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The Nine Billion Names of God
"The Nine Billion Names of God" is a 1953 science fiction short story by British writer Arthur C. Clarke. The story was among the stories selected in 1970 by the Science Fiction Writers of America as one of the best science fiction short stories published before the creation of the Nebula Awards. It was reprinted in The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One, 1929–1964.
In a Tibetan lamasery, the monks seek to list all of the names of God. They believe the Universe was created for this purpose, and that once this naming is completed, God will bring the Universe to an end. Three centuries ago, the monks created an alphabet in which they calculated they could encode all the possible names of God, numbering about 9,000,000,000 ("nine billion") and each having no more than nine characters. Writing the names out by hand, as they had been doing, even after eliminating various nonsense combinations, would take another 15,000 years; the monks wish to use modern technology to finish this task in 100 days.
They rent a computer capable of printing all the possible permutations, and hire two Westerners to install and program the machine. The computer operators are skeptical but play along. After three months, as the job nears completion, they fear that the monks will blame the computer (and, by extension, its operators) when nothing happens. The Westerners leave slightly earlier than their scheduled departure without warning the monks, so that it will complete its final print run shortly after they leave. On their way to the airfield they pause on the mountain path. Under a clear night sky they estimate that it must be just about the time that the monks are pasting the final printed names into their holy books. Then they notice that "overhead, without any fuss, the stars were going out."
In a Tibetan lamasery, the monks seek to list all of the names of God. They believe the Universe was created for this purpose, and that once this naming is completed, God will bring the Universe to an end. Three centuries ago, the monks created an alphabet in which they calculated they could encode all the possible names of God, numbering about 9,000,000,000 ("nine billion") and each having no more than nine characters. Writing the names out by hand, as they had been doing, even after eliminating various nonsense combinations, would take another 15,000 years; the monks wish to use modern technology to finish this task in 100 days.
They rent a computer capable of printing all the possible permutations, and hire two Westerners to install and program the machine. The computer operators are skeptical but play along. After three months, as the job nears completion, they fear that the monks will blame the computer (and, by extension, its operators) when nothing happens. The Westerners leave slightly earlier than their scheduled departure without warning the monks, so that it will complete its final print run shortly after they leave. On their way to the airfield they pause on the mountain path. Under a clear night sky they estimate that it must be just about the time that the monks are pasting the final printed names into their holy books. Then they notice that "overhead, without any fuss, the stars were going out."
Audible Audio
First published January 1, 1967
About the author
Arthur C. Clarke
1,661 books11.9k 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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September 26, 2024
There's a little surprise in my review, cuz I'm gonna gift you the story in AUDIOBOOK form at the end! Get ready... but first:
I'll try to remember the day I MYSELF heard it!
It was a dreamy fall morning in 1963 when I absently turned on my Grandfather's cabinet style old tube-technology radio. I only wanted to hear a good story!
I twiddled the dial till I found our Canadian national radio broadcasting bandwidth. Ah, success. They were announcing this Sunday's program - an SF offering from one of my fave authors in Fantasy and Science Fiction magazine, which I usually gulped down each month like candy.
But I hadn't read this one. With a title like this, it must be deep!
Yeah. It was.
Deep and murky, sorta like my high school freshman daily regimen. But, then, it was dreamy like my mood... a permanent mood at the time:
Green grow the rushes, ho!
You got it. How are our Mighty Mouse dreams fallen...
By the end of the story I was pacing my room.
Because of this dystopian tale, my green dreaminess swiftly became teen doom 'n gloom. And that, in fact, was the zeitgeist all around me after the Cuban Missile Crisis the year before. It was everywhere, home, classroom and ourselves.
If that were not enough, our own Once and Future King, JFK, would meet his doom a month from that grim October day.
And along with it, I guess, our Camelot was doomed.
Why is postmodernity so persnickitously contentious to our ideals? An ill wind was in the works for all of us back then...
Blow, blow, thou winter wind
Thou are not so unkind
As man's ingratitude.
Thy tooth is not so keen,
Because thou art not seen,
Although thy breath be rude...
Then, heigh-ho the holly:
This life is most jolly!
And the unjolly midwinter, so nearly upon us, would be Bleak Indeed after all that:
And the curtain REALLY falls on us all like it did to me, at the end of this spooky story...
https://youtu.be/3is-UbB-QYo
Like, lights out, folks! Say no more. LISTEN TO THE STORY!
https://youtu.be/9Ci3l53Ikqw
I'll try to remember the day I MYSELF heard it!
It was a dreamy fall morning in 1963 when I absently turned on my Grandfather's cabinet style old tube-technology radio. I only wanted to hear a good story!
I twiddled the dial till I found our Canadian national radio broadcasting bandwidth. Ah, success. They were announcing this Sunday's program - an SF offering from one of my fave authors in Fantasy and Science Fiction magazine, which I usually gulped down each month like candy.
But I hadn't read this one. With a title like this, it must be deep!
Yeah. It was.
Deep and murky, sorta like my high school freshman daily regimen. But, then, it was dreamy like my mood... a permanent mood at the time:
Green grow the rushes, ho!
You got it. How are our Mighty Mouse dreams fallen...
By the end of the story I was pacing my room.
Because of this dystopian tale, my green dreaminess swiftly became teen doom 'n gloom. And that, in fact, was the zeitgeist all around me after the Cuban Missile Crisis the year before. It was everywhere, home, classroom and ourselves.
If that were not enough, our own Once and Future King, JFK, would meet his doom a month from that grim October day.
And along with it, I guess, our Camelot was doomed.
Why is postmodernity so persnickitously contentious to our ideals? An ill wind was in the works for all of us back then...
Blow, blow, thou winter wind
Thou are not so unkind
As man's ingratitude.
Thy tooth is not so keen,
Because thou art not seen,
Although thy breath be rude...
Then, heigh-ho the holly:
This life is most jolly!
And the unjolly midwinter, so nearly upon us, would be Bleak Indeed after all that:
And the curtain REALLY falls on us all like it did to me, at the end of this spooky story...
https://youtu.be/3is-UbB-QYo
Like, lights out, folks! Say no more. LISTEN TO THE STORY!
https://youtu.be/9Ci3l53Ikqw
June 19, 2019
“He was leaning against the wind-smoothed stones and staring morosely at the distant mountains whose names he had never bothered to discover.”
Arthur C. Clarke is one of my favorite authors. I suppose I’m biased and would enjoy anything written by him. This little eight-page story is not shocking or mind-blowing or even complex. It’s so short, I’m not going to summarize the plot or anything (read it! It's all over the net for free). It’s a straight forward little tale, but it’s the subtleties that make it good. First, it sets up the premise, and explains away plot holes with minimal story. It uses relatively simple language, but still manages to feel eloquent.
“He began to sing, but gave it up after a while. This vast arena of mountains, gleaming like whitely hooded ghosts on every side, did not encourage such ebullience.”
Second, it doesn’t reveal its theme. It could spark questions around existence or god or such, but it’s certainly not heavy handed in any way. It makes the reader work, it makes the reader ask the questions, rather than have them laid out for them. There are other subtleties such as the fact that the monks are not particularly pious that made me consider it more deeply.
“The squat, angular buildings were silhouetted against the afterglow of the sunset; here and there lights gleamed like portholes in the sides of an ocean liner.”
Third, it teases the ending, you’ll likely guess the outcome, but then it does leave just enough ambiguity to make you question what Clarke was intending. This, for me, was especially heightened because of another little subtle comment by the monk, “It’s nothing as trivial as that.”, which opens up all kinds of questions.
I guess my point is, you could write a much more complex story, raise more obvious questions about life and our existence, but would it be better than this one? I think not.
Arthur C. Clarke is one of my favorite authors. I suppose I’m biased and would enjoy anything written by him. This little eight-page story is not shocking or mind-blowing or even complex. It’s so short, I’m not going to summarize the plot or anything (read it! It's all over the net for free). It’s a straight forward little tale, but it’s the subtleties that make it good. First, it sets up the premise, and explains away plot holes with minimal story. It uses relatively simple language, but still manages to feel eloquent.
“He began to sing, but gave it up after a while. This vast arena of mountains, gleaming like whitely hooded ghosts on every side, did not encourage such ebullience.”
Second, it doesn’t reveal its theme. It could spark questions around existence or god or such, but it’s certainly not heavy handed in any way. It makes the reader work, it makes the reader ask the questions, rather than have them laid out for them. There are other subtleties such as the fact that the monks are not particularly pious that made me consider it more deeply.
“The squat, angular buildings were silhouetted against the afterglow of the sunset; here and there lights gleamed like portholes in the sides of an ocean liner.”
Third, it teases the ending, you’ll likely guess the outcome, but then it does leave just enough ambiguity to make you question what Clarke was intending. This, for me, was especially heightened because of another little subtle comment by the monk, “It’s nothing as trivial as that.”, which opens up all kinds of questions.
I guess my point is, you could write a much more complex story, raise more obvious questions about life and our existence, but would it be better than this one? I think not.
April 20, 2019
Apocalypse Sometime
As we approach the 9 billion mark in population sometime around the centennial anniversary of this title story, perhaps it would be prudent to consider Clarke as a prophet who writes cryptically but with some prescience.* Who knows but by then FaceBook will have us all identified, catalogued and tracked. Putin might well be CEO (he of course will live forever), and he could indeed manipulate the news such that the stars start to blink out. I must say also that Clarke gives a very different meaning to Saramago’s All the Names (See: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...). Just sayin’.
*I say ‘we’ but of course I won’t be there to enjoy the celebrations (or the mayhem depending 0n conditions). I can only suggest that those who are present keep a sharp lookout for suspicious looking Tibetan monks.
As we approach the 9 billion mark in population sometime around the centennial anniversary of this title story, perhaps it would be prudent to consider Clarke as a prophet who writes cryptically but with some prescience.* Who knows but by then FaceBook will have us all identified, catalogued and tracked. Putin might well be CEO (he of course will live forever), and he could indeed manipulate the news such that the stars start to blink out. I must say also that Clarke gives a very different meaning to Saramago’s All the Names (See: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...). Just sayin’.
*I say ‘we’ but of course I won’t be there to enjoy the celebrations (or the mayhem depending 0n conditions). I can only suggest that those who are present keep a sharp lookout for suspicious looking Tibetan monks.
April 2, 2014
"And what happens then?" asks the American computer technician, trying to make a joke of it. "The end of the world?"
"Oh," replies the monk very seriously, "it's nothing as trivial as that."
"Oh," replies the monk very seriously, "it's nothing as trivial as that."
March 15, 2009
Sometimes, I want to feel chills after I read something. Cold chills. And slow ones, too. Chills that make you want to sit still and close your eyes, because you're so incredibly, absolutely freaked out.
The title story is not a horror tale. Artie only wrote high-brow sci/fi, which this is. But the ending....well, let's put it this way: I'll never be able to look up at the stars in the night sky and not think of it.
(there's a last time for everything)
The title story is not a horror tale. Artie only wrote high-brow sci/fi, which this is. But the ending....well, let's put it this way: I'll never be able to look up at the stars in the night sky and not think of it.
(there's a last time for everything)
August 14, 2018
(review in English below)
Depois de ler um comentário dum amigo (no Facebook) dizendo que esta é considerada por muitos a melhor história de ficção científica jamais escrita - e eu que nunca tinha ouvido falar dela, apesar de já ter lido vários livros deste autor - tinha mesmo de lê-la o mais rápido possível.
Grande desilusão, não percebi o objectivo da história nem a razão da sua fama...
After reading that this is considered by many to be the best sci-fi story ever written - and never having heard of it, although I've read several books by Clarke - I really had to read it ASAP.
Big disappointment, I didn't get the purpose of the story, nor the cause for its fame...
Depois de ler um comentário dum amigo (no Facebook) dizendo que esta é considerada por muitos a melhor história de ficção científica jamais escrita - e eu que nunca tinha ouvido falar dela, apesar de já ter lido vários livros deste autor - tinha mesmo de lê-la o mais rápido possível.
Grande desilusão, não percebi o objectivo da história nem a razão da sua fama...
After reading that this is considered by many to be the best sci-fi story ever written - and never having heard of it, although I've read several books by Clarke - I really had to read it ASAP.
Big disappointment, I didn't get the purpose of the story, nor the cause for its fame...
April 23, 2017
The idea of this story-advanced computer technology being used to solve an ancient religious question. Well, story was interesting but ending was a bit scary... I have a love-hate relationship with open-ended stories . Actually, it was not quite open-ended.. Everything just ended...
July 28, 2012
It's hard to know exactly what to mention in a review of a book containing so many short stories, but as this collection contains my two favourites, I suppose I'll mention those.
The Nine Billion Names of God was the first Arthur C Clarke story I ever read, and within a week of reading it I was devouring his work. This story appeals to me on so many levels, but the thing that sticks with me the most is the very last line of the story. I can say without a doubt that it's the most beautiful line I have ever read. It gives me goosebumps every single time I read it - which is about once a month.
The Star appeals to my interests in religion and science and the way they manage to co-exist. It's short, but beautifully conceived, and again, the very last paragraph is masterfully written. The conclusion dawns on you at exactly the right moment. It doesn't have quite the impact for me as the last line of The Nine Billion Names of God, but it's nearly there.
Although his full-length works are arguably better known, Arthur C Clarke was a master of the short story. Perfectly structured, beautifully written, and always thought-provoking.
The Nine Billion Names of God was the first Arthur C Clarke story I ever read, and within a week of reading it I was devouring his work. This story appeals to me on so many levels, but the thing that sticks with me the most is the very last line of the story. I can say without a doubt that it's the most beautiful line I have ever read. It gives me goosebumps every single time I read it - which is about once a month.
The Star appeals to my interests in religion and science and the way they manage to co-exist. It's short, but beautifully conceived, and again, the very last paragraph is masterfully written. The conclusion dawns on you at exactly the right moment. It doesn't have quite the impact for me as the last line of The Nine Billion Names of God, but it's nearly there.
Although his full-length works are arguably better known, Arthur C Clarke was a master of the short story. Perfectly structured, beautifully written, and always thought-provoking.
July 31, 2021
My first excursion into Arthur C. Clarke's short fiction seems to have started on a high note. This particular collection of short stories consists of what Clarke considered his personal favourites from among his own work at the time. That doesn't necessarily mean that they are his best body of work, but I did enjoy the the majority of his hand-picked prized entries.
Ratings:- ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Ratings:- ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Read
August 21, 2021The best of these stories, "The Nine Billion Names of God" and "The Star," are all-time classics that every science fiction fan should read.
Another, "The Sentinel," inspired 2001, one of the two or three greatest of all science fiction films.
Also noteworthy: "The Curse," a somber meditation on nuclear annihilation, and Shakespeare; and the meta-fictional "I Remember Babylon," a cautionary tale about the potential of the communication satellite (a concept which Clarke himself pioneered) to destabilize and destroy civilizations.
The worst aren't bad stories, but trivial by comparison to their more scintillating siblings.
Another, "The Sentinel," inspired 2001, one of the two or three greatest of all science fiction films.
Also noteworthy: "The Curse," a somber meditation on nuclear annihilation, and Shakespeare; and the meta-fictional "I Remember Babylon," a cautionary tale about the potential of the communication satellite (a concept which Clarke himself pioneered) to destabilize and destroy civilizations.
The worst aren't bad stories, but trivial by comparison to their more scintillating siblings.
January 21, 2024
4⭐ for 'the nine billion names of God' short story.
April 10, 2023
I nove miliardi di nomi di Dio - Arthur C. Clarke ★★★1/2
Prott - Margaret St. Clair ★★1/2
Acciaio - Richard Matheson ★★★★
Prott - Margaret St. Clair ★★1/2
Acciaio - Richard Matheson ★★★★
December 30, 2015
In fact, I only read the eponymous story. Full review and analysis at my blog.
A Tibetan monastery buys a computer to help them calculating and printing all possible names of God. They started this manual task some 300 years ago, estimated that it would take another 15,000 years to finish and now want to speed up things - the computer will finish the job within 100 days. Why?
A Tibetan monastery buys a computer to help them calculating and printing all possible names of God. They started this manual task some 300 years ago, estimated that it would take another 15,000 years to finish and now want to speed up things - the computer will finish the job within 100 days. Why?
July 2, 2022
One of my all time favorite collections of stories! [General reaction]
This was, as far as I can remember, my very first taste of Clarke when I began my exploration of classic science fiction in the 80s. The first (and title) story is a knock-out. "The Nine Billion Names of God" and "The Last Question" by Isaac Asimov are my two all-time favorite short stories in science fiction. "Names" hooked me on Clarke and made me search out his other work--from the Space Odyssey books through The Tales from the White Hart. Clarke's longer works are well worth reading, but he was an absolute master of the short story and this collection is a great introduction to him. ★★★★★
"The Nine Billion Names of God": This title story is a stunner. All about monks who want to use technology to speed up their sacred task. The last line is absolutely perfect. I loved this story when I first discovered Arthur C. Clarke and it still resonates with me.
"I Remember Babylon": Clarke places himself as the narrator of this cautionary tale about the dangers that might come with the convenience of satellite transmissions. Those who use propaganda and information as a weapon are always eager for a new method of attack.
"Trouble with Time": A clever little mystery about a Martian robbery that goes wrong. Makes a play off of a key plot point from Verne's Around the World in 80 Days.
"Rescue Party": Aliens from another part of the galaxy head to Earth on a rescue mission when the scientists of their federation determine that Sol is going to go nova. When the ships arrive, they are confused to find evidence of primitive (by their standards) technology, but also evidence that the inhabitants may have escaped by rocket ship. In the middle of their mission, part of the alien crew gets caught in the humans' underground travel system. Will the rescuers be rescued in time?
"Summertime on Icarus": Scientists have always wanted to get a closer view of the sun--but if you get too close, you'll burn alive. Our narrator is part of team who is sent to Icarus (an asteroid that will pass near the sun). They plan to set up instruments on the side that will face the sun and scurry to the dark side before it's too late. And then something goes wrong with the mission...
"Dog Star": A story about an astronomer and the dog he rescues...and who rescues him--twice. The second time is after death (the dog's) and far away on the moon.
"Hide & Seek": A spy in the interstellar wars manages to out wit the commander of a huge battle cruiser by playing a little game of hide and seek on Phobos. The commander's superiors never could understand why the commander of the fleet's fastest ship couldn't catch a lone man in a space suit.
"Out of the Sun": Another story about observing the sun--this time from the surface of Mercury. This time astronomers are left wondering just what exactly is in those solar flares that erupt from the sun? Is it possible that the energy released is the energy of life?
"The Wall of Darkness": A story of the single planet revolving around a lone star. A wall of darkness lies at the edge of the habitable region of Shervane's world. And when he learns of it, he becomes determined to find out what is on the other side. Legends say madness lies there. Sometimes, legends hold an element of truth...
"No Morning After": A second story about intergalactic beings making an effort to rescue the human race. This time the humans are still on Earth, but only one man is in a receptive state of mind to receive their telepathic messages. And he thinks they're just the after-effects of a bottle of whisky.
"The Possessed": Clarke comes up with an interesting reason behind all those lemmings jumping into the sea.
"Death & the Senator": Senator Steelman receives two shocks. The first is when, in the months leading up to a possible bid for the Presidency, he's told he's going to die. The second occurs after he has made peace with the fact that is time is running out...only to be told that a new treatment, requiring him to spend time in space, could save his life. Has one the two best last lines in the collection.
"Who's There?": When a space station supervisor is told there is a stray object floating about that needs retrieving, he's the only one available to do the job. It should be just routine, but what are those weird noises coming from his space suit?
"Before Eden": Earthmen are finally investigating Venus and are surprised to find flowing water at the South Pole (the coolest part of the planet). The biologist is excited to think that they may be there to witness the beginnings of life on the Venus. But will their presence change the course of Venus's history? This is a cautionary tale about how even the smallest change in an environment might cause great harm.
"Superiority": A story of David and Goliath on an interstellar scale. The more primitive race takes on those whose weapons are superior, but sometimes giants do fall. And sometimes they even trip over their own feet.
"A Walk in the Dark": Robert Armstrong is making his way from camp on an unnamed planet to Port Sanderson where he will catch a ship for home when a series of accidents impedes his journey. First his tractor transport breaks down. He fixes it. It breaks down again. He decides to walk the four remaining miles and sets off with a flashlight. The flashlight goes out. And now he must make the journey in total darkness. Feeling his way along to keep himself on the narrow road. And then he remembers the tale told by the old Base clerk at Port Sanderson about his walk in the dark and the sound of clicking claws he heard...
"The Call of the Stars": A man who left his father behind on Earth in order to be among the first on the space station watches the twentieth century turn into the twenty-first from space. He also prepares to watch his son leave him behind to head out on a mission to Mars.
"The Reluctant Orchid": A timid young orchid-grower by the name of Hercules is managed by an overbearing aunt. He discovers a carnivorous breed of orchid and imagines a life without his aunt...
"Encounter at Dawn": A survey starship with a three-man crew lands on a distant planet much like their own. There they find a bipedal race also much like their own but at a much earlier point of development and they wish they could stay and help the beings lift themselves towards civilization more quickly. [Clearly no Prime Directive in force here...] But they must leave to tend to their own civilization. They wonder what these beings will become.
"If I Forget Thee, Oh Earth...": Colonists on the moon are the last human beings left after a nuclear war on their home planet. Each generation is taken to a particular place in the colony to look on the Earth and be reminded that the colony must survive so that one day, when it's safe, they can return and reclaim their home.
"Patent Pending": A scientist's assistant, Georges, becomes obsessed with a machine that can record sensations and play them back just like music. He decides to use it for erotic pleasure and is so caught up in the experience that he neglects everything and everyone.
"The Sentinel": The story from which 2001: A Space Odyssey grew. Explorers on the moon find no sign of intelligent life ever having been there before man...Until they find a lone relic high up in the mountains. The narrator speculates that an ancient alien race placed it there, watching to see if intelligent life ever emerged from the cradle of the Earth.
"Transience": In both the first story and here in the penultimate story of the collection, Clarke gives us a view of the end of things. The first story gives us the end of everything. "Transience" shows us that all things change; all things must come to an end. Even our time here on Earth.
"The Star": A Jesuit priest/explorer suffers a crisis of faith when the exploration team discovers the protected records of an earth-like civilization lost when their sun went supernova.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting portions of review. Thanks.
This was, as far as I can remember, my very first taste of Clarke when I began my exploration of classic science fiction in the 80s. The first (and title) story is a knock-out. "The Nine Billion Names of God" and "The Last Question" by Isaac Asimov are my two all-time favorite short stories in science fiction. "Names" hooked me on Clarke and made me search out his other work--from the Space Odyssey books through The Tales from the White Hart. Clarke's longer works are well worth reading, but he was an absolute master of the short story and this collection is a great introduction to him. ★★★★★
"The Nine Billion Names of God": This title story is a stunner. All about monks who want to use technology to speed up their sacred task. The last line is absolutely perfect. I loved this story when I first discovered Arthur C. Clarke and it still resonates with me.
"I Remember Babylon": Clarke places himself as the narrator of this cautionary tale about the dangers that might come with the convenience of satellite transmissions. Those who use propaganda and information as a weapon are always eager for a new method of attack.
"Trouble with Time": A clever little mystery about a Martian robbery that goes wrong. Makes a play off of a key plot point from Verne's Around the World in 80 Days.
"Rescue Party": Aliens from another part of the galaxy head to Earth on a rescue mission when the scientists of their federation determine that Sol is going to go nova. When the ships arrive, they are confused to find evidence of primitive (by their standards) technology, but also evidence that the inhabitants may have escaped by rocket ship. In the middle of their mission, part of the alien crew gets caught in the humans' underground travel system. Will the rescuers be rescued in time?
"Summertime on Icarus": Scientists have always wanted to get a closer view of the sun--but if you get too close, you'll burn alive. Our narrator is part of team who is sent to Icarus (an asteroid that will pass near the sun). They plan to set up instruments on the side that will face the sun and scurry to the dark side before it's too late. And then something goes wrong with the mission...
"Dog Star": A story about an astronomer and the dog he rescues...and who rescues him--twice. The second time is after death (the dog's) and far away on the moon.
"Hide & Seek": A spy in the interstellar wars manages to out wit the commander of a huge battle cruiser by playing a little game of hide and seek on Phobos. The commander's superiors never could understand why the commander of the fleet's fastest ship couldn't catch a lone man in a space suit.
"Out of the Sun": Another story about observing the sun--this time from the surface of Mercury. This time astronomers are left wondering just what exactly is in those solar flares that erupt from the sun? Is it possible that the energy released is the energy of life?
"The Wall of Darkness": A story of the single planet revolving around a lone star. A wall of darkness lies at the edge of the habitable region of Shervane's world. And when he learns of it, he becomes determined to find out what is on the other side. Legends say madness lies there. Sometimes, legends hold an element of truth...
"No Morning After": A second story about intergalactic beings making an effort to rescue the human race. This time the humans are still on Earth, but only one man is in a receptive state of mind to receive their telepathic messages. And he thinks they're just the after-effects of a bottle of whisky.
"The Possessed": Clarke comes up with an interesting reason behind all those lemmings jumping into the sea.
"Death & the Senator": Senator Steelman receives two shocks. The first is when, in the months leading up to a possible bid for the Presidency, he's told he's going to die. The second occurs after he has made peace with the fact that is time is running out...only to be told that a new treatment, requiring him to spend time in space, could save his life. Has one the two best last lines in the collection.
"Who's There?": When a space station supervisor is told there is a stray object floating about that needs retrieving, he's the only one available to do the job. It should be just routine, but what are those weird noises coming from his space suit?
"Before Eden": Earthmen are finally investigating Venus and are surprised to find flowing water at the South Pole (the coolest part of the planet). The biologist is excited to think that they may be there to witness the beginnings of life on the Venus. But will their presence change the course of Venus's history? This is a cautionary tale about how even the smallest change in an environment might cause great harm.
"Superiority": A story of David and Goliath on an interstellar scale. The more primitive race takes on those whose weapons are superior, but sometimes giants do fall. And sometimes they even trip over their own feet.
"A Walk in the Dark": Robert Armstrong is making his way from camp on an unnamed planet to Port Sanderson where he will catch a ship for home when a series of accidents impedes his journey. First his tractor transport breaks down. He fixes it. It breaks down again. He decides to walk the four remaining miles and sets off with a flashlight. The flashlight goes out. And now he must make the journey in total darkness. Feeling his way along to keep himself on the narrow road. And then he remembers the tale told by the old Base clerk at Port Sanderson about his walk in the dark and the sound of clicking claws he heard...
"The Call of the Stars": A man who left his father behind on Earth in order to be among the first on the space station watches the twentieth century turn into the twenty-first from space. He also prepares to watch his son leave him behind to head out on a mission to Mars.
"The Reluctant Orchid": A timid young orchid-grower by the name of Hercules is managed by an overbearing aunt. He discovers a carnivorous breed of orchid and imagines a life without his aunt...
"Encounter at Dawn": A survey starship with a three-man crew lands on a distant planet much like their own. There they find a bipedal race also much like their own but at a much earlier point of development and they wish they could stay and help the beings lift themselves towards civilization more quickly. [Clearly no Prime Directive in force here...] But they must leave to tend to their own civilization. They wonder what these beings will become.
"If I Forget Thee, Oh Earth...": Colonists on the moon are the last human beings left after a nuclear war on their home planet. Each generation is taken to a particular place in the colony to look on the Earth and be reminded that the colony must survive so that one day, when it's safe, they can return and reclaim their home.
"Patent Pending": A scientist's assistant, Georges, becomes obsessed with a machine that can record sensations and play them back just like music. He decides to use it for erotic pleasure and is so caught up in the experience that he neglects everything and everyone.
"The Sentinel": The story from which 2001: A Space Odyssey grew. Explorers on the moon find no sign of intelligent life ever having been there before man...Until they find a lone relic high up in the mountains. The narrator speculates that an ancient alien race placed it there, watching to see if intelligent life ever emerged from the cradle of the Earth.
"Transience": In both the first story and here in the penultimate story of the collection, Clarke gives us a view of the end of things. The first story gives us the end of everything. "Transience" shows us that all things change; all things must come to an end. Even our time here on Earth.
"The Star": A Jesuit priest/explorer suffers a crisis of faith when the exploration team discovers the protected records of an earth-like civilization lost when their sun went supernova.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting portions of review. Thanks.
February 20, 2024
Quirky little story with a twist at the end!
January 12, 2012
My life changed in 1968 at the age of 14 when I saw the the film "2001:A Space Odyssey" in Cinerama (a very wide,curved screen). It opened my eyes to philosophy (Nietzsche), symphonic music ("Also Sprach Zarathustra"), and cinematography (Stanley Kubrick), I began to look for anything related to this film.
Soon thereafter I read this book of short stories by the screenwriter of the film, Arthur C. Clarke. The title story "The Nine Billion Names of God" has stayed with me ever since I read it. I don't want to spoil the story for anyone who hasn't read it, but it sure can cause one to reexamine one's assumptions....
Soon thereafter I read this book of short stories by the screenwriter of the film, Arthur C. Clarke. The title story "The Nine Billion Names of God" has stayed with me ever since I read it. I don't want to spoil the story for anyone who hasn't read it, but it sure can cause one to reexamine one's assumptions....
October 18, 2025
Dread Sci-Fi? Existential Sci-fi? - the drop in the pit of your stomach - that is this story.
Here's the thing, the number 9 in spiritual terms signifies the completion of a cycle whilst 0 signifies the beginning of a cycle. To say that I sat up pin-straight and felt a chill at the center of my forehead when the monk introduced the idea that they were busy bees trying to decipher God's true name and that the name would have 9 letters, that there have been 9 billions combinations...that's already a synchronicity that set of alarm bells.
Despite setting up the narrative to be perceived from the Western engineers point of view, the nature of my own mind and my own relationship with these ideas of spirituality had me firmly on the cautious monitoring of what the monks were doing.
The quiet way in which the true nature of purpose, the nature of existence is presented to us, to the characters and subsequently achieved is powerful and also a little anxiety inducing. There was a moment during the blood moon eclipse earlier in September where the entire dual light of sun and moon blinked out entirely. Now, thinking of a moment where that happens to the entire night sky like the janitor coming in and turning off the lights at a school room by room is deeply unnerving and even tragic. If the universe turns of, just like that - please no.
Of course, it's uniquely esoteric and an even holy look and existentialism using technology. I mean technology being the code to truly unlock answers mankind has had whether consciously or subconsciously is scary prescient because look at where we are right now.
So, is there an ascension for the sentient beings or was the entire process just a massive puzzle and God, Elohim, The Omnipresent laid out since time immemorial watching patiently to see which of his little creations would figure it out - if at all?
It packs a punch in barely 10 pages
Here's the thing, the number 9 in spiritual terms signifies the completion of a cycle whilst 0 signifies the beginning of a cycle. To say that I sat up pin-straight and felt a chill at the center of my forehead when the monk introduced the idea that they were busy bees trying to decipher God's true name and that the name would have 9 letters, that there have been 9 billions combinations...that's already a synchronicity that set of alarm bells.
Despite setting up the narrative to be perceived from the Western engineers point of view, the nature of my own mind and my own relationship with these ideas of spirituality had me firmly on the cautious monitoring of what the monks were doing.
The quiet way in which the true nature of purpose, the nature of existence is presented to us, to the characters and subsequently achieved is powerful and also a little anxiety inducing. There was a moment during the blood moon eclipse earlier in September where the entire dual light of sun and moon blinked out entirely. Now, thinking of a moment where that happens to the entire night sky like the janitor coming in and turning off the lights at a school room by room is deeply unnerving and even tragic. If the universe turns of, just like that - please no.
Of course, it's uniquely esoteric and an even holy look and existentialism using technology. I mean technology being the code to truly unlock answers mankind has had whether consciously or subconsciously is scary prescient because look at where we are right now.
So, is there an ascension for the sentient beings or was the entire process just a massive puzzle and God, Elohim, The Omnipresent laid out since time immemorial watching patiently to see which of his little creations would figure it out - if at all?
It packs a punch in barely 10 pages
March 30, 2021
God: creates universe "say my name"
Universe says God's name
God: "k thanx bye"
Universe says God's name
God: "k thanx bye"
July 10, 2020
This review is solely for the titular story: The Nine Billion Names of God.
Uh. Kaaaay. Initially I thought that maybe it's because I'm immersed in a wealth of modern, inclusive science fiction that I wasn't floored by the brilliance of this story, but then I realized, nah, science fiction has always had it's archetypes and tropes and themes, and a lot of them haven't changed in the 60+ years or however long it's been around. The ideas are mostly the same, it's the writing and attitude towards them that've shifted.
This story was, uh, kaaay. Sure, you can't deny the impact Clarke has made in all things spec-fic, but at the same time, it's truly hard for me to believe and accept that stories such as this once were groundbreaking and lauded as peak sci-fi. Here Clarke writes (again, science fiction is predictable) about technology proving capital gee God is real and, yet, unlike The Last Question (which I DID think was utterly brilliant and groundbreaking), TNBNoG had to descend into weird, problematic territory of those pesky half civilized Asians with their prayer wheels and mountain monasteries being onto something. And, yeah, Buddhism and other "oriental" beliefs will forever be fetishized in genres like science fiction and it's broad, broad, broad umbrella over everything that lies beneath it, but goddamn. Stop using "orientalism" as a means to move your story forward, even if it's "in a good way", it's still racism. Why can't people get this through their thick skulls? "Benevolent" or not, it's problematic and gross and I'm super goddamn sick of (((white))) people appropriating other cultures, cultures they profess to love and admire and desire to be a part of, as a way to show how "cool" and "progressive" and "smart" they are. Fuck off.
The more I think about this story, the more I dislike it. It was cliched, arrogant, unremarkable. Truth be told, it reminded me, and not in a good way, of all those (((white))) dudes in Advanced Fiction Workshop who think their farts don't stink because their favorite author is Vonnegut and they write thinly veiled GoTs fanfictions about drop dead gorgeous women with white hair and purple eyes and try to pass them off as the Next Great Thing That People Will Drool Over. Throw me in r/oddlyspecific, because I don't give a shit. Next.
Uh. Kaaaay. Initially I thought that maybe it's because I'm immersed in a wealth of modern, inclusive science fiction that I wasn't floored by the brilliance of this story, but then I realized, nah, science fiction has always had it's archetypes and tropes and themes, and a lot of them haven't changed in the 60+ years or however long it's been around. The ideas are mostly the same, it's the writing and attitude towards them that've shifted.
This story was, uh, kaaay. Sure, you can't deny the impact Clarke has made in all things spec-fic, but at the same time, it's truly hard for me to believe and accept that stories such as this once were groundbreaking and lauded as peak sci-fi. Here Clarke writes (again, science fiction is predictable) about technology proving capital gee God is real and, yet, unlike The Last Question (which I DID think was utterly brilliant and groundbreaking), TNBNoG had to descend into weird, problematic territory of those pesky half civilized Asians with their prayer wheels and mountain monasteries being onto something. And, yeah, Buddhism and other "oriental" beliefs will forever be fetishized in genres like science fiction and it's broad, broad, broad umbrella over everything that lies beneath it, but goddamn. Stop using "orientalism" as a means to move your story forward, even if it's "in a good way", it's still racism. Why can't people get this through their thick skulls? "Benevolent" or not, it's problematic and gross and I'm super goddamn sick of (((white))) people appropriating other cultures, cultures they profess to love and admire and desire to be a part of, as a way to show how "cool" and "progressive" and "smart" they are. Fuck off.
The more I think about this story, the more I dislike it. It was cliched, arrogant, unremarkable. Truth be told, it reminded me, and not in a good way, of all those (((white))) dudes in Advanced Fiction Workshop who think their farts don't stink because their favorite author is Vonnegut and they write thinly veiled GoTs fanfictions about drop dead gorgeous women with white hair and purple eyes and try to pass them off as the Next Great Thing That People Will Drool Over. Throw me in r/oddlyspecific, because I don't give a shit. Next.
February 5, 2009
Arthur C. Clarke has never been my favourite science fiction author -- though this is usually considered blasphemy, I don't particularly like the Rama or 2001 series -- but on the other hand he is a prolific and talented short story writer. It didn't take me long to finish this book -- partly because of the length, and the many power outages we have had recently, but also because as soon as you finish one short story you immediately want to move to the next.
August 26, 2014
The punch of the ending relies on the reader being a smug Westerner who needs jolted out of their fixed viewpoint, so if that's not you, it may be less effective. Still, the combination of computer science and mysticism is always nice.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 21, 2017
Interesting concept.
I liked the ending a lot.
I liked the ending a lot.
August 25, 2019
Good stories.
September 25, 2019
These stories were maybe 6 stars good when they were new. They are from a time when imagination and extrapolation from new ideas (so many new ideas) eclipsed character. So yeah, they are great stories from an undisputed master. The style is pretty much Man Meets the Future, a celebration of possibilities and an occasional caution about human overconfidence and the fragility of life.
January 28, 2023
Кларк не умеет создавать увлекательные конфликты или противостояния. А в фантастичной части скорее продолжает линию Уэллса про убедительные, но по современным меркам скучные предположения. Я поэтому никогда особо не был его фанатом, мне хочется больше угара, веселья и фантазии.
Но эта книга мне пожалуй больше всего понравилась из того, что я читал у Кларка. Перед рассказами есть его исторические справки и байки из жизни, которые раскрывают контекст и автора (я местами с них кайфанул даже больше чем с рассказов). В короткой форме бесконфликтные и идеально правильные персонажи не успевают надокучить и помогают не отвлечься от идей Кларка. И стилистически Кларк самый сильный автор из 50х: меланхоличный тон выдержан точно, словарный запас обширен, английский юмор уместен.
Отдельный отзыв на заглавный рассказ тут.
Но эта книга мне пожалуй больше всего понравилась из того, что я читал у Кларка. Перед рассказами есть его исторические справки и байки из жизни, которые раскрывают контекст и автора (я местами с них кайфанул даже больше чем с рассказов). В короткой форме бесконфликтные и идеально правильные персонажи не успевают надокучить и помогают не отвлечься от идей Кларка. И стилистически Кларк самый сильный автор из 50х: меланхоличный тон выдержан точно, словарный запас обширен, английский юмор уместен.
Отдельный отзыв на заглавный рассказ тут.
March 8, 2024
Este es un relato muy corto que trata sobre el fin de todo, es entretenido, una lástima que Clarke no lo expandió; ¡Pudo haber sido un libro genial!
February 10, 2025
Проблемът със старата научна фантастика е, че ако идеите са интересни, вече са проникнали до споделеният ни речник с концепции и не ни изненадват; а ако не са, значи най-често не са интересни.
January 3, 2024
Well that was fine but it all felt like build up with no pay-off. I thought the idea was great and I liked the characters.
October 7, 2025
text book Cosmic horror: those final words are chilling. to the. bone.
9.5/10
9.5/10
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