This book goes to weird and pessimistic humanity-hating places but I enjoyed the pretty writing so much. Mr. Simak really knew how to write evocatively. I had no expectations for this book and that helped bc it ended up blowing me away. Yes, most of the sci-fi concepts are dated but that gives it a quaint feel that reading it now clashes with the frothing pessimism in its lines and makes for an interesting read.