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akashic_dreckard's review
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
billymac1962's review
3.0
It's never a waste of time to read Arthur C. Clarke. The Songs of Distant Earth was written in the 80s, so it falls into the later end of his works. His best work , if you'll take most reviewers' takes on him, were from Rama II and prior. Nevertheless, the guy's stories are just so darn interesting and easily readable. Eventually I'll read everything by him. This one has an interesting concept: The sun has died and humanity has succeeded in spreading itself off to other planets. This was a process that happened over hundreds of years once the fate of the sun was discovered. The latest pilgrims happen upon the first planetary settlement.
Overall, not a totally rememorable novel, but it did have moments of wonder and the story moved along very quickly.
Overall, not a totally rememorable novel, but it did have moments of wonder and the story moved along very quickly.
rutabagab's review
adventurous
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
-grief for humanity as we know it
-exploration of humanity’s lineages in the wake of earth’s destruction
-speckles of emotional reflections
-overall moving concept but mostly anticlimactic
-world building is random and vague, hits like shocking humor when it pops up
-characters are not that deep, kind of interesting just not fleshed out
-Clarke is good at setting an ambiance/feeling. Esp mysterious existential ones. But some casual-scale scenes feel v dated
-exploration of humanity’s lineages in the wake of earth’s destruction
-speckles of emotional reflections
-overall moving concept but mostly anticlimactic
-world building is random and vague, hits like shocking humor when it pops up
-characters are not that deep, kind of interesting just not fleshed out
-Clarke is good at setting an ambiance/feeling. Esp mysterious existential ones. But some casual-scale scenes feel v dated
alexisrt's review against another edition
Songs of Distant Earth by Arthur C. Clarke (1987)
trankz's review
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
civil6512's review against another edition
3.0
By the end of the XXth century, scientists discover that our Sun is dying, having only ~1,600 years left. Although initially shocked, mankind finally realises of the importance of leaving the planet, and plenty of resources start going into space colonisation.
Slow and unsophisticated spaceships are sent to a number of planets in promising solar systems, carrying embryos and the technology they would require to grow into a modern society: as [a: Arthur C. Clarke|7779|Arthur C. Clarke|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1357191481p2/7779.jpg] says, while Man wouldn't survive, Humanity would do. In parallel, on Earth they would keep researching faster means of space travel.
The novel focuses on one of these colonies, settled on a planet which is mainly covered by water. Although the small amount of emerged land forces a strict population control, other than that this planet is mostly an idyllic utopia… Until they receive an unexpected visit from some distant relatives: a last ship, carrying survivors from Earth, needs to make a technical stop before continuing their journey.
I probably had too high hopes for [b: The Songs Of Distant Earth|117842|The Songs Of Distant Earth|Arthur C. Clarke|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1375814883s/117842.jpg|1702889]. I read a two-lines summary, I saw the cover, and I started listening to Mike Oldfield’s album of the same name, and somehow I was expecting an incredible journey. However, while it was good, it was a bit disappointing. The sub-plots were good but not great, the behaviours were almost plausible but not quite… My final feeling is that this would be a great material for a short story or a novelette, but maybe not enough for a full novel.
Slow and unsophisticated spaceships are sent to a number of planets in promising solar systems, carrying embryos and the technology they would require to grow into a modern society: as [a: Arthur C. Clarke|7779|Arthur C. Clarke|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1357191481p2/7779.jpg] says, while Man wouldn't survive, Humanity would do. In parallel, on Earth they would keep researching faster means of space travel.
The novel focuses on one of these colonies, settled on a planet which is mainly covered by water. Although the small amount of emerged land forces a strict population control, other than that this planet is mostly an idyllic utopia… Until they receive an unexpected visit from some distant relatives: a last ship, carrying survivors from Earth, needs to make a technical stop before continuing their journey.
I probably had too high hopes for [b: The Songs Of Distant Earth|117842|The Songs Of Distant Earth|Arthur C. Clarke|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1375814883s/117842.jpg|1702889]. I read a two-lines summary, I saw the cover, and I started listening to Mike Oldfield’s album of the same name, and somehow I was expecting an incredible journey. However, while it was good, it was a bit disappointing. The sub-plots were good but not great, the behaviours were almost plausible but not quite… My final feeling is that this would be a great material for a short story or a novelette, but maybe not enough for a full novel.
narayan17's review
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
humanignorance's review
3.0
2.5 stars. The hard SF ideas were fleshed out reasonably well, but these ideas were not quite up to the standard of other Clarke novels. The characters were not very well-developed, and there were several odd, out-of-place philosophical ruminations that made the book longer than it needed to be. The setting, at least, was interesting, and made for some cool sociological situations.
fifty1phantom's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0