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theaurochs 's review for:
The Fountains of Paradise
by Arthur C. Clarke
Who knew that civil engineering could be so exciting?
This is a really interesting novel, that is immense in scope and yet subtle in execution (mostly). It paints the story of one man's quest to build what is effectively the greatest bridge humankind has ever seen: a space elevator. Here the idea is laid out in great but accessible detail for the first time; previously it had been squarely in the realm of idealistic engineers and academics. This does give the novel the feel of an engineering manifesto only vaguely disguised as a story, but honestly I found this very endearing. I can however see how it would come across as dry, or even tedious, if (somehow) you fail to be impressed by the imagination at play.
Clarke contrasts his not-too-distant future delightfully with the tale of an early Sri-Lankan king who dreams of building colossal pleasure-gardens at the top of a mountain. This idea of humanity constantly dreaming towards the stars is neat, and gives the book some philosophical heft that might otherwise have been missing.
For me personally it loses the final fifth star for actually having too much action in the last act of the book; it becomes a little contrived and over-dramatic, and feels a little at odds with the bureaucratic nature of what had gone before.
There are some fantastic asides to the main narrative of the space elevator; including nice insights into religion through the ages, how humans would deal with first contact, and a bizarrely specific correct prediction about how the internet will affect birthday greetings.
Clarke really was a visionary, and this book is a real testament to his genius while actually having human characters you can get behind, unlike some of his earlier work. A must read for fans of hard sci-fi.
This is a really interesting novel, that is immense in scope and yet subtle in execution (mostly). It paints the story of one man's quest to build what is effectively the greatest bridge humankind has ever seen: a space elevator. Here the idea is laid out in great but accessible detail for the first time; previously it had been squarely in the realm of idealistic engineers and academics. This does give the novel the feel of an engineering manifesto only vaguely disguised as a story, but honestly I found this very endearing. I can however see how it would come across as dry, or even tedious, if (somehow) you fail to be impressed by the imagination at play.
Clarke contrasts his not-too-distant future delightfully with the tale of an early Sri-Lankan king who dreams of building colossal pleasure-gardens at the top of a mountain. This idea of humanity constantly dreaming towards the stars is neat, and gives the book some philosophical heft that might otherwise have been missing.
For me personally it loses the final fifth star for actually having too much action in the last act of the book; it becomes a little contrived and over-dramatic, and feels a little at odds with the bureaucratic nature of what had gone before.
There are some fantastic asides to the main narrative of the space elevator; including nice insights into religion through the ages, how humans would deal with first contact, and a bizarrely specific correct prediction about how the internet will affect birthday greetings.
Clarke really was a visionary, and this book is a real testament to his genius while actually having human characters you can get behind, unlike some of his earlier work. A must read for fans of hard sci-fi.