3.5
Expedition to Earth
ByPublisher Description
These stories present a brilliant showcase of Arthur C. Clarke's many-layered approach to the moral dilemmas of scientific advancement—from the thrilling and brutal "Breaking Strain" to the more poetic and thoughtful "Second Dawn." Also included is "The Sentinel"—the basis for the classic Stanley Kubrick film
.
This outstanding collection reminds us that the author of
was not only a giant in the world of science fiction, a recipient of multiple Nebula and Hugo Awards, and an incomparable storyteller, but also a "skilled literary artist" (
).
"I do not know of any short story that has moved me more than Arthur C. Clarke's 'If I Forget Thee, Oh Earth.'" —
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Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesExpedition to Earth Reviews
3.5
“Arthur C. Clarke is a legend in the science-fiction community, and this collection of short stories spanning time and space is a great example as to why. A very tiny biographical blurb in the final pages sums up this book perfectly: "Clarke brings the discipline and the intellectual horizons of science to the service of a truly original and powerful imagination. The result is fiction of the future with an unusual relevance for our times."
Every word of that quote is spot on and pretty exactly mirrors my thoughts on this collection of tales. I don't feel the need to add too much more except to say that some of the author's always incredible, often funny, and equally often profound ideas border on the prescient. He wrote these stories before their 1949 publish date but somehow manages to pretty accurately portray successful space launch vehicles that are eerily similar to the systems we use to this day. Some of this is awe-inspiring for the brilliance and foresight (and especially imagination) of Clarke, but towards the end of the book I also felt a deepening sadness. I was still thoroughly enjoying the book, and it took me awhile to realize this melancholy was coming from the fact that in over 75 years the author's dreams and aspirations were still unreached by human beings. When he wrote his afterword, he mentions that it is his expectation to go to the Moon and his unlikely hope to one day go to Mars. He was able to do neither, and to this day we also can do neither. Arthur C. Clarke was a visionary, and the fact that many of these stories still feel futuristic after three-quarters of a century was the source of my wistfulness as I finished this book. I grew up reading books about the solar system and loving the casual interplanetary travel of the Star Wars universe. I have similar dreams to Clarke's to visit other worlds. I remember distinctly the moment when I was a little kid when I realized we'd never set foot on a single other planet. When I was truly little I thought we knew about the other planets because we'd been to them and poked around. Later, the passion this ignited in me drove me to become an aerospace engineer, and today it makes me wish our space program had a higher status in our society and in our hearts. It seems as though most of the momentum Clarke anticipated in our reach to the stars has stalled over the intervening decades, and a passion to explore has been lost somewhere along the way.
I recommend this book to everybody, with no holds barred. It was both eye-opening and at times deeply moving for me as someone who has always loved space exploration (and also as an Earthling). Clarke has found a way to create vivid characters with poignant storylines in as few as three pages. He has also found a way to meld a rigorously scientific mind with an imagination that can only be described as epic, and delivered the combination to the reader in an incredibly palatable way. The author described a civilization's spread to the cosmos literally as leaving its cradle, and I wish we had lived up to his lofty, inspiring, and wonderful expectations. One day we will.”
BelievableChange and growLikeableMemorableMorally ambiguousMultilayeredOriginalRelatableStrong relationshipsAction-packedAddictiveClever plottingEpic scopeFast-pacedGripping/excitingSuspensefulTwistyUnpredictableWell-structuredAncientAtmosphericBeautifulBleakDarkEerieEtherealEvocative imageryExpansiveFuturisticGrittyHarshHistoricalImmersive world-buildingMagicalMajesticMysteriousMysticalNostalgicOtherworldlyPicturesqueRealisticSetting fits the storyUnique locationVivid descriptionsBeautifully-writtenEasy to readFunnyOriginalStraightforwardWitty
“Incredible collection of short stories - I loved every single one in its own way. First Arthur C Clarke I’ve read but would definitely read more”
“I wasn't that impressed with this collection of short stories. One or two had interesting ideas but none of them were developed enough for me to actually enjoy them.
Something that annoys be about men who write sci fi books is the lack of women. They can imagine a future where humans have mastered space travel and can live on the moon but can't envision a future where women are seen as anything more than a mothers and wives. Arthur C Clarke found it easier to write about life on Venus than female astronauts.”
About Arthur C. Clarke
One of the most influential science fiction writers of the twentieth and twenty-first century, Arthur C. Clarke is the author of over one hundred novels, novellas, and short story collections that laid the groundwork for the science fiction genre. Combining scientific knowledge and visionary literary aptitude, Clarke's work explored the implications of major scientific discoveries in astonishingly inventive and mystical settings. Clarke's short stories and novels have won numerous Hugo and Nebula Awards, have been translated into more than thirty languages, and have sold millions of copies worldwide. Several of his books, including
and
, have been adapted into films that still stand as classic examples of the genre. Without a doubt, Arthur C. Clarke's is one of the most important voices in contemporary science fiction literature.
Other books by Arthur C. Clarke
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