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Prelude to Mars: An Omnibus Containing the Complete Novels Prelude to Space and the Sands of Mars and Sixteen Short Stories
Librarian note: While this record is for ISBN 0151739226 it appears that all of the printings were without an ISBN with some being book club editions. The same cover was used for all editions and so we have a single record on Goodreads.
This is omnibus and collection of two previously published novels and 16 short stories. The novels are Prelude to Space (1951) and The Sands of Mars (1951). There are eight humorous short stories from Clarke's Tales from the White Hart collection:
• Big Game Hunt (1956)
• Critical Mass (1949)
• The Ultimate Melody (1957)
• Moving Spirit (1957)
• The Man Who Ploughed the Sea (1957)
• Cold War (1957)
• What Goes Up (1956)
• Trouble with the Natives (1951 - This did not appear in Tales from the White Hart but one of the locations in this story is the White Hart bar)
There are also eight serious short stories:
• A Walk in the Dark (1950)
• The Forgotten Enemy (1948)
• The Parasite (1953)
• The Curse (1946)
• The Possessed (1953)
• The Awakening (1942)
• Exile of the Eons (1950)
• Second Dawn (1951)
This is omnibus and collection of two previously published novels and 16 short stories. The novels are Prelude to Space (1951) and The Sands of Mars (1951). There are eight humorous short stories from Clarke's Tales from the White Hart collection:
• Big Game Hunt (1956)
• Critical Mass (1949)
• The Ultimate Melody (1957)
• Moving Spirit (1957)
• The Man Who Ploughed the Sea (1957)
• Cold War (1957)
• What Goes Up (1956)
• Trouble with the Natives (1951 - This did not appear in Tales from the White Hart but one of the locations in this story is the White Hart bar)
There are also eight serious short stories:
• A Walk in the Dark (1950)
• The Forgotten Enemy (1948)
• The Parasite (1953)
• The Curse (1946)
• The Possessed (1953)
• The Awakening (1942)
• Exile of the Eons (1950)
• Second Dawn (1951)
497 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 1965
6 people are currently reading
240 people want to read
About the author
Arthur C. Clarke
1,647 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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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
February 5, 2014
An enjoyable read, and certainly excellent examples of WWII era/early cold war science fiction. Clarke's character development skills are excellent here, however, many times I find myself bogged down in overly descriptive narratives that sometimes detracts from plot development. But this drawback certainly doesn't detract from the fact that this author is a bold pioneer in this genre.
July 4, 2020
Omnibus volume of 2 novels (PRELUDE TO SPACE & THE SANDS OF MARS), plus 16 short stories. A Science Fiction Book Club selection.
Read
November 24, 2021Dated but still a good read. Clarke is one of my top three, SF authors. The 'Trinity; are Asimov, Heinlein and Clarke.
January 31, 2015
Prelude to Mars is an omnibus of early Arthur C Clarke material - two novels, a novella, and a dozen or so short stories. Despite considering myself a lifelong fan, I was astonished to find not only unexpected variety, but one of Clarke's better novels (Sands of Mars). I can't say whether I'm embarrassed I haven't known about these works until now or if I should celebrate the fact that twenty years of fandom isn't enough to exhaust the treasure trove of this author's oeuvre. Obscure gems are still out there in thrift stores and used book shops and the local library.
Among the more noteworthy stories are "The Parasite" and "Exile of the Eons." The former shows Clarke's often overlooked versatility. Clarke suggests several times in this period his interest in Poe. But it is a later American, H P Lovecraft, who seems to emerge. American literature may have really been on the author's mind at this time, as the motif of suspended animation as practical, one-way time travel evokes "Rip Van Winkle" (in "Exile" and others). The idea (expressed in the latter as well as Sands of Mars) that one's colonial offspring may one day exceed the greatness of the parent society may well be a reflection on the fin de siècle of empire, open to interpretation as America ascending. Or I may be in a sentimental mood... Neverthess, both stories are chilling - unexpected fare from an author capable of swashbuckling adventures as well as hard science fiction, but seldom fantasy and never horror.
Of course, science fiction's greatest liability is the inevitability of later being invalidated by actual, subsequent scientific reality. That's why the best science fiction writers are philosophers at heart, experts in the formation of durable koans. How else would a 60+ year old collection of premises utterly devastated by errors in their predictions* make for edge-of-your-seat reading in the 21st century?
Prelude to Mars holds two specific pleasures in store for Clarke fans: One, readers will enjoy watching the author's greatest ideas mature. Central features of 2001, 2010 and the Rama series appear in prototype form. Two, readers will find some of Clarke's more literary output in Sands of Mars. Clarke succeeds in making compelling, likable characters (one of the author's notable weaknesses; most Arthur C Clarke books are populated by flaccid, 2-D stereotypes going through stock motions in much more vibrant worlds (it's those worlds we're interested in, not the generically handsome playboy scientists somnambulating within them)). The principal characters in Sands of Mars rank alongside those of Rama and Childhood's End for the designation of Clarke's best creations.
This is a great anthology - easily worth the $2.00 it's bound to cost at the used book store when you eventually come across it.
*Atomic propulsion and... (ahem) flora and fauna on Mars. Oh well...
Among the more noteworthy stories are "The Parasite" and "Exile of the Eons." The former shows Clarke's often overlooked versatility. Clarke suggests several times in this period his interest in Poe. But it is a later American, H P Lovecraft, who seems to emerge. American literature may have really been on the author's mind at this time, as the motif of suspended animation as practical, one-way time travel evokes "Rip Van Winkle" (in "Exile" and others). The idea (expressed in the latter as well as Sands of Mars) that one's colonial offspring may one day exceed the greatness of the parent society may well be a reflection on the fin de siècle of empire, open to interpretation as America ascending. Or I may be in a sentimental mood... Neverthess, both stories are chilling - unexpected fare from an author capable of swashbuckling adventures as well as hard science fiction, but seldom fantasy and never horror.
Of course, science fiction's greatest liability is the inevitability of later being invalidated by actual, subsequent scientific reality. That's why the best science fiction writers are philosophers at heart, experts in the formation of durable koans. How else would a 60+ year old collection of premises utterly devastated by errors in their predictions* make for edge-of-your-seat reading in the 21st century?
Prelude to Mars holds two specific pleasures in store for Clarke fans: One, readers will enjoy watching the author's greatest ideas mature. Central features of 2001, 2010 and the Rama series appear in prototype form. Two, readers will find some of Clarke's more literary output in Sands of Mars. Clarke succeeds in making compelling, likable characters (one of the author's notable weaknesses; most Arthur C Clarke books are populated by flaccid, 2-D stereotypes going through stock motions in much more vibrant worlds (it's those worlds we're interested in, not the generically handsome playboy scientists somnambulating within them)). The principal characters in Sands of Mars rank alongside those of Rama and Childhood's End for the designation of Clarke's best creations.
This is a great anthology - easily worth the $2.00 it's bound to cost at the used book store when you eventually come across it.
*Atomic propulsion and... (ahem) flora and fauna on Mars. Oh well...
July 10, 2009
“Prelude to Mars” is an interesting collection from Arthur C. Clarke. It includes his first novel, “Prelude to Space”, eight humorous short fiction stories, eight serious short fiction stories, and his second novel, “The Sands of Mars”. This collection was published in 1965, and it provides readers with an easy way to get a hold of Clarke’s first two novels.
The first section of the book is “Prelude to Mars”, Clarke’s first novel, which he wrote in 1947 in just 20 days. It wasn’t published until 1951. It is strong on technical details and makes some fairly good predictions about the first mission to the moon, but the character development isn’t there and the political situation surrounding the effort is pretty far off the mark. The book was tied for 25th on the 1956 Astounding/Analog poll for science fiction books.
The next section is “On the Light Side” which consists of eight stories all of which are from Clarke’s “White Hart” series. This is a fun collection of stories and if you don’t have them somewhere else this is as good as any place to find them, though you will only get part of the collection here. Clarke includes some other science fiction writers in these stories under pseudonyms, including his own role as narrator. One of the stories, “Trouble with the Natives” is not typically included as a “White Hart” story because it is written from the perspective of aliens, but it does mention the pub by name so I tend to include it.
The next section is “On the Serious Side” and includes eight works of short fiction which, not surprisingly are series instead of humorous. This includes a variety of stories which don’t appear to have any particular connection, so it isn’t clear why they were chosen. There are some similarities between a few of them, but on the whole it appears to be a fairly random selection of stories from 1946 – 1953.
The last section is “The Sands of Mars”, Clarke’s second novel which was also published in 1951. The differences between this novel and his first become very clear quickly. Clarke spends a lot more time on the characters in the second novel, and while the science is certainly still there, it doesn’t feel as forced as in his first novel. That being said, the story does include some rather hard to believe coincidences, so I would rank it overall slightly below the first novel, especially when one looks at believability. Of interest is the use of the same idea as Clarke would use in one of his later works, 2010.
Overall a decent collection, and one which I rank above each of the individual parts. It certainly gives the reader a good look at Clarke’s early work, and in particular his first two novels. Even if these are not Clarke’s masterpieces, they are still worth reading.
The first section of the book is “Prelude to Mars”, Clarke’s first novel, which he wrote in 1947 in just 20 days. It wasn’t published until 1951. It is strong on technical details and makes some fairly good predictions about the first mission to the moon, but the character development isn’t there and the political situation surrounding the effort is pretty far off the mark. The book was tied for 25th on the 1956 Astounding/Analog poll for science fiction books.
The next section is “On the Light Side” which consists of eight stories all of which are from Clarke’s “White Hart” series. This is a fun collection of stories and if you don’t have them somewhere else this is as good as any place to find them, though you will only get part of the collection here. Clarke includes some other science fiction writers in these stories under pseudonyms, including his own role as narrator. One of the stories, “Trouble with the Natives” is not typically included as a “White Hart” story because it is written from the perspective of aliens, but it does mention the pub by name so I tend to include it.
The next section is “On the Serious Side” and includes eight works of short fiction which, not surprisingly are series instead of humorous. This includes a variety of stories which don’t appear to have any particular connection, so it isn’t clear why they were chosen. There are some similarities between a few of them, but on the whole it appears to be a fairly random selection of stories from 1946 – 1953.
The last section is “The Sands of Mars”, Clarke’s second novel which was also published in 1951. The differences between this novel and his first become very clear quickly. Clarke spends a lot more time on the characters in the second novel, and while the science is certainly still there, it doesn’t feel as forced as in his first novel. That being said, the story does include some rather hard to believe coincidences, so I would rank it overall slightly below the first novel, especially when one looks at believability. Of interest is the use of the same idea as Clarke would use in one of his later works, 2010.
Overall a decent collection, and one which I rank above each of the individual parts. It certainly gives the reader a good look at Clarke’s early work, and in particular his first two novels. Even if these are not Clarke’s masterpieces, they are still worth reading.
April 8, 2008
Another bk I wd've read in pre-puberty or puberty. When I was a kid Arthur C. Clarke, Issac Asimov, & Robert Heinlein were probably the big 3 SF authors most well known & read. I liked them but it didn't take me long to outgrow them. Clarke was probably my least favorite of the 3. Probably too 'hard science' & not social enuf. As w/ pretty much every bk I 'review' here w/o really remembering it, I'd reread this if I had a clone who had nothing better to do. But, of course, if I had a clone, he WD have something better to do & both of us wd create EVEN MORE PROJECTS. So, maybe if I were on Mars, unable to leave my underground dome & this was one of the only bks there, I'd reread this. Until then, this amnesia review will have to suffice.
""Commander Dawson was in the conning tower, watching his crew working with their sprays of ice-cold water and jets of freezing air. They were now quite skilled at this unusual occupation, and delighted in little artistic touches. However, the Commander had had to put a stop to attempts to reproduce Marilyn Monroe in ice - though he had filed the idea for future reference.""
""Commander Dawson was in the conning tower, watching his crew working with their sprays of ice-cold water and jets of freezing air. They were now quite skilled at this unusual occupation, and delighted in little artistic touches. However, the Commander had had to put a stop to attempts to reproduce Marilyn Monroe in ice - though he had filed the idea for future reference.""
September 2, 2019
Kind of boring in places to me. I know that science fiction has to be deeper than just action and machines, but "Prelude to Space" and some of the stories were too "talky" and philosophical. I found myself not caring much for the stories about Harry Purvis, either (Who?). "Sands of Mars" was better but still had some dry spots. Worth a read, but not a classic.
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December 13, 2007N/A
November 19, 2008
Discussed on SF Gospel:
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February 28, 2009
A fine example of the pure mastery that was Arthur C Clarke. He left his mark on liturate with everyone of his stories and his spirit lives on through his life's work.
Want to read
January 12, 2012No grade. Short stories.
February 28, 2014
Excellent collection of Clarke's stories that I have owned for many, many years.
April 27, 2017
I have read most of Clarke's work and started back around 1968 with 2001. He is one of my favorite scifi writers and some of his short stories have really given me a dreaming view of space and the future, stories like The Sentinel and The Nine Billion Names of God. So after recently seeing 2001 on the big screen for the first time in over 30 years I looked to read some of his early work I had missed. This was a compilation of early short stories and two novels. Overall it was quite good but does show him at the beginnings of his craft when he writing was obviously developing. The ideas were big but technically somewhat flawed, maybe even a bit for their day. I enjoyed the book and probably liked the short stories somewhat more. There were a couple that gave me that awed feeling I mentioned above from reading him when I was much younger. I would recommend this book as a way to experience the early Clarke but remember, these were written early in his career and he was still developing as a writer.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews