Weekly Short Story Review: Huddling Place by Clifford Simak

Clifford Simak was one of my favorite science fiction writers.  He was also a favorite of Isaac Asimov, who was a few years his junior and was so impressed by Simak's writing style that he claimed to have emulated it.  One of the first science fiction stories I ever read was when I was a little kid and got hold of one of my father's old sci-fi paperbacks.  Within it was a short story by Simak titled The Big Front Yard and I never forgot it.  Since then I've read a few more from this fantastic author...Huddling Place, which is one of the stories from Isaac Asimov Presents: The Great SF Stories 6 (1944) (DAW Books), is definitely the one that has had the greatest impact on me...

Huddling Place, a relatively brief short story about the future, is about a middle age physician, renown as an expert in neurology, not just on Earth but also on Mars, where the intelligent species there has a long history.  He has retreated, however, to his home estate where robots wait on him and he can interface with others in a virtual way (this story, from 1944, was way ahead of its time, at least in this regard ).  Consequently, he develops a phobia common to many in his age: he must stay at home and avoid any travel in order to avoid the dreaded open spaces: he has agoraphobia.  But as you might have guessed, the story presents a start challenge to him and his fear...

I'm not a great advocate for "traveling gone wild", i.e. having a compulsion to be in a near-constant state of travel and to continually develop excuses for jetting around the country (and world) as a couple of folks I know do.  On the other hand, it isn't healthy, either, to be permanently entrenched in one's own home, avoiding opportunities for growth that involve stepping out and evenly possibly getting on a plane.  I tend to be more like that person who stays at home...fortunately I am blessed with Melissa, who is much more balanced about this and helps me to resist this tendency.  Also, I regularly and deliberately...against my inclinations...go out in public just to put myself into my discomfort zone...sitting at a Starbucks may seem like paradise to some, but it bothers me being there...and helps me focus my thinking on my projects. And, of course, having a job to go to that involves me getting out of my house is a big help.  So I can see how the scenario of Clifford Simak's excellent Huddling Place can come true...especially as the Internet keeps growing and virtual reality and robotics are developed... 

I think it's about time I started looking for a collection of Clifford Simak's best fiction.  Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find Huddling Place on the Internet as I had with the short stories I discussed the previous two weeks...