In Memoriam: Arthur C. Clarke
My favorite science fiction writer has just died.
He has stipulated that a secular funeral be held at his home in Sri Lanka.
He was a far-seer and while the veracity of his predictions enjoy a mixed success, I will always remember him for being the first science fiction writer I read.
My favorites:
"Trouble with the Natives"
"The Wind from the Sun" (the short story; also a book of collected short stories)
"Reunion"
"The Food of the Gods"
and many others, including, of course, the story and the screenplay 2001: A Space Odyssey. I shall miss him. Eulogy at The Marquee Blog.
He has stipulated that a secular funeral be held at his home in Sri Lanka.
He was a far-seer and while the veracity of his predictions enjoy a mixed success, I will always remember him for being the first science fiction writer I read.
My favorites:
"Trouble with the Natives"
"The Wind from the Sun" (the short story; also a book of collected short stories)
"Reunion"
"The Food of the Gods"
and many others, including, of course, the story and the screenplay 2001: A Space Odyssey. I shall miss him. Eulogy at The Marquee Blog.
Labels: Arthur C. Clarke, science fiction
posted by Kristine | Wednesday, March 19, 2008
13 Comments:
I left a detailed post about Clarke on my blog, and I've left this link to a video that Clarke released just weeks ago on the occasion of his 90th birthday. Enjoy.
Thanks, Scott.
BTW, keep your eyes peeled. There may be some interesting news tomorrow.
(scrapes eyeball with interest)
Oddly enough, my favorite Clarke opus is "A Fall of Moondust," one of his lesser known works.
Clarke was not at top of my list of favorite SF authors. He ran a distant fourth to Heinlein, Anderson, and Azimov, all of whom have gone on to that Big WorldCon in the Sky, but he was good.
Scotius
I wonder if he is a star child now?
I have to read Heinlein. Someday, right along with more Asimov.
"I wonder if he is a star child now."
Who knows? There's no way of proving it one way or the other.
BUT we can bloody damn well hope so!!!!
Scotius
There may be a few words of Robert A. Heinlein's published work that I have not read, but not very many. I still have much Asimov and Poul Anderson to catch up on.
Clarke's "Rendevous with Rama" won a Hugo and a Nebula in the early seventies. I thought it rather pointless myself.
Scotius
If you've read little or no Heinlein, I recommend starting with his "future history," which is a chronological collection of short stories, capped with a novella, published under the title The Past Through Tomorrow. The last tale, "Methusela's Children", serves as a prequel to the next step: his hugely popular (and, I think, great) novel, Time Enough For Love.
On the other hand, he was so prolific, there are many other starting points, but I'd recommend starting with his earlier, rather than later, works. For example, I'd save I Will Fear No Evil until you'd become familiar with his earlier "hard-SF" stuff. I read that when I was 14, and am glad my parents didn't know. *g*
Speaking of other starting points, two of his greatest would do just fine: The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, or Stranger In A Strange Land. The former includes at least one character who appears in other books...
Others I particularly enjoyed: Friday, Starship Troopers, Double Star. As I said, he was prolific. Those readers more educated and dedicated than I might make other recommendations.
Rev, he is not a starchild, but he is no longer an atheist.
My own favorite Clarke work is Tales From The White Hart, but I think I've read too few of his works to give him the kind of send-off he really deserved. I plan to correct that soon. I've read a few things about why he may have moved to Sri Lanka (my favorite is that he supposedly said, "Forty English winters") but, frankly I'm tempted to move there myself. Right now a country with an ongoing civil war seems like the best place to get some bloody peace and quiet...and I'd like to put as much distance between myself and Ben Stein as possible. ;-)
Tales From The White Hart
I haven't read that one. Ah, so much to read in the world...
Rev, he is not a starchild, but he is no longer an atheist.
Yeah, because you're nothing when you're dead. Good one, Diane. (That's sarcasm, honey.)
Ah, so much to read in the world...
Tell me about it. Tales From The White Hart is a collection of pub tales, most of which are quite funny. It's not, strictly speaking, science fiction, but obviously Clarke did good work in many genres.
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