I was engaged by Cushing’s journey and eager to see its resolution. However, A Heritage of Stars is merely an OK book by a great author. Compared to Simak’s other works, it’s nothing special, but compared to 90% of the science fiction out there, it still holds up pretty well.
37 people found this helpful
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Hip_Gnosis
3.0 out of 5 stars A serviceable read on vacation.
Reviewed in the United States on July 4, 2016
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I missed reading this Simak book in my youth, was glad to pick up a work by an old friend. Many of Simak's tried and true hallmarks are there: a voyage, a mystery, a rag-tag bunch of travelers, lush descriptive prose and a few key ideas explored in the course of the book, in this case the question of what happens if the technological arc of man's advancement turns out to be a dead-end, as experienced by countless other extraterrestrial races. If progress and interstellar expansion isn't sufficient purpose for a race, what is? Avoiding spoilers, read the book to see if the protagonists come up with an answer other than 42.
6 people found this helpful
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Jeff in Iowa
5.0 out of 5 stars Typical Simak, he never disappoints
Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 2023
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A post- apocalyptic story of sorts from a grand master of sci-fi storytelling. The 'apocalypse' this time comes in the form of mankind destroying technology as he found it too harmful ( brings to mind the AI fears of today ). Simak as usual drew me in right away, and in the middle of a 'quest' with a disparate collection of travelers sneaks in some big concepts and social commentary regarding our dependence on technology. While it was written almost half a century ago it seems so relevant today.
3 people found this helpful
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Jamie
4.0 out of 5 stars I like that the story doesn't hurry
Reviewed in the United States on February 1, 2017
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A Heritage of Stars by Clifford D. Simak

This was written in 1977, but really is a classic. It has a feel that goes back to the Golden age of SciFi. I like that the story doesn't hurry, but rather takes it's time to develop. Yes the characters are mostly one dimensional, but each of them adds in a unique way.
This is a sort of travelogue of going across the Midwest of America, in a far future where anything and everything technological has been thrown down. Our hero finds some unlikely companions along the way, but they each prove their worth, if in some ways you don't expect.
It is a quick, fun read. Enjoy! =)
10 people found this helpful
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crazyredhead911
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved this story
Reviewed in the United States on September 2, 2020
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Thought it might be too dystopian ... but it ended up being a hopeful story ... def one of my favorite simak books
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James H. Keith
4.0 out of 5 stars Heritage of Stars
Reviewed in the United States on August 7, 2015
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A story of a post apocalyptic Earth where knowledge of technology has been destroyed and mankind for the most part has fallen into barbarism. A wandering young man shelters at a fortified university in former Minnesota. He picks up knowledge about the fall and ruin of society and technology, including a seeming legend of the Place of Going to the Stars somewhere to the west. He sets out alone to search but soon picks up assorted traveling companions, including what might be the last functioning robot on Earth.
Mr. Simak has always held an optimistic outlook for man'future. The story turns out well in the end, though he concentrates on the journey and travelers, rather than the outcome and what might come thereafter.
6 people found this helpful
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Good speculative fiction without total dystopia
Reviewed in the United States on November 10, 2017
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Sure, society rejected technology and went back to a tribal society but there is a place where people can still read write and cipher. Our hero passes through that place and follows a lead to a place of going to the stars. The world is at a low point but there is hope and that is what I liked about this story. The writing is what I look for in Clifford Simak, off kilter, almost familiar like a twilight zone episode where you took that odd exit and everything changed.
5 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Hans Mueller
5.0 out of 5 stars Great tale
Reviewed in Canada on May 24, 2017
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Up to the masters standard
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Linda Novak
3.0 out of 5 stars Odd but Interesting
Reviewed in Canada on October 21, 2019
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It is sci-fi with a touch of fantasy. It starts slow but held my interest. As I read, I was frustrated that some things were introduced without explaining what they were. It came together at the end, but I never understood why the drastic revolution occurred.
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A. Mar.
4.0 out of 5 stars One of the good novels of Clifford Simak
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 4, 2020
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A group of people (joined later by a robot) roam the post-apocalyptic landscape of the American countryside. Well told sci-fi story by Simak describing a dystopian society years after the atomic war. This novel kept my interest to the very end.
2 people found this helpful
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FWAX
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on December 1, 2016
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The great Clifford Simak never disappoints.
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M J MCCUMISKEY
4.0 out of 5 stars An easy book to read while travelling
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 26, 2013
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An easy book to read while travelling. a little simplistic at times and ends rather abruptly, as if it should have a sequel
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