Special Deliverance

De: Clifford Simak

Narrado por: David Baker

A motley collection of humans and one robot, all from alternate universes, must make their way through a strange alien puzzle-world of danger and mystery in this classic science fiction allegory by an award-winning maestro.

Following a conversation with a talking slot machine, Professor Edward Lansing finds himself mysteriously transported to a tavern on a long and empty road. It is immediately obvious to the educator that he is no longer on campus - or even Earth - and that he is not alone. Lansing's new companions - a female engineer, a military officer, a humorless priest, a poetess, and a robot named Jurgens - all hail from separate alternate realities and share Lansing's confusion. What is clear, however, is that they must continue down the road together, encountering a series of bizarre sights, dangerous obstacles, and perplexing puzzles along the way: an abandoned, decaying city; a set of doorways; a large blue cube; a tower that sings. Soon it is apparent they are all being tested for some eerie, inexplicable reason, and the choices each must make will determine his or her future. For those who fail, the alien trail will never be seen again.

A provocative science fiction allegory, Special Deliverance is Hugo and Nebula Award winner Clifford D. Simak's Pilgrim's Progress - a tale of great trials and hidden agendas that expose the foibles of humanity and a fantastic exploration of the human condition. A science fiction classic brimming with intelligence, invention, and wonder, it is yet another extraordinary creation from one of the genre's most revered grandmasters.

©1982 Clifford D. Simak; This edition published in 2015 by Open Road Integrated Media, Inc. (P)2016 Audible, Inc.

An Enthralling Story and Performance

One of my favorite sci-fi stories. I first read this as a child decades ago, and it is still as awesome now as it was then. Simak's strength was in providing large sci-fi concepts but always focusing on the importance of humanity, decency, and civilty. I loved the voice acting in the reading- each character seemed distinct. My mind still spins with "what-ifs" left over from the story. I highly recommend this book!

One of my favorite books.

Read this for the first time when I was about 10. it was interesting to hear it in spoken form. I am a big Simak fan. They Walked Like Men is also pretty good. I am not sure if they have that one in Audible yet.

Gets better as you go along

I have never read this author before. I found his writing style very old school. At one point I looked up when this book was first published and was surprised to find it was published in the 1980’s.
The book had an annoying and slow start. I almost bailed and asked for my money back in the first hour.
Once it gained momentum and the story started unfolding, it was more interesting.
There were several things that made no sense to me that I thought would resolve by the end of the book, but didn’t.
The narrator was very good.
I don’t think the book was bad, but it often felt like wading through muddy water for me. I won’t be exploring any more of this author’s work.