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Refugee
Unknown Binding
Published July 1, 1955
About the author
Arthur C. Clarke
1,551 books12.1k 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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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 7, 2021
I have the "Collected Short stories of Artur C. Clarke" which I got for next to nothing and in his introduction, Clarke says "‘Refugee’ was originally published by Anthony Boucher as ‘?’ because he didn't like the title, after which he ran a competition to find a better one, choosing ‘This Earth of Majesty’. Meanwhile, in New Worlds Ted Carnell called it ‘Royal Prerogative’, adding to the confusion."
**Spoiler** I think any title would be a better than the one Clarke gave it. The title telegraphs a major plot point of the story. After reading the title, I only needed to go in two pages to know exactly what was going to happen. To be fair, there were two nice 'bits'. The first was when the ship is determined to be a few pounds on the light side, when I was sure the opposite would be true. The second was the fashion in which the Prince made his presence known, which caused me to make audible noises of enjoyment.
3.5 stars -- I enjoyed it, but it wasn't a big deal and the spoiler title was really a bad idea all-round.
**Spoiler** I think any title would be a better than the one Clarke gave it. The title telegraphs a major plot point of the story. After reading the title, I only needed to go in two pages to know exactly what was going to happen. To be fair, there were two nice 'bits'. The first was when the ship is determined to be a few pounds on the light side, when I was sure the opposite would be true. The second was the fashion in which the Prince made his presence known, which caused me to make audible noises of enjoyment.
3.5 stars -- I enjoyed it, but it wasn't a big deal and the spoiler title was really a bad idea all-round.
October 16, 2026
Fascinating combination of British cultural sendup and spacefaring science fiction. When it ended I wished it was several times longer. Narration by Lister is excellent. [AUDIBLE]
興味深いのイギリス文化と宇宙航空のSFコンビ。終わったらもっと欲しかった
興味深いのイギリス文化と宇宙航空のSFコンビ。終わったらもっと欲しかった
March 26, 2021
A short meeting with royalty causes consequences....
February 22, 2025
seriously... no idea!
April 15, 2025
Short story, confused from start to finish. It felt like I was reading a chapter from a larger story.
February 10, 2026
Easy to predict what was going to happen. Have a digital version.
July 4, 2026
Very silly
November 11, 2016
Refugee, aka This Earth of Majesty aka Royal Progressive, tells of a weary prince who longs to travel to space and escape his duties momentarily. The figure is cheekily named Prince Henry of Wales, a reference to the famous navigator.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews