{"id":447,"date":"2019-04-16T06:02:41","date_gmt":"2019-04-16T06:02:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/undinestudios.com\/blog\/?p=447"},"modified":"2021-08-19T03:16:30","modified_gmt":"2021-08-19T03:16:30","slug":"review-the-collected-stories-of-arthur-c-clarke","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/undinestudios.com\/blog\/?p=447","title":{"rendered":"The Collected Stories of Arthur C. Clarke – A Review of Sorts"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\"book\"<\/p>\n

It feels strange and somewhat magical to hold such a large sample of a person\u2019s life\u2019s work in my hands.\u00a0 The Collected Stories of Arthur C. Clarke (spanning 966 pages on paperback or a little over 51 hours in audio book form) contains all but one of his published short stories, over 100 tales written by a man who I am sad to say I wasn\u2019t even aware of until after his passing in 2008**.\u00a0 It reads like a resolution one might be presented with upon retirement; it is an account of Arthur C. Clarke\u2019s many accomplishments in a genre that he is considered to be a parent of\u2014one of the \u201cbig three\u201d of science fiction, along with Heinlein and Asimov (two other authors whose work, by the way, I\u2019ve not read a single word of).<\/p>\n

Because this tome of science fiction orders its stories chronologically (the first, \u201cTravel by Wire,\u201d was published in 1937, when ACC was 20 years old; the last, \u201cImproving the Neighborhood,\u201d was published in 1999, when ACC was 82), I was also treated to the longer story\u2014the story between the lines.<\/p>\n

The book tells the story of a young science fiction writer from the United Kingdom who based most of his work in the UK but gradually shifted settings to the United States following the establishment of NASA in 1958, and then to other parts of the world later like Africa and Australia and Russia; the story of a man who evolved decade over decade from whacky, off-the-wall nonsense to hard science fiction, and then reached middle age and briefly shifted his focus to silly tales narrated by drunks in a pub (tales reminiscent of Little Shop of Horrors and other shorts that would be right at home in an episode of Futurama);\u00a0 and sadly, this book is also the story of a dying medium.\u00a0 See, the majority of these tales take place in those super retro-looking magazines with titles like \u201cWeird Tales\u201d and \u201cThrilling Wonder Stories.\u201d\u00a0 But through the decades, as these publications shuttered, it was just as likely to see later short stories appearing in magazines such as \u201cBoy\u2019s Life,\u201d \u201cNature,\u201d and believe it or not, \u201cPlayboy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Though the subject matter varies greatly, most of these tales (which range from 31 words to 18,000) had a similar setup of a long preamble followed by a swift punchline.\u00a0 (I had to Google the definition to make sure, but \u201cpunchline\u201d doesn\u2019t necessarily relate to humor, and many of these stories are very serious in tone.)\u00a0 Some of these punchlines added nothing to the story, as was the case in \u201cRescue Party.\u201d\u00a0 Others, like the sad crisis of faith at the heart of \u201cThe Star,\u201d truly shook me.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s remarkable how many of these short stories were later expanded into full novels.\u00a0 \u201cEncounter in the Dawn\u201d and \u201cThe Sentinel\u201d were part of 2001: A Space Odyssey; \u201cGuardian Angel\u201d was later expanded into the phenomenal Childhood\u2019s End; the \u2018simps\u2019 from \u201cAn Ape About the House\u201d and \u201cA Meeting With Medusa\u201d made an appearance in Rendezvous With Rama; \u201cThe Songs of Distant Earth\u201d\u00a0 and \u201cThe Hammer of God\u201d each went on to be expanded into a novels of the same name.<\/p>\n

Even more remarkable is how often these expanded stories took a sharp turn from their source material.\u00a0 The punchline in \u201cGuardian Angel,\u201d for example, was that our xenophobia\u2014our distrust of what we could not see\u2014drove our alien visitors away.\u00a0 In Childhood\u2019s End, this climactic scene played out as if in an alternate universe; our xenophobia was taken in stride, and the aliens later did reveal themselves to humanity.\u00a0 And \u201cThe Songs of Distant Earth,\u201d from what I hear, bears almost no resemblance to its longer sibling.<\/p>\n

(There may be more, honestly, but I have only read two of Arthur C. Clarke\u2019s 22 novels.)<\/p>\n

The oldest of these short stories are incredibly readable today, 82 years later. \u00a0I can\u2019t say the same for some books written a decade ago by other authors.\u00a0 That said, and while I enjoyed reading many of these shorts on paper, I would not have been able to get through this book if it wasn\u2019t for the audio version (which I feel almost guilty admitting I bought for $5 during an Audible sale).\u00a0 There\u2019s a lot of dry exposition to get through in some stories.\u00a0 And during some lengthy explanation about the vacuum of space, I was thankful that the sultry voice of Ray Porter was there to plow through it.\u00a0 And in some cases, like \u201cThe Lion of Comarre\u201d and \u201cThe Road to the Sea,\u201d I still ended up skipping partway through because they just weren\u2019t that great.<\/p>\n

I was able to spread this book out for a little over a year, listening to one or two or several stories between other books.\u00a0 Sometimes I\u2019d listen to a dozen in a row, and other times I\u2019d go two or three months without touching it.\u00a0 (There were over 100 stories; I didn\u2019t want to overdo it.)<\/p>\n

Below are all of the stories in this book, separated with a line by decade.\u00a0 Clearly, he was in his prime in the 40s, 50s, and 60s.\u00a0 Every story with an asterisk next to it was a favorite of mine\u2014these are, in my opinion, the very best of what this book has to offer.\u00a0 I think he was at his best when he was going for laughs (\u201cTrouble With the Natives\u201d had me in stiches), for tragedy (see \u201cBreaking Strain\u201d and \u201cThe Star\u201d), and when he was speculating about alien worlds.\u00a0 This man had such an incredible imagination.\u00a0 From the would-be saviors of \u201cRescue Party,\u201d to the unfortunate victims of \u201cThe Star,\u201d to the colossal creatures of \u201cA Meeting With Medusa,\u201d ACC was on fire when he was just making stuff up.<\/p>\n

The rest of the short stories were merely great or very funny, with the exception of a few duds like \u201cWhacky,\u201d \u201cSilence Please,\u201d and \u201cRefugee.\u201d\u00a0 But I certainly didn’t expect every word in this collection to be gold.<\/p>\n

\"fart\"<\/p>\n

I also indicate below which short stories were \u201cTales from The White Hart,\u201d because they were such a departure from his usual hard science fiction, replaced by goofy nonsense about killer plants, death rays, and a cure for sleep.\u00a0 These were all told by one of ACC\u2019s most developed characters, Harry Purvis, who has a reputation for stretching the truth and gets free drinks.<\/p>\n

His portrayal of women throughout this tome might be problematic for today\u2019s readers, but it\u2019s not terrible (in my opinion).\u00a0 The worst offenders are 1954\u2019s \u201cPatent Pending,\u201d where a virtual reality machine that can simulate food and sex is casually joked to have removed the need for women; 1957\u2019s \u201cLet There Be Light,\u201d where a man plots to kill his wife, but upon discovering he accidently killed her lover by mistake instead, goes insane with guilt; and 1964\u2019s \u201cThe Food of the Gods,\u201d where a man addressing the senate in the far, far, far, far, far-flung future refers to the entire senate as \u201cgentlemen.\u201d\u00a0 The rest of the time, women have bit parts or are simply absent.<\/p>\n

Despite these minor complaints, this is one of the best books I have ever had the pleasure of reading.\u00a0 I laughed, I literally cried, I became attached to certain characters, and so many times gasped at the punchline.\u00a0 Even having read it already, this would still be my desert island book for the sheer variety in subject matter.\u00a0 A beautiful collection of work from a man I can definitely call one of my favorite authors.<\/p>\n

**When I say I was unfamiliar with him, I do not include 2001: A Space Odyssey.\u00a0 I had seen that movie a dozen times by then, but I thought it was strictly a Stanley Kubrick joint.<\/p>\n

*Travel by Wire! \u2013 1937<\/p>\n

How We Went to Mars \u2013 1938<\/p>\n

Retreat From Earth \u2013 1938<\/p>\n

*Reverie \u2013 1939<\/p>\n

—————————<\/p>\n

The Awakening \u2013 1942<\/p>\n

Whacky \u2013 1942<\/p>\n

Loophole \u2013 1946<\/p>\n

*Rescue Party \u2013 1946<\/p>\n

Technical Error \u2013 1946<\/p>\n

Castaway \u2013 1947<\/p>\n

The Fires Within \u2013 1947<\/p>\n

Inheritance \u2013 1947<\/p>\n

Nightfall \u2013 1947<\/p>\n

History Lesson \u2013 1949<\/p>\n

Transience \u2013 1949<\/p>\n

The Wall of Darkness \u2013 1949<\/p>\n

DNF – The Lion of Comarre \u2013 1949<\/p>\n

The Forgotten Enemy \u2013 1949<\/p>\n

Hide-and-Seek \u2013 1949<\/p>\n

*Breaking Strain \u2013 1949<\/p>\n

—————————<\/p>\n

*Nemesis \u2013 1950<\/p>\n

*Guardian Angel \u2013 1950<\/p>\n

Time’s Arrow \u2013 1950<\/p>\n

A Walk in the Dark \u2013 1950<\/p>\n

Silence Please \u2013 1950<\/p>\n

*Trouble With the Natives \u2013 1951<\/p>\n

DNF – The Road to the Sea \u2013 1951<\/p>\n

*The Sentinel \u2013 1951<\/p>\n

Holiday on the Moon \u2013 19<\/p>\n

Earthlight \u2013 1951<\/p>\n

Second Dawn \u2013 1951<\/p>\n

Superiority \u2013 1951<\/p>\n

‘If I Forget Thee, Oh Earth…’ \u2013 1951<\/p>\n

All the Time in the World \u2013 1951<\/p>\n

The Nine Billion Names of God \u2013 1953<\/p>\n

The Possessed \u2013 1953<\/p>\n

The Parasite \u2013 1953<\/p>\n

*Jupiter Five \u2013 1953<\/p>\n

*Encounter In the Dawn \u2013 1953<\/p>\n

The Other Tiger \u2013 1953<\/p>\n

Publicity Campaign \u2013 1953<\/p>\n

*Armaments Race \u2013 1954<\/p>\n

The Deep Range \u2013 1954<\/p>\n

No Morning After \u2013 1954<\/p>\n

Tales from the White Hart – Big Game Hunt \u2013 1956<\/p>\n

Tales from the White Hart – Patent Pending \u2013 1954<\/p>\n

Refugee \u2013 1955<\/p>\n

*The Star \u2013 1955<\/p>\n

Tales from the White Hart – What Goes Up \u2013 1956<\/p>\n

Venture to the Moon \u2013 1956<\/p>\n

Tales from the White Hart – The Pacifist \u2013 1956<\/p>\n

Tales from the White Hart – The Reluctant Orchid \u2013 1956<\/p>\n

Tales from the White Hart – Moving Spirit \u2013 ????<\/p>\n

Tales from the White Hart – The Defenestration of Ermintrude Inch \u2013 ????<\/p>\n

Tales from the White Hart – The Ultimate Melody \u2013 1957<\/p>\n

Tales from the White Hart – The Next Tenants \u2013 1957<\/p>\n

Tales from the White Hart – Cold War \u2013 1957<\/p>\n

Tales from the White Hart – Sleeping Beauty \u2013 1957<\/p>\n

Tales from the White Hart – Security Check \u2013 1957<\/p>\n

Tales from the White Hart – The Man Who Ploughed the Sea \u2013 1957<\/p>\n

Tales from the White Hart – Critical Mass \u2013 1957<\/p>\n

The Other Side of the Sky \u2013 1957<\/p>\n

Tales from the White Hart – Let There Be Light \u2013 1957<\/p>\n

Out of the Sun \u2013 1958<\/p>\n

*Cosmic Casanova \u2013 1958<\/p>\n

The Songs of Distant Earth \u2013 1958<\/p>\n

A Slight Case of Sunstroke \u2013 1958<\/p>\n

Who’s There? \u2013 1958<\/p>\n

Out of the Cradle, Endlessly Orbiting… \u2013 1959<\/p>\n

—————————<\/p>\n

I Remember Babylon \u2013 1960<\/p>\n

Trouble With Time \u2013 1960<\/p>\n

Into the Comet \u2013 1960<\/p>\n

Summertime on Icarus \u2013 1960<\/p>\n

Saturn Rising \u2013 1961<\/p>\n

*Death and the Senator \u2013 1961<\/p>\n

*Before Eden \u2013 1961<\/p>\n

*Hate \u2013 1961<\/p>\n

Love that Universe \u2013 1961<\/p>\n

Dog Star \u2013 1962<\/p>\n

Maelstrom II \u2013 1962<\/p>\n

An Ape About the House \u2013 1962<\/p>\n

The Shining Ones \u2013 1962<\/p>\n

The Secret \u2013 1963<\/p>\n

Dial F For Frankenstein \u2013 1964<\/p>\n

*The Wind from the Sun \u2013 1964<\/p>\n

The Food of the Gods \u2013 1964<\/p>\n

The Last Command \u2013 1965<\/p>\n

Light of Darkness \u2013 1966<\/p>\n

The Longest Science-fiction Story Ever Told \u2013 1966<\/p>\n

Playback \u2013 1956<\/p>\n

The Cruel Sky \u2013 1967<\/p>\n

Herbert George Morley Roberts Wells, Esq. \u2013 1967<\/p>\n

Crusade \u2013 1968<\/p>\n

—————————<\/p>\n

Neutron Tide \u2013 1970<\/p>\n

Reunions \u2013 1971<\/p>\n

Transit of Earth \u2013 1971<\/p>\n

*A Meeting With Medusa \u2013 1971<\/p>\n

Quarantine \u2013 1977<\/p>\n

—————————<\/p>\n

‘siseneG’ \u2013 1984<\/p>\n

The Steam-powered Word Processor \u2013 1986<\/p>\n

On Golden Seas \u2013 1986<\/p>\n

—————————<\/p>\n

The Hammer of God \u2013 1992<\/p>\n

The Wire Continuum \u2013 1998<\/p>\n

Improving the Neighbourhood \u2013 1999<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It feels strange and somewhat magical to hold such a large sample of a person\u2019s life\u2019s work in my hands.\u00a0 The Collected Stories of Arthur C. Clarke (spanning 966 pages on paperback or a little over 51 hours in audio book form) contains all but one of his published short stories, over 100 tales written …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":449,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/undinestudios.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/447"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/undinestudios.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/undinestudios.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/undinestudios.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/undinestudios.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=447"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/undinestudios.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/447\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":453,"href":"https:\/\/undinestudios.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/447\/revisions\/453"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/undinestudios.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/449"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/undinestudios.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=447"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/undinestudios.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=447"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/undinestudios.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=447"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}