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The Other Side of the Sky
The Other Side of the Sky presents a glimpse of our future: a future where reality is no longer contained in earthly dimensions, where man has learned to exist with the knowledge that he is not alone in the universe. These stories of other planets and galactic adventures show Arthur C Clarke at the peak of his powers: sometimes disturbing, always intriguing.
Unknown Binding
First published June 1, 1958
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About the author
Arthur C. Clarke
1,653 books11.6k followersStories, works of noted British writer, scientist, and underwater explorer Sir Arthur Charles Clarke, include
2001: A Space Odyssey
(1968).
This most important and influential figure in 20th century fiction spent the first half of his life in England and served in World War II as a radar operator before migrating to Ceylon in 1956. He co-created his best known novel and movie with the assistance of Stanley Kubrick.
Clarke, a graduate of King's College, London, obtained first class honours in physics and mathematics. He served as past chairman of the interplanetary society and as a member of the academy of astronautics, the royal astronomical society, and many other organizations.
He authored more than fifty books and won his numerous awards: the Kalinga prize of 1961, the American association for the advancement Westinghouse prize, the Bradford Washburn award, and the John W. Campbell award for his novel Rendezvous with Rama. Clarke also won the nebula award of the fiction of America in 1972, 1974 and 1979, the Hugo award of the world fiction convention in 1974 and 1980. In 1986, he stood as grand master of the fiction of America. The queen knighted him as the commander of the British Empire in 1989.
This most important and influential figure in 20th century fiction spent the first half of his life in England and served in World War II as a radar operator before migrating to Ceylon in 1956. He co-created his best known novel and movie with the assistance of Stanley Kubrick.
Clarke, a graduate of King's College, London, obtained first class honours in physics and mathematics. He served as past chairman of the interplanetary society and as a member of the academy of astronautics, the royal astronomical society, and many other organizations.
He authored more than fifty books and won his numerous awards: the Kalinga prize of 1961, the American association for the advancement Westinghouse prize, the Bradford Washburn award, and the John W. Campbell award for his novel Rendezvous with Rama. Clarke also won the nebula award of the fiction of America in 1972, 1974 and 1979, the Hugo award of the world fiction convention in 1974 and 1980. In 1986, he stood as grand master of the fiction of America. The queen knighted him as the commander of the British Empire in 1989.
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November 28, 2024
A wonderful collection of sci-fi shorts!
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE SKY is a collection of short stories by Arthur C Clarke, an author whom many consider as an icon of both classic and contemporary science fiction. Frankly, I never agreed. I always felt that his work was pretentious - "literary" in the most pejorative sense of the word, mystifying, muddy and purposely deep, yet without clarity, for the sole purpose of achieving the lofty height of being arty.
No doubt others may disagree with me, but when I read the opening story in this collection, THE NINE BILLION NAMES OF GOD, my first reaction was disappointment - "oh, oh, more of the same"! Why would anyone, even those with an abiding faith in their god, believe that there was some sort of deep religious or philosophical ramification to the act of physically preparing a complete list of the permutations of an arbitrarily selected set of letters? What meaningless drivel!
I almost closed the book at that point and I suspect it was because the next story was only a few pages long that I decided to try it anyway. And what a lucky choice for me! From that point on, the collection was a thoroughgoing winner with everything a reader could wish for - charm, characterization, fun, pathos, warmth, wit, depth, twists, humour, human interest, solid science and thought-provoking questions - all of this without ever stooping to being either mundane or, worse yet, snobbish and superior.
A few examples will perhaps to serve to whet the appetite. REFUGEE manages to humanize the British royal family in a most appealing way. SPECIAL DELIVERY explains some of the difficulties of living in a satellite and the physical implications of a jammed autopilot that accelerates a rocket delivering supplies for just a few seconds too long - a very, very small incident that illustrates the enormous implications of such a tiny event. COSMIC CASANOVA is pure space humour with an unexpected ending reserved for the final sentence in the manner of Jeffrey Archer's A TWIST IN THE TALE. PUBLICITY CAMPAIGN is tongue in cheek and humorous but it is also a clear and scathing condemnation of bigotry and man's xenophobia. THE STAR could not be perceived as anti-religious in its tone but this tale of a very special and unique supernova should provoke more than a little head-scratching and puzzlement in those that would interpret the Bible literally. (This was probably my favourite story in the entire collection)
If you're already an Arthur C Clarke fan, I'm sure you'll enjoy THE OTHER SIDE OF THE SKY. If like me, you were unconvinced of his right to icon status, try this one on for size. Plenty enjoyable enough that I'd be happy to pick up more of Clarke's work and give it a try again. Maybe I'll even go back and try some of his other stuff again to see if perhaps I missed something. It's happened before!
Recommended.
Paul Weiss
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE SKY is a collection of short stories by Arthur C Clarke, an author whom many consider as an icon of both classic and contemporary science fiction. Frankly, I never agreed. I always felt that his work was pretentious - "literary" in the most pejorative sense of the word, mystifying, muddy and purposely deep, yet without clarity, for the sole purpose of achieving the lofty height of being arty.
No doubt others may disagree with me, but when I read the opening story in this collection, THE NINE BILLION NAMES OF GOD, my first reaction was disappointment - "oh, oh, more of the same"! Why would anyone, even those with an abiding faith in their god, believe that there was some sort of deep religious or philosophical ramification to the act of physically preparing a complete list of the permutations of an arbitrarily selected set of letters? What meaningless drivel!
I almost closed the book at that point and I suspect it was because the next story was only a few pages long that I decided to try it anyway. And what a lucky choice for me! From that point on, the collection was a thoroughgoing winner with everything a reader could wish for - charm, characterization, fun, pathos, warmth, wit, depth, twists, humour, human interest, solid science and thought-provoking questions - all of this without ever stooping to being either mundane or, worse yet, snobbish and superior.
A few examples will perhaps to serve to whet the appetite. REFUGEE manages to humanize the British royal family in a most appealing way. SPECIAL DELIVERY explains some of the difficulties of living in a satellite and the physical implications of a jammed autopilot that accelerates a rocket delivering supplies for just a few seconds too long - a very, very small incident that illustrates the enormous implications of such a tiny event. COSMIC CASANOVA is pure space humour with an unexpected ending reserved for the final sentence in the manner of Jeffrey Archer's A TWIST IN THE TALE. PUBLICITY CAMPAIGN is tongue in cheek and humorous but it is also a clear and scathing condemnation of bigotry and man's xenophobia. THE STAR could not be perceived as anti-religious in its tone but this tale of a very special and unique supernova should provoke more than a little head-scratching and puzzlement in those that would interpret the Bible literally. (This was probably my favourite story in the entire collection)
If you're already an Arthur C Clarke fan, I'm sure you'll enjoy THE OTHER SIDE OF THE SKY. If like me, you were unconvinced of his right to icon status, try this one on for size. Plenty enjoyable enough that I'd be happy to pick up more of Clarke's work and give it a try again. Maybe I'll even go back and try some of his other stuff again to see if perhaps I missed something. It's happened before!
Recommended.
Paul Weiss
March 7, 2012
This book gets 5 stars just because....
I found this book, as if dropped by God, lying in my path walking from the school bus-stop. I wish I could remember the year - early to mid 80's I suppose. It was the first science fiction book I read. I devoured each short story and wanted more. I cleaned out the meager Clarke collection at our library which led me to others. Herbert, Heinlein, Delany, the list goes on.
I later found out that it had fallen out of a neighbor's pocket on his drunken trek from the local bar. I still believe that providence/fate/aliens put in my way. This book sent a poor gay kid living in the rural south on journeys that without it he could never taken. I have taken journeys of the mind, body and spirit into the vastness of the cosmos and into the realms of smallest particles - stories telling me that there is more out there than the little patch of earth that was my world.. It is difficult to write but I think that science fiction may have had a great part in “getting me out alive.”
I've never gone back to these stories for fear that some magic would be lost, but it was the beginning of an incredible ride.
I found this book, as if dropped by God, lying in my path walking from the school bus-stop. I wish I could remember the year - early to mid 80's I suppose. It was the first science fiction book I read. I devoured each short story and wanted more. I cleaned out the meager Clarke collection at our library which led me to others. Herbert, Heinlein, Delany, the list goes on.
I later found out that it had fallen out of a neighbor's pocket on his drunken trek from the local bar. I still believe that providence/fate/aliens put in my way. This book sent a poor gay kid living in the rural south on journeys that without it he could never taken. I have taken journeys of the mind, body and spirit into the vastness of the cosmos and into the realms of smallest particles - stories telling me that there is more out there than the little patch of earth that was my world.. It is difficult to write but I think that science fiction may have had a great part in “getting me out alive.”
I've never gone back to these stories for fear that some magic would be lost, but it was the beginning of an incredible ride.
March 21, 2018
A series of short stories, each sending you off the rails. If you are hoping to catch a breath during your lunch break, this is the last book you want to be reading. You will end up catching your breath for a while longer than necessary. But, isn't that obvious - Arthur Clarke!
March 3, 2012
Contains at least two excellent stories by Clarke: "The Nine Billion Names of God" (later published as the lead story in a collection also containing "The Sentinel") and "The Star." Each may give you shivers at the end--the important point is made only in the final sentence--and "The Star" sympathetically evokes the plight of one man, a Jesuit priest, even achieving a kind of pathos. Time has washed away details of my early reading and probably entire books as well, but not these two stories.
April 24, 2017
The last stories are way better than the first ones, so he builds up the momentum rather nicely.
Every modern SciFi movie has something of Arthur C Clarke in it.
Every modern SciFi movie has something of Arthur C Clarke in it.
November 28, 2023
Transcience ⭐⭐⭐
Security check ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The wall of darkness ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
All the time in the world ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The nine billions names of Dod ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Publicity campaign ⭐⭐⭐⭐
No morning after ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Refugee (question mark) ⭐⭐
The star ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Venture to the moon ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The other side of the sky ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Cosmic casanova ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Over the sun ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The songs of distant Earth ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Security check ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The wall of darkness ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
All the time in the world ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The nine billions names of Dod ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Publicity campaign ⭐⭐⭐⭐
No morning after ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Refugee (question mark) ⭐⭐
The star ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Venture to the moon ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The other side of the sky ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Cosmic casanova ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Over the sun ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The songs of distant Earth ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
March 12, 2023
ENGLISH: This is the sixth time I've read this book, which contains 14 stories. This is the first time I've read it in the original English. The first five I read it in a Dutch translation. I have reviewed The Star separately. These are the stories I like best:
The wall of darkness: As this story was published in 1949, this is another proof that the idea of the multiverse was invented by sci-fi writers long before scientists, although Clifford Simak did it before Clarke.
The nine billion names of God: We know that Clarke sympathized with Buddhism. This short story is a good sample, which leaves a door open to transcendence.
All the time in the world: Among the five stories in this collection that deal with the end of human beings on Earth, this is one of the most original.
Venture to the Moon: Yes, I know the first trip to the moon took place in a completely different way, but the six parts of this story are quite funny. I liked them more than the parallel six part story, which gives title to this volume and deals with the space station. As usual with Clarke, the predictions for the end of the century never took place: we had no manned trip to Mars, and weather predictions are not correct 99% of the time.
ESPAÑOL: Esta es la sexta vez que leo este libro, que contiene 14 cuentos. Esta es la primera vez que lo leo en el inglés original. Las otras cinco veces lo leí en traducción al holandés. He revisado separadamente The Star. Estos son los cuentos que más me han gustado:
El muro de las tinieblas: Como este cuento fue publicado en 1949, esta es otra prueba de que la idea del multiverso fue inventada por los escritores de ciencia ficción mucho antes que por los científicos, aunque Clifford Simak lo hizo antes que Clarke.
Los nueve mil millones de nombres de Dios: Sabemos que Clarke simpatizaba con el budismo. Este cuento es un buen ejemplo que deja la puerta abierta a la trascendencia.
Todo el tiempo del mundo: Entre los cinco cuentos de esta colección que hablan del fin de la humanidad en la Tierra, este es uno de los más originales.
El viaje a la Luna: Sí, ya sé que el primer viaje a la luna tuvo lugar de una manera completamente diferente, pero las seis partes de este cuento son divertidas. Me gustaron más que el cuento paralelo, en seis partes, que da título a este volumen y trata sobre la estación espacial. Como es habitual en Clarke, las predicciones para el final del siglo no se cumplieron: no hubo un viaje tripulado a Marte, y las predicciones meteorológicas no son correctas en un 99%.
The wall of darkness: As this story was published in 1949, this is another proof that the idea of the multiverse was invented by sci-fi writers long before scientists, although Clifford Simak did it before Clarke.
The nine billion names of God: We know that Clarke sympathized with Buddhism. This short story is a good sample, which leaves a door open to transcendence.
All the time in the world: Among the five stories in this collection that deal with the end of human beings on Earth, this is one of the most original.
Venture to the Moon: Yes, I know the first trip to the moon took place in a completely different way, but the six parts of this story are quite funny. I liked them more than the parallel six part story, which gives title to this volume and deals with the space station. As usual with Clarke, the predictions for the end of the century never took place: we had no manned trip to Mars, and weather predictions are not correct 99% of the time.
ESPAÑOL: Esta es la sexta vez que leo este libro, que contiene 14 cuentos. Esta es la primera vez que lo leo en el inglés original. Las otras cinco veces lo leí en traducción al holandés. He revisado separadamente The Star. Estos son los cuentos que más me han gustado:
El muro de las tinieblas: Como este cuento fue publicado en 1949, esta es otra prueba de que la idea del multiverso fue inventada por los escritores de ciencia ficción mucho antes que por los científicos, aunque Clifford Simak lo hizo antes que Clarke.
Los nueve mil millones de nombres de Dios: Sabemos que Clarke simpatizaba con el budismo. Este cuento es un buen ejemplo que deja la puerta abierta a la trascendencia.
Todo el tiempo del mundo: Entre los cinco cuentos de esta colección que hablan del fin de la humanidad en la Tierra, este es uno de los más originales.
El viaje a la Luna: Sí, ya sé que el primer viaje a la luna tuvo lugar de una manera completamente diferente, pero las seis partes de este cuento son divertidas. Me gustaron más que el cuento paralelo, en seis partes, que da título a este volumen y trata sobre la estación espacial. Como es habitual en Clarke, las predicciones para el final del siglo no se cumplieron: no hubo un viaje tripulado a Marte, y las predicciones meteorológicas no son correctas en un 99%.
December 28, 2020
I chose my first Sci-Fi book with partial care. I had heard of Arthur C. Clarke during an old TV interview of his together with Carl Sagan and Stephen Hawking. Compared to those two titans I had no idea who Clarke was and afterwards I was quite shocked to discover he was "just" an author for whom many sang a lot of praises. Not surprised since I was glued to his book for two days, losing the track of my pages and of time. His background explains the well-informed plots - he has a degree in physics and mathematics and has served in WWII as a radar operator.
The book I decided to debut my journey into Sci-Fi with is not exactly a novel but a collection of short stories originally published in 1961 in Great Britain, with another round published in 2003 (the one I own a physical copy of, purchased at a second hand). Honestly it would be impossible to explain within a reasonable length how amazing his story and narration are, but I can definitely agree without a doubt with the statement of New York Times that he is "The Colossus of science fiction". Many of his stories predicted quite accurately how certain scientific events and progresses would develop later on in actuality and even just this fact alone is enough for me to marvel at.
The book I decided to debut my journey into Sci-Fi with is not exactly a novel but a collection of short stories originally published in 1961 in Great Britain, with another round published in 2003 (the one I own a physical copy of, purchased at a second hand). Honestly it would be impossible to explain within a reasonable length how amazing his story and narration are, but I can definitely agree without a doubt with the statement of New York Times that he is "The Colossus of science fiction". Many of his stories predicted quite accurately how certain scientific events and progresses would develop later on in actuality and even just this fact alone is enough for me to marvel at.
May 30, 2016
P. 181 - "And sinking into the sea, still warm and friendly and life-giving, is the sun that will soon turn traitor and obliterate all this innocent hapiness.
Perhaps if we had not been so far from home and so vulnerable to loneliness, we should not have been so deeply moved. Many of us had seen the ruins of ancient civilizations on other worlds, but they had never affected us so profoundly. This tragedy was unique. It is one thing for a race to fail and die, as nations and cultures have done on Earth. But to be destroyed so completely in the full flower os its achievement, leaving no survivors - how could the be reconciled with the mercy of God?"
in "The star"
Perhaps if we had not been so far from home and so vulnerable to loneliness, we should not have been so deeply moved. Many of us had seen the ruins of ancient civilizations on other worlds, but they had never affected us so profoundly. This tragedy was unique. It is one thing for a race to fail and die, as nations and cultures have done on Earth. But to be destroyed so completely in the full flower os its achievement, leaving no survivors - how could the be reconciled with the mercy of God?"
in "The star"
March 7, 2016
Another impressive short story collection from one of the masters. I put this right up with the 2 Asimov collections that I've read.
Sure, these stories mostly deal with space travel from the point of view of the 1950s, and can be horribly outdated. But they are still fascinating.
Highlights:
The Star (1956 Hugo winner)
Out of the Sun
The Songs of the Distant Earth
Refugee
Venture to the Moon
Sure, these stories mostly deal with space travel from the point of view of the 1950s, and can be horribly outdated. But they are still fascinating.
Highlights:
The Star (1956 Hugo winner)
Out of the Sun
The Songs of the Distant Earth
Refugee
Venture to the Moon
December 22, 2021
Apenas divagando... Um conto que me chamou muito a atenção foi o último (As Canções da Terra distante), em que é explicado por uma das personagens, em uma breve passagem, que a Terra não é mais organizada em cidades. Com o avanço das tecnologias de comunicação e de transporte, as pessoas conseguiam morar em qualquer lugar, com as maiores cidades restantes (cidades universitárias, compostas de alunos e professores) possuindo 50 mil habitantes, no máximo. Interessante pensar nesse conceito em tempos pandêmicos, em que as tecnologias de comunicação não deram conta do recado. Claro que é necessário levar em conta a desigualdade de acesso às tecnologias e a forma abrupta que ocorreu a substituição do presencial pelo remoto. Penso, de forma otimista (?), se o futuro não permitiria essa liberdade de locomoção e moradia, embora tenhamos problemas relacionados à pegada de carbono com tanto transporte e logística necessários.
June 23, 2024
I'm more familiar with Clarke's Odyssey and Rama books than I am with his shorter fiction, having read the odd story or three in compendiums over the years. So, it was refreshing to see how versatile an author he is, mixing up dry humour, pathos and of course, the ability to deliver a clever twist.
The book comprises 24 (some exceedingly) short stories divided into 3 sections. Of these, the moon-exploration ones are perhaps the most twee, written before the first moon landing and loaded with whimsy.
Some tales are quirky and humorous, while some are genuinely engaging pure sci-fi, with humankind colonisation of the distant starts a recurring theme. Some are achingly melancholic, with Transience being a particular highlight in this area.
The book comprises 24 (some exceedingly) short stories divided into 3 sections. Of these, the moon-exploration ones are perhaps the most twee, written before the first moon landing and loaded with whimsy.
Some tales are quirky and humorous, while some are genuinely engaging pure sci-fi, with humankind colonisation of the distant starts a recurring theme. Some are achingly melancholic, with Transience being a particular highlight in this area.
January 16, 2026
Picked this up to microdose Arthur C. Clarke’s writing before committing to reading 2001 or Rama…in hindsight that wasn’t necessary, since he’s easily the most readable out of all the old scifi authors that I’ve experienced. Stories were all super short so there wasn’t enough room for anything mindblowing, but they were very cute and hopeful - a nice refresher from nonstop dystopian hell futures. Almost feels like two different genres: happy space scifi (isn’t it wonderful to be alive as a human) and miserable earth scifi (there is literally nothing worse than being alive as a human). My favorites were The Other Side of the Sky and Venture to the Moon, which are basically workplace slice of life compilations in space.
January 12, 2026
A nice collection of short stories. However many of the stories felt too simple or timid 60 years later. There were still several that I enjoyed. I especially liked those where he explored humans meeting other humans in space (due to earlier colonization efforts). I found that an interesting space (pun not intended) to explore further.
May 10, 2019
Mindwebs audiobook ##9 Part 1 is the longer short story “The Star” found in this 30 min audio collection and book. See “The Star” for review.
09 Mindwebs-770211_ThisIsTheStar_ /The Gift Arthur C. Clarke / Ray Bradbury
09 Mindwebs-770211_ThisIsTheStar_ /The Gift Arthur C. Clarke / Ray Bradbury
August 21, 2024
3.5 stars
November 22, 2012
Précis This is a collection of 24 short stories by Clarke that have a space exploration theme. Some are very short - 3-4 pages, others are more typical and the final one is 38 pages. 12 of the stories are grouped into two very specific themes of six each. For all intents they are chapters in a longer story.
My favorites:
The Nine Billion Names of God - A computer maker is asked to supply their latest machine to a Tibetan monastery in order to compute all the names of God. When asked why the monks tell them that once they have determined all the possible names of God something amazing will happen (I don't want to spoil it). The computer reps don't believe it but the great end line is a classic.
Feathered Friend - This is the second story in The Other Side of the Sky section. A crewmember on the first space station smuggles a canary on board. When the bird is discovered there is much concern but in the end the bird proves its worth. A predictable but fun ending.
The Call of the Stars - The last story in the title collection is a story of reconciliation between a father and a son who takes the undesired path. Touching, with a warmth that Clarke has a unique way of capturing.
The Wall of Darkness - This is a chilling tales that kept me guessing until very near the end. It is a story of a planet where a wall represents the edge of the known world. NO one has ever returned from going beyond the wall. After expensive preparations Shervane, with the help of a friend, is going over the wall. His wondrous journey has a very unexpected result.
Security Check - A craftsman is hired by a television show to produce realistic props for their space program. The props are so good he is visited by two men in black suits who want him to come along. The twist is pure Clarke.
All that Glitters - A tale of what happens when something rare becomes as common as water.
Green Fingers - A little mystery about a botanist on the moon base who is seen sneaking off on his own, only to be found and the sad result of his secret work.
All the Time in the World - A terrific story about a criminal given a golden opportunity to score big but in the end finding out his gain is fruitless. This story is a great twist on the concept of time control.
The Star - Another Clarke classic that suggests a relationship between a supernova and a historical event on Earth. This story is a great example of the range of Clarke storytelling talent.
What I liked The concise storytelling that is a Clarke hallmark, the great twist endings on many of the stories that you don't see coming, and the emotion that he brings to the simple stories helps me understand why he is so popular.
What I didn’t like The only thing I didn’t like was the last story - The Songs of Distant Earth. Maybe didn't like is too strong, actually I just found it too long for what the story conveyed. Otherwise this a great collection.
Final Comments This is the second collection of shorts I have read by Clarke and I am impressed by his writing style and power. Some of the best stories are only a thousand words or so but he manages to convey so much in that length. I am glad that so much of his work is still available and I can see that I will have to read more of Mr. Clarke in the future.
My favorites:
The Nine Billion Names of God - A computer maker is asked to supply their latest machine to a Tibetan monastery in order to compute all the names of God. When asked why the monks tell them that once they have determined all the possible names of God something amazing will happen (I don't want to spoil it). The computer reps don't believe it but the great end line is a classic.
Feathered Friend - This is the second story in The Other Side of the Sky section. A crewmember on the first space station smuggles a canary on board. When the bird is discovered there is much concern but in the end the bird proves its worth. A predictable but fun ending.
The Call of the Stars - The last story in the title collection is a story of reconciliation between a father and a son who takes the undesired path. Touching, with a warmth that Clarke has a unique way of capturing.
The Wall of Darkness - This is a chilling tales that kept me guessing until very near the end. It is a story of a planet where a wall represents the edge of the known world. NO one has ever returned from going beyond the wall. After expensive preparations Shervane, with the help of a friend, is going over the wall. His wondrous journey has a very unexpected result.
Security Check - A craftsman is hired by a television show to produce realistic props for their space program. The props are so good he is visited by two men in black suits who want him to come along. The twist is pure Clarke.
All that Glitters - A tale of what happens when something rare becomes as common as water.
Green Fingers - A little mystery about a botanist on the moon base who is seen sneaking off on his own, only to be found and the sad result of his secret work.
All the Time in the World - A terrific story about a criminal given a golden opportunity to score big but in the end finding out his gain is fruitless. This story is a great twist on the concept of time control.
The Star - Another Clarke classic that suggests a relationship between a supernova and a historical event on Earth. This story is a great example of the range of Clarke storytelling talent.
What I liked The concise storytelling that is a Clarke hallmark, the great twist endings on many of the stories that you don't see coming, and the emotion that he brings to the simple stories helps me understand why he is so popular.
What I didn’t like The only thing I didn’t like was the last story - The Songs of Distant Earth. Maybe didn't like is too strong, actually I just found it too long for what the story conveyed. Otherwise this a great collection.
Final Comments This is the second collection of shorts I have read by Clarke and I am impressed by his writing style and power. Some of the best stories are only a thousand words or so but he manages to convey so much in that length. I am glad that so much of his work is still available and I can see that I will have to read more of Mr. Clarke in the future.
January 2, 2018
This collection was published the year I was born, 1958. Along with Isaac Asimov such futuristic fare was meat and bread to those scientific geeks of my generation who were looking for a glimpse of the future world of our adulthood.
Perhaps I ought not to have read him again, like I should never watch the original Star Trek re-runs with their cardboard sets and dodgy technology.
I found it interesting how on the one hand Clarke was over-optimistic while on the other he didn't think far enough. For example, he had us colonizing planets and conquering space during my lifetime; by contrast, he also had us still saving data on magnetic tape and microfilm while using typewriters. The internet was beyond his imagination, I suspect, and genetic engineering was reserved for God-like creatures of the far distant future.
Also disappointing was his story-telling. H.G. Wells at least had the saving grace of real characters and compelling plots. Clarke gave us caricatures and formulaic story-lines.
All this said, I read the whole book and I liked it, if only because it took me back almost 50 years and allowed me to say, 'Wow! Look what we were able to do.' But we could have done a lot better.
Perhaps I ought not to have read him again, like I should never watch the original Star Trek re-runs with their cardboard sets and dodgy technology.
I found it interesting how on the one hand Clarke was over-optimistic while on the other he didn't think far enough. For example, he had us colonizing planets and conquering space during my lifetime; by contrast, he also had us still saving data on magnetic tape and microfilm while using typewriters. The internet was beyond his imagination, I suspect, and genetic engineering was reserved for God-like creatures of the far distant future.
Also disappointing was his story-telling. H.G. Wells at least had the saving grace of real characters and compelling plots. Clarke gave us caricatures and formulaic story-lines.
All this said, I read the whole book and I liked it, if only because it took me back almost 50 years and allowed me to say, 'Wow! Look what we were able to do.' But we could have done a lot better.
March 16, 2021
I’ve read a few Arthur C. Clarke books by this point, certainly enough for him to qualify as one of my new favourite authors. In fact, it was this that finally prompted me to add all of his books to my wish list, even though that takes ages and the whole process is kind of a ball-ache.
I think it helped that these are short stories, and I’ve always had a bit of a soft spot for short stories. I think we have Isaac Asimov to blame for that, but I’m not complaining. Clarke doesn’t give us the same cool stuff that we get with Asimov in terms of the cool little introductions, but he does have some fascinating ideas on offer here. It’s one of those where it’s just a pleasure from start to finish, and that happens surprisingly rarely with short story collections.
My favourite story in this collection was probably the title story, The Other Side of the Sky, and it’s for a surprising reason. It’s told in first-person, which I’m not normally a fan of, but it worked well because it covered several isolated incidents that occurred to the same person. It left it feeling as though a friend had just been casually sharing his experiences with me. If you have space friends, I guess.
I think it helped that these are short stories, and I’ve always had a bit of a soft spot for short stories. I think we have Isaac Asimov to blame for that, but I’m not complaining. Clarke doesn’t give us the same cool stuff that we get with Asimov in terms of the cool little introductions, but he does have some fascinating ideas on offer here. It’s one of those where it’s just a pleasure from start to finish, and that happens surprisingly rarely with short story collections.
My favourite story in this collection was probably the title story, The Other Side of the Sky, and it’s for a surprising reason. It’s told in first-person, which I’m not normally a fan of, but it worked well because it covered several isolated incidents that occurred to the same person. It left it feeling as though a friend had just been casually sharing his experiences with me. If you have space friends, I guess.
July 2, 2015
The Other Side Of The Sky is the first work by Arthur C. Clarke that I've read now. It is a compilation of 28 of his earlier sci-fi short stories. The stories are all really short, each not more than 3-5 pages (except for the last one The Songs Of Distant Earth which is a long romantic one). The premises of the stories are quaint, some are even funny. The descriptions of our future space travel is quite simply brilliant in its simplicity and inventiveness. Infact, each story brings about something new that I haven't seen before in a movie/book or even dreamt of. This guy must be really good to think of so many ideas. A must read.
March 7, 2010
A great collection of early short stories by The Master. I don't know that it says for his state of mind in the 40s and 50s and for that period itself, but there's an awful lot of apocalyptic stories in here. He destroys the Earth and/or mankind in a number of interesting and entertaining ways. Possibly his definitive collection, definitely recommended (some of the stories even have negative Arthur C. Clarke Points ;) ).
August 26, 2009
I found this book by accident. I never thought I would be interested in "science fiction" but this collection of short stories by Arthur Clarke convinced me otherwise. The stories are wonderfully detailed and particularly prescient for being written in the 1950's - before the public could imagine a computer.
May 26, 2020
I’ve always enjoyed Clarke and love to have easily digestible short stories at hand. His eloquent prose makes reading such a joy, and the two “novellas” in the book add a nice change of pace to the singular short stories. The humor in Cosmic Casanova ways surprising, and well worth the read, but the whole book is mesmerizing.
August 21, 2020
Contos reflexivos pautados em exploração espacial com alto teor especulativo e reviravoltas. Clarke trabalha muito bem com coincidências entre eventos de diferentes magnitudes e contrasta bem a efemeridade da percepção e da vida humanas diante da eternidade do universo. O destaque maior dessa coletânea é o conto "A Estrela" que trata de religião e ciência numa abordagem inusitada.
November 15, 2016
Written for the same 1,500-word challenge as 'Venture to the Moon', The Other Side of the Sky feels older and more sober as it covers the challenges and near-death experiences of dateline engineers and space pioneers.
November 15, 2008
Always have loved Clarke's short stories. This anthology contains "The Nine Billion Names of God," quite possibly his best short story and one of the Top Ten short stories ever written (IMHO).
January 6, 2024
A collection of Clarke’s short stories published 1947-57, and I’m reading them almost as an archaeological study. How has writing changed in the last 70 years? And, coincidentally, I’m playing a few hours of music from the 1960s, songs of my teenage years. I can still relate to the songs, they stir memories, they get my feet tapping, they trigger emotional responses. They still have immediacy, vibrancy, passion.
Clarke’s stories seem so dated, so sterile, they leave me cold.
The first, “The 9 billion names of god” is headed for an obvious conclusion and seems pointless.
“Refugee” – again obvious, again pointless, utterly pointless, and I hated it, it was vapid.
“Other side of the sky” – half a dozen cameos about life in space on a weather station under construction. The best of these is a sentimental tale about a canary. And there’s a curious indulgence in description of Earth celebrating the Millenium, happily without any concern about a Year 2K Apocalypse!
“The wall of darkness” is more of a fantasy than a sci-fi story, investigating the allegories of ‘wall’ … and I really couldn’t get excited let alone give a damn.
‘Security check” – at best an amusing little piece about TV science fiction.
“No morning after” – and further amusement as a scientist is contacted with warning of an impending Apocalypse.
“Venture to the Moon” – a series of tongue-in-cheek tales of the first expedition to the Moon … here portrayed as a cooperative exercise with three ships being launched by England, the USA and the USSR. Delusions of cooperation become realities of competition (the real delusion being that England was still a world power).
“Publicity campaign” – the publicity machine for a new sci-fi movie finds itself going places no one intended.
“Cosmic Casanova” – never mind a girl in every port, astronauts will have one on every planet.
“All the time in the world” – arguably the best story, but I couldn’t help feeling it was a bit simplistic, that tension and emotion could have been ratcheted up several degrees. A man is engaged to commit a crime by stepping outside time. I’d actually read this one before – it’s not a bad story.
“The star” – about a Jesuit astronaut (where have I seen that one before) and a story memorable only for the best line in the book – “It is three thousand years to the Vatican” … a great line only if you’ve spent the late 1950s and more than half the 1960s at a Catholic boys’ school in Scotland being sometimes violently taught science, history, Latin and Catechism by black-cassocked men whose minds must have been 2000 years old then.
“Out of the Sun” – a tale about the Sun which left me cold.
“Transience” – enigmatic, the most interesting of the stories … the description f a child walking across a beach conjured up images for me of the occasional fossil footprints found of our ancestors and stimulated a kaleidoscope of thoughts, allusions, narratives which otherwise owed nothing to the story.
And finally, “The songs of distant Earth”. Can’t help feeling this was over-written, that it needed a more terse style. A spaceship calls at a planet colonised long before. The longest story in the book, and I simply couldn’t get interested in it.
Overall, there’s a lack of sophistication to the stories – sci-fi has come a long way in 70-80 years. I love “2001” and some of Clarke’s longer works – you couldn’t see them as lacking sophistication. But, as short stories go, these are trivial.
Oh, a sense of humour emerges from place to place, there are themes which conjure major questions about space travel, science, the future … but.
Overall a real disappointment – to be read only as an archaeological exercise.
Clarke’s stories seem so dated, so sterile, they leave me cold.
The first, “The 9 billion names of god” is headed for an obvious conclusion and seems pointless.
“Refugee” – again obvious, again pointless, utterly pointless, and I hated it, it was vapid.
“Other side of the sky” – half a dozen cameos about life in space on a weather station under construction. The best of these is a sentimental tale about a canary. And there’s a curious indulgence in description of Earth celebrating the Millenium, happily without any concern about a Year 2K Apocalypse!
“The wall of darkness” is more of a fantasy than a sci-fi story, investigating the allegories of ‘wall’ … and I really couldn’t get excited let alone give a damn.
‘Security check” – at best an amusing little piece about TV science fiction.
“No morning after” – and further amusement as a scientist is contacted with warning of an impending Apocalypse.
“Venture to the Moon” – a series of tongue-in-cheek tales of the first expedition to the Moon … here portrayed as a cooperative exercise with three ships being launched by England, the USA and the USSR. Delusions of cooperation become realities of competition (the real delusion being that England was still a world power).
“Publicity campaign” – the publicity machine for a new sci-fi movie finds itself going places no one intended.
“Cosmic Casanova” – never mind a girl in every port, astronauts will have one on every planet.
“All the time in the world” – arguably the best story, but I couldn’t help feeling it was a bit simplistic, that tension and emotion could have been ratcheted up several degrees. A man is engaged to commit a crime by stepping outside time. I’d actually read this one before – it’s not a bad story.
“The star” – about a Jesuit astronaut (where have I seen that one before) and a story memorable only for the best line in the book – “It is three thousand years to the Vatican” … a great line only if you’ve spent the late 1950s and more than half the 1960s at a Catholic boys’ school in Scotland being sometimes violently taught science, history, Latin and Catechism by black-cassocked men whose minds must have been 2000 years old then.
“Out of the Sun” – a tale about the Sun which left me cold.
“Transience” – enigmatic, the most interesting of the stories … the description f a child walking across a beach conjured up images for me of the occasional fossil footprints found of our ancestors and stimulated a kaleidoscope of thoughts, allusions, narratives which otherwise owed nothing to the story.
And finally, “The songs of distant Earth”. Can’t help feeling this was over-written, that it needed a more terse style. A spaceship calls at a planet colonised long before. The longest story in the book, and I simply couldn’t get interested in it.
Overall, there’s a lack of sophistication to the stories – sci-fi has come a long way in 70-80 years. I love “2001” and some of Clarke’s longer works – you couldn’t see them as lacking sophistication. But, as short stories go, these are trivial.
Oh, a sense of humour emerges from place to place, there are themes which conjure major questions about space travel, science, the future … but.
Overall a real disappointment – to be read only as an archaeological exercise.
February 28, 2024
I LOVED this. Clarke really is the Sci-fi GOAT. Each of these stories are written with such engaging and thoughtful prose. These stories are so creative, even the ones I just thought were ok. Just great ideas all around. This is a fun time!
Here's some thoughts on each story:
- The 9 Billion Names of God 3/5 it's solid I really liked the ending of this one.
- Refugee 5/5 what a charming and captivating story! Fantastic.
- The Other Side of the Sky 5/5 There are some wonderful little parts here. Clarke's prose rules. I especially loved the canary story and the last two parts.
- The Wall of Darkness 5/5 another BANGER! Endlessly thought provoking and fascinating. Beautiful stuff! This one is my favorite and I think one of the best short stories I've ever read.
- Security Check 3.5/5 A very interesting idea! I like it and it seems really unique to me. Who else thinks about the esthetics and craftsmanship of the inside of a spaceship?
- No Morning After 3/5 This one is pretty funny but predictable.
- Venture to The Moon 4.5/5 A super fascinating account, especially since it was written before the moon landing actually happened! Fun stuff and a funny, if a little silly, ending story (staying last due to making tax free money).
- Publicity Campaign 3/5 This is an interesting story. The first half is kinda weak but the second half I liked quite a bit. I wish we got a little more of it! Paranoia as a means to have humanity destroyed by peaceful alien contact is a very neat idea. It's a good one but too short, needs more time to explore its ideas further.
- All The Time in The World 4/5 This is really good! Heist turned into doomsday and a really neat method of time travel to boot. It is well executed and provocative with some doomsday leanings.
- Cosmic Casanova 2.5/5 This is interesting but the guy is a womanizing POS and it all leads to a silly joke that is funny, but still left me cold. Easily the weakest story of the book.
- The Star 5/5 This one is beautiful and tragic. A minister questioning his faith after a discovery is a unique and fascinating perspective for space exploration.
- Out of The Sun 5/5 Another fantastic story filled with wonder!
- Transience 4/5 The passing of human history in 10 pages told through 3 young boys. A good, if a little too brief, story.
- The Song of Distant Earth 4.5/5 Leon's infidelity is wack as hell, but besides that this is another beautiful and sad story. It also has the most engaging lead characters in the this collection.
Here's some thoughts on each story:
- The 9 Billion Names of God 3/5 it's solid I really liked the ending of this one.
- Refugee 5/5 what a charming and captivating story! Fantastic.
- The Other Side of the Sky 5/5 There are some wonderful little parts here. Clarke's prose rules. I especially loved the canary story and the last two parts.
- The Wall of Darkness 5/5 another BANGER! Endlessly thought provoking and fascinating. Beautiful stuff! This one is my favorite and I think one of the best short stories I've ever read.
- Security Check 3.5/5 A very interesting idea! I like it and it seems really unique to me. Who else thinks about the esthetics and craftsmanship of the inside of a spaceship?
- No Morning After 3/5 This one is pretty funny but predictable.
- Venture to The Moon 4.5/5 A super fascinating account, especially since it was written before the moon landing actually happened! Fun stuff and a funny, if a little silly, ending story (staying last due to making tax free money).
- Publicity Campaign 3/5 This is an interesting story. The first half is kinda weak but the second half I liked quite a bit. I wish we got a little more of it! Paranoia as a means to have humanity destroyed by peaceful alien contact is a very neat idea. It's a good one but too short, needs more time to explore its ideas further.
- All The Time in The World 4/5 This is really good! Heist turned into doomsday and a really neat method of time travel to boot. It is well executed and provocative with some doomsday leanings.
- Cosmic Casanova 2.5/5 This is interesting but the guy is a womanizing POS and it all leads to a silly joke that is funny, but still left me cold. Easily the weakest story of the book.
- The Star 5/5 This one is beautiful and tragic. A minister questioning his faith after a discovery is a unique and fascinating perspective for space exploration.
- Out of The Sun 5/5 Another fantastic story filled with wonder!
- Transience 4/5 The passing of human history in 10 pages told through 3 young boys. A good, if a little too brief, story.
- The Song of Distant Earth 4.5/5 Leon's infidelity is wack as hell, but besides that this is another beautiful and sad story. It also has the most engaging lead characters in the this collection.
March 24, 2022
DNF - I can understand why Clarke was so popular with the geeks of his day, engineers with kids who grew up to work at IBM and do such great things with computers that I'm able to write this review for all to see (in theory at least). From what little of this book I actually read, it seems to me they'd definitely consider Arthur C. Clarke 'one of [their] own'.
And I can see why. He's impressive when it comes to his vision of the space-age and his knowledge of science, so much so that at times it's hard to believe that these stories were written in the mid-50's. He's also imaginative with his themes, with The Nine Billion Names Of God having a really interesting concept and a couple of fun little ideas in the title story. Unfortunately though, when it comes to the actual style of his prose, any sense of imagination is entirely absent. And for me, all the rest just doesn't mean a thing without it.
I'm not saying he needs to be able to write like (insert name of revered writer here). His themes and imagination will get him a long way with me as long as I can read to the end of a paragraph without getting bored. But I can't. Every sentence is as flat and tedious as the last.
I get why programmers and engineer types might love this. They're hardly known for their love of flowery speech or chaotic, unpredictable tangents. But I'm not a programmer, or an engineer, and I expect my writers to be able to write a good line that keeps me hooked, unable to put the book down for the night and get some sleep. At least once in a while anyway.
When I started this review, I didn't intend to slam Clarke as much as I have. He seems to mean a lot to many people out there and I don't want to belittle them or him for that. But to me, writing like this is the reason why sci-fi has always struggled to be respected as a genre. This is writing with the emotion taken out of it. Writing without heart. The kind of writing we might imagine a robot would come up with. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised to find out the first draft of the thing was written in binary.
And I can see why. He's impressive when it comes to his vision of the space-age and his knowledge of science, so much so that at times it's hard to believe that these stories were written in the mid-50's. He's also imaginative with his themes, with The Nine Billion Names Of God having a really interesting concept and a couple of fun little ideas in the title story. Unfortunately though, when it comes to the actual style of his prose, any sense of imagination is entirely absent. And for me, all the rest just doesn't mean a thing without it.
I'm not saying he needs to be able to write like (insert name of revered writer here). His themes and imagination will get him a long way with me as long as I can read to the end of a paragraph without getting bored. But I can't. Every sentence is as flat and tedious as the last.
I get why programmers and engineer types might love this. They're hardly known for their love of flowery speech or chaotic, unpredictable tangents. But I'm not a programmer, or an engineer, and I expect my writers to be able to write a good line that keeps me hooked, unable to put the book down for the night and get some sleep. At least once in a while anyway.
When I started this review, I didn't intend to slam Clarke as much as I have. He seems to mean a lot to many people out there and I don't want to belittle them or him for that. But to me, writing like this is the reason why sci-fi has always struggled to be respected as a genre. This is writing with the emotion taken out of it. Writing without heart. The kind of writing we might imagine a robot would come up with. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised to find out the first draft of the thing was written in binary.
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