tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55251809693588593462011-12-29T23:02:16.636+05:30Story guides, ratings, & reviewsTinkoonoreply@blogger.comBlogger911100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-16734509189784233312008-03-20T01:51:00.004+05:302008-04-09T19:03:01.469+05:30

and if you haven't read him extensively, this note on his best stories might be helpful.Or begin with one of these lists: short stories, novels, collections.

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-36463629416124604022007-08-26T12:02:00.000+05:302007-11-14T21:35:24.640+05:30

I have resumed posting on Clarke's stories again, but at Variety SF - one or two posts a week. Any lists maintained here will get appropriate entry and link. But all new content will go there.Reasons have to do with my maintenance effort. Sorry, if this causes any confusion.

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-45746328113935257672007-07-03T01:41:00.000+05:302007-08-08T02:11:51.204+05:30

By now, I have covered some three quarters of Clarke's novels, & some 40% of his short stories here. I haven't read another author in may be 3 months now. It gets boring after a while. So, I am taking a sabbatical.I will, hopefully, return in a few months to finish this unfinished project. Even though it has served its original purpose - giving me an idea of what blogging is about.In the meantime

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-88456869305250255462007-07-03T01:35:00.000+05:302008-01-20T11:29:16.807+05:30

This supposedly non-fiction book about the writing of the novel "2001 A Space Odyssey" actually has not only a lot of material on the making of the movie of the same name, but includes some stories too.While I have read just about the first quarter of this book, even that part contains two stories:"The Sentinel"."First Encounter": A marriage of "Encounter at Down" & the first story in "2001 A

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-28113964324383096422007-06-23T11:45:00.003+05:302008-06-28T19:03:22.518+05:30

Here is the complete list of all the 66 stories in this collection:"I Remember Babylon" (C); Playboy, March 1960: Dated cold war story - Soviets have got a new propaganda medium. "Summertime on Icarus" aka "The Hottest Piece of Real Estate in the Solar System" (A); Vogue, June 1960: Shipwreck & rescue on an asteroid currently rather close to Sun."Out of the Cradle, Endlessly Orbiting""Who’s There

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-13697951335926696422007-06-23T11:16:00.002+05:302009-12-13T00:22:36.760+05:30

Note there is a short story called "The Sentinel", too (also included in this collection). Here is the complete list of all the 10 stories in this collection:"Rescue Party", Astounding Science-Fiction, May 1946: Clarke's first published story; also see note on "first published" near the end of my review article. And a smaller version of "The Songs of Distant Earth" (novel); but Songs (novel)

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-18309492548356261362007-06-23T10:33:00.000+05:302007-12-22T02:39:07.294+05:30

This book includes 2 novels & 18 short stories:"The Sentinel"; Written "over Christmas 1948 for a BBC competition", & originally published in 10 Story Fantasy, spring 1951, under the title "Sentinel of Eternity": Aliens watching the development of intelligent life on earth have left a beacon on moon. "This is the starting point of 2001: A Space Odyssey", according to Clarke's introduction to the

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-54030581007808325772007-06-22T00:26:00.000+05:302008-01-11T00:12:55.403+05:30

This is not a story by Clarke. But by Paul Preuss, probably under some kind of royalty agreement with Clarke.This also is not the expansion of a short story into novel length in the sense that "Rescue Party" was transformed into "The Songs of Distant Earth" - that requires hard work. This is simply an attachment of a kind of preamble & postscript to original "Breaking Strain". Preamble takes up

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-91170833022585379982007-06-16T00:33:00.000+05:302008-01-11T00:10:53.420+05:30

This story is essentially an advocacy for gun control in the US. On me, it had the opposite effect - making an argument that private ownership of guns should be legal everywhere! A look at India's history during the last millennium suggests that the governments that put severe limits on local private access to weapons tend to be utterly impotent against external aggressors.Tone is generally

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-23032836137549758212007-06-08T23:24:00.000+05:302008-01-11T00:10:02.933+05:30

This is easily among the worst novels I have ever read. And not just by Clarke, or in English.Almost every para is a jargon-filled garble. One of the most unreadable & tedious books, & without any kind of coherent story.I forced myself to read first 20% without skipping anything. Then began skipping paras, later pages. There is a whole lot of pages I skipped, but I am completely sure I didn't

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-83036657158304636082007-06-06T22:39:00.001+05:302008-01-11T00:09:03.332+05:30

Very readable space adventure, but with a somewhat filmy presentation.Story summary (spoiler).This story is set in the mid twenty first century (or is it late twenty first - I forget). Told mostly in first person, it describes the adventures of a young man in near earth space & on a trip around moon - over a period spanning a few weeks.Main protagonist, Roy Malcolm, wins an all-expenses-paid trip

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-17094195377873409782007-06-06T22:39:00.000+05:302007-06-09T01:22:26.957+05:30

With 20 novels & 41 short stories of Clarke read & reviewed by now, I guess I now have some insight into the commonly found story elements. This is an attempt to document the most visible features of his stories.1. If you are looking for focused novels that deal with one subject or plot really well, Clarke is the wrong author to read; go elsewhere.Most of his novels have a main plot element, & a

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-15276418956658353032007-06-01T01:40:00.000+05:302008-01-11T00:08:29.216+05:30

On the face of it, this story is about an unsuccessful attempt to salvage the wreck of Titanic, the well-documented passenger ship that sank on its maiden cross-Atlantic voyage early in twentieth century. But that is just the facade.Real story is about technology & business issues involved in deep sea salvage operations. With some human interest elements. And many unrelated tangent tracks.Grand

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-32590287741524456422007-05-29T22:21:00.000+05:302008-01-11T00:07:53.321+05:30

First half of this book is outstanding; next quarter is good; last quarter is positively lousy, & completely unrelated to rest of the story.The most irritating thing I find in all Clarkian novels - the tendency to spend a lot of time on threads totally unrelated to main story - is here in full glory. In spite of this, I have no hesitation in calling the first half the best among all Clarkian

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-81454252493025136852007-05-28T10:02:00.001+05:302008-04-09T19:09:29.813+05:30

Introducing this site, & yours truly - even if belatedly.Yes, I look at it as a normal website - implemented as a blog, because it is the least hasslesome way to put together a website. It certainly won't pay to read it as a diary.1. What is this site about?This site is about Arthur Clarke's stories - both short & long. It is not about his photos, videos, biography, quotes, general links, or

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-90864936191215903352007-05-25T08:46:00.000+05:302007-05-25T10:01:19.233+05:30

An admirer who wrote this comment emailed the medal displayed alongside. Since this is the first award for this site, I thought it deserves a post of its own. Wish me luck. And more awards.

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-32126182724186044202007-05-22T20:12:00.000+05:302007-12-22T02:03:27.243+05:30

This will easily qualify as among the best stories by Clarke - particularly the last third, or may be the last half. Be happy, & do the best you can - and gods will generally smile back! Sounds like Gita!And by & large, it is a down to earth story, in spite of native Martian animals, technology to create a sun, & a few other exotics.Story summary (spoiler).Main story is about terrafarming Mars -

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-56962738662937642792007-05-19T17:11:00.000+05:302007-12-22T02:03:33.986+05:30

I kept postponing this book because of title. Sounds like one of those space empire stories. But the title is totally inappropriate. This is a story about very ordinary politics & diplomacy, in a rather exotic environment. And quite readable.Story summary (spoiler).There are three parts to the plot: a description of the life in a human colony on Titan (a moon of Saturn); a description of space

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-34882679629794778422007-05-13T20:24:00.000+05:302007-12-22T02:04:02.429+05:30

This is one of the more imaginative stories of Clarke. And well told.And this story could not have been possible if quartz watches were around when the story was written. That should tell something of the age of the story.Story summary (spoiler).First thread of the story, the one involving the war monger ("Master"), begins almost in our time. After bringing a lot of world to ruin, Master is

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-88867016121591604222007-05-12T00:15:00.000+05:302007-12-22T02:04:22.985+05:30

This engrossing piece of satire is written in a somewhat unconventional style - as a series of memos between government officials & departments.Story summary (spoiler).Martians have had a technology civilization for a while, while humans are still at a rather primitive stage. With advent of radio on earth, Martian government have been monitoring the development of earthlings.That is when they

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-39438023527751599692007-05-10T23:25:00.000+05:302007-12-22T02:04:35.258+05:30

In spirit, this story has something in common with the story of Moonface in "2001 A Space Odyssey". But the link is tenuous; this is generally a different story.It concerns the transformation of an almost animal community into a technological civilization. And is well written, even with some rather incredulous assumptions.There is another view I can take of this story - as an allegory in the

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-47026214670592160952007-05-09T01:16:00.001+05:302008-04-05T12:14:34.103+05:30

Best thing about this book is readability - at least the first 80% of it. Most of the time, I found it difficult to put it down. And that is when fantasy is not really my genre!Last 10 or 20% is garbage - where some ultimate answers are given. Something that should be best left to Hitchhiker's Guide.If you like Harry Potter, this will probably be an interesting book; if Potter bores you, this

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-33326876076208943552007-05-09T01:10:00.001+05:302008-03-19T18:11:08.923+05:30

This is actually a joke rather than a story - about God & Creation; dates from 1980s. You won't miss anything if you never read it, though I know someone who liked it.Searching Google or some blog search engine might throw all of its 2 or 3 lines of text; I recall having seen more than one copies on the web. Here is one online copy (big DOC file that includes this story inline).Fact sheet.siseneG

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-33341733463623249472007-05-06T02:06:00.000+05:302008-01-11T00:05:35.157+05:30

This could have been among the best science fiction stories by anyone, but Clarke just keeps going on tangents rather than sticking to the main story. I felt a bit sad at the end; what a waste!This also is among the most down to earth stories of Clarke, in company with "The Deep Range". Except for various diversions. Also, these two stories share a tenuous link via Thero, a kind of Dalai Lama of

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-83568027004076356592007-05-06T01:33:00.000+05:302007-12-22T02:07:07.676+05:30

This lovely little piece of humor is set in England around the time of war. I presume one of the world wars is meant. But it might as well have been set in India of 1970s or 80s; situation is very familiar.Story summary (spoiler).In a little town, you have alcohol shortages, governmental rationing, & a prohibition on brewing. Plus ordinary citizens have to pay several hundred percent sin tax on

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-46693220490044701922007-05-05T22:20:00.000+05:302007-12-22T02:07:15.191+05:30

Since the rivers ultimately drain all things from the lands of earth, the seas are full of all kinds of materials. Including fantastic quantities of metals. The only problem is: a single liter of sea water doesn't contain much of a specific metal like gold or uranium, though a cubic mile does.Story summary (spoiler).This is the story of a machine that can extract any specified metal from the

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-56118027853679167882007-05-05T21:01:00.003+05:302009-12-13T00:22:40.229+05:30

Here is the complete list of all 18 stories in this collection:"The Food of the Gods" (B), Playboy, May 1964: Humor. A corporate FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt) campaign. "Maelstrom II" (A); Playboy, April 1962: Thriller. A man on board a flyer destined to crash has only one option to survive - jump!"The Shining Ones"[novelette] "The Wind from the Sun" (A); "First published in Boy's Life, March

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-51823094906966874252007-05-05T20:45:00.000+05:302007-12-22T02:09:01.753+05:30

Here is the complete list of all the 18 stories in this collection by Arthur C Clarke:"The Nine Billion Names of God": A certain Buddhist sect believes that the ultimate purpose of life is to spell all the nine billion names of God."An Ape About The House" (B): A genetically modified female Chimpanzee, trained for house hold chores & babysitting, is purchased by a household. But she turns out to

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-46312171722351010422007-05-05T20:36:00.002+05:302009-10-28T01:08:37.333+05:30

Here is the complete list of all the 15 stories in this collection:"I Remember Babylon" (C); Playboy, March 1960: Dated cold war story - Soviets have got a new propaganda medium. "Summertime on Icarus" aka "The Hottest Piece of Real Estate in the Solar System" (A); Vogue, June 1960: Shipwreck & rescue on an asteroid currently rather close to Sun."Out of the Cradle, Endlessly Orbiting""Who's There

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-49624947716631307252007-05-05T20:31:00.000+05:302007-12-22T02:10:28.398+05:30

This is generally a good collection - many really good stories here.Here is the complete list of all the 11 stories in this collection by Arthur C Clarke:"Second Down": The making of a symbiotic culture of cattle & hominids on an alien world, with cattle as masters."If I Forget Thee, Oh Earth": All humans are dead after a nuclear war, & earth's surface is radio active. Only survivors are a small

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-9514534336081518912007-05-05T19:57:00.011+05:302009-12-13T00:22:48.721+05:30

If there is only one Clarke book you will ever buy, this is it. 109 stories, 966 large pages (in my paperback edition), including shorter versions of several novels:"Guardian Angel" whose expanded version is "Childhood's End"."Rescue Party" & "The Star" whose expanded version is "The Songs of Distant Earth" - in basic plot elements, though the collection also features a shorter version titled "

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-65202583058477534932007-05-04T23:28:00.000+05:302007-12-22T02:12:16.220+05:30

This is not the worst story by Clarke, but there are many that are decidedly better.Story summary (spoiler).An accident during the commissioning of a nuclear power plant in Australia creates a zero-gravity field of a limited range right on the surface of earth - a sphere of some size that goes both into atmosphere & inside earth. And has fantastic properties.Title of the story has to do with our

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-66461978220241696742007-05-03T18:00:00.000+05:302007-12-22T02:12:30.854+05:30

This story is very similar to "Patent Pending". Both the device involved & principles involved are the same; but application is different.Story summary (spoiler).While understanding ECG maps of nervous system are very difficult, we know that they do represent the mental activity.Here is the thesis of this story: Suppose I record the ECG of some lowly creature while it is doing some very simple

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-6483488864835421282007-05-03T17:55:00.000+05:302007-12-22T02:12:42.769+05:30

This will easily qualify as among the more forgettable works of Clarke.Story summary (spoiler).There is a nuclear research facility in some small town. Local population never quite becomes comfortable with it presence - always fearing the ultimate disaster.Until, one fine day, a truck carrying crates with unknown contents loses control, & crashes.Everyone approaching the accident site is seen

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-32459756572580796492007-05-02T01:18:00.001+05:302008-03-12T08:39:14.191+05:30

There were a couple of sentences that I didn't really get, but having fun with this story doesn't really require that you be an American.Story summary (spoiler).Californian businessmen want some of the Florida's tourist business. So they contrive a plan to dilute the state's claim to Sunshine State tag.An expert is hired for a secret mission: to artificially create an iceberg in the vicinity of

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-14321971043240283892007-05-01T20:04:00.001+05:302008-02-17T20:15:03.641+05:30

This must be one of the very few Clarkian stories that border on being somewhat philosophical.Story summary (spoiler).We know about circadian rhythms - those bodily cycles that said to be linked to your body's clock. I am not sure if these are what Clarke means by rhythms of the mind, but let's assume they are the same - for the purpose of this article.Here is the central thesis of this story:

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-84045269265121031812007-04-30T20:20:00.000+05:302007-12-22T02:13:09.557+05:30

Welcome the modern equivalent of the great Druid from the village of Indomitable Gauls. The maker of impossible potions. Because this one is modern, he injects them into your body via a syringe rather than making you drink it. But that is about the only difference.Enjoy in this lovely piece of humor.Story summary (spoiler).A man gets ultimatum from his wife: do something about your snoring, or we

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-7074287186112923302007-04-29T11:29:00.000+05:302007-12-22T02:13:46.896+05:30

It was the tongue-twister title of this story that I first found attractive - in a perverse sort of way. After dusting my 20 year old nearly unused Webster (I had brought it because of beautiful bright red cover!), I found the meaning of "defenestration": throwing someone or something out of window. Ermintrude is the name of a women who happens to be the heroine of the story; Inch is her surname,

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-62147975690821819652007-04-28T22:43:00.000+05:302007-12-22T02:18:27.659+05:30

This appears to be far better story collection by Arthur Clarke than his "Reach for Tomorrow", though I haven't read more than half the stories yet.Tone, ambiance, & presentation style is very similar to Issac Asimov's Black Widowers series of stories.Here is the complete list of all the 15 stories in the collection:"Silence Please": Humor. A man invents the ultimate silencer."Big Game Hunt": A

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-73529774562371361252007-04-28T15:31:00.000+05:302007-12-22T02:14:18.056+05:30

This story has something in common with the first story of "2001 A Space Odyssey" - aliens nudging apes to become humans. Only they choose a different species, & the story has a very different ending! And the aliens here are not as philanthropic.This story also reminded me of another old book - "Godel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid" by Douglas Hofstadter. It was very popular when I was in

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-85521197022856525532007-04-28T00:27:00.001+05:302008-07-15T02:25:14.761+05:30

I had been wondering why there has been no story involving a time machine by Clarke. And here it comes.In spite of having seen several time travel movies, I find this story original.Story summary (spoiler).A group of paleontologists have hit upon a geological discovery of some importance - fossilized bed on an ancient riverbed with footprints of a big dinosaur. The story is about reconstructing

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-71565650615976115832007-04-28T00:15:00.000+05:302007-12-22T02:14:41.880+05:30

This story obviously leads better known "Rendezvous with Rama" - there are just too many similarities. This story also has elements that will be seen in the 3 sequels of "2001 A Space Odyssey".Story summary (spoiler).Like Rendezvous, we have an alien spaceship in our solar system with kilometer scale dimensions. Like Rama, this is a complete independent habitat including its own sea. Like Rama,

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-45901286440535839052007-04-28T00:12:00.002+05:302008-04-12T02:28:05.690+05:30

Among the least entertaining stories by Clarke. The only good thing about it is that it is really short!Story summary (spoiler).Story describes the state of a dead small town some days after a nuclear bomb was dropped on it. It is completely descriptive - no humans, animals or dialogs - and of course the mood is sad & nostalgic.The town involved is Stratford-upon-Avon, apparently a very well

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-16477206481942875172007-04-26T19:40:00.000+05:302007-12-22T02:15:17.747+05:30

Frankly, I am getting bored with Clarke's doomsday stories - there are just too many of them!Story summary (spoiler).Earth is so prosperous at this future date that boredom is the biggest problem. Too many men committing suicide because of lack of excitement in life.Our hero, if you can call him that, decides to do something interesting. He gets a spaceship built, with an inner chamber that is

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-16781228515407324302007-04-26T19:34:00.000+05:302007-12-22T02:15:25.925+05:30

Story summary (spoiler).Our Sun, in its run around galaxy, has entered a vast cloud of generally harmless cosmic dust. No one knows how long the pass will take - decades or thousands of years.Result is: much less heat of the Sun reaches earth. And earth has entered the process that will take it into the long forgotten ice age.The story is about the anguish of a man who has seen his world

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-27597123344290714962007-04-26T19:29:00.003+05:302008-03-19T17:42:47.115+05:30

If the only terror you knew as a child was that of darkness, you might be able to identify with this story. At least for a while.An MP3 version of this story is available online (link via SF Signal & Free SF Reader). I haven't heard the audio version.Story summary (spoiler).A man of a high-tech community is forced by circumstances to walk for a few hours on a lonely road in a wilderness with no

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-78559754910143365682007-04-26T01:18:00.002+05:302009-09-09T09:13:41.388+05:30

Asimov's "The Gods Themselves" is probably the only other story I have read that can compare with this in inventiveness of unfamiliar life forms in fiction.From the facts cited, this story was obviously written when much less was known about the interior of earth. But that doesn't dilute the fun of the story.Story summary. Most of the story is told in flashback. So let's begin with flashback.A

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-74400147456101358672007-04-26T01:06:00.001+05:302008-02-15T23:23:51.604+05:30

Best part of this story is - it is short! And has enough mystery to not bore till end.The concept of the story is certainly not original. If you travel across small town northern India, you will hear stories of this ilk at many road side eateries - sometimes told as if they were true stories. It also has elements that remind me of two novels by Asimov - one of his Spacer stories involving people

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-20926385978007717012007-04-25T14:50:00.000+05:302007-12-22T02:16:28.224+05:30

This story, first published under the title "The Reversed Man", relies for its facts on what I think is speculative physics - the existence of more spatial dimensions than 3 that we can perceive. Though there are theories galore, to the best of my knowledge, no one has ever demonstrated their presence.But it is a readable story, at least the first 90%.Story summary (spoiler).An electric power

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-51425387606015910872007-04-24T21:48:00.000+05:302007-12-22T02:16:41.034+05:30

Frustration of alien colonists. Good humor.Story summary (spoiler).A galactic survey ship that reports to equivalent of the ministry of tribal affairs (of galactic government) lands on earth - near an English village. Among the mostly tentacled crew are two humanoids - deficient alien creatures with only one pair of legs, arms & eyes! They don't quite look human, but are effectively disguised as

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-33149541976537333292007-04-24T00:10:00.006+05:302008-07-08T23:32:46.235+05:30

According to Clarke's opening remarks in the story collection "Reach for Tomorrow", "Rescue Party" is not only his first published story, but shares the roots with another story - "History Lesson". Also see the note on first story near end of this article.After reading it, I am getting a feeling that this also is the mother story of all of Clarke's life. Just too many ideas in his later stories

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-51584002743310589842007-04-24T00:10:00.005+05:302008-04-15T00:00:16.237+05:30

This short story collection by Arthur Clarke was first published in 1956, & contains 12 stories published in desperate places over several years.The only interesting stories in the collection are "Rescue Party", "Time's Arrow", & "Jupiter Five". And may be "Trouble with the Natives" & "The Possessed".Here is the complete list of stories in the collection:"Rescue Party": Clarke's first published

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-68305541663366132022007-04-22T01:02:00.000+05:302007-09-25T19:55:23.355+05:30

Books in Arthur C Clarke's Rama series of novels (in order of publication)."Rendezvous with Rama"With Gentry Lee: "Rama II"With Gentry Lee: "Garden of Rama"With Gentry Lee: "Rama Revealed"On quality of the series.The only decent story in this series is Rendezvous. Slightly dated theme of self-contained extra-terrestrial habitats, but there is enough innovation & good story telling to make it a

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-90999630115832778102007-04-22T00:03:00.002+05:302007-04-24T22:22:02.835+05:30

Following links provide exploration of Arthur Clarke's novels & short stories reviewed here by theme of the story.Brahm (religious concept from Hinduism)Carnivorous plantsComedyDevil (as in Christianity)Dilbert (as in cartoon strip)DoomsdayEnergyET (Extra Terrestrials) (Aliens)FarmingGalactic survey ships looking for primitive intelligent racesHollywoodHuman historyHuman space travelKickstart new

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-78440816034845580312007-04-22T00:03:00.001+05:302007-04-24T00:22:07.541+05:30

Following links provide exploration of Arthur Clarke's novels & short stories reviewed here by technology idea woven into the story.Artificial gravity produced by rotating cylinderCylindrical spaceshipDumbbell-shaped spaceshipHuman hibernation (Stasis)Space elevatorSpace shuttleTerrafarmingVirtual reality

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-88623078352408611542007-04-22T00:03:00.000+05:302007-05-13T19:25:15.426+05:30

Following links provide exploration of Arthur Clarke's novels & short stories reviewed here by heavenly bodies where the story unfolds.Europa (moon of Jupiter)Ganymede (moon of Jupiter)Hally's CometIo (moon of Jupiter)Japetus (also called Iapetus) (moon of Saturn). Some times, these are miss-spelt as Japitus, or Iapitus.JupiterMoonPhobos (moon of Mars)SaturnVenus

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-70455435875466572512007-04-21T19:23:00.000+05:302008-01-11T00:04:50.106+05:30

This book is almost entirely fantasy rather than science fiction. Except a few pages of rather reasonable philosophical discourse about mid-way through the book, & that too is borrowed from similar discourse in "The City & the Stars". And in spite of the finality of the title, the end of the story leaves a lot of scope for further sequels.Also, this book liberally copies whole passages from

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-11275762969283056352007-04-21T19:15:00.000+05:302007-05-09T02:23:54.236+05:30

Books in Arthur C Clarke's Space Odyssey series of novels (in order of publication).2001 A Space Odyssey2010 Odyssey Two2061 Odyssey Three3001 The Final OdysseyOn quality of the series.Perhaps the best single story in the series is the first story in 2001 - life & times of primitive apes on the verge of discovering stuff that will make their descendants humans.Second & third stories in 2001 hold

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-59889587885217643032007-04-21T19:05:00.001+05:302008-06-11T00:51:32.918+05:30

Among other things, this site as also my new Variety SF site, provide quality ratings on stories reviewed. There are also 4 big lists that rank stories by decreasing quality: Arthur Clarke's novels & short stories; other authors' novels & short stories.Will my ratings make sense for you? Here is a quick test: here are some stories I consider among the best; & here are some I consider among the

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-59402476782996207372007-04-20T19:54:00.000+05:302007-12-22T02:21:02.540+05:30

This comedy is about a computer that rebelled. Or was made to. Or may be the programmer rebelled.This is primarily the story of the dynamics of a software development team, with a Dilbertian flavor. But you should be able to connect with the story if you work in any kind of project team.There are portions that are dated - like programming a computer by also tinkering with its circuits, or by

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-16477513447994909942007-04-19T23:58:00.000+05:302007-12-22T02:21:10.659+05:30

This is the second of 3 sequels to "2001 A Space Odyssey".While this shipwreck & rescue thriller pretty much gives away suspense at the very beginning (if you have read 2010), it is still generally a good read.Also, this is generally a better book compared to first sequel - 2010. Fewer ghosts, no gods, few descriptions of wonderful alien creatures; and they don't last long. This is mostly a human

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-57295387868434816952007-04-19T23:47:00.000+05:302007-12-22T02:21:19.724+05:30

Imagine you could cancel ambient noise using a device like an ordinary audio system. Not a noise-canceling headphone. We want to make an entire hall or theater silent.Now imagine the kind of pranks you can play.Story summary (spoiler).This is a comedy where a college theater show is wrecked by such a device. One moment, the actors are saying something. Next moment, it's only silence!I wish he had

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-52238525950108833562007-04-19T12:47:00.001+05:302008-03-25T13:07:02.681+05:30

This really is two stories rather than one - a doomsday story, & an ET story. Both themes appear to be rather dear to Clarke's heart - going by number of stories he has written on these themes. Title comes from second story.Story summary (spoiler).Let's first talk about the second story - since title is named from this.Assume an alien race from skies comes across a single photographic movie reel,

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-72947108841613716872007-04-18T12:06:00.000+05:302007-12-22T02:21:52.031+05:30

Story summary (spoiler).This is quite an entertaining little account of a chase in exotic surroundings. One very resourceful man, alone on Phobos - the tiny moon of Mars, being chased by a heavily armed adversary & winning.There are some detailed descriptions of Phobos, & somewhat dated descriptions what you would see on Mars from there.Not a bad reading.Fact sheet.Hide-and-Seek, short story,

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-21535085349053440272007-04-17T14:15:00.000+05:302007-12-22T02:22:00.749+05:30

This must be among the few somewhat confused stories by Clarke.This doomsday story talks of earth's destruction, along with that of rest of solar system, & the coming & going of man without the slightest effects on the universe in the long run. That is theme behind the title.Story summary (spoiler).Of the four parts in the story, first is by far the most interesting. Tentative exploration of the

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-22270253086941701772007-04-15T11:24:00.001+05:302008-02-29T21:42:17.200+05:30

Every time I begin to get bored with Clarke's stuff, he throws in a surprise. This is an outstanding & hilarious comedy - probably the best single story I have read yet of Arthur Clarke.He anticipates Dilbert by decades. If you manage a business or a project, you will find a lot you can relate to. It also is a story about rolling out new technology in an enterprise - what the software industry

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-88468132062118226562007-04-15T00:01:00.001+05:302007-12-22T02:24:41.935+05:30

This is the first of the three sequels to "2001 A Space Odyssey". Going by experience of his "Rendezvous with Rama" sequels, I avoided this one for quite a while. But this book is generally good.There is a key change in continuing the narration from 2001: the mysterious alien artifact (TMA-2) is not on a satellite of Saturn, but is hanging in space between Jupiter & its innermost volcanic

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-12518907451515061352007-04-14T19:41:00.001+05:302007-12-22T02:22:39.593+05:30

This is the third "shipwreck as primary element" story from Clarke I am reviewing, not counting Deep Range that had a shipwreck as a minor episode. After a while, it gets a bit boring!And this story has a bonus shipwreck - so instead of usual one with happy ending, we have two wrecks here - one with happy & another with sad ending.Story summary (spoiler).A manned 2-stage rocket powered with

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-48987642162116024432007-04-13T20:31:00.000+05:302007-12-22T02:22:49.308+05:30

While there are differences, there can be no doubt this story, originally published as "Encounter in the Down", inspired the first story in "2001 A Space Odyssey". Note that second story in 2001 was inspired by "The Sentinel".A much better version of this story that actually marries it with the first story in "2001 A Space Odyssey" appears in Clarke's "The Lost Worlds of 2001" under the title "

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-43115097289837972582007-04-12T15:47:00.000+05:302007-12-22T02:23:02.357+05:30

This 60 year old thriller should properly be called a long story rather than a short one - it's much longer than many of the Clarke's short stories.While introducing this story in "The Collected Stories of Arthur C Clarke", there is a mention that this "was one of the stories incorporated into the film and novel, 2001".Story summary (spoiler).This is a shipwreck & survival story with a very dated

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-31482901924468475822007-04-12T15:34:00.000+05:302007-04-13T00:28:49.755+05:30

By now, I have read enough of Clarke's stories to know that ETs happen to be one of his favorite themes. He tends to be quite graphical about their description - so we can reasonably enumerate his favorite designs.1. Pure energy beings. Going by the characteristics described, these are indistinguishable from Hindu concept of brahm (also called many other names in India in various sects & regions)

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-31656763570060824452007-04-11T21:14:00.006+05:302008-06-11T23:53:21.815+05:30

While I don't recall a Clarke's remark to the effect, the conclusion is unmistakable: this story as well as the novel "The Songs of Distant Earth" are essentially variants of Clarke's first published story - "Rescue Party".All three share an identical doomsday scenario: the star shining on the home of an evolved life form explodes killing all life & planets. In Songs & Rescue Party, it is the Sun

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-12342767850162936562007-04-10T20:04:00.001+05:302008-04-12T02:23:36.874+05:30

One of the less entertaining stories by Clarke. It is yet another of the many doomsday stories in the aftermath of World War II - dealing with radioactive destruction of earth.Story summary (spoiler). Story is almost entirely descriptive & flashback, with few dialogs. In the Armageddon, all life on earth is destroyed. Only human survivors are those living in a colony on moon. Story is told

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-29014496060528146782007-04-09T21:11:00.001+05:302008-04-13T21:15:28.042+05:30

This engaging little tale relies for its science fiction part on the unusual murder weapon.Story summary (spoiler). A loner with low self esteem is living in isolation, feels bullied by his dog-trainer aunt, & decides to kill her.This loner also has a well-respected-by-peers hobby - he is a very good orchid grower. On one of his visits to the dealer, he bargains a little unfamiliar orchid that

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-12353279172564697242007-04-08T23:49:00.000+05:302007-12-22T02:23:44.024+05:30

This is actually a rather well written doomsday story in the backdrop of World War II & atom bomb.Story summary (spoiler).On a lonely island somewhere in Pacific, a lone scientist is engaged in what could pass as a National Geographic story on social behavior of termites - only the real story goes a bit deeper.Thinking on the lines that a human is essentially a colony of dumb cells, this man

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-22990361369724021412007-04-08T00:40:00.000+05:302007-12-22T02:23:55.769+05:30

Story summary (spoiler).This leisurely funny little tale is about the making of a Hollywood television serial for kids. The hero, one Capt Zoom, is to fight the bad boys from Mars that want to subjugate earthlings - kind of US version of Shaktimaan.In each episode, actors from both sides - good Capt Zoom & bad Martians with funny names - need to fight each others with impressive weapons - devices

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-23311742698484915322007-04-07T07:37:00.003+05:302008-03-25T13:06:12.538+05:30

A very average aliens' story. The story is set in sometime in 1990s (now we know, of course, that he was too optimistic).An MP3 version of this story is available online (link via SF Signal & Free SF Reader).Story summary (spoiler).A local expedition off one of the permanent human bases on moon stumbles upon a machine on earth side of lunar surface that is found to be a beacon planted by ETs.

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-55278890174759786282007-04-07T07:33:00.000+05:302007-04-12T16:23:39.598+05:30

Original interview is available here. "... what dates the movies the most - economics and politics, not technology!""It only costs about a hundred dollars to go to the Moon - in terms of kilowatt hours, if you were to buy the energy from your friendly local power station. Whereas it costs about a billion dollars the way we've done it." "There's no reason why, in the next century, it should cost

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-53777152378722052802007-04-06T13:10:00.008+05:302008-03-25T13:08:43.852+05:30

A second rate doomsday story.Full text of this story is available online (link via Best Science Fiction Stories), as also is an MP3 version (link via SF Signal & Free SF Reader). I haven't seen either of online versions, but quick skimming of text version suggests it's the story I read.Story summary (spoiler).Some monks in a monastery in Tibet have been researching the real names of God for 3

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-28562093080388673102007-04-06T12:59:00.005+05:302011-09-10T12:00:31.379+05:30

The very best: "Superiority". How not to go about deploying the latest & greatest technology! Great comedy. The most influential: "Rescue Party". Almost all Clarke fiction is simply a detailing of this story. Follow the link, & see Influences section in my review of this story. Outstanding thriller: "Maelstrom II". A man on board a flyer destined to crash has only one option to survive - jump!

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-83926228779549505042007-04-05T23:06:00.000+05:302008-01-11T00:02:27.911+05:30

Key concept in this little story is a machine that makes your audio system & television obsolete: record your experience, store it in a memory device, sell it as equivalent of a DVD, & someone else can play it back using his playback device.While speculation on interpreting brainwaves is abundant, this is the first time I have read about recording your experience, & then someone else

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-15102161355342309092007-04-04T23:58:00.000+05:302008-01-11T00:02:13.591+05:30

This must be among the best science fiction by anyone - not just Clarke. A very realistic story, even if futuristic.With increasing human population, where do you grow all the food? While the land is limited, 75% of earth's surface is sea - mostly untapped. This is a story about taking farming to sea.Story summary (spoiler).Main story is about cattlization of whales - breeding whales for meat.A

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-54911731069355073492007-04-04T23:51:00.001+05:302008-03-14T09:09:25.425+05:30

The very best:First half of "Richter 10": A man has figured out a way to tame earthquakes.First of the four stories in "2001 A Space Odyssey". Explores the earliest human history - the process of beast becoming man. And very readable - no preaching.Among the most down to earth: "The Deep Range". With population exploding, how about taking farming to seas - so we get more food supplies? Remember -

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-31555317850832266942007-03-31T13:50:00.000+05:302007-12-22T02:26:08.642+05:30

Imagine replacing all the electronics & other electrically powered machines around you with living genetically engineered animal equivalents:Smart portable lighting made possible with huge fireflies!An engineered equivalent of camel for replacing cars that moves fast, has its back shaped to make comfortable seat, & you can "tell" it about destination & route for driving!Medicines & diagnostic

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-22880195357774791772007-03-31T13:44:00.000+05:302007-12-22T02:26:23.508+05:30

Second of the three sequels to Arthur Clarke's "Rendezvous with Rama". First para of my Rama II review introduces the sequels.Now this is generally a much more readable book compared to Rama II: fewer flashbacks & they don't last as long.Story has the same thesis as William Golding's much better known "Lord of the Flies": put together a bunch of humans in an isolated environment with ample

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-21850903013660748352007-03-31T13:40:00.000+05:302007-12-22T02:26:30.674+05:30

First of the three sequels to Arthur Clark's "Rendezvous with Rama". Sequels are penned by Gentry Lee to outline provided by Arthur Clarke. While Lee's credentials include involvement in some of NASA's interplanetary missions, he sounds more of an engineer than a literateur. Don't expect anything even approaching Clarke on readability.Story summary (spoiler).First one third of this 15 year old

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-66931479753800352512007-03-31T13:32:00.003+05:302009-06-19T20:44:44.669+05:30

This small 35 year old novel really belongs to 10% of all works that get tagged as science fiction - it actually deals with science rather than politics!While there are just too many novels now-a-days that deal with enclosed extra-terrestrial habitats, I still found it good reading because of fast pace & few pages.And it describes a generally very realistic, if futuristic, machine. If you are an

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-89051632597476853882007-03-31T12:54:00.001+05:302008-04-05T11:58:22.218+05:30

This novel from mid-1960s must easily be among the better science fiction works. Comprises of essentially four different stories carefully linked together, but each could independently exist.Story summary (spoiler).First story doesn't last long, but has an outstanding plot that can be basis for a series of novels - if you drop the ET component & may be do a bit more research.It portrays life 3

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-30234200696455292262007-03-29T23:47:00.000+05:302008-01-10T23:58:07.153+05:30

Amazingly, this 45 year old science fiction thriller still doesn't feel dated!It is a fast moving & very engaging shipwreck & rescue story, set in an extremely exotic locale - neither land nor water, neither air nor space! Sounds like old Indian story of Hiranyakashapu - you will neither die indoors nor outdoors, neither during day nor night, neither killed by a man nor beast ...This book

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-11380360349241467022007-03-25T10:29:00.001+05:302008-03-20T01:31:45.231+05:30

While this 20 year old book is not among my all time top five science fiction novels, it must come among those immediately after them. Fast paced, very readable, & one of the most optimistic treatments of doomsday in fiction. And some very interesting ideas for the technical minded.Note that this story is essentially an expanded & better developed form of "Rescue Party" - mother of all Clarke

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525180969358859346.post-27343367165468850162007-03-25T09:48:00.000+05:302008-01-10T23:58:30.700+05:30

There are parts that are interesting, but I would not have missed this doomsday novel had I never laid my hands on it.This book is essentially a reiteration of the idea of moksha as the ultimate purpose of life - as preached by any number of Hindu sects over the millennia. See note below.Story summary (spoiler).One fine day in 21st century (or is it 2oth - I forget) massive alien ships appear

Tinkoonoreply@blogger.com6