I have finished all eight stories (plus the ninth one). I'll look to maybe comment more after the recommended 30 August.
I know that what people perceive as what is science fiction and what is fantasy is a personal interpretation, however, for me, this book was heavily on the fantasy side. Perhaps because I have a science based background I saw nothing in the stories that was more than shallow references to there being creatures on another planet, transformations from one species to another (e.g. man to lopers), somehow dogs taught to speak and all animals able to chat between species, etc.
To me none of this is not to be found in pure fantasy (but may not have been so in the mid 1940s when the stories were written). I also don't know whether the International Fantasy Award in the 1950s was based on science fiction or fantasy (or a mix of both), nor the same for the Hugo one of the stories won (if I recall correctly).
When I was about a third of the way into the book I started thinking that the storyline would make a good children's fantasy with all its talking animals and robots chatting among themselves. I later became convinced when reading the likes of Archie the raccoon riding on the shoulder of Jenkins the robot, Fatso the squirrel sitting on Jenkins shoulder, etc. What kid does not like talking animals that sit and ride on ones shoulder
? So, for me, the book tended to feel like it being a children's fantasy dressed up with adult reading level sentences.
After exploring Simak's background to the limited extent I could (mainly from Wikipedia, etc., and Moskowitz's
Seekers of Tomorrow which has a brief chapter on him and was the only book type reference saying more than a passing mention that I had to hand) I felt that there was quite a bit of propaganda in the book influenced by his chosen ideologies. I also felt that, in the main, the prose did not strike me as carefully crafted; and one of the stories I found a bit tiresome (the sixth I think it was). Both of these, to me, had a "journalist" feel about them; stories knocked out quickly on a typewriter, and as much added into the story as possible to support the messages (propaganda).
That all said I enjoyed the book and found it interesting, but am not sure that I will try any of his others, especially as
City seems to be regarded as his best.