Way Station

By: Clifford D. Simak

Narrated by: Eric Michael Summerer

Length: 7 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

In this Hugo Award-winning classic, Enoch Wallace is an ageless hermit, striding across his untended farm as he has done for over a century, still carrying the gun with which he had served in the Civil War. But what his neighbors must never know is that, inside his unchanging house, he meets with a host of unimaginable friends from the farthest stars.

More than a hundred years before, an alien named Ulysses had recruited Enoch as the keeper of Earth's only galactic transfer station. Now, as Enoch studies the progress of Earth and tends the tanks where the aliens appear, the charts he made indicate his world is doomed to destruction. His alien friends can only offer help that seems worse than the dreaded disaster. Then he discovers the horror that lies across the galaxy.

BONUS AUDIO: Way Station includes an exclusive introduction by Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author Mike Resnick.

©1963 Clifford D. Simak (P)2008 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

• Hugo Award, Best Novel, 1964
• All-Time Best Science Fiction Novels (Locus Magazine)

For the Space Traveler in you

Sci-Fi writer like no other, Simak creates a world where Alien travelers are everyday business in the Way Station. Operated by a Human, this unique earth base, established by Aliens, is a simple waypoint in the cosmic travel system. Simak puts you in a living universe, the future, not a Dystopic universe as Dick does, not a funny crazy one as Douglas Adams. This book is a story about loneliness in a world where we are not alone....
it's About Space.

Perfect for No Man's Sky players.

Eric Michael Summerer is a GREAT reader, this is the first audiobook I followed form beginning to end (usually I outpace the reader and get bored and continue reading myself).

beautiful

A truly excellent and extremely well told clasic. props to the narrator and sound team.

Phenomenal

This is truly a classic. It is well worth your time
I hope you enjoy it.

Sci-Fi transport idea now mentioned by Michio Kaku

Revisiting this book that I read as a teenager was a pleasant way to spend time. As a teen I would have rated this a 5 star book, but in this rereading I now see where some spots could have been further developed, either in character description or maybe a more complex plot.

Strangely, in the same timeframe I was reading Waystation I was also listening to Michio Kaku's recent non-fiction book The Future of the Mind. While Michio Kaku spoke of brain research that has already been accomplished and that is currently under development, he also spoke of brain research that is desired. Which, because he wasn't exact in his wording, left me sometimes wondering which ideas he was talking about have already been done, and which were just ideas.

The idea in the Waystation, of space travel from point to point by sending sentient entities (aliens) and their baggage like a fax from one container to another (destroying the "original" after the "copy" has been sent) was similar to an idea in Michio Kaku's book The Future of the Mind. Although, this idea of sending the essence of a person's brain into a blank body (like in Avatar) may have been one of the goals mentioned in Kaku's book as opposed to what has already been accomplished.

Waystation is a classic Sci-Fi experience and there are enough innovative concepts and trinkets mentioned inside to tickle and expand the mind.

Classic sci-fi 1963

A story doesn't get any better than this. Written in 1963 and well worth the reading\listening.

Classic Sci Fi

Would you try another book from Clifford D. Simak and/or Eric Michael Summerer?

Probably not. It was a good story but frankly a little vanillia and dry.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The waystation keeper was the key to avoiding an interglactic war but he rest of mankind was unaware that the waystation was anything special.

Do you think Way Station needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No, I think that the story was simple enough and the ending tied up all the loose ends. I think to make a second book would detract from the originality of the story.

A wonderful view of the future

Although this book is firmly occupied with the future, it is based in a time and place we can all recognize.

Great

Could not put it down. Can't wait to read more like this. I will read more.

Never aging in such solitude seems lonely

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

It's an easy going ,relaxing,space adventure of the mind.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The medalsum government agent just goes to show they can cause galactic problems even for the dead lol

What about Eric Michael Summerer’s performance did you like?

Excellent reader very autistic look forward to further performances and other stories he brings to my ears

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Laugh and awe a bit

Any additional comments?

Just enjoyed it is all :)

great story.

I really enjoyed the story. It makes you wonder if we are not alone and what it might be like.