Clifford Simak’s "The City," a summary

The novel "The City" is based on a series of short stories published between 1944 and 1951, and was published as a book in 1952. The narrative is structured as eight ancient dog tales, with commentary from storytellers in the distant future debating the reality of the mythical Man. Later, in 1973, the author of the series added a ninth story, "Epilogue."

In 1953, the work won the International Science Fiction Award for best fiction book.

The collapse of megacities and country estates

The rise of cheap nuclear energy, family helicopters, and hydroponics has rendered the old trading centers obsolete. Land prices have plummeted. Residents have moved en masse to spacious suburban lots, abandoning their stone houses. Old man Gramp Stevens watches the desolation of his home street, fleeing from a robotic lawnmower. Farmer Ole Johnson’s rusty car, fueled by a mixture of kerosene and alcohol, passes by. The sale of soil-grown vegetables is collapsing in the face of hydroponic tanks.

City officials are planning to burn down vacant blocks to clear out homeless squatters. Chamber of Commerce Secretary John Webster harshly denounces Mayor Carter and Police Chief Maxwell, declaring the inevitable demise of the crowded lifestyle. Gramp Stevens helps squatter Levi Lewis roll out an antique museum cannon to protect his homes. Young Henry Adams arrives at City Hall. The wealthy heir buys the entire property, turning the abandoned buildings into a historic preserve. Webster finally leaves office, deciding to develop the family estate by the creek.

Loss of space and the death of the Martian teaching

Decades pass. Nelson Webster is buried in the family crypt. His son Jerome, the author of a fundamental work on Martian physiology, suffers from severe agoraphobia. A fear of open spaces has developed in most landowners, tied to their family estates. Communication with the outside world is maintained by robots led by old Jenkins and videophones. Jerome’s son Thomas is sent to Mars as an engineer.

On a neighboring planet, the philosopher Juane falls gravely ill. The Martian has discovered a new concept of thinking that greatly accelerates the development of the mind. Surgeon Clayborne and World Committee Chairman Henderson beg Jerome to fly urgently for a complex brain operation. Webster packs his suitcase. An overwhelming terror grips the doctor at the door. The devoted robot Jenkins sends back the rescue rocket, deeming his master’s space flight utter nonsense. The thinker Juane dies.

The Speech of Dogs and the Secrets of Mutant Joe

Counterman Richard Grant wanders through the mountain forests, gathering information about feral woodlanders. In the thicket, the traveler encounters a black dog named Nathaniel, who can speak clearly. Surgeon Bruce Webster equipped the dogs with speech apparatus and special reading lenses, laying the foundations of a new civilization. The decrepit Thomas Webster tells his visitor how, twenty years ago, a wanderer suggested to him the correct principle of interstellar propulsion.

In the mountains, Grant finds Joe, a 160-year-old centenarian. This mutant possesses telepathy, lives a solitary life, and disdains public interests. For fun, Joe outfitted a forest anthill with a dome, heating, and wheeled carts, then stomped the structure under a heavy boot. The counter passes Juwayne’s drafts to Joe. The mutant instantly finds the solution to a complex philosophical problem. Joe refuses to share his discovery with his fellow tribesmen. Grant bequeaths to the dog the right to continue developing his mind if humanity reaches a complete impasse.

Jupiterian Transfiguration

On Jupiter, a domed research station is studying the planet. Director Kent Fowler sends volunteers through a biological transformation apparatus into the bodies of local jumping creatures called steeds. Operator Ms. Stanley carries out the procedures flawlessly. The researchers disappear without a trace. Fowler, along with his elderly dog, Baybak, enters the apparatus’s chamber.

In the new body, the ammonia storm feels like a gentle breeze. Thought acquires incredible clarity. Marmot freely transmits thoughts to its master. The new body proves perfect. Feeling great jubilation, the transformed earthlings soar off into the distance along the crystalline slopes toward a sparkling waterfall of liquid oxygen.

The Great Exodus of Humanity

Fowler returns to the dome five years later to convey the truth about the transformation to his fellow humans. In Geneva, World Committee Chairman Tyler Webster fears the end of civilization. Earthlings have lived without a single incident of violence for one hundred and twenty-five years. Elmer the dog confirms the humanity of the returned Fowler. The mutant Joe contacts Tyler through Jenkins and transmits Juwayne’s teachings, encrypted in optical devices. Special kaleidoscopic patterns trigger a profound rapport in the brain. Citizens instantly grasp the profound meaning of Fowler’s words. Humanity relocates en masse to Jupiter. The home planet is rapidly becoming deserted.

The Desolation of Geneva and the Connected Worlds

A handful of people remain in Geneva, pursuing idle hobbies. John Webster has been writing a history of the city for twenty years. Designer Randall is remodeling rooms with robots, and Balentry is mixing new drinks. Artist Sarah is entering a centuries-long artificial slumber in the city’s Temple.

John Webster travels to the family estate. The dogs have developed extrasensory perception, listening to invisible beings through the folds of time and healing illnesses with a simple touch. The dog Ebenezer completely removes warts on a guest’s hand. John realizes the harmful effects of human dominance on animals. Returning to the city, the explorer activates an ancient defense system, permanently isolating Geneva from the outside world with a force field dome. John burns the blueprints and lies down in a capsule of endless sleep.

Dangerous weapons and migration to a parallel world

The dogs create a universal animal community, abolishing predation. Jenkins receives a stainless body from his four-legged companions as a gift for the seventh millennium. The dog Joshua and the robot Ichabod prove the absence of the past: the time axis consists of a chain of parallel worlds.

Young Peter, a descendant of the remaining savages, crafts a bow and arrow. A stray shot kills a robin. Pony the squirrel reports this to Jenkins. A ghostly alien from another world appears in the forest, tearing the wolf Lupus to pieces. Peter puts the monster to flight with a ferocious rage. Jenkins explores the abandoned mutant castle, discovering doors to other worlds. The robot understands the inevitability of a resurgence of war and violence among humans. An old servant gathers the human tribe in a clearing under the guise of a game and, with the power of his mind, transports them all to a pristine parallel world.

The Ant Building and the Law of Mercy

The descendants of Joe’s experimental ants construct a single colossal building that swallows up continents. Archie the raccoon catches a tiny mechanical insect, abandoning his robot, Rufus. The ants’ metal devices take control of the wild robots. Homer the dog heads to the robot camp across the river and talks with the old mechanic, Andrew.

Homer and Jenkins search for a way out. The robot is transported to a sealed-off Geneva and awakens John Webster. Through the nutrient fluid, the man recommends an ancient method: poisoning the anthill with a sweet, poisonous syrup. Jenkins rejects the destruction of life, upholding the canine commandment of non-harm. The animals escape through time rifts into parallel worlds, leaving Earth to the ants.

The empty cradle

Millennia pass. Jenkins tends the Webster estate alone in the middle of a five-mile meadow, communicating only with the field mice. The vast ant building suddenly develops a deep crack and collapses. Penetrating the cyclopean ruins, the robot sees dead anthills crowned with monuments in the shape of Joe’s kicking leg. The ant civilization has finally died out.

A spaceship of wild robots lands on the lawn. The mechanical wanderer Andrew beckons the old man to join him on a journey to distant stars. Jenkins enters the deserted rooms, listening to the fading echoes of voices. The robot climbs the ship’s ramp and leaves the deserted planet forever.