Clarke Bar

One of the largest books I have tackled in recent weeks has been the 1000 page, The Collected Stories of Arthur C. Clarke.  Clarke, along with Isaac Asimov and Ray Bradbury, were long considered the holy trinity of science fiction/fantasy writers in the 20th century, and Clarke's most famous book, 2001: A Space Odyssey, became something of a cult classic once Stanley Kubrick put it on the screen.  Clarke was also the Brit among the Yankees, and taken as a whole, Asimov, Bradbury and Clarke were truly exploring new territories of the mind.

I began reading Clarke in grade school, but I'm glad to be able to pick him up again now in my later years and peruse his entire corpus of short work.  The book should be considered a lifetime achievement award.

Early in his writing career, when many critics considered science fiction and fantasy to be a form of escapism, the young Clarke was able to secure an audience with the ageing C.S. Lewis, who had by then made a name for himself, more for his fantasy and science fiction writing than his books on Christianity, and ask, "Why are so many Christians bothered by fantasy, magic, and science fiction?"

To which C.S. Lewis replied, "The only people who should be opposed to escapism are jailors!"

Clarke certainly sets the bar high, as he is perhaps the most "scientific" of the old triumvirate.  He writes hard science, better even than Isaac Asimov, and his shorter work spans the range of physics, astronomy, mechanization, energy, and chemistry.  But he is not beyond a bit of sword and sorcery either, if he wants to make a point.

I'll not get through this book in one reading, but I'm glad to have it now in my science fiction section, and the spine of the book looks mighty nice, being so thick.  One of the few books where presentation and cover art really shine.

I don't want to drop this one, however.  Might break my toes.  The book has some weight to it . . . in more ways than one.