(Drivebycuriosity) - Arthur C. Clarke belongs to the writers who defined science fiction in the 20th century. He was not just a star, his mind was a whole galaxy filled with countless innovative and surprising ideas. I had much fun reading the more than 100 short stories he created in his 7 decades spanning writing career, which are amassed in "The Collected Stories of Arthur C. Clarke" ( amazon). The tales are chronological sorted, showing the development of the author. Mentioning all the gems of this collection would go beyond the capacity of this blog, so I just highlight the stories which impressed me most.
There are at least two must reads: "The Nine Billion Names of God" (page 417-423). The plot maybe not based on pure science, by the tale is philosophical, crisp & apocalyptic - and stays in the mind for a long time.
"The Star" (517-522). The very short piece - based on history & religion - is dark, maybe blasphemous, and inspired by cosmology & physics.
"The Wall of Darkness" (104-119) is philosophical and influenced by cutting edge physics. Ted Chiang used a similar basic idea for this story "Tower of Babylon".
"Time`s Arrow" (225-236). Some archaeologists discover in the desert much more than they had expected and wanted.
"A Walk in the Dark" (236-244 ) - a creepy horror story set on a remote planet.
"Silence Please" (244-253). About serious side effects of noise reduction - inspired by the laws of entropy.
"Travel by wire" (page 1-5). Long time before "Beam me up, Scotty" Clarke wrote about teletransportation, with a lot of humor.
"Technical Error" (56-69 ). A huge short circuit creates a spectacular phenomena.
"Hide and Seek" (160-169). A thriller about a man who stranded on a tiny moon and is hunted by space ship.
"Breaking Strain" (169-191 ). A psychological thriller about 2 men on a damaged space ship, where there is just enough oxygen for one of them to survive.
"All the Time in the World" (407-417). A funny apocalyptic tale.
"The Deep Range" (482-489 ). About protecting dolphins with the help of high-tech.
"Who`s there?" (693-697). About a man who makes some strange experience after leaving his spaceship in a spacesuit.
"A Meeting with Medusa" (894-928). About an exploration of the outer atmosphere of Jupiter. An adventure based on a lot of science, especially physics, chemistry & evolution.
Clarke was not only a talented story teller, he also was a scientist and used his deep and profound knowledge to interweave physics, engineering, evolution, cosmology and more science into exciting tales. I was thrilled, amused and learned a lot by reading this collection.
Many of his stories were visionary. In the year 1949 he already described the complex physics & technologies for space flights ("Breaking Strain"). He also inspired the use of satellites for global TV and data communication.
Clarke claimed that "it is now clear that the Third Reich´s attempt to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile, which was too late to have any major influence on World War II, sapped its resources and contributed to the Allied victory"
"As long as science advance, as long a mathematics discovers incredible worlds where twice two would never dream of equaling four: so new ideas will come tumbling into the mind of anyone who will let his thoughts wander, passport in hand, along the borders of possibility"
In his foreword Clarke declared: "The science fiction writer does a great service to the community. He encourages in his readers flexibility of mind, readiness to accept and even welcome change - in one word, adaptability."
The collection is a must read for anyone interested in science fiction and belongs into any well sorted library of contemporary fiction.
