Product Description
The City and the Stars: The 10-billion-year-old metropolis of Diaspar is humanity's last home. Alone among immortals, the only man born in 10 million years desperately wants to find what lies beyond the city. The Sands Of Mars: Science fiction writer Martin Gibson finally gets a chance to visit the research colony on the Red planet. Its a dream come true, until he discovers the perils of survival on another world. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Clarke's The City and the Stars
One of his earliest novel's, Arthur C. Clarke's The City and the Stars is an awe-inspiring tale about the human desire to explore.As one would expect of something written in the 1950's, much of the story's astrophysics is dated.We are currently in a golden age of astronomy, with major discoveries published almost every month.

But the computer science is breathtakingly accurate in its anticipation of so-called distributed computing.

Like most of Clarke's work, this novel is optimistic, something typical of the science-fiction of actual scientists.Clarke studied physics and mathematics at King's College, London, and wrote the seminal paper on communications satellite systems.(For one short story, he did sixteen pages of orbital calculations!)It is not surprising that trained scientists would write optimistic science-fiction.They believe in science, or they would not have studied it.

The City and the Stars is inspirational, filled with scientific verisimilitude and human authenticity.And in its imagery as well as in its language, it is poetry.

What Was Arthur Smoking?
I was very disappointed with this book. It has touches of Arthur C. Clarke brilliance. An interesting well written beginning frames a story with lots of potential. But somewhere in the middle of the story Clarke just loses it. Even Clarke's wonderful writing style and delivery cannot overcome the silliness of the plot.

The intelligent blob that lives in a puddle of water on a waterless desert earth for a billion years was my favorite silly character. The main character is a human that after a billion years has evolved to have no hair, fingernails or teeth. He still enjoys munching away on all sorts of food. He must have strong gums. There are the space ships and subway systems that after a billion years are still functional. (A billion years. Not a few thousand or a few million.) Once interesting characters hurtle off to the center of the Galaxy, the blob's robot does the driving, and within a few hours visit a half dozen planets, find space ship eating plants, alien artifacts, and then of course...the ultimately intelligent being in the universe..."Mr. Mind". This is the guy with no body or form, just mind. He hitches a ride back from the center of the galaxy to earth... it's all too much.

Clarke must have been smoking something strong when he wrote this. I've read other Clarke books and loved them. This one was a real disappointment. The story just runs away and becomes silly. If you are a Clarke junky I'm sure you'll disagree with me. If you aren't and want to read Clarke for the first time I suggest not reading this. Try a classic like "Childhood's End". Clarke obviously was thinking much more clearly when he wrote that...

Classic early Clarke
The City in the Stars is Clarke playing around with the potential of information technology to change society.It's one of his better novels, with some of his favorite themes about galactic exploration.

The Sands of Mars is rather dated.If you can get past the fact that there isn't actualy any vegetation, let alone animal life, and there are in fact mountains on Mars, you come out with a rather good novel, with better character work than usual, and interesting (if wrong) science.

Two Classics
Two great classics in one book. The City In the Stars is one of the most entertaining sci fi books I have ever read. Clarke challenges your imagination through every step of this one. If there was a movie for every persons vision of this book, not a single one wold be the same. Clarke describes the unimaginable with such simplicity, yet you capture exactly what he is describing. A timeless classic!
Sands of Mars is also very entertaining and is also a must read for any Clarke fan. Although there are many ideas that are false in this book (since we have now seen the surface of Mars) it is interesting to see what Clarke envisioned on this planet. There are great ideas in this novel.

The City and the Stars for Ever
I read The City and the Stars for the first time in High School in probably 1969 or 1970. It was by far the most profound novel I had ever read. All I could remember was being so upset when it was over. I wanted more. It is that kind of story. You step into another world and you are really there. This book is the one that converted me to Science fiction. I bought the book again in the early 1990's. It was a revised edition and somethings were different.But it was still very good. (I liked the original the best). Arthur C. Clarke is much greater than 2001. This book shows it. Thanks Arthur! ... Read more

Product Description
The classic SF series taken to its full conclusion. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Yawn....
Some good quotes, some from sources I was not able to find even on Google. No real theme or thread to the flow. And the introductions will put you to sleep. Index was well done, but if the content is lacking no amount of good indexing will help it.

Great quotes!
Ok, so not all of your faves might be here, but what is here is great.Useful index too.Great book to have to improve the sig lines in your emails! ... Read more

Product Description
Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone! ... Read more

Product Description
One of the most prolific science fiction writers in history, Arthur C. Clarke began publishing science fiction in the 1930s and is working on the fourth novel in the Odyssey series (3001) nearly 60 years later. This study, the only one on his recent work, features detailed analyses of his eight most recent novels within the context of his literary canon. The novels discussed are Rendezvous with Rama, Imperial Earth, The Fountains of Paradise, 2010: Odyssey Two, The Songs of the Distant Earth, 2061: Odyssey Three, Ghost from the Grand Banks, and The Hammer of God. The intention of this study is to provide both conventional and alternative readings so that students and readers who love Clarke's fiction can develop their critical skills. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

An excellent and believable future projection.
If you want a typical Clarke yarn, this is not the book you're looking for.However, if you'd like to see where a careful extrapolation of existing technology and trends would lead, this is incredible.Any writer can make up his own future; but few have taken the time and effort to project what the near future will be like both imaginatively and realistically.Clarke picks several aspects of daily life and writes a chapter each, about life 23 years in the future.

You must read this with its release date in mind - 1986 - because that's what makes it so compelling.Clarke's projections are firmly based on actual trends and emerging technologies of that decade.This is not so much a "what if" story as it is one of "where will such-and-such really lead?"His depiction of hospital care is deliberate if a bit dry; the Europe-based third world war is a miniature thriller; and only once does he really depart into a fantasy style.One chapter is nothing so much as a nod to Edgar Allen Poe, and is creepy enough to make you swear off any kind of home automation. But even in that chapter, the specific gadgets and technological capabilities are completely plausible.That's what makes this an engaging book.

Not Essential
Arthur C. Clarke is one of the 20th century's greatest writers of fiction-certainly of science fiction-and, as many of us know, of accessible science writing. However, this book is not an essential piece of his canon. It's interesting, to be sure, some of Clarke's visions of the future are novel and worth thinking about. There are several noteworthy situations outlined, including a possible scenario for World War III (this scenario however, shows the hazards of prophecy... apparently Clarke failed to forsee the fall of the Berlin Wall, for Germany is still referred to here as "East" and "West".) A lot of the writing doesn't really sound like Clarke... especially the medical chapter, it comes off as a bit dry and boring in places, lacking his trademark wit. It almost seems as if these chapters and scenarios were written by someone else and merely edited by Clarke. I'm not knocking the book-it is interesting, nicely laid out, and very professional and highly ambitious in scope-but Clarke has SO MUCH superior material available that there's no reason for you to pick this up unless you've nearly exhausted his output.

For an Arthur Clarke book, it was far from my expectations.
This book tries to give us a small hint of what the future may be. Arthur Clarke tries to describe the future as his creativity imagine. It was writen in 1986, but I read it in 1997, so some of book's predictions seemsidiot to me. In my point of view, Arthur Clarke should focus on a story,not fortune-telling. Of course science ficcion must do some wild guess, buta good book is sustained by the plot, not the situation. ... Read more

Product Description
Decades have passed since Commander Norton and his crew met with the enormous alien ship dubbed Rama and declared it an intelligent robot with no interest in the creatures of our solar system. But now another ship has been sighted near Earth, and this time, humanity will discover startling--perhaps deadly--differences. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (145)

Aaaaaarghhhhhhh!
I have no choice but to blame Gentry Lee otherwise I would have to re-evaluate Clarke's greatness.I had to read RAMA II after reading RAMA right?Now, just like 2061 ruined 3001, I will probably never read RAMA revealed.

is it really by Clarke?
I read the first chapter of Rama II, and it became immediately obvious to me that Clarke didn't write it.Instead of introducing any science-fiction ideas, it is a propaganda piece about the author's views on economics (government spending will ruin the economy) and abortion (it's good for holding down the population of minority groups).It sounded like something by an Ayn Rand disciple, which Clarke definitely isn't.Either Clarke did not write the novel, or he cared so little about the book that he delegated the crucial first chapter to his collaborator.Either way I decided it wasn't worthwhile reading the rest.

This is the first time I've felt justified writing a review on the basis of one chapter.

I REALLY liked this book...it was a joy to read!
I'm astonished at all the horrible reviews this book got.Frankly, I don't think it deserves that treatment.I read a LOT of sci-fi...I mean a LOT...it's pretty much all I read.The Rama I book was great but I actually found myself totally intrigued with how this book fleshes out some of the inner workings of Rama.It seems that too many readers here want to lambast the book because the characters ended up finding things that they could actually understand within the Rama universe and not everything was left to the imagination or as "beyond human comprehension" (which is quite cliche).

If you read Rama I...read this book.

Even if you want to like it, you won't
As many other reviewers have said, this book doesn't seem to have actually been written by Clarke - if it had, it wouldn't be the steaming pile of poo that it is.Rendezvous with Rama was good if not great - but everything that made it thought-provoking has been abandoned in this sequel.I kept reading thinking that somehow it had to get better, because it couldn't get much worse.But then it did....

Even for free, it's not worth it.

chris says
lousy sequel to great original Rendezvous with Rama. contaminated with pc by bimbo co-author. same goes for sequel 3. ... Read more

Product Description
From Arthur C. Clarke, bestselling author of 2001: A Space Odyssey and Creator Of The Rama Series, and Michael Kube-Mcdowell comes a breathtaking new novel of bold scientific speculation and edge-of-your-seat suspense: a riveting thriller in which the fate of humanity depends on whose finger is on...The Trigger

It is the ultimate antiweapon. A device that can render guns and bombs virtually harmless. At least that is how Dr. Jeffrey Horton, the brilliant young physicist who developed the Trigger, hopes his discovery will be used. Yet, like the scientists who first believed nuclear weapons would be the ultimate deterrent to war, could Horton and his colleagues be wrong? Will this new technology bring peace, or chaos? Will it be used to protect people, or control them? Will it mean the end of war, or a whole new kind of war? Not even Horton could have foreseen the fierce power struggle emerging for control of the Trigger. Soon it becomes clear that no one can be trusted. Not even those closest to him. Someone has already betrayed the project. Others will do anything to stop it--or co-opt it for their own ends. And the greatest enemy may be those with the best intentions.
Amazon.com Review
The early 21st century ushers in a revolution in unified field theory, and free-thinking physicist Jeffrey Horton and his team are pushing the cutting edge. Sequestered on a maximum-security research campus, the scientists are testing "Baby," a device they hope will create "a laser for gravity," a tractor beam. But during an early run, every gun in the area (and even a secret stash of fireworks) simultaneously explodes. Follow-up tests soon prove their device was responsible--that it can in fact neutralize every conventional gun, bomb, and explosive--and that's when Baby becomes the "Trigger."

This speculative novel by sci-fi legend Arthur C. Clarke and genre workman Michael Kube-McDowell follows the vast sea changes such an invention would bring, reading as part thriller, part social tract. Horton and his Trigger follow a course not unlike that of Einstein and the A-bomb, but ratcheted up by an order of magnitude--idealistic scientists, overwhelmed politicians, rabid lobbyists, and entrenched generals must deal with the device's deployment and consequences, both political and social, in a gun-rich, gun-dependent culture. A well-researched, plausible plot line keeps The Trigger not just readable but downright engrossing, despite its sometimes distracting lack of subtlety. All in all, a worthwhile, entertaining meditation on how technological progress always proves as unpredictable as it is inevitable. --Paul Hughes ... Read more

Customer Reviews (42)

Pacifist Fairy Tale!
I have a hard time believing that Master Clarke would even lend his name, much less his writing talents to such a second rate piece of drivel, especially after such masterpieces as the 'Space Odyssey' and the Rama novels. I can't believe he would need the income that might be generated by such a poor piece of 'work'.
This is really a poor hack-job against U.S. citizens' Second Amendment rights in the Constitution of our United States. It attempts (poorly)to portray all firearms owners as borderline sociopaths who cling infantilely to their weapons as children would to their favorite toys, which any 'sensible adult' would tell them that they are old enough they should grow up and put away.
Rather than drag on in a lenghtly diatribe against this offensive piece of drivel, I answer with the classic pro-Second Amendment sayings:

"God, Guns, and Guts! The Three Made America Free, and will KEEP It Free!"

"If Guns are Outlawed, Only Outlaws will Have Guns!"

As bad as it is, this fairy tale does have a few minor redeeming points. I thought it was hilarious that such a pacifist tale could turn such a brilliant fau paus as predicting the 9/11 terrorist attacks, two YEARS before they occured (even though it was proposed by American radical paramilitary 'gun nuts', rather than Islamic foreign radicals). The fact that the greatest terrorist attack on U.S. soil was carried out with no weapon more deadly than a box cutting tool completely lays to waste the proposition that an unarmed society would be any safer.
I personally am overjoyed that the reality of this fairy tale is as bogus as the supposed 'technology' it bases itself on.
Whether one is a fan of Master Clarke, or not, be prepared for a disappointment of TITANIC proportions.

I've read Arthur C. Clarke. I KNOW Arthur C. Clarke.
This drivel is NOT Arthur C. Clarke! ! !

Not Free SF Reader
A scientist invents a field that prevents firearms and other such weapons from working.

This makes him and his research a target for those that have a vested in interest in things that go bang continuing to function.

Once it gets out there and is working things go smoothly for a bit, until all the socioeconomic effects are worked out.

Then, there is just an arms race of different technology, looking for vulnerabilities and weaknesses in the device.

Thought-provoking, engaging, worth the read
True to expectations, Clarke delivers a well thought-out, insightfully reasoned, fascinating book based on an intriguing scenario: what would happen if a new technology appeared that made firearms and most explosives inert? The authors do an excellent job of imagining the plausible reactions of government, normal people, and of course the extremist gun-worship lobby and fortified-compound jingoist set. Whom I imagine are largely responsible for the low-star reviews you see here. Despite what others have claimed, the authors do a great job of presenting the logical and illogical points of view on either side of the fundamental debate presented by the plot arc.

In any event, unlike many Clarke novels where a giant idea is presented but not much happens plot-wise, in this book the plot moves right along. This book should be required reading for anyone interested in the whole gun-control versus the-world-is-all-about-me-me-me-and-you-can't-take-my-precious-gun-away debate. This is high-quality sci-fi as society commentary, which lest we forget is mostly the point of sci-fi in the first place.

So godawful as to defy description
Clarke can be a wonderful writer when (1) he alone is in charge of the writing and (2) the stories are true sci-fi...the Rama series, Childhood's End, 2001. At one time it was possible to say "Good reading, bad pleading" but both are just incredibly bad. It's almost (but not quite) as bad as the one in which the Earth is divided into various time zones - Jeez Louise, what a flop.

Clarke has never been strong in the character department and that includes all facets from relationships to dialogue to growth.This weakness is highlighted here. Not one memorable character exists, none is interesting or believable, everyone speaks like a bad made-for-TV movie. The conversations were about as authentic as plastic dinosaurs and just as predictable - the president is commanding and strong, the scientists are full of noble thoughts, the generals are reprobates craving guns and violence, etc.There are no gray areas here - you're either against guns or support violence. The Trigger, one of the worst-described devices in fiction, destroys all ammunition and was created almost by accident. Being nice guys (a few female flunkies make cameo appearances) the scientists immediately see its worth in a world gone mad with gun violence. The fact that 99.99& emenates with criminals or the military is not important.

It is not that the message is wrong (I have no guns), it's all so preposterous,. Each chapter begins with a phony news story about gun violence.These events do happen but the presentation here is the height of artificiality.The authors never explain why African, Arab or Asian dictators would willingly relinquish control of the very thing keeping them in power. Clarke, who lives in Sri Lanka, has always seen the Third World through rose-colored glasses.It is no different here.

ALthough the story could have been bold - the ideas of blowing old land mines was great - the writing is so bad that only the author's plea (ban guns) remains in this quagmire of syrup. When in the first chapter, a world-renowned scientist shows up at the home of a gadget guru and asks him to work in his new science lab you know you are in for rough sledding. The idea of a universal ban on guns is not new.The two problems are: (1) rogue states refuse to obey & (2) the alternative may be nuclear or biological weapons.If you want anything remotely related to literature, try something else.

Clarke & Baxterat the top of their game
A group of scientists given free reign to explore their heart's desires are attempting to devise a tractor beam when they accidentally stumble upon emission of a field that detonates all explosives. The story tracks the political intrigue surrounding a discovery that will rewrite modern warfare, and the scientific refinements that play into this intrigue. Eventually, the Trigger gives way to the Jammer, which renders explosives useless without detonating them. Everyone seems happy with the exception of military warhawks, and domestic militia and gun rights advocates, who scheme in various ways to blunt the spread of the devices. In the chilling conclusion, a further refinement to the technology gives the controller the ability to kill any creature whose DNA is on file.
The Good and the Bad:
This is perhaps the best Arthur C. Clarke book I've read, with the possible exception of 2001, and I'm only saying that because 2001 is so famous. Clarke's vision of the science and the potential cultural impacts is apparent throughout, and that is completely entertaining. He's also somehow successfully integrated a lot of social-benefit philosophical arguments into the dialogue without it appearing to be too contrived, and that is entertaining. The attention to detail when presenting the inner workings of the scientist's lab and, especially, the military, are entertaining. I suspect his writing partner had a lot to do with the humanity of the characters; unlike his previous novels, this one read like a mainstream political thriller, and things like a love story were handled with a professional touch so that they didn't intrude on the storyline. All of those things were so well done that the book was a joy to read.
The drawbacks, however, were all the more glaring in this context. The gun advocates are all shown to be crazy and delusional by the end of the novel, resorting to murder in the face of a losing battle (there is an exception to this, but it proves the rule). This seemed more jarring at the tail end of a lot of intellectual discussion about the issues of gun control. The book also kind of leaves us hanging. One of the thing I liked about "The Lights of Other Days" is that the book projected far enough into the future that you got a very clear grasp of the furthest-reaching impacts of society. This is lacking here.
What I learned:
The issues surrounding gun ownership remain muddied. A scientist who creates an invention of military significance has virtually no chance of keeping the government out of dictating its use.
... Read more

Product Description
This final volume in the audio version features, in addition to the 1962 title story, "The Cruel Sky," "The Steam-powered Word Processor," the classics "The Hammer of God" and "A Meeting With Medusa," and Clarke's latest story, "Improving the Neighborhood," published in Nature in 1999. ... Read more

Product Description
The first biography of the great 20th century visionaryand writer, Sir Arthur C. Clarke, with a foreword by Ray Bradbury.

This life explores Clarke's personal vision, his famous technicalpaper on a global satellite communications system in 1945, and hiscareer as one of the twentieth century's most popular and influencialwriters in science and science fiction.In 1968 he shared an Oscarnomination with Stanley Kubrick for the screenplay of 2001: A SpaceOdyssey.Through candid interviews with Clarke, his family, friendsand colleagues, Neil McAleer reveals the life experiences and creativeforces that have shaped the man behind the legend. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Essential for the Clarke fan
As a long-time admirer of both Arthur C. Clarke the man and his fact and fiction, I've been looking for a good biography for quite a long time, and am glad to say I've finally found one. Neil McAleer has done an excellent job, and obviously put a lot of time into research and interviews. This book was compiled from several interviews with Clarke himself as well as with many of his friends, family members, editors, publishers, fellow writers, colleagues, and the like. One is greatful to get such a great glimpse into the lives of science fiction's most famous author, as well as one of the 20th century's most famous visionaries. Truly a remarkable man, Clarke has had an almost unbelievably productive, meaningful, and memorable life. Here we learn about his upbringing and exploits living on a farm in England in his childhood, and through his experiences in school and budding interest in science and science fiction. We then learn of Clarke's going on to join the Civil Service and eventually the Royal Airforce (where he helped with the radar "talk down" system), and through his college years. We are able to see the development of his writing years, and his active and vital role in the British Interplanetary Society. All of Clarke's major novels and several of his short stories are gone into in detail, and oftentimes we learn of his motivation for writing them, and also something of his writing method. One of the most important and revealing aspects of the book for Clarke fans are the long behind-the-scenes look we get at the making of 2001: A Space Odyssey. We learn of the working relationship between Clarke and Kubrick, and also get a glimpse into the super hush-hush activities that took place on the set. This book covers his career up to the release of his novel The Ghost From The Grand Banks, and a little beyond. It also touches mightily upon his non-fiction writing, as well as his many other and less celebrated exploits - lecturing, popularizing of communications, diplomatic interests, and the like. We learn a lot about Clarke's vital role in the establishment of communications satellites. This is quite simply an essential book for Clarke fans, with much knowledge held within it to put across and share. The only real drawback to it is that it does only go up to 1992, and thereby misses out on some important events in Clarke's career (the release of further books, including his final novel, 3001, his collected stories and essays, his knighthood, the unfortunate (and falsely alledged) accusations of pedophilia against him, and the actual coming of the year 2001, just to name a few.) Still, this is by far the most comprehensive and thorough book about Arthur C. Clarke available. Obvioiusly, as with any biography, it's not a book you'll want to dive into unless you are already familar with the author and his works. If you are, though, then this is an essential volume to add to your collection.

McAleer Portrays the True Clarke: Genius
In this novel, Arthur C. Clarke's entire life story is told.Also, actual interviews with Clarke and his family members are used.A fascinating bit of information is that Clarke co-anchored the moon landing in 1969 with Cronkite.This is a great book for any fan of Arthur C. Clarke.

A great writer of both fiction and non-fiction
Arthur C. Clarke had been one of my favorite writers since the early 1970's.The first book of his that I read was 2001: A Space Odyssey.I was hooked on Mr. Clarke and science fiction forever.This biography ofMr. Clarke is a pleasure to read.The most satisfying thing about the bookis thatMr. Clarke in real life is very much the man you picture whilereading both his fiction and non-fiction.The three most interestingaspects of the book was his early work with the British InterplanetarySociety, his life in Sri Lanka, and his work on the movie 2001.

Superb !
THE biography of Arthur C. Clarke ! Finally ! it was well worth the wait ... Read more

Product Description
From Narnia To A Space Odyssey is the dialogue—through fiction, non-fiction, andcorrespondence—in which Arthur C. Clarke and C. S. Lewis debate, discuss, and consider the great hope and potential dangers of the rise of technology. Their encounter sets the stage for a question we face today: Is technology the "beauty" that will lead to a more utopian society, or is it the "beast" that endangers our humanity and spirit? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Not as Bad as the Other Guy Thinks
In a way, reviewer J Welsh has hit the nail on the head, in that editor Ryder W. Miller does seem to worship Arthur C. Clarke, and maybe now that in the interim Clarke has died, he will be able to re-write this book to tell us how he really feels.And yet Clarke love isn't the worst crime in the world, is it?

He tells us that Clarke actually married an American, Marilyn Mayfield, in 1953, though be the end of the year the marriage was over.He quotes Clarke as saying that he was not the marrying kind, "though everyone should be married at least once."Provocative, but frustratingly enough Miller declines to explore these matters further, and there is no attempt at finding out what Ms. Mayfield has or had to say about this shortlived union.Did they stay in touch, the way that Phyllis Gates stayed in touch with Rock Hudson, or Debbie Rowe with Michael Jackson?Or was the break so bitter that "never mention the name of Arthur C Clarke around Marilyn, she'll bite your head off"?Hmmm, well people have delved deep into the mysteries of C S Lewis' affairs with women, and his marriage also remains a giant mystery but at least you can say it hasn't been dismissed.

I give Miller high marks in his ability to talk Clarke (and the Lewis estate, famously hard to get anything out of) into letting him reprint all this material--not only the letters between the two men--but their stories and lectures too.OK, they're not transcribed well, so?It says here Ryder Miller lives in San Francisco--like I do!Maybe one of these days we'll meet up and share another "war of ideas"!

Worthless Garbage
If you buy this book, buy it only for the stories and essays: the rest should be, as Hume well put it, committed to the flames. The introductory chapters are poorly written, betraying signs of hasty composition and nonexistent editing, and abound in "strained syntax"--the euphemism of an earlier reviewer--, misspellings, non sequitur, and even anacolouthon. He writes no better or worse than a fourth grader who has been told to write a paragraph about what he did over the summer.

His transcriptions are even worse. Lewis's handwriting is admittedly difficult, but if an unknown papyrologist can tease sense out of the faded writing on a two-thousand year old scrap of papyrus used to wrap a mummy, surely Mr. Miller could have spent greater effort upon Lewis's letters than the ludicrous slipshod once-over he has evidently thought fit for publication. Furthermore, Mr. Miller clearly did little researchon the lives and times of his subjects, the bare minimum required to produce a few slovenly sentences of introduction, and for that matter very little research ever, period. The introduction reduces the complexity of Lewis's (and probably Clarke's, too, though I can't say for sure, since I have read nothing by him except what's in this book) views on space travel to the stale, shopworn "science vs. religion" formula, to the extent that he puts Lewis, who read the Bible in Greek when he could, in the same camp with those simpleminded bible-thumping fundagelicals who evidently believe that the Bible descended from heaven in King James English! The editor (ha!) also worships Clarke, which would seem to undermine the dispassionate impartiality that debate-moderators, as he seems to regard himself, ought to possess. But he evidently thinks that impartial editing consists in treating Clarke's introduction just as badly as he treated Lewis's, frequently repeating almost verbatim sentences from earlier in the chapter, sometimes even lapsing into the first person, as if all he bothered to do in writing an introduction is transcribe Clarke's emails about his current doings, and then to get the rest off of Wikipedia. He also suffers from what Lewis would call "chronological snobbery": thinking an idea good or bad not because it is true or false, but because it is "more modern" or "less up-to-date." I.e. Lewis is bad because his ideas are out of fashion; Clarke is good because he excites our current enthusiasm for space-exploration. Lewis's point of view is bad because it is moralistic, whose morality is founded upon stories told in an old and unfashionable book; Clarke's is good because it is scientific and (best of all) modern.

Worst of all, Miller seems to think that he is doing all us science fiction fans a favor by bringing this volume to print, with all its bad research, bad writing, and worse editing. And he has the cheek to post a review to Amazon saying so, and asking us to excuse his typos by blithely (and rather smugly) quoting the proverb "to err is human..."!!!!! As if there were only one or two! Sir, you have done such a disservice to us as publishing this book in so disastrous a state, and by doing so have shown us such great disrespect, that you don't deserve the respect we would be showing you by granting you pardon. You have not done your best in editing the volume, and so we are not obliged to give you the benefit of the doubt.

And who were your editors? Can they read? They let pass all those typos, all those repetitious insensible sentences, all that slapdash transcribing, the misleading title, cover art and jacket blurbs? Or did they simply think that two "big names" like Lewis and Clarke would sell lots of books, whatever was in between the covers (and stuck to the cheap Elmer's-Glue binding)? Clearly I should purchase nothing in the future published under the ibooks name, since they did not put a stop to your foolery before it could assault me with its contents. You should be ashamed to have produced, and they to have disseminated, a volume whose every page (at least those edited by you) somehow or other either insults the intelligence or tries the patience of the reader. I know middle schoolers who can write more satisfying prose than you! Get off your high horse and out of the editing business. ... Read more

Product Description
"The universe is such a strange and wonderful place that reality will always outrun the wildest imagination." -- Arthur C. Clarke

Is it possible that there are monsters in the ocean?Do certain people have the apparently effortless ability to endure intense pain?Is time travel possible?Could the Parthians have invented the first battery in 240 B.C.E.?Can you will someone to die?How did the ancient South Americans draw massive land pictures that can only be viewed from a great height?

All these strange phenomena--and many more--are investigated by authors John Fairley and Simon Welfare in an entertaining style.And Arthur C. Clarke contributes his own analysis to each chapter.His opinions are always thoughtful and wise, and often witty and provocative. ... Read more