Rating: 
Summary: Weak Hugo winner
Review: "Way Station", the 1964 Hugo winner, is a dated tale of alien presence on Earth. The story describes a 19th century man, recruited to maintain a terminal for traveling aliens, and his interactions with the Earth and the aliens. It's interesting as an exhibit of 60s Science Fiction (preachy preachy!), but didn't hold much sway with me as a standalone read.
Rating: 
Summary: Almost as good as City
Review: A great early sf novel, this story of a long-lived Civil War vet whose home is used as a stopover point for interstellar travelers will captivate and entertain all who love the poignant tales that Simak was noted for. Probably his best after the classic, City. Great read!
Rating:
Summary: A great book, back in print!
Review: A new edition of WAY STATION (& CITY !) was released by Old Earth Books at the 62nd annual World SF Convention over Labor Day weekend and will eventually, I'm sure, appear on Amazon.
The book is a great read.
This is what Robert A. Heinlein wrote about Clifford Simak:
"To read science fiction is to read Simak. The reader who does not like Simak stories does not like science fiction at all."
And for someone more contemporaty, Allen Steele:
"Clifford Simak was one of the finest writers to ever grace
science fiction; there has never been another voice quite like his. CITY and WAY STATION are two of his best novels; if you haven't read them, now is a perfect opportunity."
If you haven't WAY STATION - or CITY - boy, are you in for a treat!
Rating:
Summary: Timeless Masterpiece of Classic SF
Review: Clifford D. Simak's Way Station is simply one of the most original and best SF novels ever written. Long considered a masterpiece, published in 1963, this story remains as fresh today as when first written. Though the theme has often been explored, the plot is one of a kind. So different that it remains unduplicated after almost 4 decades.The theme of the book revolves around whether human society is worthy of inclusion in galactic society, mainly because of its warlike tendencies. Written in the era of the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the nuclear uncertainty surrounding that era of the Cold War between the USA and the Soviet Union, Simak weaves a tale that was modern when written, but timeless in retrospect. This theme has recurred again and again in actual society, such as during the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, and now the War against Terrorism. But the plot of this book is so unique, that we are fortunate that no writer has attempted to copy this idea. The Way Station is a galactic transportation transfer point, kept by a lone human being, himself a throwback to another era. Beings from all over the galaxy secretly pass through the Earth, communicating, learning and sharing with the station keeper, and spreading their cultures by so doing. The character development of the protagonist is first rate, and the writing is of exceptional quality. When separate crises develop simultaneously on the Earth and within galactic society, the book comes to a fascinating and exciting climax. Simak's body of work has been rated highly, but this story ranks among the best SF novels of all time. It is a must read for all serious SF fans, and should be a foundation piece for anyone looking to acquire such works on their bookshelf. Way Station is rated at 4.95 stars out of 5.00, easily rounded up to 5.00. The book reads wonderfully now; it will read wonderfully again when you pick it up in 10-20 years.
Rating:
Summary: Thoughtful SF
Review: Clifford Simak was a newspaper writer who also wrote SF. His profession was obvious in the way he always grabbed your attention with the first few sentences. The Way Station is probably his finest novel. It shows a deeper level of character development and empathy than is customary in most SF. The story is about a man living in isolation on his home planet Earth, while maintaining a way station for citizens of the galaxy, unknown to earthlings. The loneliness of this portrayed brilliantly.
Rating:
Summary: Good, but not great
Review: Here we go again. This is yet another sci-fi book written in the 60s with a really interesting premise that gets too bogged down in the preachy social issues of the time. Simak's prose isn't the most eloquent, but it suffices. The story does meander a bit, and suffers from descriptive prose that really would have been better suited to fleshing out the main character (Enoch) who is ~135 years old, and fleshing out the story more. More interaction with traveling aliens would have been better too help give the feeling that the galaxy is a vast and strange place. I enjoyed the book for the most part, but felt it could have been much more...and more interesting.
Rating:
Summary: The Greatest and Wisest Science Fiction Novel
Review: I just finished reading this great book. I can only say that in my opinion reading this book is essential. It is by far the most intelligent, thoughtful, human and universal, kind-hearted and far-reaching novel I've read in a long time. Perhaps the best book I've ever read. I could go on, examining the story and trying to explain why the book makes such a strong impact on me, but that would be futile - in my opinion Way Station cannot be condensed or translated in any way other than word-for-word. Anyway there are other reviews that give a superficial sense of the story. But to learn the book's message in full you must simply read it and be open to it. All I can say about the less positive reviews - the ones that claim that Way Station is dated, preachy, rambling, etc. - is that in those cases the fault lies more with the reviewer than with the book. Some people, at certain times in their lives, simply aren't open to certain messages of truth. I cannot recommend Way Station too highly. In my opinion it is an embarrassment that this book - this stunning achievement of Science Fiction - is currently out of print.
Rating:
Summary: The Greatest and Wisest Science Fiction Novel
Review: I just finished reading this great book. I can only say that in my opinion reading this book is essential. It is by far the most intelligent, thoughtful, human and universal, kind-hearted and far-reaching novel I've read in a long time. Perhaps the best book I've ever read. I could go on, examining the story and trying to explain why the book makes such a strong impact on me, but that would be futile - in my opinion Way Station cannot be condensed or translated in any way other than word-for-word. Anyway there are other reviews that give a superficial sense of the story. But to learn the book's message in full you must simply read it and be open to it. All I can say about the less positive reviews - the ones that claim that Way Station is dated, preachy, rambling, etc. - is that in those cases the fault lies more with the reviewer than with the book. Some people, at certain times in their lives, simply aren't open to certain messages of truth. I cannot recommend Way Station too highly. In my opinion it is an embarrassment that this book - this stunning achievement of Science Fiction - is currently out of print.
Rating:
Summary: Still my favorite Simak.
Review: I wanted to write that it was my *first* Simak novel, but on reflection I do not think that is true. I believe that _Project Pope_ was my first. However, this has been unarguably my favorite over the years, and that is saying a lot from one of my favorite authors.
Simak writes gentle and philosophical books, which are perhaps a little bit dated by today's lights. If someone today were writing about an intergalactic union, they'd probably delve into the politics more deeply and bring complex shadings to bear on the characters and explain much more about how things got to be the way that they are in the book.
Simak does none of that-- I find it a virtue of his that while he acknowledges that shadings exist (particularly when it comes to evil, which he portrays as misguided bumbling) he at the same time asserts that the simplest thing in the world is good. The themes of simplicity, harmony, and goodness run strongly through all of his work.
Enoch Wallace, the keeper of the Way Station, is a plain man. The politics of his situation are largely beyond him. He tries to grasp all the intricacies of alien culture, but is stopped by the gaps in his own learning. He wonders at all the strangeness in the world and makes basic mistakes. Like most Simak characters, he is a marvel of basic humanity, a tribute to the strength of the everyman. His simplicity in the end allows him to do what nobody else is capable of achieving.
This was one of the books which showed me that science fiction can be more than the genre stereotypes. I can still remember the vivid mental images I had when I first read his descriptions of the alien gadgets and worlds. I am delighted to report that on re-reading it holds up very well indeed.
Rating: 
Summary: one of Simak's "best"
Review: Picking the "best" novel of most writers is a problematic
enterprise. In the case of Clifford Simak, it's more problematic
than usual. Simak wrote science fiction of a curious personal sort. His
books and stories are built on a "what if?" initial
speculative premise. The story then develops and evolves
through analysis and of the effects of that premise on a
few characters. Rarely does he drag in more science fictional
apparatus than necessary. Many books (e.g., _Way Station_) contain notable elements of the pastoral, with a feeling
for small town milieux that is at times reminiscent of some
of the work of Ray Bradbury. The initial premise of _Way Station_ is that a soldier
who comes home from the Civil War is recruited by aliens
to be the caretaker of an interstellar "way station" to
be located on Earth. The consequences of his acceptance
include a life that extends far beyond that of his friends
and contemporaries, and the isolation that arises from his solitude. The final turn of the screw arises from the
next step: What happens when his long time role on Earth
becomes known to others? The resulting confection sometimes seems far away from the
"mag wheels and laser beams" style of SF. Science fiction
of a different century, almost. I wouldn't want to read it
all the time, but it's pleasant, literate, well-observed,
with characters we care about and a sense of ease -- I
almost want to say "serenity," but that's not quite right. Preamble aside, if one isn't immune to Simak's appeal,
_Way Station_ is one of his more satisfying productions.
Picking several other books by him that seem of similar
quality is a pretty straightforward task, subject to the
whims of personal taste. Two off the top of my head are
_The Goblin Reservation_ and _The Werewolf Principle_.
There are others. A good book. I've lent it to readers otherwise unfamiliar
with SF, and most have liked it. Like most science fiction, it's marked by the period
when it was written. It seemed almost an
anachronism when it appeared, though, so that's not
a serious objection.
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