I have read and enjoyed many of Clifford Simak's novels for many years, and I have read some of his stories from magazines or miscellaneous SF collections, but have never read a collection of just his own short stories. After reading "The Creator and Other Stories", I will certainly seek out more collections in the future. Editor Francis Lyall picked out some very good stories (and it is the sixth collection of Simak's stories he has edited!) from the 1930s until the 1970s. Simak has been described as writing "pastoral science fiction" and these stories fit that description (not a lot of "science" in them). There are some excellent stories in this collection and I couldn't put the book down. The first story is "The Creator" from 1935, with religious implications that make it hard to believe it was written back then. There are nine stories total, all very good, and they give you food for thought. I was sorry to finish the book and wanted more. You don't have to be an SF fan to read this book, I think that it would appeal to anyone who wants thoughtful fiction to enjoy. ( )