Way Station
Clifford D. Simak
Open Road Media
Fiction, Sci-Fi
**** (Good)
DESCRIPTION: For over a hundred years, Civil War veteran Enoch Wallace has lived on a quiet plot of land alone... and neither he nor his old house have aged a single day. Even in the most remote backwoods, such a phenomenon can't help but inspire whispers among neighbors. Now the government is covertly poking around. None of them would understand the truth: Enoch's home was selected as a galactic way station for travelers across the stars. He regularly hosts beings that defy human intellect and imagination. When a neighbor girl discovers his secret, the government's meddling creates an interplanetary diplomatic crisis, and schisms in the galactic command structure threaten his station, Enoch must decide where, and for whom, he ultimately stands.
REVIEW: This classic holds up better than some older science fiction, though it can't help but show some age around the edges. Enoch, as an average man who inadvertently finds himself on the edge of either a major leap forward for the species or a stumble that could take down civilization, and the way station itself remain compelling, with some nice imagery and ideas. It takes some time to get going, meandering about the setup and slowly building to the climactic collision of crises. Without spoilers, I can't get into the parts that truly date it, but I will say that the emphasis on spirituality was a thing that many older science fiction authors seemed insistent on shoehorning in, and it doesn't always age well, especially when it becomes the deus ex machina (almost literally, in this case) that resolves the main problem. Themes could be a trifle heavy-handed, too. Still, it's a decent, if sometimes slow, tale.
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