Short Stories of Charles D. Simak

We’re working on a list of Mars-related short stories written by Clifford D. Simak, who is perhaps most well-known for his award-winning City stories (1952). Here’s what we have so far:

• “Mutiny on Mercury,” from Wonder Stories, Vol. 3, No. 10, March 1932, p. 1166-1175. Hero Tom Clark destroys Martian and Selenite mutineers.

• “The Voice in the Void,” from Wonder Stories Quarterly, Vol. 3, No. 3, Spring 1932, p. 382-392, 427. A sacrilegious story about a Martian messiah.

• “Rule 18,” from Astounding Science Fiction, Vol. 21, No. 5, July 1938, p. 32-51. A story about a Martian-Earth football game.

• "Madness from Mars,” from Thrilling Wonder Stories, Vol. 13, No. 2, April 1939, p. 76-85. A small, lonely Martian brought back to Earth unwittingly causes madness in humans and animals.

• "Hermit of Mars,” from Astounding Science Fiction, Vol. 23, No. 4, June 1939, p. 9-28. Cover story, as pictured above.

• "Message from Mars,” from Planet Stories, Vol. 2, No. 4, Fall 1943, p. 30-44.

• "Huddling Place,” from Astounding Science Fiction, Vol. 33, No. 5, July 1944, p. 133-149. Surgeon Jerome Webster travels to Mars to save the life of a Martian philosopher. Second story in City.

• "Seven Came Back,” from Amazing Stories, Vol. 24, No. 10, October 1950, p. 102-118. A story involving a Martian desert. Later published under a variant title, “Mirage”

The list was pieced together from four sources: "The Science Fiction Short Stories of Clifford D. Simak" at falseducks.com, Google Books Library Project, Locus Online, and Clifford D. Simak: a Primary and Secondary Bibliography, by Muriel R. Becker (1980). Plot summaries were taken from these and other sources. While Becker's book has very few plot summaries, it does mention that Simak's papers are at the University of Minnesota.

Unfortunately, the only story we’ve read is the online version of “Madness from Mars,” so we’re compiling the list from a point of ignorance. If we’ve made an error or omitted a story, please feel free to submit a correction.