The Big Front Yard - Clifford D. Simak Book Review

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Review Summary

In this classic SF novella, Clifford D. Simak examines what is important to the advancement of a culture. In a choice between money and ideas, or between peaceful communion and violent confrontation, which would you pick? Does a slow pace mean boredom, or is there virtue in patience and deliberation? Mr. Simak presents quite a sophisticated view of a pastoral man, to whom personal integrity and honesty matter greatly despite an undemonstrative exterior notable nowadays for its lack of chest-beating. Would you or I be so sanguine, if confronted with utter alienness, as was Hiram Taine? Can we resist the (subconscious, involuntary, instinctive) urge to destroy what we fear, i.e., what we do not understand? The value of ideas is of paramount importance in this famous tale.
Hollis Evon Ramsey, Resident Scholar

Detailed literary breakdown of The Big Front Yard

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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot

Composition of Book
Descript. of chases or violence - 10%
planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 20%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30%
Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 40%

Tone of book - very upbeat
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - science fiction story
Explore/1st contact/ enviro story Yes
Plotlets: - generally friendly contact with alien(s)
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book

Main Character
Identity: - Male
Profession/status: - trader
Age: - 20's-30's
Eccentric: Yes - eccentric
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events? Yes
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 60's-90's
Profession/status: - business executive
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a moderate amount
How sensitive is this character? - middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - average physique

Setting
Terrain - Desert - Mountains - Forests
Earth setting: - 20th century
A substantial portion of this book takes place on a non-Earth planetary body: - inhabited by friendly aliens - neutral aliens - empty, or nearly empty world
Takes place on Earth? Yes
Planet outside solar system? Yes

Style
Person? - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - no torture/death
scientific jargon? (SF only) - none/very little science jargon needed
How much dialogue? - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog

Most similar books to The Big Front Yard
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).

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