Read many years ago, but well worth this second trip through. The writing is superb, both in terms of character development and detailed settings. The plot concept is fascinating and complex, fraught with social and ethical issues. If you don't already know the context, it may take you a while to figure out just what is happening. You'll get it in a while, so stick to it.As is often the case with science fiction, even though Simak was writing this in the 1960s, he successfully predicts elements

40 years old and more current than ever!Upon turning the final page of this powerful novel, 21st century readers of The Werewolf Principle will likely set the book down slack-jawed with amazement at Simak's thoughtful, prescient exploration of genetic engineering, a scientific field of endeavour that, unheard of a scant 40 years ago, now reaches front page headlines on a regular basis.Space travel as technology is now several hundred years old. But, currently debate is raging in the Senate over

One of Simak's best. Highly recommended. Love the flying houses!

I am beginning to like Clifford D. Simak more and more. His Way Station was magnificent, and The Werewolf Principle, while not so good, has moments of sheer brilliance -- plus a brilliant ending.Two hundred years before, man created an android for space exploration. It was not according to plan, but this android became three creatures in one: the human, called Changer, who contained a mind transfer of a brilliant earth scientist; a kind of wolf with arms, called Quester; and a somewhat amorphous...

This was difficult to get into, there were chapters of vague introspection that were very boring. The main character spends a lot of time pondering philosophically but also has a completely 1 dimensional "romantic" relationship that feels out of place. I skimmed the last 40 pages.The ending was okay and explained some of the issues I had with the book. Ultimately I speed read the last 1/4 to just get it over with, and that has to be a 1 star.

He has the most engaging style, you could wallow in it like a herd of hippos. Oh yes, what is the book like... Romance between machines on a future earth.

This was actually a much more enjoyable book on this re-read than it was on the first reading. A lot of that is a mood thing, I know, but The Werewolf Principle is an odd sort of book in a lot of ways.This classic sci-fi novel has an elegant old-school writing style that is philosophical and in a way insular; it is very much a first person point of view and that person is a synthetic man. The goals of the book seem more philosophical and exploratory than thrilling, so the title ends up feeling a...

Was it just to surprise myself when I chose to re-read The Werewolf Principle by Clifford D. Simak? I have pleasant memories of reading a couple of Simaks at the same time in the 70s and picked this one at random for a revisit.Though published in the 1960s, it reads more like a 1950s novel when it comes to multiple predictions about the future (yes, the ever-popular flying cars and space travel, though people still have to walk across the room to answer a phone with optional visuals) and the the...

I especially liked the philosophical bits at the end, but, as I expected, overall, not one of Simak's finest efforts.

The story of an extraterrestrial schizophrenia... The main interest of this book lies in the dialogue between the three distinct entities that share the body of the hero, a former space explorer. The three include one human that has not been back to the Earth for centuries, and two alien beings from very primitive planets, that are suddenly thrown into an entirely mechanised society, in which houses fly and play nanny to their inhabitants. A fun read.

Back in my university days, I took a Science Fiction novel course. One of the books we read was City, a story of the future where all that remains on Earth are dogs and robots. A beautiful, engaging, touching story. For some reason, I've never read another Simak book, until this past week. The Werewolf Principle, written in 1968, was a lovely surprise. In the future, mankind sent ships into space to search the universe for habitable planets. Along with the ships were two unique humans (maybe tel...

My favourite thing about this book was probably the cover. However, i did also enjoy the talking houses and the brownies, who were super cute. It had a lot going for it, some good ideas, but lacked style, and the love story was defo forced, c'mon the guy's part-wolf or whatever and not one item of clothing gets ripped off, shame. I'd still read others by Simak, but i'm an idiot so that's not a glowing recommendation.

I love Simak. City and Way Station are absolute gems and I think he doesn't get enough attention. His voice is so strong and unique and is funnier than most of his level peers (with the possible exception of Robert Sheckley). That said, this is a minor piece straining to be a bigger one. Philosophical to a fault in a way that, unless your last name is Bradbury, you ought to leave a little less wrought.Still, it's intriguing and very funny in parts. There is often an almost Looney Tunes-ish mania...

Second (or third?) read. My previous review still stands. This time I want to add that the poetry of the writing surprised me. Lots of beautiful imagery and stylings... not purple prose, and easy to overlook in one's quest to figure out what's going on in the plot and with the characters, but definitely well-crafted.

'In the middle-distant future, Andrew Blake, discovered on a distant planet huddled inside a capsule, is brought back to Earth suffering from total amnesia.Over 200 years old, he thinks and acts like a man but becomes frighteningly aware of two alien beings that lurk within his body – a strange biological computer and a wolf-like animal. With the latter in control he breaks out of hospital to look for his past…'Blurb from the 1977 Pan paperback editionSeveral hundred years hence, Man has colonis...

Simak pens good sci-fi adventure stories. This one was much more cerebral, and there was a lot to digest and think about. The end could have used more expansion. It feels like he ended it too quickly. Still, I am a Simak fan and this was worth my time.

This is my second Simak read and I’m more delighted with him all the time! He’s a smart guy exploring interesting questions using various consciousness and the book is just a delight. Four stars for some heavy abstraction, especially at the end, but a really lovely read.

Simak has written some of the best science fiction out there. Way Station and City were both fantastic. The Werewolf Principle was not. It takes place in the future. Scientists had created a humanoid being with the ability to morph into something else so we could send it out into space and if it found a planet with life, it could morph to match it. Which is what happened but it ended up coming back to Earth as three beings all living within the same body. Werewolf...get the comparison? Anyhow, a...

“The creature halted, crouched low against the ground, staring at the tiny points of light that lay ahead, burning softly through the darkness.”So begins, "The Werewolf Principle" by Clifford D. Simak. Another recommendation from the C. J. Cherryh site, this author and title were new to me as well. The trajectory of my experiences with this method of finding new books to read is a good one: "Forerunner" was terrible, "The Ginger Star," better, and this one better still!In brief, this is the stor...