Shakespeare's Planet is a 1976 science fiction novel by acclaimed American author Clifford D. Simak. It follows a single human survivor who lands on a distant, Earth-like world after a 1,000-year journey, only to discover that it is not what it seems. The story is known for its blend of quirky, philosophical ideas and its sense of cosmic wonder. 
 
Synopsis and plot summary
An Earth vessel travels for nearly a thousand years at sub-light speeds toward a habitable planet. 
 
The last survivor: A system malfunction causes the deaths of three crew members, leaving astronaut Carter Horton as the sole survivor in cryogenic sleep. He awakens to find his sentient spacecraft, which is controlled by three human brains, has landed on a strange planet, and is refusing to take him back to Earth.
 
A peculiar companion: On the surface, Horton meets a bizarre creature named Carnivore who speaks English. Carnivore explains that he learned the language from a previous, now-deceased human visitor who called himself William Shakespeare. Shakespeare left behind notes scribbled in the margins of his copy of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare.
 
The alien hub: Horton, Carnivore, and a household robot named Nicodemus learn that the planet is a kind of intergalactic waystation. Various stranded aliens have arrived there via a one-way space-travel tunnel, which is now broken.
 
The mysteries of the planet: The group must contend with the bizarre inhabitants and mysteries of the planet, including a terrifying nightly anomaly, a creature under a hill, and an aquatic alien.
 
A meandering journey: Much of the plot involves the group waiting for Nicodemus to fix the travel tunnel, leading to many philosophical discussions among the characters and the three brains controlling the ship.