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leonard_gaya's review against another edition
5.0
This is a strange and beautiful novel. Written in the early 1950s (some 15 years before [b:2001: A Space Odyssey|70535|2001 A Space Odyssey (Space Odyssey, #1)|Arthur C. Clarke|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1432468943l/70535._SY75_.jpg|208362]), it is, with Asimov’s (overrated) [b:Foundation|29579|Foundation (Foundation, #1)|Isaac Asimov|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1417900846l/29579._SX50_.jpg|1783981], Bradbury’s (superb) [b:The Martian Chronicles|76778|The Martian Chronicles|Ray Bradbury|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1374049948l/76778._SY75_.jpg|4636013] and a few others, one of the significant works of sci-fi’s “Golden Age”. Oddly enough, apart from a few plot irregularities and the outlandish author’s naivety regarding the paranormal and the occult, Arthur C. Clarke’s story doesn’t feel dated.
The plot is based on a few episodes scattered in time. It starts with a situation that has since become commonplace in SF literature and film: alien UFOs descend from space and park themselves over the major cities on Earth — a vision inspired by the barrage balloons Clarke had seen hovering above London during the Blitz in 1941. However, there is neither destructive attacks (cf. [b:The War of the Worlds|8909|The War of the Worlds|H.G. Wells|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1320391644l/8909._SY75_.jpg|3194841], V, Independence Day), nor strange signs coming out of these spaceships (cf. Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Arrival/[b:Stories of Your Life|223380|Stories of Your Life and Others|Ted Chiang|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1356138316l/223380._SY75_.jpg|216334]). In this instance, the aliens bestow utopia upon humanity. Later on, after a few leaps forward in time and across generations, we understand how this new heaven on Earth is, in fact, humanity’s swan song.
Arthur Clarke’s style (like that of many other SF writers of the day) is explicit, plain, nondescript, almost flat. He manages nonetheless to make his story perfectly lively and suspenseful. But the real masterstroke of this novel is the ending. As we witness the last moments of our planet, the story takes a genuinely Dantesque and sublime dimension, evocative of the majestic and unfathomable vistas of Olaf Stapledon’s [b:Star Maker|525304|Star Maker|Olaf Stapledon|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328048540l/525304._SY75_.jpg|1631492] and [b:Last and First Men|2749148|Last and First Men|Olaf Stapledon|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348592441l/2749148._SY75_.jpg|1631490], or Teilhard de Chardin’s [b:Le Phénomène humain|232567|The Phenomenon of Man|Pierre Teilhard de Chardin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1401994573l/232567._SY75_.jpg|1017318]. This is, in essence, a true masterpiece within its genre.
Edit: Syfy recently released a four-hour miniseries, based on Arthur Clarke’s novel. As someone prophetically puts it in the book, it has become “a full-time job keeping up with the various family serials on TV!” Still, I have managed to watch this one. It is, roughly speaking, true to the novel's structure: three episodes, one for each section of the book, and a plotline that thins down but doesn’t deviate too much from Clarke’s vision. The imagery is reminiscent of Kubrick (2001), Spielberg (Close Encounters) and Carpenter (Village of the Damned). However, the screenwriters have obviously considered appropriate to elaborate on the main characters’ romantic lives (Stormgren, Rodricks and Greggson, particularly) and indulged in a melodramatic tone that, unfortunately, bogs the whole thing down.
The plot is based on a few episodes scattered in time. It starts with a situation that has since become commonplace in SF literature and film: alien UFOs descend from space and park themselves over the major cities on Earth — a vision inspired by the barrage balloons Clarke had seen hovering above London during the Blitz in 1941. However, there is neither destructive attacks (cf. [b:The War of the Worlds|8909|The War of the Worlds|H.G. Wells|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1320391644l/8909._SY75_.jpg|3194841], V, Independence Day), nor strange signs coming out of these spaceships (cf. Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Arrival/[b:Stories of Your Life|223380|Stories of Your Life and Others|Ted Chiang|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1356138316l/223380._SY75_.jpg|216334]). In this instance, the aliens bestow utopia upon humanity. Later on, after a few leaps forward in time and across generations, we understand how this new heaven on Earth is, in fact, humanity’s swan song.
Arthur Clarke’s style (like that of many other SF writers of the day) is explicit, plain, nondescript, almost flat. He manages nonetheless to make his story perfectly lively and suspenseful. But the real masterstroke of this novel is the ending. As we witness the last moments of our planet, the story takes a genuinely Dantesque and sublime dimension, evocative of the majestic and unfathomable vistas of Olaf Stapledon’s [b:Star Maker|525304|Star Maker|Olaf Stapledon|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328048540l/525304._SY75_.jpg|1631492] and [b:Last and First Men|2749148|Last and First Men|Olaf Stapledon|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348592441l/2749148._SY75_.jpg|1631490], or Teilhard de Chardin’s [b:Le Phénomène humain|232567|The Phenomenon of Man|Pierre Teilhard de Chardin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1401994573l/232567._SY75_.jpg|1017318]. This is, in essence, a true masterpiece within its genre.
Edit: Syfy recently released a four-hour miniseries, based on Arthur Clarke’s novel. As someone prophetically puts it in the book, it has become “a full-time job keeping up with the various family serials on TV!” Still, I have managed to watch this one. It is, roughly speaking, true to the novel's structure: three episodes, one for each section of the book, and a plotline that thins down but doesn’t deviate too much from Clarke’s vision. The imagery is reminiscent of Kubrick (2001), Spielberg (Close Encounters) and Carpenter (Village of the Damned). However, the screenwriters have obviously considered appropriate to elaborate on the main characters’ romantic lives (Stormgren, Rodricks and Greggson, particularly) and indulged in a melodramatic tone that, unfortunately, bogs the whole thing down.
rickaboss's review against another edition
4.0
7/10
First act: 6/10
Second act: 3/10
Third act: 10/10
It's amazing that a 200 page book spanning centuries can feel bloated. The excellent ending ultimately justified the slog of setup with mostly bland characters, but it makes you wonder if the book was written by two different people.
First act: 6/10
Second act: 3/10
Third act: 10/10
It's amazing that a 200 page book spanning centuries can feel bloated. The excellent ending ultimately justified the slog of setup with mostly bland characters, but it makes you wonder if the book was written by two different people.
ophelia_wears_black's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
hotpinkeggman's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
adamd's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
vityav's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I haven't read Clarke in a while and had forgotten how naively he represents human behavior. The mysteries of the plot were intriguing, but repeatedly handwaved away to focus instead on the way humanity reacted to ethos-redefining events. If the reactions had been at all believable I would have happily gone where he wanted to lead, but as-is it was just mostly frustrating.
azzipog's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0